Konigs-Krone's Kurone (Custard Danish) ケーニヒスクローネのクローネ

Konigs - Krone is one of the well known Western-style confectionery and cake company, which has its headquarter in Kobe. One of their well known desserts is the Kurone.

My first time tasting the Kurone was back in 2010, my first time in Kansai area. Now, in 2013, after almost 20 times traveling to Kansai in three years, I can definitely say that Kronigs - Krone's Kurone is not to be miss.

Kurone is pretty much a puff pastry in a cylinder shape with a hole in the middle. The shape itself, is rather similar with the Trdelnik in Czech Republic, and Slovakia. However, the middle hole is filled with vanilla custard filling. The Kurone is then topped off with a dust of icing powder.

The texture of the Kurone is rather crunchy (さくさく in Japanese) and not too sweet. Kurone is a great treat as it is served cold, and can be refrigerate for 2-3 days, so you don't have to worry about having to eat it right away. Kurone is a perfect snack for sight seeing, as you can walk around eating while holding one in your hand.

For a piece, Kurone costs 105 yen. Quite reasonable price, don't you think?

There are two flavors, custard and red beans (小豆), but I'm not too sure about this. I normally just order the one with custard fillings. The catch phrase of Kurone is「ケーニヒスクローネのクローネは、パンなのかパイなのか？パイなのかパンなのか？」which can be translate to Konigs-Krone's Kurone is... bread? pie? is it bread or pie? I thought the catch phrase was quite unique and interesting as to me, it's obviously a pie, as there is no.. glutenous pull to it, if you get what I'm trying to say.

Konigs-Krone's Kurone is available in major cities, Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo, Fukuoka, etc.

Here's a picture of the head office/shop in Kobe. The only sad thing is.. It's not available online, so you have to go to one of the shops to purchase one, which is terrible for my case as I live in a rather rural area.

Here's the link to the list of the shops in Japan: http://konigs-krone.co.jp/?page_id=75

For this, I give it 10/10 considering the price and taste.

Kyoto's Baumkuchen 京ばあむ (Kyoubaamu)

A few months back, I was in Kansai area for a few days, and I got the chance to look for the green tea baumkuchen that I purchased on my first trip to Kyoto two years back. At the time, I did not know that the cake was only sold in Kyoto, but thought that the cake was interesting, and purchased it by chance. It turns out that the cake was incredibly delicious, not too sweet like other baumkuchen I've tasted. 

I'm sure that many of you who has been to Kyoto before would have seen this Kyoubaamu before. Back in 2010, I think it was only available in Kyoto, however, when I was in Kansai this year, I brought it from Shin-Kobe Shinkansen station. Kyoubaamu is also available from various sellers on Rakuten. There are three available sizes, half of the 3.5cm roll, 3.5 cm roll, and 5.25 cm roll. 

Baumkuchen is a type of cake, which consists of thin layers of cake. Traditionally, Baumkuchen is made on a spit by brushing on even layers of batter and then rotating the spit around a heat source. Baumkuchen is well known around Europe, and is said to originate from a small town in Germany. Now, back to the Kyoubaamu. Kyoubaamu has two distinct sections, green tea section, and soy milk section. Yes, soy milk. I was very surprised after finding out about this certain ingredient. Two years back, I was not able to read Japanese, thus did not have a single clue that this cake was made from soy milk, not from cow's milk. The baumkuchen is also coated with thin coat of sugar syrup. 

As for the taste.. I think that this cake is really good to eat alone, or with other beverages. The cake itself, is not too sweet like others that you can only take a few bites. I ate the whole thing in one go, by myself. You can barely, if ever, taste the soy milk. I think that it is worth a try for all of the matcha (green tea) lovers out there. 

I think Kyoubaamu is available in major stations around Kansai area, as well as many gift shops in Kyoto. Also, here is the link to the official website: http://www.otabe.jp/shop/c/cbaum/

Yamasaki's Okonomiyaki style Yakisoba bread ヤマサキのお好み焼き風やきそばパン

I found this bread a couple of days back from the local MaxValu supermarket. I brought this bread because it reminds me of the anime, Yakitate!! Japan. To be honest, I didn't expect much from it. I thought it was going to be yucky, but it's something that you can only taste in Japan, so why not. :P

What caught my attention was definitely the package. It wasn't just a simple Yakisoba bread, but an Okonomiyaki style! Secondly, I spotted the Katsuobushi (鰹節), which I was thought was very intriguing. I mean, how good would a dried fish on top of the bread be? It also saids in the package that the bread can be heated up, which I found that it does enchant the flavors.

The toppings of the Okonomiyaki part is the Katsuobushi, dressings, and seaweed, just like it would be on a typical Okonomiyaki.

The inside part is also a typical Yakisoba, which are wheat flour noodles fried with the sauce. I felt that the noodles were pretty mushy, which can put off some.

However, overall, I thought it was a great combination, and an interesting product. Especially after heating it up in the microwave, I thought they were great. Definitely will repurchase if I ever see one again. Yakisoba bread (焼きそばパン) are pretty common in Japan, but I've never seen Okonomiyaki style Yakisoba bread that's for sure.

I couldn't find the information of this bread on Yamasaki's website, however, I brought this bread for 100 yen.

If you ever see one, give it a try! You won't be disappointed. :)

Manneken Belgian Waffles

Finally, final exams are over, and it's holiday time!

In the past three to four months, I've been to kansai twice. Both times, I had to at least visit the Manneken Belgian Waffles shop. Manneken shop can be found all across the country. Surprisingly, there are around eleven Manneken shops in Osaka! The one I always visited was the one in Osaka Station. It's very close to the central entrance of the station, and you could never miss it with the constant long waiting line.

The waffles are freshly made, however, from observation, I think that the doughs are pre-made. These waffles smell heavenly, and I think that's one of the attractions of the Manneken. It's especially good in the winter when you crave for something to keep you warm.

Currently, there are: purple sweet potato (limited edition), plain, chocolate, maple, almond, and sweet potato flavor available. When I was in Osaka in January, there was vanilla custard available as well. I have to say that in my opinion, the plain flavor is the best. According to the description on the website, the plain flavor is the top seller. The waffle itself gives off a wonderful smell of butter, and after it has been cooked, is coated with honey. The waffle costs 147 yen each. Personally, I think it is quite pricy for a piece of waffle, but it's definitely worth it!

Sadly, Manneken isn't available where I live, however, if you are in Osaka, Tokyo Kobe... etc (you know, the bigger cities), it's definitely worth a try!

For more information, please visit: http://www.manneken.co.jp/index.html?f=1

Haagen-Dazs winter limited ice-cream (JAPAN)

Merry be-lated Christmas everyone. 

It has been once in a while since I've post as I've been very busy with classes. And.. Thank to my stupidness, today is the worst day in a long while for me, I went to the nearest convenient store to search for something to brighten my days. Thankfully, I found exactly two cups of Haagen-Dazs to make that happen. 

Now, this is Haagen-Dazs new Special Edition's "Opera flavor". This cup of ice-cream is special alright, as it costed me 420 yen. If I haven't been so intrigued with whether it would be quite cake-like, or ice-cream like, I would have never purchased it. The price is outrageous in my opinion.

 After peeling off the seal, this is what you get. So far, so good. I love how it is exactly like the picture on the lid, down to the sprinkles of gold. This shiny black layer is made from coffee syrup. It was on a bitter side, which is a good combination for the sweet buttercream ice-cream.

While the bottom part is the chocolate sauce, which wasn't too sweet. I think overall the three layer was a great combination. It really did reminded me of Opera cake. The only thing I can really comment on is my preference for more chocolate sauce on the bottom layer. 

My second cup of indulgent was the "mascarpone strawberry" flavor. 

I was really happy with this flavor, and think that they should make it a permanent flavor. I could taste a tad of cherry brandy in it. There were lots of strawberry pieces in the ice-cream as well, which was very pleasing. I hate eating ice-cream, which has "strawberry" on the label, yet there is no hint of strawberry in it, only to see it through the pink color.

 It's very similar to the brand's original strawberry ice-cream flavor, with a twist, the cherry brandy. Definitely an adult strawberry ice-cream. This was around half the price of the Opera flavor.

Rikuro Ojisan's Baked Cheesecake (+ instruction on how to get to Rikuro Ojisan shop in Osaka Station)

Since (hopefully) I will be visiting Osaka soon, I thought I would review something from Osaka.

Walking around Osaka Station, it is often that you would see a white paper bag with the name, 'Rikuro Ojisan'/リクローおじさんの店' being carried around, or carried on top of a suitcase. I never really thought about the white bag, or got curious enough to go find the source of the white bags, when I went to Osaka before a friend introduced it to me. But after tasting it, I wish I've gotten curious, and looked for the shop all those years ago. Now, I buy them every time I go back to Osaka. ^_^

Looking at it, it's just a normal fluffy, baked cheesecake, but don't be fool by it. The texture is so smooth, and soft, I seriously felt like I was in heaven after a third bite. The good thing about it is that it is not too sweet, like the others I've tried, so you literary can eat the whole thing without getting sick. (Yes, I've eaten the whole cake at once before.) The best thing about this cake is that it has raisins at the bottom of it, and I think it gives the cake 'a lift' in terms of flavor, as without it, you only would be getting one flavor of the creamy cream cheese cake. Oh yes, and another GREAT thing about this cake is its price. It costs only 588 yen per 18cm diameter of this awesomely delicious cheesecake.

However, the bad news is... It's only available in Osaka and Kobe. So, if you're in the area, or are planning to visit Kansai, definitely give this cake a try.

I would love to say that this is a great sweets to take home (overseas), but sadly, the cake expires fairly quickly (3 days), so it might not be such a good idea.

There are many stores around Osaka, such as Daimaru Umeda, Namba, JR Shin-Osaka Station, and so on. Oh, and there's a store in Sokou Kobe as well.

For further information, please visit Rikuro Ojisan's homepage.

UPDATE: For tourists, I think the best place you can purchase Rikuro Ojisan's cheesecake is at Osaka Station. So.. 

HERE'S AN INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO GET TO RIKURO OJISAN SHOP IN DAIMARU UMEDA (in OSAKA STATION) - Takes around 4 minutes to get to the shop from Osaka Station's central gate

1. Once you get out of the ticket barrier/gate, access Daimaru Umeda from 2nd floor. (where you got out from the ticket gate)
2. Once you got out of the ticket gate, turn right, and the building should be right in front of you. Then, get onto B1 floor (B1F), and make your way to the West Building. Please note that on B1 floor of Daimaru Department Store, there are two separate buildings (separated by a large walkway). The easiest way is to observe from the shops around you, if the shops sell Western confectionaries and cakes, then you're in the right building, if you're surrounded by sushi, lunch box, then you're in the wrong building. OR ask for the direction from the staffs (any shop is fine).. You can ask them 'Nishi biru wa doko desuka?' (西ビールはどこですか?) It's not the best way to ask the question, but for foreigners, I think this question is manageable. Then, they should give you the hand gesture for directions.

The picture below should help you to gain better understanding of the B1 floor.

(credit: edited from picture on Daimaru's website)

3. Once you're in Daimaru's West Building, find the Rikuro Ojisan's shop, that looks like the picture below. If you enter West Building from East Building, the shop should directly be in front of you.

 (credit: picture taken from Rikuro Ojisan website)

The picture above is the map of Daimaru's B1 West building floor, Rikuro Ojisan is the shop in bright red.

ALSO, there is an Information Center on 2nd floor of Osaka Station where you can ask for directions if you're unsure of how to get to the shop. 

I know this is not the clearest instruction, but I hope it will help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to comment below.

For those who aren't planning to travel to Japan anytime in the near future, you can try to make these at home. I have not tried to make these myself, but I have read various of blogs that offers the recipe, and by looking at the reviews, it's definitely worth trying. However, currently, I have a small portable oven, which cannot bake cakes that will grow fairly tall, as the top of the cake will turn black before it's done cooking. So, if you dare to try, please visit these blogs.

http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2011/03/japanese-cheesecake-tips-tricks.html
http://tofoodwithluv.blogspot.jp/2012/06/light-and-creamy-japanese-cheesecake.html
http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2011/02/japanese-cheesecake-fluffy-creamy.html#.UIlW645Qq0s
http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.jp/2011/04/japanese-cotton-cheese-cake-encore.html

Lawson's Cheesecake (limited edition)

Recently, I have been having a trouble adjusting to the summer in Japan. During winter, I've moved to another apartment, and this new place did not come with air-con in the bedrooms. For winter, it was fine because I own electric blanket, heater(s), and thick duvet. However, for summer, I only have an electric fan!! I literally am dying in the heat day and night. The good thing is I will be heading home soon (HALLELUJAH AIR-CON), and from now till then, I will be in a summer session class everyday from morning till late afternoon, so at least I won't have to suffer from the heat. Anyway....

After watching the CM of Lawson's Cheesecake (ぎゅっとクリームチーズ) for countless of times, I finally drag myself to the nearest Lawson, and brought two pieces of this heavenly delights. 

For a 180 yen a piece, I think it was something that I can see myself buy again and again. The combination between sticky, a tad chewy, sweet biscuit base, and a creamy cream cheese cream, made the whole cake very thick and smooth. It wasn't surprising when I read that (apparently) the top part contain more than 50% of cream cheese.

There is also a chocolate cheesecake flavor that I have yet to try. However, I am not sure if I will ever try them because over a few days of observation, (coming back home empty handed because the cheesecake were sold out) there would be a few left over of the chocolate flavor, while the original flavor were long gone.

Sadly, Lawson is only selling the cheese cake for 21 days, (from July 31st till August 20th) so for those who wants to give it a try, you better hurry up!

2012/10/26 UPDATES: Seems that these cheesecakes are so popular that they're now available for an unlimited amount of time at every Lawson stores in Japan.

ねんりん家バームクーヘンオレンジフォンデンがけ Nenrin's Orange Baumkuchen

Before living in Japan, I have never heard of Baumkuchen in my life, not even when I visited Germany, twice! For those of you who haven't heard of a Baumkuchen, it's in a roll shape, while tens if not hundreds of thin cake layers that originated in Germany, and was introduced to Japan during WWI.

While I was in Tokyo last year, and was particularly in the Ginza area. I noticed that there were a long line of people lining up buying some type of snack in a large department store. Of course, being an obsessive tourist I was, I followed everyone else, and got a piece of this round looking cake from a stand called Nenri-ke.

Personally, I thought it tasted alright, however there was nothing too special about it. It tasted like butter cake, with sugar glance on top of it. It is a good snack to have with a cup of coffee in the morning, but other than that, it didn't 'wow' me. At that time, I did not realize that the baumkuchen I purchased is considered the best in Tokyo.

Fast forwarding a year, my wonderful friend brought back a limited edition of the baumkuchen from the same store I had tasted in the previous year. At first, I was hesitant to try it, because I thought it was exactly the same thing I brought last year. I totally ignored the big orange English words that said 'Straight Baum Orange Fondant'. It wasn't until I opened the package that I realized the differences.

Once opened, I realized that the cake was covered with orange glance, and orange pieces. Cutting it into tiny bits, just because I was still hesitant. After taking the first bite, the orange glance was overwhelming. I have never been a fan of orange glance, nor tangerine flavor, therefore, I couldn't really stand it, at first, of course. On a second bit, I could finally cherish the taste of the orange and the baumkuchen together. It was magnificent. The cake wasn't too sweet, nor too orangey for my taste. It was a perfect combination between a tiny bit of sour and the sweet. It is a perfect snack for an afternoon tea, with earl grey tea.

I am very happy with the outcome of this snack, especially the one that can only be found in Tokyo, and is a limited seasonal version. Checking on the website, it costs 945 for this tiny, yet not so tiny thing. As a snack, I think at least it's enough for 4 people. (Diameter of 17cm.)

For those who may be wandering around Ginza, or is planning to travel to Tokyo, I highly recommend you to try it!

Topvalu's 'imported' vanilla ice-cream (バニラアイスクリーム)

Finally, three-forth of my life as a second year student is over. Finally, I have the needed 4 days holiday. :) However, this also means I have more free time to wander around, go snack shopping, and probably enter MaxValu more than once per day. It never helps with the fact that I can get to the supermarket within 10 minutes by foot, and 5 minutes by bicycle. Recently, I became very addicted to going to MaxValu at night due to the fact that the meat, seafood, and fruits sometimes are sold at half price after 9pm or so.

Oh, if you haven't heard of MaxValu, it's a supermarket owned by Aeon widely available in Japan. I've also heard that they are expanding to countries like Thailand. (MaxValu Thanjai)

Last night, I went on another stroll to MaxValu, and found this 2 litre vanilla ice-cream that has said to be made in New Zealand. My friend and I got really curious about its flavor, and it took us a couple of walking back and forth, and a talk with a friend who just got off his part time shift at the supermarket (who had no clue as he said this product was fairly new). In the end, we decided to take a chance, and brought this 598 yen product.

We rushed home, grab our spoons, and dug in!

The result of this purchase was unexpected. I have to say that the flavor of this 'vanilla ice-cream' is much more like a milk ice-cream. It reminds me of New Zealand's Tip Top Creamy Vanilla from the 2L Tub I used to buy. I wouldn't be surprised if it was made by Tip Top. The ice cream is on the creamy side, but it doesn't make you feel sick even if you had 1/4 of the whole thing. It's definitely worth its' price, and personally, I would buy it again and again, if it doesn't make me fat. (I wish)

Now, all I have to hope for is for MaxValu to import New Zealand's unique ice cream flavor that I can't find elsewhere, Hokey Pokey. Apparently, there are places in Japan, which sells Hokey Pokey flavored ice-cream, but not in a small town like Beppu. At least, I can't image I would find it in Oita Prefecture. However, I definitely don't miss the flavor, Goody Goody Gum Drops, which is a BUBBLEGUM flavor filled with chewy candy drops. The worst flavored ice-cream I've ever tasted.

Speaking of New Zealand's ice-cream, I terribly miss Rush Munro's ice-cream. I wish someone would import them to Japan! If you are in New Zealand, or planning to travel to New Zealand, I definitely recommend this brand!

That's it for now! Would love to hear about your experiences with interesting ice-cream flavor!

UPDATE: Product information is available in Japan. (http://www.topvalu.net/items/detail.php?id=5192&sid=2&cid=50)

Maccha Banana (抹茶バナナ)

I've received a box filled with food from a friend's family last week, and this sweet was among many of the delicious ones I've tasted over the week.

The cover didn't tell me much, but the name "maccha banana" did,  the undeniable link between Maccha Banana and Tokyo Banana. I wonder why these sweets aren't named "Kyoto Banana"... Maybe that's because it might be too similar with Tokyo Banana?

Opening the box led me to find six small packages of the Maccha Banana.

As the for actually cake, it is a typical green tea with banana custard fillings cake. When compared with the Tokyo Banana fillings, I feel that the Maccha Banana's fillings are much more subtle than the Tokyo Banana's one. The cake itself is soft, and fluffy, however, the smell of green tea isn't too distinct.

TIPS: I find this cake to be tastier than eaten after a few hours in the refrigerator. The cream somehow tasted tastier when eaten cold.

This is a perfect sweet to be eaten during morning or afternoon tea, or with a hot drink.

The similarity between this and Tokyo Banana of course as I've mentioned above is obvious, however, both of them are also different in a sense that one is a vanilla cake, and the other is a green tea cake. To me, it is impossible to tell you guys which one I liked more, however if asked which one I can consume more, I would certainly still say Tokyo Banana, possibly due to the size.

I couldn't find how much this is on the internet, but I think you can find these in Kyoto Station, and places around Kyoto. I think this is worth a try if you're visiting Kyoto, or worth buying as an お土産 to take home. ;)

Monteur's Apple Custard Dorayaki

A few weeks back, I was buying snacks before class in my university's coop shop, and found this gem. I think it's quite a seller, as most of the time, they're sold out.

I've always love dorayaki, well, only the pancake part anyway. People always tell me that it's just pancake, but I swear that it's more than just pancake. Pancake doesn't taste like dorayaki pancake, if that make sense, because it does to me. >.< Making this snack a treat for me. However, even though I call it dorayaki, on the label, they called it 'Apple Custard soft sandwich'.（りんごカスタードのやわらかサンド）To me, it's still a dorayaki though.

As you can see from the picture, most of the fillings is actually whipped cream. For the whole piece, you might find a micro-tiny piece of crunchy apply three to four times. As for the mentioned custard on the label, it's nowhere to be found. So, it's practically pancakes with whipped cream, and what's not to love about that.

I truly enjoyed it, and have brought it again many times. The price on the website is ￥126 but in my university's coop, I think they sell it for ￥138. Not too sure though. This would be a good snack for those who enjoy morning, afternoon snacks, or snacks in general. Nothing too special, but for the price, I think it is reasonable.

白い恋人 White Chocolate Langue De Chat (Cat's Tongue)

A couple of weeks back, I received Mary's Fancy Chocolate, and Ishiya's White Chocolate Langue de Chat, known as 恋人 (koibito), meaning love ones in English.

I opened the fancy chocolate first, and actually left the 恋人 in its' bag until this week while I was writing my marketing paper. Hence, the marketing book that is underneath the box. (I apologize for the picture's quality, 3am is not the best time to take picture so to speak.)

To be bluntly honest, I would exchange a particular 'love ones' for this white chocolate cat's tongue anytime. The white chocolate is smooth, and creamy, while the langue de chat is crispy, literally TO DIE FOR. I love eating these with a glass of milk. I could continue myself to eat this all day, yet I have to stop myself from eating the whole thing all at once. In a way, I'm trying to cherish and making this box of Hokkaido 'sweetheart' lasts.

From my research, a box of 24 pieces costs ￥1,480. There is also a milk chocolate langue de chat available. Definitely worth a try.