Lemonade Gummy Candy - Philadelphia's Chinatown, PA

Lemonade Gummy Candy - Philadelphia's Chinatown, PA

Although I've eaten and reviewed quite a few Kasugai gummies here on my blog, the flavor selection in my area is quite limited. I can always find a bag of strawberry, mango, lychee, or melon, but the seasonal and Japan-local flavors (like Yuzu) are hard to find. (At least in my area of New Jersey.) Practically everything is available on the internet these days, but I prefer buying my candy in person, so I've never had the chance to try some of the more exotic or seasonal flavors. That's all about to change, recently some of the summery Kasugai gummy flavors have made their way to my neck of the woods. First I found the watermelon, which were delicious, and now I've found this bag of lemonade flavored gummies!

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

I actually reviewed this flavor over a year ago, back when I started Sometimes Foodie. I still agree with my review, but my photos were awful.

Since I had the opportunity to take some new photos with some different packaging, I figured I’d re-post and update my review.

The original can be seen HERE.

Strawberry is my typical go-to flavor, so I have tried a LOT of strawberry gums over the years, and this may be the most authentic berry flavor available. (I reviewed the melon flavor before, and it is just as amazing.)

Typically each portion of gum is housed in a little cardboard box with a realistic fruit design that relates to the flavor. In this case the box has been swapped out for a tiny foil package with the same design. Both packages serve their purpose, but I am partial to the little boxes myself. (I like that they can be recycled.)

Rare Cheesecake Pocky - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Rare Cheesecake Pocky - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

It's been a while since I have reviewed Pocky, so here is a snazzy flavor new flavor that was released this summer.

What is "Rare Cheesecake?" Some kind of fancy hard to find cheese? Nope, it's actually a no-bake cheesecake, so the "rare" refers to being uncooked like a rare steak. We have no-bake cheesecakes here in the states as well, but the ones served in Asian have a very different taste. Cake may vary, because all bakers make everything a little differently, but rare cheesecakes can taste very, well, cheesy. In America we tend to prefer a standard cream cheese flavoring for the base but Asian cheesecakes can occasionally have a truly cheesy taste with strong lemon flavoring. Again, it varies from bake shop to bake shop, but you might get something that tastes completely different from the standard, American, cheesecake.

On to the review...

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

Here’s the last flavor I have to review!

• Orange
• Strawberry (Already Reviewed)
• Grape (Already Reviewed)
• Lemon (Already Reviewed)
• Muscat (Already Reviewed)

Citrus flavored gum seems to be rare here in America, and I haven’t had the best luck with it. (I absolutely hated the Dessert Delights Orange Creme Pop.) So far all of Marukawa’s flavors have been really impressive, they just don’t last, but I can’t imagine that this would taste bad.

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

In this strip I have…

• Muscat
• Orange
• Strawberry (Already Reviewed)
• Grape (Already Reviewed)
• Lemon (Already Reviewed)

Some of you might be thinking, “Didn’t you already review grape?” I did. This is actually muscat. It is a different kind of grape that is quite popular in Japan and other countries. There are muscat gummies, sodas, wines, and jellies.

I have already reviewed a few muscat flavored items here on Sometimes Foodie…

• Gummies, more Gummies
• Jelly Beans
• Gummy Choco

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Marukawa Gum - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

Now that I know that these packets contain Marukawa gum, not hard candies, I am very excited to try the other flavors.

I have already reviewed the strawberry, melon, and grape flavors, which were all delicious.

Marukawa Candy - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Marukawa Candy - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

When I picked up this long strip of candy in Chinatown I wasn’t sure what it was. It felt like a bunch of fruity hard candies, but it turns out that this is Marukawa gum! I have never seen it in this kind of packaging before, usually it is inside tiny cardboard boxes, but I like this foiled bag sampler.

I have already reviewed the strawberry and melon flavors, but this strip still has a decent assortment to review..

• Grape
• Lemon
• Muscat
• Orange
• Strawberry (Already Reviewed)

Today I’ll be reviewing the grape flavored gum.

Sometimes Foodie Teaser Haul

I have all this food waiting to be reviewed, so I figured I'd give you all a sneak peek of what is to come.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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Pokemon Candies (Possibly Gum) -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Pokemon Candies (Possibly Gum) -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

Check out more Pokemon photos in yesterday’s post!

Time to discuss some packaging, and (prepare to be shocked) this is another item where I have absolutely no complaints or suggestions for the design! This is aimed at kids, so it’s bright and colorful, and I feel like this packaging was very well thought out. The stickers are a nice touch, which can make this a collectable item (much like the entire Pokemon franchise) or you can just enjoy the candy. There were different character strips and stickers available in the store, personally I chose this one because of Pikachu and Pidove.
This is adorable, fun to photograph, and functional. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Potato Wish Chips (Tomato flavored) - ??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

I am a slave to good package design. I bought these tomato flavored chips even though I am mildly allergic to tomatoes!

What do I mean by mildly allergic? My throat doesn’t swell up, but my stomach will hurt and I may or may not throw up. It all depends on the acidity levels and the amount I have eaten.

Two handy packs.

The product concept isn’t new, I mean these are simply more sophisticated looking Pringles, but the overall packaging is really well thought out.

First of all the colors really stand out on the grocery shelves. This package is able to pull off green and red designs without making me think of Christmas, and the photograph of the product is very appealing.

The container is a tall, irregularly shaped, cardboard box that contains 2 individually packaged stacks of baked potato chips. That means you can easily split this into two portions or toss a pouch of these into your lunch. Beautiful AND handy. I love it!

When I opened the first pouch I was actually a little horrified. The chips look absolutely delicious, but they smell like canned Spaghetti O’s. That is like poison to me. I could never eat them as a kid because I would very likely throw up, and these chips smell just like them. It’s that sweet, ketchup-y, canned tomato sauce smell.

Urg…

 I am not looking forward to this taste test.

Nice thick cut chips. Too bad they smell like tomato poison.

Well, I grabbed a chip and popped it into my mouth. Thank goodness these aren’t as strongly flavored as they are scented.

The chips are pretty thick, so they have a really satisfying crunch, and only once side is seasoned. The unseasoned side tastes like a normal, thick cut, potato chip, but the other side tastes like canned zesty pasta sauce smeared onto a chip.
This was NOT the most appealing flavor for me, but I like the concept and the packaging.

I will be buying more of these chips, but not in this flavor. I just can’t handle the tomato-y taste.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Meiji Banana Choco -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Meiji Banana Choco -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

This was a candy I bought solely because of the packaging. Just look at it! It’s freaking adorable. (Although some of the illustrated bananas kinda look like condoms…)

Although the illustrations and color palette are quite simple, the box is brilliantly detailed. The top flap pops open to easily dispense the banana candies and there is a removable banana peel that reveals your future luck. Sadly I can’t read any of it. If anyone can translate, please send me a message.

Thank you bealuhan!

There was a lot of thought put into this design and I absolutely love it.

Pomegranate Hard Candies -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA

Pomegranate Hard Candies -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

Time for another, potentially yummy, Chinatown goodie review.
I don’t remember which little shop I purchased this from, but it was somewhere near Arch Street.

This time the packaging is very simple, even more so than the Airheads, but I think it is visually stunning. I love the bold red on white design and the photograph at the top of the bag is absolutely gorgeous. (Look at that splash of juice!) It is rare, but I actually have absolutely no complaints about this design. This bag is simple, functional, and beautiful. (It’s resealable to boot!)

I’m pretty familiar with the gummy candies made by Kasugai, which are amazingly delicious, but I have never had their hard candies. (I can’t imagine they’d be bad though…)

Pokemon Candies - Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA (PHOTO HEAVY POST)

Pokemon Candies (Possibly Gum) -??? : Chinatown, Philadelphia, PA  

The photos for this post were getting a little out of hand, there were just too many, so I split things up.

I’m not 100% sure what candy is inside these wrappers. Taffy? Gum? (My money is on gum.) But the illustrations are super adorable. (Even if I can’t name all the Pokemon pictured, i do appreciate the art. I haven’t played the games since Silver on Gameboy color. Don’t judge me!)

Today I’ll post this photo-teaser and the actual review will go up tomorrow!

Chinatown Haul (Video Post)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Lite General Tso’s Chicken and Wontons - Chinatown Garden: Washington DC

Lite General Tso’s Chicken and Wontons - Chinatown Garden: Washington DC

I had to grab a quick dinner before we made the 2 hour drive back to Jersey, so I headed into DC’s Chinatown for a bite to eat.

I decided to get an order of General Tso’s with some dumplings, but this restaurant actually offered a “lite” version which I have never seen before. I was curious, so I gave it a try.

Kasugai Fruits Mix Gummy Candy - ???

Kasugai Fruits Mix Gummy Candy - ???

I picked this up from a random convenience store while walking around Philly a while ago. (I really can’t remember where.)

After trying these gummis before, in THIS sampler,  I was excited to get more of them. 

The bag is simple, but it uses stunning images of fresh fruit. I just want to reach into the image and eat a grape.

Kasugai Gummi Sampler (Muscat and Pineapple) - Chinatown, PA

Kasugai Gummi Sampler (Muscat and Pineapple) - Chinatown, PA

To see what the other gummies tasted like, check out my reviews apple, grape and orange.

Time for the last two flavors-pineapple and muscat.

Kasugai Gummi Sampler (Apple) - Chinatown, PA

Kasugai Gummi Sampler (Apple) - Chinatown, PA

I love Kasugai gummies! I have had the honeydew and strawberry flavors before and both were delicious. I have always wanted to try other flavors, but I didn’t want to commit to buying a full-size bag of them. This sampler is the perfect solution to that! 

The sampler comes in a long strip with 5 different flavored gummies. In the selection we have: apple, muscat, orange, grape and pineapple. I think this is a nice collection of flavors and gives the buyer a decent amount of variety.

To kick things off, I’ll start with apple.

Strawberry Heart Shaped Pocky,Chinatown PA

Strawberry Heart Shaped Pocky,Chinatown PA

Now I have had Strawberry Pocky before, but this is different. I have been hunting for this heart shaped one ever since I saw it on the net!

Normal Strawberry Pocky has a basic biscuit stick and a pale pink strawberry-flavored confectionery coating. This one is similar, it had a heart shaped basic biscuit stick but the strawberry coating is darker and has deep red flecks.

Chinatown Goodies!

Chinatown Goodies!

Here’s what I bought in Chinatown. Photos and reviews coming soon!

 Photos© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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