Nabisco Cream Sandwiches

Ritz? What's a Ritz?

The Attraction:
After finding the Ritz Custard Sandwich so delectable a few weeks ago, I figured this "sister" or "cousin" item (cause it's not a Ritz cracker), was worth tasting. I like lemon, I like Ritz crackers, this sounds like a slam dunk, I'm thinking. Let's find out...

The Review
Much like the Ritz Custard Sandwich, the Nabisco Lemon Pack Cream Sandwich comes in two neatly arranged rows of crackers, but unlike the Custard Sandwich, these aren't legit Ritz crackers because.......they aren't round! Shape aside, they are everything else a Ritz cracker is; crisp buttery cracker with signature bits of salt. They even have the same type of holes. Not sure why they decided to change the shape of the cracker and not use the Ritz name, but I suspect they may have a similar product in the market or they are not allowed to market Ritz crackers with lemon in them. All just speculation, but I can't image why else they would switch it up. OK, time to eat one of these suckers.

The first bite is no different than biting into a Ritz cracker, but about 2-3 chews in, the lemon cream hits your lounge and quickly transforms your normal Ritz cracker eating experience into a night out on the town. As like the Ritz Custard Sandwich, the sweet cream plays the perfect spoil to the cracker's salty constitution, with a lemony twist. These dang things are so good! Why don't they sell these in snack aisles everywhere?!

See the family resemblance?

The Sweet:
Nabisco does it again with this variation of their "not-Ritz" cracker sandwich snack. The sweet lemon cream flavor is a nice compliment to the saltiness of the cracker and throws a welcomed monkey wrench in what can be a very straight flavor. The cream with lemon flavor adds a complexity, not just taste-wise, but also textually. It also provides a nice cleansing finish on your palate to brace yourself for yet another lemon cream sandwich.

It's what on the inside that matters! (sometimes)

The Bitter:
Not much to complain about here. Just find a place that carries these babies and you are golden. I'm a fan of lemon-flavored cookies, so I wouldn't have mind a bit more lemon flavor, however that may have compromised that delicate balance between the saltiness and sweetness.

Conclusion:
There are many other lemon-cream flavored snack cookies / crackers on the market. What sets this product apart is that most other products partner up the cream with an already sweet cookie or a neutral flavored cracker. The addition of all those things that are a Ritz cracker, in a not Ritz shaped cracker sandwich gives it layers of flavors to keep you interested.

Now for the million dollar question; do I prefer the custard or the lemon variation? It's tough, they are very similar in flavor and textually they are identical. The lemon is fairly subtle, which makes it harder to distinguish from the custard variety.You can't go wrong with either one, but for me, it's custard by a nose.

Video of the Week
Do you like pizza? No, you think you like pizza. Dan Janssen, from Maryland, now he likes pizza. He likes it so much that he has almost been eating nothing else but pizza for the last 25 years. This clip is brought to you by the fun folks over at Vice.

"I wonder what I want for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

Strawberry Creme Oreo

Just the right size to squeeze into my luggage

The Attraction:
It wasn't too long ago that I was out in Hong Kong strolling the local convenience store across the hotel trying to locate any international goodies that I could smuggle back into the States. That's where I ran into this pretty. With all the flavors that Oreo is offering these days, I don't think I've ever seen a Strawberry Creme Flavored Oreo before. Done deal.

The Review
I wasn't really sure what to expect here. Recently there's been a slew of flavors that Oreo has been releasing here in the US (Lemon, Limeade, Watermelon, Birthday Cake, etc). Part of me was excited at the idea of all the variations, but wondering why strawberry was never tested here locally. Anywoo, I was ready dig in to it...

One of the first things I observed is the packaging did not included some form of a firm tray or box to prevent the crushing of the cookies, which is exactly what happened to my pack on a 16 hour flight back home. (That's interesting considering the equivalent Oreos here are normally sold within a box). With my first bite, it was obvious that the cookie top and bottom shell were identical to the ones here in America; a nice crisp snap with chocolate flavor filled my mouth, but then another flavored followed that was also familiar, but not in the context of an Oreo. The strawberry creme came through and it was very much reminiscent of other Asian-oriented snacks that I've had previously that use a strawberry creme. Snacks like Pocky, Yan-Yan and Hello Panda came to mind immediately, but is that a good thing?

 Familiar top...

The Sweet:
Do you like strawberry flavored Pocky, Yan-Yan or Hello Panda? If you do, Strawberry Creme Oreos have a very similar flavor profile and can easily be interchanged with any of those Asian snack classics.

...unfamiliar creme or so I thought

The Bitter:
Although I recognize the popularity of all those items other snack items, I am not a fan of that type of strawberry "flavor". To me, that strawberry "flavor" is like a caricature of what strawberry is suppose to taste like. It comes across overblown and too artificial tasting. (Think Strawberry flavored Quik). Granted, if I had some Quik in front of me right now, I would gulp it down, but I don't think I would go out and buy more for a very long while.

Conclusion:
If you are a fan of Asian snacks that have a strawberry creme component to it, it'll be a good fit for you. Personally, this variation from Oreo won't be taking another trip with me back home. I'll reserve that space in my luggage for a more "natural" fit.

Video of the Week
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a good buddy helps a friend kick off his morning the right way with the assistance of Mr. Wasabi.

"Don't overreact, don't overreact, don't...oh well"

Ritz Custard Sandwich

What open package?

The Attraction:
Following my long standing interest in regional variations, I recently saw these at a different Asian market than the usual (apparently my normal grocery store doesn't stock these). How interesting; I'm not a super huge fan of the Ritz crackers, however delicious I remember them being back in the day, but the custard twist caught my eye (and the little lady's too). It was unanimous, this little treasure was coming home with us tonight.

The Review
Of all the pairings that come to mind when I think of Ritz crackers, custard would be near the very bottom of the list, yet for some reason Nabisco felt like it was a worthwhile paring (at least for the Asian markets). There's got to be something to it, I thought.

When I take the first sandwich out, I immediately recognize the characteristic golden round color and little bits of salt crystals, except this time, there is a layer of custard sandwiched between two pieces. With my first bite, the memories come rushing back; the crisp snap, the saltiness of said crystals, the heavenly buttery flavor, but then there's an unexpected twist in this seemingly familiar salivary tale. A wave of sweetness to counter the saltiness of the cracker itself comes crashing through my taste buds and has me begin to question everything I knew about Ritz crackers. How could a taste once so familiar to me now be turned on it's head and come out on the other side with something so unexpectedly good? It's only a matter of time before one of the 2 individually wrapped packages are devoured in an attempt to understand what I had experience with the previous piece or maybe these damn things are just that delicious.

 Same, but very different!

The Sweet:
Like other not so obvious parings to me (take sea salt and chocolate, for example) this one, however unlikely, works well. At first, the saltiness of the cracker seems to be on the verge of overpowering the sweetness of the custard, but the custard fights it's way through to help balance out this snack. I liken the effect similar to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; the saltiness of the peanut butter is cut by the sweetness of the jelly and keeps the other flavor in check. Same thing here with the Ritz custard sandwich....and it's done deliciously so.

I'm not your Daddy's Ritz Cracker

The Bitter:
Flavor-wise, there really isn't. However, as are many snacks imported from Japan, the portions are smaller. (each package comes with about 16 crackers). For about $3 a pack, it's not super pricey, but it's not priced like a "normal" box of Ritz crackers. You may also have to search high and low to find a grocer that stocks this item.

Conclusion:
In case you haven't figured it out, I really enjoyed this item. The complexity of the salty, then sweet will keep your taste-buds from getting bored and will keep you coming back for more. Just be sure to stock up on these when you come across them.

Video of the Week
Ever wonder what regional variations there are in other McDonald's around the world? Well, wonder no more! Our friends over at Buzzfeed has done all the legwork for you. I might just avoid a few places after seeing this list.

I wonder if I can get this in Chinatown?

Lander 77 Peanut Butter and Strawberry Biscuits

 I need to pay better attention before I buy

The Attraction:
I saw this little prize when I was in Taiwan quite a few months back. The thing that really caught my attention was the combination of peanut butter and strawberry! What? Holla! Except, again if I looked carefully, I would have seen two sets of cookies, not a singular cookie with both PB and Strawberry. You can imagine my disappointment when I opened the package to see two sets of cookies. Sniff, sniff

I may have eaten a strawberry one before this shot, I said may!

The Review
What's great about many snack items from Asia is how many of them are individually wrapped. This is to help preserve the flavor and the item itself (due to heat and humidity in many parts of Asia) as you eat. This item falls in line with that mindset. I dive into the strawberry biscuit first and as I open the single portion, it's clear that it looks like a sugar wafer essentially coated with a what looks like a white chocolate coating. With the first bite, it's clear that it's more of a yogurt coating than a white chocolate coating. Not bad, but I come to discover that the biscuit itself is just a strawberry-flavored wafer with yogurt coating. No strawberry filling or jam. Boo...

  

Before                                                                 After

OK, onto the peanut version...

At least this cookie has an actual chocolate coating. Despite it being slightly melted, (which confirms why the other held up better because of the yogurt coating and this actually melted because it's real chocolate), it doesn't taste bad, but it's the same deal. Chocolate coating over a peanut butter flavored sugar wafer. I don't think there are even nuts in this sucker.

 

Before                                                                After

The Sweet:
I dig the individually wrapped pieces. I know it's not environmentally friendly, but I can only imagine what the heck the inside of this packaging would have looked like if it melted all over the place and created one giant melted cookie. The wafer itself is crispy and that contrasts always works well with chocolate (at least for the PB part section). If you love sugar wafers, but are bored with the common varieties available, I can see this being a new and exciting twist on on old favorite.

The Bitter:
Here's the thing for me; I'm not a fan of sugar wafers. I don't hate them, but I don't find them particularly exciting. Given the choice, I would pass on the common ones you see at the supermarkets. What may have redeem this item for me and saved it from "Yawn, it's a sugar wafer" land is if it had some strawberry jam /jelly or actual peanut butter. My mind may have been blown if it was as I had hoped and the two flavored were paired together in one happy marriage of a cookie, but like Nick and Mariah, it wasn't meant to be.

Conclusion:
I feel like I say this a lot, but unless you love sugar wafers and are looking to spice it up with some variety, this one is a very "ho-hum" product. I will say that I've had other Lander 77 products and some come closer to hitting the bulls eye, but in the case of these peanut butter and strawberry biscuits, it's very pedestrian and not worth the extra hour at the gym for throwing these down.

Video of the Week
I should have posted this one last week, but in case you didn't catch it, the awesome folks at VICE shot a brilliant video on how to properly eat sushi as told by Chef Naomichi Yasuda out of Sushi Bar Yasuda in Tokyo.

"If you ask for a California Roll, I will bitch slap you"

To think all these years I've been eating it like a barbarian. I wonder why the Chinese and Mexican sushi "chefs" at the Japanese restaurant I go to never corrected me?