Kyushu and Okinawa Fair
As you can see there were plenty of things to try there, but as to conform to the namesake of this blog, I will focus only on snacks (although for the record, the Tonkotsu Ramen from “Ramen Tatsuno-ya”was crazy good. The soup was so thick and porkish, that it was almost like they boiled down a whole pig just to make the soup. I digress). I'll focus on two items this go around; the Strawberry Pudding Cream Puff and Japanese Donuts.
The Attraction - Strawberry Pudding Cream Puff
Upon walking into the food court area of the Mitsuwa Mall, you saw people lining up for everything! From ramen to crepes and mochi balls to bubble tea. There were lines for everything! One of the lines that seem to never get shorter, were for these Strawberry Pudding Cream Puff pastries. As a matter of fact, people would line up waiting for more to be ready for purchase as the chef continued to grind these out for the snack-hungry public.
Let me ask you, if you walked into a place that had a reasonable line, yet was generating a good amount of buzz and banners around you were constantly reminding you that these items would only be here for the weekend, what would you do? Now that I think about it, it was rather unfair; I never stood a chance. It would be like throwing Snoop Dog (now Lion) into a room full of exotic weeds he's never smoked before and asking him to "watch it" while I went to the other room to complete my viewing of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended version). We all know there's only one way it would end...
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| The "goods" are in there.. |
The Review
Now, I need to fully disclose I brought these cream puffs back home to sample as I was too full to eat anymore after devouring some ramen, fish cakes and doriyaki. As I gently took these tasty looking treats out, I was happy to see that the cream held up fine and the puffs themselves didn't get soggy from the cream potentially melting.
First bite in; I noticed as with most Japanese sweets, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. The cream was subtle and the strawberry flavor from the pudding was laid back. As the first bite was almost down, the bitterness of the burnt caramel came back around to remind you he was still at the party and wouldn't leave until he said "Hello"
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| Open sesame! |
The Sweet
The incorporation of the strawberry pudding in a cream puff (which is essentially all this is) is actually a welcomed addition. It adds a needed texture and flavor component to an overall too airy of a pastry. The strawberry pudding gives you something to really "sink" your teeth into. All the components are not overpoweringly sweet.
The Bitter
I get why bitter caramel was added to the strawberry pudding; to help "cleanse" the sweet flavor in your mouth after each bite, however it came across a bit too strong at the end and with pastries in particular, it was a bit reminiscent of an "accident" or something that was left in the oven too long. |
| That's not ham in there! |
I was a bit skeptical about this snack item at first; it reeked of taking a proven formula (Japanese Cream Puffs, a la Beard Papa) and throwing something in and saying it's something else. It's not anything new, but I guess this one struck me as almost too obvious. Then again, of all the things I would have thought about pairing with a cream puff, a strawberry pudding with burnt caramel wouldn't have even been in the top 1000. At about $3 a piece and having to buy them in a pair, (total $6 for 2) it was worth trying, but should I someday find myself on the other side of the world in Kikuya, I won't be searching the phonebooks for a reunion. I'd rather let this one pass like an old acquaintance I once vaguely knew.
The Attraction - Japanese Doughnuts
Donuts.....is there really anything more that needs to be said?
The Review
These guys were offered up in two varieties; original and brown sugar. I opted to be greedy and asked if I could mix them and the vendors gladly obliged. "What must these taste like?", I thought to myself as I waited on line to pay for them. "Some exotic sweet flavor from the brown sugar? Some Japanese flavor from the original flavored one?" (I too, have no idea what "Japanese" flavor taste like, but this was running through my mind).
Original first; damn these things are hard! They are also not very sweet, but on the oily side, as if it was in the fryer too long. Maybe it was just that one donut, so I grab another..
Brown sugar; damn, this one is hard too! And just as oily! It's not a coincidence.
The Sweet
Umm...I'm struggling to think of something good to say. Not too sweet? (But in this case it's sort of like going out on a blind date and later describing them as "not too ugly". Is that really a compliment?
The Bitter
Oh boy, where to begin? It was hard, like a stale scone more than a donut. It was oily. Most donuts suspend belief at least for a little bit that it derives it's awesome taste partially from being fried, but not these suckers. There's never a doubt that these were fried..and too dang long as well.
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| If you look close enough, you can see the ring of oil! |
There critters were $4 for 5....and that's about $4 too much. I can't think of any redeeming quality about these donuts. (They can double for candles from all the oil in a pinch? Missing a bocce ball? Get one of these!) I'll help save you the trouble and money of trying to find these by describing how to make one of these of your own; buy an old fashion munchkin from Dunkin Donuts, pour a teaspoon of oil over them, leave them out for about a 2 weeks and then take a bite. Congratulations, you just had one of these donuts!
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