Strawberry Daifuku Milky - Sun Seng Market

Strawberry Daifuku Milky - Sun Seng Market

I'm losing my mind. If you thought my desperate Jerked Mac and Cheese dinner was a lack of judgement then you better fasten your seatbelts for today's slice of hot mess that is my life. I, a grown woman, locked myself out of the house this morning leaving my healthy lunch trapped on the kitchen table taunting me from the window. (I'm nearly 30 but I'm still getting the hang of this whole "adulting" thing.) After a few sad attempts to break in and rescue said lunch, I had to leave or be late to work, so no use crying over forgotten house keys and soon to be spoiled sushi. At least I have an excuse to munch on all these candies at my desk instead of real food.

Hello Kitty Gummy Candy - Sun Seng Market

Hello Kitty Gummy Candy - Sun Seng Market

I think we all recognize this iconic little kitty. (Although she's apparently a little girl?) Cat, human, whatever she may be, she's been around for 40 years and even though this isn't specifically Valentine's Day themed, it's pink and red with hearts, so what better time to review it than now?

This is a novelty product, so the main selling point is the packaging. They want to sucker us all in with that iconic Sanrio-cuteness, and you know what? It totally works. (It got me and I'm not even a big Hello Kitty fan.) We have a bunch of adorable Hello Kitty illustrations scattered on a resealable foiled plastic pouch containing a small amount of candy. It's adorable, collectible, and the gummies themselves are shaped like Hello Kitty's iconic bow so you get a double whammy of cuteness.

Speaking of the bow shaped gummies, they're really cute, but they have this weird edible-glitter-like coating that I don't understand. Is it intentional? Or are these coated ina little too much food-grade wax? It's kind of neat, like they're coated in clear glitter, but these could just be old or something. I can't really tell.

Inside there are two flavors:

Peach (translucent pink): Once you get through the weird waxy coating, the gummi tastes very sweet and mild. It's a bit on the floral side of things, but it tastes a lot more realistic than other peach flavored candies I've had in the past. (I still think the Kasugai gummies are better, but there aren't half bad.) It's enjoyable, and not bad for a novelty product, but I know I can get better peach flavored gummies elsewhere.

Apple (translucent redish-peach): Again, once you get through that weird waxy outside, the flavoring is pretty nice. These apple gummies are tangy and more concentrated than the peach, and it's almost like they took apple juice concentrate and turned it into a gummy candy. I like this one more than the other, but you don't get that many in this bag, and it's pretty pricey, but this flavor is on-par with Kasugai's.

This is a really cute novelty product for fans of Hello Kitty, and the flavoring is more authentic than a lot of gummies on the American market, but the portion size is really small and these are pretty expensive. If you're looking for delicious fruity gummies to snack on, and you want to spend a little money, I suggest getting Kasugai ones instead. However, if you're looking for an edible gift for a Sanrio fan, these are pretty gppd for a novelty product and I don't think anyone would dislike them.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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Tao Kae Noi Hot Chilli Squid Super Crisp Grilled Seaweed - Sunseng Market

Tao Kae Noi Hot Chilli Squid Super Crisp Grilled Seaweed - Sunseng Market

My last two reviews were candy bars from the same store, which were both delicious, but repetition can get a bit boring, and now for something completely different: Hot Chilli Squid flavored seaweed strips! (Try saying that three times fast!) 

Gum Variety Pack (Mixed Fruits) - SunSeung Market: Pennsauken, NJ

Gum Variety Pack (apple) - SunSeung Market: Pennsauken, NJ

Back to my normal candy reviews! I really want to finish this gum variety pack, so I might post one of these every other day. (I could just post one each day, but I want to keep things interesting.) There's only two packs left, so I'll try and post those reviews Friday and Sunday.

Check out THIS post to read about the overall packaging.  

So far, this variety pack has been pretty mediocre. I wasn't expecting much from this candy, since it looks like some kind of dollar store knock off, but the gum has tasted better than I thought it would. (Although that doesn't say much. I had really low hopes for this candy.)

Sticking with the cute animal theme, this specific flavor features a Panda (that looks a lot like a Hello Kitty character), and itty bitty Chiclet-style gum pieces.

Gum Variety Pack (grape) - SunSeung Market: Pennsauken, NJ

 

Gum Variety Pack (grape) - SunSeung Market: Pennsauken, NJ

A new little sampler!


Does anyone know what brand this is? There was absolutely no English on the package and nothing turned up on Google. (Although I wasn't really sure what to search.) The only thing I do know is that this package contains different styles and flavors of chewing gum.

Similar to Meiji's samplers, this set features adorable mascots and bright colors. The packaging was really childish and playful, so this would definitely appeal to kids, but to adult eyes it looks like some kind of knock-off. (It might be. I'm not sure.) The designs are cute but generic, like something you might find in a dollar store. Although the art itself is simple, there are little reminders to dispose of your trash and recycle the box, as well as little indicators of flavor. In short, this design looks kind of cheap but it touches on all the important points that packaging should.

I decided to start with the grape.

White-Gourd Drink - SunSeung Market: Pennsauken, NJ

White-Gourd Drink - SunSeung Market: Pennsauken, NJ

I remember seeing a can of White-Gourd Drink on an episode of Cult Moo, one of my favorite youtube channels ever. I seem to recall Herr Pink saying this was "downright delicious," but I could be mistaken. (I've seen all of their videos so I might have mixed up my memories.) Either way, I was intrigued.

The best place to start my search was the SunSeung Market, since it's so close to my house, and I found it! As it turns out, a lot of Asian companies produce a White-Gourd Drink, so I just picked the prettiest can.

As you can see, the can is a pale green color with swirls of vines and green leaves. I am not a big Disney fan, but the design makes me think of Cinderella and her pumpkin carriage, or a shōjo manga. (Seriously. It has tons of little white highlights and sparkles.) This design stood out from all of the others, so it's quite successful.

Goya Pumpkin Noodles and Pumpkin Soup Mix - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Goya Pumpkin Noodles and Pumpkin Soup Mix - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Here are two pumpkin items I combined (with a few other ingredients) to make some yummy vegetable soup.

• A packet of Pumpkin Soup Mix
• A bag of Goya Pumpkin Pasta

Kabaya Karipori Candy Stick - Ramune Review - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Kabaya Karipori Candy Stick - Ramune Review - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ

Sorry for the brief hiatus. Things are finally starting to settle down a bit and I can get back to my regular update schedule. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

I already discussed the packaging and the cola flavored candy. (Posted HERE!)

So today we’ll focus on the ramune candy and it’s wrappers.

Arizona Golden Bear Lemonade with Mint - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Arizona Golden Bear Lemonade with Mint - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ

In the last decade the Arizona beverage company has been expanding. Energy Drinks, espresso, and even Shaquille O’Neal themed cream sodas have been introduced! In 2012 Arizona started a new line of lemonades featuring none other than the pro-golfing rival of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus. Most of you may be aware that Arnold Palmer was known for his preference of mixing iced tea and lemonade. This mixed drink now bears his name and he has his own line of flavored lemonade-teas with Arizona. I guess the company thought their old rivalry should be revived with tasty beverages. I think this secondary line of drinks is pretty funny, but I don’t know how many people will be getting the joke. I mean the information about these golfers is printed right on the can, but I don’t know that many people who actually read these things.

The overall design is very similar to the Arnold Palmer line. Because this lemonade is flavored with mint the can is mostly green in color with gold accents. I feel pretty indifferent to this design. I know they modeled this can after the Arnold Palmer one, so they are trying to maintain a consistent look, but it doesn’t look very polished. (Although Nicklaus was also a protege of Palmer, so modeling this can after the Arnold Palmer one can also be seen as a clever little dig/joke. I’m not golf fan, I had to read Nicklaus’ wiki page to find that out.)

Crayon Shin-chan Ramune - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Crayon Shin-chan Ramune - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

To be a ramune you must have marbles, marbles and a bottle~!

Okay, enough of me being lame. Crayon Shin-chan is a hilarious Japanese character who has his own manga, anime, and plenty of merchandise. His show was actually dubbed in English and it aired on [adult swim] here in America. I loved the show, so hopefully I’ll love this ramune drink.

This glass bottle is typical for ramune beverages, and it’s a nice pale blue color. The label features Shin with his family, but there and tons of little Shin-chans in animal outfits scattered about. (The flying squirrel outfit and chicken outfit are my favorites.) There are a lot of characters, so this is a pretty busy label, but as a fan of the show I love it. 

Dragon Ball Soda - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Dragon Ball Soda - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Since the cans were so awesome, I had to split this review into two posts.

This one will focus on the actual beverage. Check out THIS POST to read about the packaging and see more photos. 

Out of the three cans I purchased…

• Bulma
• Master Roshi
• Yamcha

I decided to drink Yamcha. (Sorry Yamcha.)

Thanks to the translated ingredients sticker, I kind of had an idea of what this soda would taste like. The ingredients listed orange as well as lactose, so I think this will be a creamy orange flavor (like a Creamsicle).

I popped the can open and sure enough, it smelled like a zesty orange soda. The “orange” scent reminds me more of a mandarin than a traditional Florida orange, and there were some sweet, sugary, notes but that is pretty typical for an orange soda. I didn’t detect any hint of vanilla or creme.

Dragon Ball Soda - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ (PHOTO HEAVY!)

Dragon Ball Soda - SunSengMarket : Pennsauken, NJ

Since the cans are so awesome I had to split the review into two posts.

This one will focus on packaging, and the next one (tomorrow) will be the taste of the actual soda.

I grew up with Dragonball and Dragonball Z. (I used to wake up early and watch it on Saturday mornings, along with Sailormoon before they went on Toonami.) So I had to buy these when I saw them. The store didn’t have all the designs, so I picked my top three characters.

• Bulma
• Master Roshi
• Yamcha

The packaging is very detailed and nostalgic. The front of each can looks like the torso of a main character and includes a side kick, or related item. (Like Bulma’s dragonball locator). The backs have a scene from the show, a little description, and a line up of all the available character cans.

Arizona Strawberry Arnold Palmer - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Arizona Strawberry Arnold Palmer - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Although this is an American product, I had a really hard time finding it in American shops. I finally saw a can of the strawberry Arnold Palmer at SunSeng market. 

The entire can is black (except for the bottom) and it’s covered in little metallic strawberries. I love that the can is black, and I love the little strawberries…but the overall design feels off. It doesn’t feel finished and it reminds me of a first year design assignment. A contributing factor is the “Half & Half” logo on the bottom. I think it looks out of place on all of their designs and really dated. The can does it’s job, but it doesn’t feel like a successful overall design.

Dr. Oetker Crème Caramel - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Dr. Oetker Crème Caramel - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

I made this brand’s instant Crème Brûlée a few weeks ago. On a trip to the SunSeng market we actually found another one of these kits. This time it’s Crème Caramel. (It kind of looks like instant flan to me.) 

My sister actually whipped this one up, and said it was very easy. The process was very similar to the previous kit. It had a packet of instant custard and a packet or caramel syrup. All you need to do is add is milk.

Calbee Sweet Potato Chips - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

Calbee Sweet Potato Chips - SunSeng Market : Pennsauken, NJ

The only English on this baggie was “Sweet Potato Snack Original Flavor.” Since my sister loves sweet potatoes, we decided to give it a try.

The packaging is VERY busy, because not only do you get chips, but each bag contains pieces of a game. You can get player pieces (like we did) or bits of a game board. Including a game with this snack is a great idea, I bet kids would really love having something like this in their lunch bag.