Sometimes Foodie: Garlic Bread Flavored Almonds with Croutons? (And Honey Citron Flavor, too!)

Garlic Bread and Lemon Citron Almonds - Hung Vuong Food Market

The last two Gilim Tom's flavors I reviewed were a lot of fun, and after learning about how many variations they have to offer, I was looking forward to trying even more. On my most recent trip to Hung Vuong Food Market, I grabbed Honey Citron and Garlicbread. Let's see how these compare!

Honey Citron Almond - These are a dry coated almond, similar to the strawberry flavor I previously reviewed. When opened these smell bright and clean, kind of like a lemon cleaning product, but in a good way. Popping a few into my mouth they kind of taste like they smell. Sweet, lemon-y, and the honey aspect leans a little artificial, but the bright zesty lemon flavoring helps to balance it out. It wasn't a love at first bite kind of snack, but before I knew it I finished the whole bag at my work-desk, and found myself wanting more. I would definitely buy this flavor again.

Garlic Bread Almond - I was really excited about this one, because it's just so weird! A garlic bread flavored almond? I mean, garlic-y almonds already exist out there in the snack aisles already, but this has little croutons included, as well as sugar, dark caramel syrup, brown sugar, rosemary, and honey? I mean...what is that?

The almonds themselves are covered in dry seasoning, they're very sweet, almost like caramel, but with plenty of garlic and savory herbs and seasonings. Imagine garlic bread pudding, and then add almonds. It's unexpected, not bad, but new and interesting. And weird, in a good way. The croutons on the other hand, are sweeter, but with honey, garlic, butter, and sugar. Again, like a savory caramel, but this time it's more literal. The croutons have a hard candy-like exterior giving way to a crispy interior, like salad croutons, covered in sugar. I don't hate them, but I find myself not reaching for them very often. And they also give you killer breath, so keep some gum handy.

Both flavors were a lot of fun to try, but of the two, I would only rebuy the honey citron for personal snacking. Garlic bread is a lot of fun, and entirely edible, but due to it's candy-like sweetness, it's just not something I find myself wanting. I know garlic bread tends to be sweeter in Asia, and I have seen lots of recipes for including honey, but this is practically candy. It just isn't for me, but it is fun and I am glad I gave it a try.