I haven't lived in America for quite some time, but I don't recall there being as many cross-company collaborations as I tend to see in Japan. I'm sure there are some, but they seem to be a bigger deal here. "Look" chocolates by Fujiya are something that I haven't covered in this blog before, but they're a filled chocolate which usually has just one flavor represented. Because this is supposed to be a mix of Baskin Robbins ice cream flavors, this box has a mix.
I have been seeing these around for a long time, and did want to buy one eventually and review it, but one of my husband's students gave him this and spared me the 100 yen ($1.11). I still see them at various shops including some 100 yen stores, drug stores (which often carry snacks), and Okashi no Machioka discount snack shops. There are 12 small bits, about 3 cm x 2 cm (1.1 in. x .8 in.), of chocolate in the box and four flavors - strawberry cheesecake, jamoca coffee, orange sherbet, and vanilla. Each candy is 19 calories and the whole box is 229.
Each of these had a soft, creamy filling and a bittersweet chocolate shell. The chocolate melted easily in my mouth despite having been refrigerated
Strawberry cheesecake:
This had a nice, slightly tart strawberry flavor, but it was quite weak and tended to fade away in the bittersweet chocolate's intensity. For someone like me who isn't a big fan of strawberry chocolates, this was fine, but it will disappoint someone who likes to taste strawberry more potently in their candies.
Jamoca coffee:
The coffee notes of this definitely competed better with the bittersweet shell. I could taste the bitterness of the coffee and the smoother milky flavor. I enjoyed this one, and would consider it the best addition to the box.
Orange sherbet:
As a big fan of orange sherbet, I was looking forward to this one the most. The surprising thing is that the filling really did taste an awful lot like Baskin Robbins orange sherbet. I was blown away by the verisimilitude. This was also nice, but I think that it didn't match the chocolate flavor as well as the Jamoca coffee flavor.
Vanilla:
This one mainly tasted like smooth, milky chocolate. The vanilla flavor really didn't show much of itself but rather muted the strong bittersweet notes. This was surely a nice enough chocolate. It just wasn't very distinctive.
This entire collection is pretty nice. The chocolates contain fresh cream and butter and have a decadent feel on the tongue. For a consumer level candy, they are rather rich and I would recommend them for anyone who likes bittersweet chocolate. If you're a milk chocolate fan though, you may want to give them a pass because the bittersweet nature really does dominate a fair amount.
I've never been a fan of Look chocolate, since it never seemed to taste as good as Dars. Your review makes me think I should give it another chance!
ReplyDeleteI would so buy a few boxes as gifts to take back to California! Like you, I probably would have enjoyed the Jamoca one the best, since I like coffee and bittersweet chocolate.
ReplyDeleteJust today I stumbled upon your blog and I am OBSESSED! One of my best friends just moved to Japan this month with her family. They are there with the military and are going to be there for 3 years. Her move has brought on a fascination in me of all things Japanese. Since she will be gone so long, I want to have some idea what she's talking about and I'll know what some of the strange things she sends me are. I love your blogs and your writing style. Thanks for helping me be not so clueless!
ReplyDeleteMagnificent! I love mixes like these! These look super lovely, and sound super yummy! I wish they had these here!!! I would definitely snatch it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for taking the time to comment and read! I really appreciate it. :-)
ReplyDeleteEbidebby: It's hard for anything to compete with Dars. These are a different animal, but still a good one!
Dani: I'd go for a whole box of the coffee ones!
Manderiffic: Thanks so much for your kind words! Perhaps you can ask your friend to send you a few of the choicer items when the weather cools off (and the chocolate isn't at risk of melting in the post!).
storybookdreamer: I'm actually inspired to give more Look chocolates a try after this one.