Showing posts with label piccadilly circus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piccadilly circus. Show all posts

Monday, 13 May 2013

Cybercandy | Part Two

Click here for part one.

Moving on, we are faced with a variation of the peanut butter cup by Megaload, which is filled with caramel instead of peanut butter. (£1.15)


From left to right, the caramel cups are topped with Almond 'Buttercrunch', Candy-coated chocolate pieces, and Peanut 'Buttercrunch'. Not as interesting and original as the combination before, with their peanut butter cups. The m&ms are here again, between two very similar-looking 'buttercrunch' variations. This pack doesn't get me as excited as the peanut butter cups. I mean, two out of three of those were slapped on the top with a whole cookie!





The caramel was runny and smooth, and the cup reminded me of a Cadbury Caramello Koala.


There was nothing very special about it taste-wise, but it sure looked pretty as I ate it.


I couldn't tell the difference between the next two. Because the chocolate and caramel combination is already very strong for the tastebuds, the pathetic brittle (almond buttercrunch above, peanut buttercrunch below) doesn't do anything, and it felt like their purpose was unserved.


Likewise, these caramel cups are pretty and unique, and make great gifts. (i.e. pop some into my letterbox please, I wouldn't mind)


Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats (£1.29) is a snack bar variation of the original Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, much like the Lucky Charms Treats bar. 


My friend, Esther, and I sitting in the middle of Piccadilly Circus on a sunny day, taking pictures and enjoying the weekend. Sometimes, you have no choice but to enjoy yourself in London so much.
We watched La Bayadère at the Royal Opera House and ate lunch at Master's Diner at 4pm in the evening. We even had two minibons from Cinnabon at Piccadilly Circus. No regrets!

American cereal-ness was definitely noticeable here. It took me a long time to recognise the cinnamon taste, because most of it was just sweetness. The yogurt base was really good, and the bar was huge, tasty, and satisfying.


This was the elephant of my purchase, the main act of the variety show.

Oreo Os were the highlight of my childhood. The journey these blue boxes made from the supermarket shelves, into the multi-purpose (yes, hanging on to the handles and riding on it IS a purpose) transportation vehicle of The Trolley, momentarily hidden in one of the many white NTUC plastic bags like a cursed shell game, tucked out of reach in the cupboard, and magically appearing in a bowl the next morning next to a carton of PURA milk – all of this was ritualistic and sacred, and I treasured every aspect of these events up until the woeful year of 2007, when Post stopped producing these Oreo Os.

Where else am I going to get the best cereal marshmallows in the world? Where else am I going to get cereal which tastes like freaking OREOS?

At Cybercandy (Islington) for £6.99, it seems, with a Korean title. I cry a little, but I think about that fact that a) it is the only one of its kind, b) I can earn it back by working at my library for an hour, and c) it tastes like Oreos.


The black, crispy O's are filled with the taste of Oreo biscuits, and speckled with white bits of the stuff present in the original sandwich cookies.


Among the O's are similar-sized, sweet marshmallow circles, which have the best melt-in-your mouth feel one you get past their delicate, icing-like texture.


Like how you dunk Oreos in milk, this moreish cereal also goes well in a bowl with milk. The deep flavour of the O's is complimented so well by the milk, but don't expect any special taste in the leftover milk. You can have Oreo O's in a bowl with milk, you can have it in a box with a spoon in hand – I just wish you could have it for under £3 a box from the local supermarkets. Sam I am.
The Butterfinger (£1.19) is a famous American chocolate bar filled with dense peanut butter flakes, coated with chocolate. It is longer than the average chocolate bar, and rather heavy too. The flaky, puff-pastry like texture was rather unusual, and the peanut butter and sugar filling stuck to my teeth pretty severely. Not something I would buy again, but it was alright.

Friday, 26 April 2013

Dorayaki Obsessed

Dorayaki refers to a Japanese confectionary, which is made up of two mini pancakes sandwiching a generous amount of azuki red bean paste in the middle – think dessert hamburger.

Before coming to London, I had never heard of dorayaki, and now I'm wondering: how many other great things in life have I missed out on!?


The first one which I encountered was from Japan Centre near Piccadilly Circus, which is a Japanese supermarket and restaurant. Knowing that a combination of strawberries and cream makes everything better, I decided to purchase a Wagashi (brand name) Strawberries & Cream Dorayaki from the fridge. (£1.59, maybe?)


I couldn't help but let my eyelids fall in ecstacy as I took a bite off the dorayaki. The pancakes are just so soft, light and fluffy, while the cream filling with strawberries blended and infused is smooth and delicious. What. A. Treat. It was love at first bite.

For a while, I was worried that I'd have to specially make a trip to Japan Centre every time I had a dorayaki craving, but my worries subsided when I realised that Wasabi, the express Japanese food franchise, sold different types of dorayaki as well. (£1.50 each)


Having had to pass by Hammersmith Broadway Shopping Centre for eleven days straight (long story short, I had rehearsals in town everyday and didn't want to spend £40 on transport in total, so I took a 2-hour bus ride to and fro my rehearsal venue throughout Easter break), I grasped the opportunity to try out the dorayaki from the Wasabi in the shopping centre.


The one filled with red bean was nothing special for me, but it was satisfying and yummy indeed. I'm aware that many non-Asian people are sceptical about red bean paste, and that for most, it is probably an acquired taste. Red bean paste is sweet, has the consistency of mashed potato, and has a very mild level of bitterness to it. (I'm a person who can't take any sort of coffee stronger than a chocolate Starbucks Frappuccino, keep that in mind.) There is a strong fragrance which you have to experience on your own in order to understand the taste of red bean.



I bought a Green Tea Mascarpone dorayaki because I love mascarpone cream cheese (long live tiramisu), and was curious to taste how the green tea would work within it.


This. Dorayaki. Is. Just. So. Good. I. Hope. That. All. These. Periods. Emphasize. My. Point.

Much like the dorayaki with strawberries and cream, the lightness of the pancake compliments the creaminess of the mascarpone, and the green tea powder adds a pleasant fragrance to it. My favourite thus far.


Fuyumi brought some authentic dorayakis from Japan when she went home for Easter break, and promised that they were the 'real' kind.


These are considerably different, mostly in the fact that the pancakes are yellower and richer, probably with more use of egg yolks, which added moisture to the dorayaki, gave it a slightly denser texture, and an eggy smell and taste.


These were nothing too far away from the Red Bean Dorayaki from Wasabi, which is a relief, considering how I've had sweet, un-spicy curry and bland stir-fry noodles here in London. However, I slightly preferred the dorayaki from Wasabi and Japan Centre, mainly because of the stunning, Europeanised fillings and the lighter pancakes.


Japan Centre
Address: 16 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4PT
Phone:020 7255 8255

http://www.japancentre.com/


Wasabi (Hammersmith)

Address: 77 Rannoch Rd, London W6 9SX
Phone:020 8748 8675

http://www.wasabi.uk.com/

Sunday, 3 February 2013

Cinnabon

It was a sunny day in Piccadilly Circus and I had the mentality of screw-it-you're-in-london-it's-saturday-so-treat-yourself-to-something-good as I walked past Cinnabon.

Source because the cinnabons were calling me and I had to go in

The rustic, sweet cinnamon fragrance overwhelms you as soon as you step inside. 


There's a fast-moving queue in the little shop, and as you wait, you can't help but lift your heels up to get a better view of the plump, glazed buns huddled together in their pans.


They've got a Cinnabon classic roll, which is a warm and soft dough rolled with cinnamon syrup and glazed with loads of cream cheese frosting, all about the size of Hercules' fist, and also our server's favourite. They also have a mini-version of it called a Minibon, and a Chocobon which does not contain cinnamon, but is filled with chocolate, and drizzled with chocolate. The attention-seeker of the lot is the Caramel Pecanbon, which has added crushed pecan nuts and caramel to the classic version. The price of a Cinnabon classic roll is £2.99, which is definitely worth it for such a big and yummy cinnamon roll.



My friends and I illegally opened our box of 4 in a nearby café, attracting curious glances from around. (There were tables in the Cinnabon shop, but the shop is tiny and often at full capacity) These Cinnabons are messy business. Although we were provided with forks, they threatened to snap when we tried to saw through the pliant dough, so we gave up and put them in napkins to pick them up with. You're not faced with a particularly pretty sight as you gingerly use two fingers to tweeze the Cinnabon, lift it up, and pause as the brown cinnamon syrup drips from underneath the bun.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Caramel Pecanbon. It was sweet, warm, chewy and nutty, and left me licking the frosting and cinnamon off my fingers. However, you definitely wouldn't ask for seconds. My friends couldn't finish their Cinnabons. For people who aren't too keen on sugary things and desserts (i.e not yours truly), it is rather sickly and over-rich with sugar. For dessert-lovers, a Cinnabon is a trip to heaven. The Caramel Pecanbon is delectable, highly recommended!

Tips:

  • Get the Minibons, or share a Cinnabon with someone. It's hard go solo on a single Cinnabon.
  • Bring some wet-wipes with you, sticky fingers guaranteed.
  • Go with a group of friends – you can get boxes of 4 or 6, which makes the price of each Cinnabon cheaper.


Cinnabon
7-14 Coventry St  London W1D 7DH
020 7287 9274
www.cinnabon.com
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