Ülker Metro Mini (Home Bargains) – Review by @Cinabar

I do love a wander around discount shops for imported treats you just would not normally come across. These Ülker Metro Mini bars definitely caught my eye, even though we had originally gone in for something as exciting as toiletries. That is the magic of bargain stores though, you go in for one thing and somehow leave with a basket full of things you did not know you needed.

These little bars are imported from Turkey and are essentially mini versions of a familiar style of chocolate bar. Each one contains soft nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate, all neatly packaged into small individually wrapped pieces. They really are mini as well. When I opened the packet I was surprised by just how tiny they are, but in a cute, snackable way rather than disappointing.

Taste wise, they are very pleasant. The caramel and nougat flavour comes through nicely, and the chocolate is sweet and smooth. The texture is quite soft and a little sticky, which works well for this kind of treat, although I think I would personally prefer them to have a slightly firmer bite. That is just my preference though, and it does not take away from the overall enjoyment.

One thing I do really like is that they are individually wrapped. It makes them perfect for sharing, especially if you put a bowl out when friends are over or during a film night. They are the kind of sweet you can just graze on without thinking too much about it.

I would happily pick these up again. They are simple, easy-going little treats that work well for snacking, and they feel like a fun find from the bargain aisle rather than something you would normally go looking for.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Crispello - From Egypt With Love (via B&M) [@NLi10]

 Cadbury's is one of Birmingham's biggest exports.  It started a short bus ride from my house, and has travelled the world. Like most international brands there are regional variations but most of it seems to make it to the UK at some point.  While in Wales we popped into B&M and spotted this - and it's new to us!

We think it's got a double-L in it so it's Crispello, but unlikely to be pronounced in the Welsh way as it's imported from Egypt. 

It even has Arabic on the packaging. Cool!

Same familiar Cadbury branding, and while it claims to be Dairy Milk crumb, it's not quite to the British taste and is a little milder than I'd expected.  This said - I've not had Egyptian Dairy Milk mix so I'll have to remember to try that when I'm over there visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum (although with the current chaos that's on hold).

What this is - tiny crispies inside a finger of dairy milk - seems like a great idea for a bar. That said, it's only a tiny 4 fingers, and there just isn't enough of the crispy bits to get excited.  Double the sizes and we are talking.  We shared one of these in the car and both felt like it was a little too slight.

I'll have to pop to Cadbury World and see if there is anything like this in the factory shop - I know the Dairy Milk Delights series had something similar.

So - not worth importing, but worth grabbing for cheap in B&M as a light bite. 

Snickers Wafer Rolls (B&M) By @Cinabar

I picked these up in B&M and they look to be an import, although all the packaging is in English. Inside the pack you get two wafer rolls, which immediately makes them feel more like a lighter snack than a full on chocolate bar.

The wafer itself is lovely and crisp, and I really enjoyed the mix of textures. The chocolate coating is smooth and does its job well, with little caramel crystals on top adding extra sweetness and a bit of stickiness. The filling is a chocolate peanut flavour, but it leans much more towards sweet than nutty.

The peanut flavour is very mild, with no crunch from nuts and none of that bold peanut hit you normally expect from a Snickers. Because of that, it does not quite live up to the name, but taken on its own terms it is still an enjoyable chocolatey wafer snack.

These are good if you want something sweet that feels a bit lighter and less filling than a standard Snickers. Not one for peanut lovers, but still nice enough for a quick chocolate fix when you do not want anything too heavy.

Mars Cookie Dough Flavour (B&M) By @SpectreUK

As well as Hot Honey, Cookie Dough seems to be another flavour of the year for snack foods. We spotted this Mars Cookie Dough Flavour bar in a local store. The bar is soft cookie dough flavoured nougat, with creamy caramel on top covered in milk chocolate.

 

On opening the wrapper there was a milk chocolate and cookie dough aroma from the regular looking Mars Bar inside. On cutting into the bar to see the insides, it didn't look much different from the original Mars Bar.

On taste this Mars Cookie Dough Flavour did taste different than original Mars Bar. There was a cookie dough taste instead of the regular nougat, mixed with the regular sweet caramel, and milk chocolate flavours.

Overall this Mars Cookie Dough Flavour bar was a lot sweeter than the original. So, it depends if you have a sweet tooth and a desire to mix it up a little.

Snickers Butterscotch (B&M) By @Cinabar

We popped into B&M at the weekend and, unsurprisingly, came away with a few interesting bits to try. My haul naturally leaned heavily towards the chocolate aisle. One bar that immediately caught my eye was this Snickers Butterscotch.

It is clearly an import, although I am not entirely sure from where. The front of the packaging is in English, but there is a large sticker covering the ingredients and details, which is not especially helpful. Based on the packet, I would guess either America or Australia, but either way they seem to be fairly easy to find in the UK at the moment.

As soon as I opened the wrapper, I could smell chocolate, peanuts, and the most glorious sweet butterscotch aroma. I took a bite and it did not disappoint. The familiar chocolate and peanut combo was there, but the real star was the rich, sweet butterscotch with its deep brown sugar flavour. It honestly reminded me of peanut brittle, and I mean that in the best possible way.

I have a very sweet tooth, so the extra sweetness did not bother me at all. It might be a bit much for some people, but as a sugary treat it was absolutely right up my street.

If you spot it, I would grab one while you can. B&M is brilliant for unusual imported chocolate bars, but there is never any guarantee they will still be around in a couple of weeks.

Bon O Bon Original (WH Smiths) By @Cinabar

Spotted something new in WH Smiths today that I just couldn’t resist.

We were visiting the hospital and popped into the WH Smiths there to grab a newspaper, just something to read while waiting. As always, I couldn’t help but browse the snacks, and that’s when I spotted these Bon O Bon Original chocolates. I didn’t recognise the packet at all. The word original made me think there must be other flavours, so of course, I had to give them a go. I bought a tube for myself and waited until I got home to open them.

Inside were three big individually wrapped chocolates, which already felt promising. They’re filled with peanut butter and wafer, and from the very first bite I was hooked. The texture was spot on, a crisp layer from the wafer, a creamy peanut butter centre, and that lovely snap from the chocolate shell.

I’m a total sucker for anything peanut butter and chocolate, so these were absolutely my kind of treat. Salty, nutty, chocolatey, and ridiculously moreish. I told myself I’d only have one… but all three somehow vanished before I knew it. Oops. A quick Google told me Bon O Bon is actually from Argentina, and it seems they’ve got quite a few varieties. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this brand, if they’re all this good, I’m in trouble!

Have you tried any Bon O Bon flavours? Let me know if you’ve spotted them anywhere else!

KitKat HoneyComb Flavour Buzz (B&M) By @cinabar

This Kit Kat was found in a UK store, but it is an import from Australia. It’s always fun to try Kit Kats from around the world, and honeycomb is a flavour that’s hard to resist. At first glance I thought this might be a UK bar, as all the writing is in English, but the addresses on the back are Australian.

This is a large sharing bar, covered in the usual milk chocolate. The aroma had an extra sweetness to it, though the milk chocolate was still the main scent. I broke off a couple of strips and, once halved, they looked just like a regular Kit Kat inside.

The taste, however, was noticeably different. As someone with a sweet tooth, I really enjoyed it. The honeycomb (or cinder toffee as I know it) added a lovely burst of burnt caramel sweetness to the familiar Kit Kat flavour. It was smooth and indulgent, if a little on the sweet side. The one thing missing was the texture. Honeycomb usually has a crunch, but here it was only the flavour that came through. Even so, it worked well and made for a tasty variation. It isn’t one of the wildest Kit Kat imports out there, but it’s still a good bar and a great pick for anyone who likes their chocolate on the sweeter side.

Dr Pepper Blackberry (Local Shop) By @Cinabar

I’m a little bit ashamed to say this is from a shop near where I live that I’d never been in before. It’s only a few minutes away and is an independent off-licence. I don’t drink, and Spectre only has the odd one, so we’ve walked past it a number of times. Today, in the search for a bottle of something different, we thought we’d take a look. I wasn’t expecting to find a fabulous import candy section and loads of interesting drinks. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out, so here’s a shout out to all your local shops, do try and support those independents.

Anyway, I came away with sweets, Milka, and pop, which felt like a proper retro experience. First up to sample is this Dr Pepper Blackberry. I chilled it at home and opened it today for some summer refreshment. The flavour is quite subtle. The initial taste is that familiar Dr Pepper vibe, a spiced fruity cola. Then came the sharper, almost sherbet-like berry flavours, which worked beautifully with the base taste. The drink is sweet and has a lot going on for the tastebuds, but I love it. Dr Pepper is a fun drink, and the added blackberry really works with it. I’m really happy with the treat I picked up and can’t wait to finish trying the rest of what we bought, and to head back for more goodies.

Junior Mints Minis (Petrol Station) By @Cinabar

It has been a while since I tied Junior Mints and I really liked them, but it is much easier to find Mint Poppets than imported sweets at a reasonable price. I recently spotted these Junior Mints Minis at a petrol station here in the UK, and I couldn’t resist picking up a bag. As a fan of chocolate mint, I was excited to try this mini version of the popular American treat, which I haven’t seen before. I also like that they are in a re-sealable bag, I wish more sweets did this. 

Pouring some out, I noticed how small they were and was initially worried that the balance of mint and chocolate might be off. Some products come in giant or mini versions, and it changes the flavour a bit. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I gave one a try. Despite their size, the peppermint flavour was prominent and paired perfectly with the dark chocolate, making them absolutely delicious. In fact, there was still a wonderfully minty blast and the rich, smooth dark chocolate working perfectly together. 

The chocolate mints are fairly soft; there is a slightly firmer texture from the chocolate coating, but they are certainly not hard mints. This soft texture makes them easy to eat, and  I absolutely love chocolate mint. Overall, Junior Mints Minis are refreshing and tasty, as a chocolate-mint lover I am really pleased a bought a bag. 

Mocha Mudcake M&Ms (B&M) By @Cinabar

I was in B&M, and I saw a new M&Ms flavour, and I was super excited. There was this fab bag of Mocha Mudcake M&Ms on the shelf. In other countries, there are many different limited edition versions of M&Ms, but in the UK, we get very few, if any. So this was exciting, until I turned the bag over and realised they too were an import. They were made in Australia. Oh well, at least some of the flavours from abroad are making their way to the UK shelves, even if they weren’t intended to be sold here. 

I opened up the bag and had a look at the M&Ms. They look like most of the other varieties I’ve seen; they are the usual prime colours, and they looked bright. There wasn’t much aroma, but they are covered in a hard candy shell, so it wasn’t that surprising.

I gave one a try, and the texture was the first thing I noticed. The filling was almost like that of a toffee; it was firm and chewy. The taste was good; they were rich and chocolatey, and there was a good tone of coffee running through them too. I had another, then another, and then I remembered that M&Ms always catch me like this. They are tasty and easy to eat, and I ate far more than I intended. Chocolate and coffee are one of my favourite combinations, and these Mocha Mudcake M&Ms chocolates were just my kind of thing. I’m going to need another bag. 

Oreo Sunshine - Lemon Flavour (China) - with Ltd Ed Designs! [@NLi10]

 Oreos are great.  Kraft taking over Cadbury and putting Oreos in everything isn't so great - so even though I could walk to Cadbury World from my house - we still have to rely on imports to get exciting Oreos.

This Chinese version (from a Korean supermarket) is not only Sunshine / Lemon flavour, but it has limited edition designs on the biscuits too.

And they come in inflated packs so you know they are fresh.

Peepo designs are common on these, but the box says there are 6 ltd edition designs you might see. 

All taste the same though! 

The lemon is great - not too artificial and has a sherbet hint to it.  Otherwise - these are your normal Oreo - but with an exciting fruity flavour. 

Cadbury Triple Decker Mint Edition (CandyMail) By @Cinabar

I think I have to start by saying, I bought green chocolate! Mint and chocolate are a fairly common combination (think Mint Twirl, After Eight, etc.), but actually making the chocolate a green colour is a braver choice. This Triple Decker Mint Edition bar is from Cadbury, but it is imported from Australia; perhaps they are braver with coloured chocolate there. 

Inside the pack is a large sharing bar, and the green shines through, but there are actually three layers: milk chocolate, green mint chocolate, and a topping of white chocolate. 

I gave the bar a try and really loved it. The texture is that of solid chocolate, but when I bit, it seemed to split into the three pieces a little bit. The mint is lovely and strong, and my senses were filled with sweet peppermint, followed by the creamy white chocolate that seemed to be dominant in the flavour. This gave the bar a nice, soothing, refreshing feel, and I had to remember that it was meant for sharing and not to accidentally eat the whole thing while watching Netflix. What a delight this Cadbury Triple Decker Mint Edition is! I wish they would bring it out in the UK, and I even forgive the green colour. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites (Petrol Station) By @Cinabar

When we buy petrol, we buy treats from the petrol station, which helps sooth the cost of the fuel. The good thing about our local petrol station is that it stocks the most excellent selection of import goodies local to us. I don’t know who the buyer is, but they have my kind of taste. Today we picked up this box of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites, which originated in the USA.

Inside the box are small, mixed-shaped pieces of cookie dough coated in milk chocolate. They are small but perfect to snack on while watching TV. The flavour is sweet, but the cookie dough has a nice creamy flavour with a hint of something a little tangy, perhaps salt. The milk chocolate is sweet and creamy and brings the whole thing together. The texture is soft but firm. 

These are moreish chocolates, and they are really nice and a bit different from what we normally get in the UK. I look forward to the next time we need to top up the petrol tank in order to find another treat. 

Korean Supermarket Christmas Presents - Pocky & Bobba bubble tea [@NLi10]

Now everyone has opened their Christmas stuff I can show you things I picked up - this hoard was from the Korean supermarket Vanguard in Birmingham.  It's always been a go to place for the normal things I eat (like the Nongshim sweet potato snacks) but they do nice sweets for presents

They also had a New Mr Kong tea!

This is the Pepsi Max of the range - black and cool but no sugar. 

Very little sweetener too, so the grape juice has a lot of heavy lifting to do.  Psychologically it's a strange one - is the sugar the main appeal for the tea after all... - but it's nice enough.  I just can't see myself buying the 1 litre bottles of this in the summer when out shopping.  Probably a lot better for you though.

Speaking of sugar - we have three co-ordinated packs of sweet things for the teenage girls as a bonus present.  These were actually more exciting than the real presents we got them - but I guess that's the point.

The youngest child opened her blue popping boba balls on Christmas night and ate the whole thing like caviar.  Not quite what I expected, but frankly you have to respect that kind of behaviour.  The suggestion was that I could buy more of these so they must be good.

The Pocky variants didn't get opened (probably just as well) but their VD (valentines day) branding is highly cute and slightly amusing.

I got the blueberry + raspberry ones for me.  Made in China so a little cheaper than most novel big boxes of Pocky. they went down quite well.  I was mildly tempted to 'Share Happiness' but as of yet no one has been tempted.  They will see me through the work week.

I'll review the Oreo brand mini pillows soon.

Cadbury Dream Raspberry Bites (Candy Mail) By @SpectreUK

These Cadbury Dream Raspberry Bites sound more like a spring or summer treat, but they have been hiding at the back of the Foodstufffinds' cupboard for some time. So, now they are a winter pudding instead. Besides, accompanying a pot of vanilla low calorie ice cream, these Dream White Chocolate Bites with raspberry flavoured candy chips should go down a treat.

 

On opening the packet there was the sweet fruity aroma of raspberries and creamy white chocolate. I had a feeling these Cadbury Dream Raspberry Bites would be like eating white chocolate raspberry ripple, and I wasn't far wrong. There was a decent crunch as I took a bite out of the first Raspberry Bite.

There were candy flecks running throughout each Cadbury Dream Raspberry Bite, which tasted of sweet and fruity raspberries, all surrounded by a velvet cushion of white chocolate creaminess. Gosh, what a delight, and a perfect treat with my tub of low calorie vanilla ice cream.

Information on the packet; The 130g bag contained nutritional information that I couldn't even read with my glasses on. We managed to get the full calories at 707. It's fortunate that I exercise like mad and I have a sweet-tooth, so I left enough calories in my daily diet to eat the whole lot for my pudding. Please see photograph for the ingredients and nutritional information.

Starburst FaveReds Cotton Candy (Candy Mail) By @Cinabar

I love candy floss, or cotton candy, as the Americans call it. I picked up this bag of Starburst Cotton Candy a while back as I was looking for something to top up an online order I was making, and I think this is one of the flavours I hadn’t tried before. I do keep buying the Dr. Pepper flavour, but this time I was after something different. There are many flavours of Starburst sweets in a bag, so this one is specific to the cherry and strawberry “FaveReds” varieties.

I opened up the bag, and I have to say this Starburst FaveReds Cotton Candy is not the most photogenic item. It looks like the stuffing from a pillow. What you can’t get from the picture is the wonderful, sweet, fruity smell, which is absolutely amazing.

I gave the candy floss a try, and it did not disappoint. The flavour has the perfect base flavour of spun sugar, but mixed with it is the juicy, sweet fruit flavour of red Starbursts. The fruit flavour, in particular the strawberry, works so well as a candy floss flavour; it is like it is meant to be a perfect match. The flavour was super moreish, and with the melt in the mouth texture, I just kept reaching for more. This Starburst FaveReds Cotton Candy is the combination of berry and sugar and all things sweet and fruity. I loved it; this might even replace Dr. Pepper as my go-to.

Dunkin’ Mint Hot Chocolate Bomb (Import Shop) By @Cinabar

I love hot chocolate season. I drink it all year, so for me, hot chocolate season isn’t about increasing how much I drink; it is about being able to find lots of new and interesting products. Here we have something I found in an import shop, from a chain in the USA called Dunkin’ Donuts. I’m fine with the missing ‘g’ in the brand name; these things don’t bother me at all.

So this is a Dunkin’ Mint Hot Chocolate Bomb, the idea being that you add it to a mug and add hot milk to activate it. I opened up the box and found the foil-coated ball inside. The foil was very sparkly, and I’m not sure the photo does it justice. I unwrapped it, added it to the mug, and added my hot milk (from the microwave).

The ball spins when the milk is poured; eventually, it melts enough to get a hole and then splits and is flipped open to show the marshmallows hidden inside.

I did then give the drink a bit of a stir to make sure the chocolate was all dissolved and mixed in before I gave it a try. The chocolate used in this is Belgian chocolate, and it mixed in nicely. The flavour was quite rich and fuller than I expected. Being American, I assumed it would be sweeter than it was. My sweet tooth loves American Swiss Miss Cocoa, and I think I thought that was their default for this sort of drink. My Dunkin’ Mint Hot Chocolate Bomb was well balanced, with the mint not too strong and the chocolate shining through. I very much enjoyed it. The marshmallows on top were a pretty addition and looked lovely on top. I wish I had picked up a few more when I was in the shop, as it was a delight to drink.

Warheads Ooze Chewz (Asda petrol station) By @SpectreUK

I like our local petrol station, it's close by, it's not too expensive, and it stocks all sorts of weird and quirky snack foods. So, last time a filled up my car, I picked up a huge bag of onion rings and these Warheads Ooze Chewz in the hope they might blast through all that onion flavour for a cheeky pudding. 

 

Imported by World of Sweets, these Warheads Ooze Chewz were made in Mexico. On opening the bag inside the box, all the Ooze Chewz were stuck together and looked a bit like they'd been run over. However unappetising they looked, there were six stuck together flavours to choose from.

The orange mango flavour wasn't particularly oozy and had a kind of fake mango sour flavour. I was guessing however these Ooze Chewz had been stored or badly traveled from Mexico, none of them were going to be oozy. The pink strawberry flavour was again, a kind of chemical fruit flavour indistinguishable as strawberries. The green apple flavour tasted like something had spilled out of a chemical lab. The red cherry flavour was the most sour so far, and actually tasted a bit like cherry. Although confusing on the colour, the pinkish watermelon flavour tasted reminiscent of watermelon, but not in any good way. Finally, the blue raspberry flavour was actually fruity, but still had a chemical aftertaste that I really didn't like. These Warheads Ooze Chewz were not for me I'm afraid or anyone else for that matter.

Information on the packet; The box had 99g with 352 calories per 100g, 0g of fat, 56g of sugar, and 0.13g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.