CW Chocolate Rice Cake Cookie

Is that Ryu helping to make these cookies?

The Attraction:
The box caught my attention because they looked so similar to Choco Pies, but when I realized that these have a rice cake center, I was instantly intrigued. I quickly plunked down my $5 and it was on...

The Review
Not only does the box look similar to Choco Pies, but like Choco Pies these cookies come in individually wrapped packages. When I tear one open, they also look about half the size of a Choco Pie. I decide not to waste another moment and take a small bite into the cookie. My first bite was, I hate to say it again, reminiscent of a Choco Pie; chocolate covered exterior with a cookie crumbly interior and some cream in the center, but I did manage to get a small nibble of the advertised rice cake center. It's definitely a chewy texture. So much so that I would recommend just putting the whole cookie in your mouth should you get a considerable amount of the rice cake in your mouth for your struggle to take a bite will result in you destroying the cookie and watching it all crumble either on your shirt or the floor (don't ask me how I know).

The rice cake center doesn't really add anything flavor-wise, but rather throws an interesting textural component into the mix. How interesting you may ask? Umm...not really that interesting. I think this is a case of the idea being far better than the actual result.

It takes a few more cookies for me to put my finger on it; this Chocolate Rice Cake Cookie is like a Mallomar the same way the Choco Pie is like a Moon Pie.

Why does this remind me of a Mallomar?

The Sweet:

Not too sweet and very much like the fabled Choco Pies.

The Bitter:
The rice cake isn't easy to take a good bite out of when you get a hold of it.

The bite after this photo left most of the cookie on the floor

Conclusion:
Do you enjoy Mallomars? This is essentially an Asian version of it, but instead of a marshmallowy filling, there is cream and a rice cake center to give it some chewiness with some Choco Pie cake thrown in. Though these aren't bad, for the trouble and the cost, you mind as well get a box of Mallomars where the filling seems to be more forgiving. Although CW offers many interesting and most likely tasty snacks, the Chocolate Rice Cake Cookie doesn't distinguished itself enough to warrant a return trip in my shopping cart.

Video of the Week
Our friends over at Vice recently challenged Japanese Youtube celebrity Megwin to a food challenge that included salamanders, fermented herring and spicy chilies from Mexico or in the case of the last challenge, all three. The results are nothing short of riveting...

The last challenge is the funniest, 

so be sure to watch the whole thing!

Glico Pocky Almond Crush

Can Pocky get any better?

The Attraction:
Anyone familiar with Asian snacks is familiar with Pocky. It's been a crowd favorite for years with it's simple, yet effective formula of chocolate-dipped biscuit sticks. As for me, after ODing on it a few years back, I've been slowing down the consumption, but today I was strolling a new Asian grocer and saw these calling my name. I've seen these around for awhile and there are several variations, but today for some reason, I felt inclined to try one of these. Perhaps the draw of almond crunch was too much to resist.

The Review
Pocky to Asian snacks is like Oreos to American snack culture. Just like any smart snack manufacturer, Glico rode the success of Pocky and created multiple alternate flavors and variations, one being Pocky with crushed almonds. Upon opening the box, it was clear that the quantity was very different. I know it's been awhile since I had Pocky, but I believe the original package has 4 packs of 8-10 sticks. This almond crunch version has 2 packs of 8-10 sticks. Burn...

I crack open a pack and take a bite....and the rest is history.

It's hard to imagine improving upon a classic, but the addition of almond crunch is amazing! 5 minutes and 2 wrapper packs on the floor later, the verdict is clear.

Come here my pretty

The Sweet:

Take all you know about Pocky and add some crunch to it. Yes, it's that much better. The almond bits add so much more, both textually and flavor-wise. It takes the once simple snack and adds some delicious complexity to a once straight forward product.

The Bitter:
Umm...only 2 packs?

I wonder if I can freebase or snort this stuff?

Conclusion:
This stuff is good. Very good. So good that this will become my new standard when I get Pocky. It's interesting how such a seemingly small addition can net such a huge gain. Speaking of small, I would love it even more if there were more than 2 packs of it in each package, but for now, I guess I'll have to buy 2 boxes every time. Damn you, Pocky!!!!

Video of the Week
I know I'm late to the party, but apparently there's been a chip craze in S. Korea over the last couple of months. Honey Butter Chips? Now I must somehow get my hands on some!

Chips as a status symbol?

Oreo White Chocolate

Can life get any better?

The Attraction:
In case you didn't know, I like Oreos. I like Oreos so much that I try all kinds of new Oreos. (as noted here, here  and here). So it really shouldn't come as a surprise when I saw this on the grocery shelves, that I had to pick one up.

The Review
This one is a little different. As you can already tell, it's not the conventional sandwich cookie configuration you've come to expect from Oreo. This new offering of the fabled cookie classic appears to have the cream on top of a rectangular chocolate flavored cookie in a triangular shape with white chocolate drizzled across.

Each box comes with a 8 individually wrapped packs of these little guys and when I opened one, I thought to myself if it would be too sweet with a mountain of cream on top AND white chocolate on top of the cream. Let's get to it. I bite in and surprisingly, the cream is not quite the same cream in a standard Oreo cookie. It's a bit harder, but the flavor is the same. The cookie also has the same classic crunch and flavor. That wasn't bad, but it didn't exactly rock my world...you can taste the white chocolate, but it didn't seem to really make a huge impression.

It's shaped almost like a hotel in Monopoly

The Sweet:

The texture contrast is still there, albeit in a different configuration and not quite as crunchy. The flavor is still unmistakable, you know you are eating an Oreo.

The Bitter:
The sweetness of the white chocolate seems to push the sugar level over the top. Even though they label it as "white chocolate", this doesn't feel like anything new.

Not too shabby, but not earth shattering

Conclusion:
Different shape, a new flavor introduced into the mix, but the results are the same...literally. Yes, you do taste the white chocolate in there, but it isn't a game changer and barely registers a blip on the radar. It's not bad, but not enough to go out and quickly pickup every box before they go away. In this case, for the dollar and for the trouble, you are better off sticking to the American classic.

Video of the Week
Out of boredom this week, I started to surf around youtube this weekend and came across this little treasure. It comes from a show called "Whose Line is it Anyway?" with a special guest named Richard Simmons, a fitness guru here in the States. I've seen this multiple times, but it always seems to entertain.

"Who likes my shorts?!"