Happy Halloween! Well, haha, almost. Soon it will be All Hallow's Eve so, to get everyone in the mood for the spookiest day of the year, Zenpop *sponsored* this blog post and sent me a free Japanese Ramen + Sweets Mix Pack to review.
I'm very excited to share my opinion on this pack, so let's not wait any longer! According to the description on their website, each Mix Pack includes:
- At least 2 instant noodles you can find in Japanese supermarkets
- A current selection of candy and sweets from top Japanese brands
- Some salty snacks, perfect for munching and crunching
- A little trip to Japan in every box!
The theme for the October 2022 box is Hello Halloween and, as explained in their booklet (which can be downloaded from a QR code, isn't it cool?!), It’s Trick or Treat! We’re setting you up for Halloween with this awesome mix of Japanese snacks, ramen and drinks: everything you need to celebrate the spookiest month of the year! Together with some limited edition Pokémon treats, you’re guaranteed to have all the kids in the neighborhood jealous!
Like with my previous Zenpop pack review, the booklet contains cooking instructions and timing for the noodles, which is awesome for those who aren't well versed in Japanese yet
Are you ready for some spooky—Err, I mean, tasty treats now? *The following are in order as they appeared in the booklet.
Pokémon noodle Jaga Butter Shio from Sanyo Shokuhin
This ramen is part of a new release in the Pokémon series from Sanyo! This cup comes with Jaga (じゃが, potato) Butter Shio (塩, salt) flavored ramen noodles and a cute Pikachu fish paste. The noodles have a supple, sticky texture, and are seasoned to blend well with the soup. The shio-flavored soup has the umami of chicken with the mild flavor of butter and the richness of aromatic vegetables. Topped with some potato, cabbage, and Pikachu fish cake, this ramen is a delightful lunch!
My gosh, this was great!! I could really taste the buttery flavour both in the noodles and the broth. The potato was really soft, and the cabbage added a very earthy taste to the broth. I wanted to show you how cute the Pikachu fish cakes were, but my camera wouldn't focus on that even after multiple tries, so apologies if the image looks a little blurry. 😅
Nissin no Edo Soba from Nissin
Nissin's has a special series called “Kodawari Ingredients”. In Japanese, the word Kodawari (こだわり) doesn’t have any direct translation, but it can be explained as “the uncompromising and relentless pursuit of perfection”. This is something many Japanese strive for in the process of creating things. For this cup noodle, Nissin paid close attention to the ingredients, and decided to feature straight soba noodles that are very smooth, together with a flavorful soup that uses mellow and deep flavored whole soybean soy sauce and Yaizu-processed bonito flakes to bring out the flavor Edo (江戸), is actually the old name for the city of Tokyo, and therefore this recipe is a local soba (そば) recipe from the Kanto region where Tokyo lies today. Those Edo soba "special ingredients" are colorful one-piece tempura, Yaizu-processed bonito and 100% whole soybean soy sauce for the soup.
Although I much preferred the Pokémon ramen, this soba was quite tasty! I really enjoyed all the different flavours combined here, and the little flower was a cute addition!
Hoshi Tabeyo Pokémon Halloween from Kuriyama Beika
Did you know that the first Halloween (ハロウィン) celebration in Japan happened at Tokyo’s Disneyland in 1997? In Osaka, we have Halloween specials at Universal Studio since 2011, which is still fairly recent! But when it comes to snacks, Japan is miles ahead. Every year, lots of limited edition snacks are released like this one from Kuriyama Beika. Design wise, Japan cannot let go of the Kawaii when it comes to displaying snacks on shelves, and here we have extremely cute and spooky Halloween treats in collaboration with Pokémon wrapped in a JUMBO packaging for even more fun! Those are truly rare, adorable to a fault, but are guaranteed to make everyone rejoice when receiving them during a trick or treat evening! Each packaging is unique, and comes with a different set of Pokémon! You gotta catch ‘em all!
The flavour reminds me of the dry rice cakes you find in Western supermarkets, even though the texture is completely different. I'm so glad this pack contains a lot of this particular snack because it's very tasty!
Petagoo Gumi Grape from Nobel
Don’t you ever feel like it’s suddenly October 31st, and you haven’t fully prepped yet? We won’t let you down, and make sure all the kids from the neighborhood get the best trick or treat experience ever! The texture is just right to be addictive! You just want to keep chewing those tasty, juicy grape-flavored Petagoo (ペタグー) gummies (グミ) until they take you all the way to another dimension.
I'm not a fan of black grapes so, unfortunately, this was a bit of a miss for me. However, the ghostly shape makes it the perfect Halloween snack. Boo! Scared yet?
Noir Usuyaki Annoimo Cream from YBC
Let’s stay in the Fall vibes and prepare the beautiful Momiji season (紅 葉季節, color-changing maple leaves season) in Japan. Those delicious newly released biscuits are a delight for your senses. Sandwiched yellow Anno potato (a type of sweet potato) cream with purple Noir biscuits. By taking advantage of the sweetness of the Anno potato skin and the matching color with the purple biscuit, those thinly baked treats from Noir make you feel like autumn even from the appearance.
Ahhh, this one was so good! Now, I don't know if sweet potatoes taste the same in every part of the world, but if the yellow Anno potato truly tastes like that cream, I'm glad I found another Japanese food that I like! You know when you make a cake, you can't resist tasting the batter before it goes into the oven? The cream tastes exactly like cake batter! Yes, it was *that* good!
Puti Shittori Choco Cookie from Bourbon
Hungry like a bear; those Choco Cookies from Bourbon are soooo good. With this special purple packaging for the Halloween season! They are small, they are dense, they are rich in flavor and everything you want out of a cookie. Plus, this packaging design makes it easy to bring with you and share with your friends.
These choco cookies are a delight! I initially thought they were sandwich cookies because of the way they're laid out in the packet, but they're actually individual cookies and the chocolate is inside. They're very crumbly and soft, and the chocolate flavour doesn't overpower the cookie dough. Now I'm hungry like the bear on the packet again!
Monster Stamp Cola from Yaokin
Doesn’t this remind you of the classic movies Dracula and The Mummy? Those were good times. Thankfully, we might get new and even better adaptations in the future! In the meantime, we can get some satisfaction from those tasty stamp cola, which you can like and use like a stamp! For hygienic purposes, we recommend not stamping it on paper and eating it after, but how about adding something unique to your pancakes in the morning?!
I haven't had the chance to use them yet, unfortunately, but the smell of cola that comes out as soon as you open the packet is amazing! Takes me back to when I was a little girl and got cola gummies from the shop.
Purusshu Ajiwai Grape from Daido
New month, new drink! Let’s discover something unique from Japan: the best jelly carbonated drink you can find, Purusshu Ajiwai (ぷるっシ ュ 味わい). You’ll get an explosion of sensations through the “plump” texture of the jelly and the refreshing fizz from the carbonation. With a refreshing grape flavor, this drinks is guaranteed to leave you satisfied and look for newer sensations!
Just like the ghost gummies, this was another miss for me. I just don't like the black grape taste. However, I have to say that the contents of this can looked absolutely cool! I can't deny that it makes for the perfect Halloween drink, don't you agree?
If you thought the fun was over, you're completely mistaken! Zenpop has cooked up something fabulous, exclusively for the month of October! If you subscribe to one of their packs for 3, 6, or 12 months, you'll also get one of these amazing gifts! The promo is only valid until October 31st, so you still have a week to take advantage of this!
To pick one of these subscriptions, visit this link, and you'll also get $5 off your first pack by adding the code MOCHI5 in the Discount box! Hurry before it's too late!
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I'm truly enjoying the Zenpop Japanese subscription boxes! Not only they cater to various needs—sweets, ramen, anime, stationery—but their prices are affordable, too!
Have you tried the Zenpop Japanese Ramen + Sweets Mix Pack? Which of these snacks would you want to try for yourself? Let me know in the comments!
次回まで。♥
