Konbini Life

Palitte 2

Cost: 158yen

Store: Lawson
Hi all! Hisashiburi! Sorry for the long delay. I got a new phone and I’ve been scared to death of trying to post a new review from it. As you can see, it takes pictures horizontally, so that’s something else I’m gonna have to figure out.

Anyway! Palitte is sweet! I want to eat Palitte! You all know I’m a big fan of chocolate and vanilla, and this is actually pretty standard fare as far as all that goes, BUT, standard fare is awesome! The chocolate swirls are beautifully formed on the ice cream, and when you bite into them they give a super satisfying crunch! The vanilla is vanilla-ey.

The only downside is this is another case of waste packaging. The cone is wrapped in double plastic, and then popped in a bag. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves in Japan. But how can I, a single solitary blogger, change the world?

Pino レアチーズ

Cost: 126yen

Store: ampm

To tell the truth, レアチーズ is one of those  Japanese-English words that I never really bothered to figure out the meaning of.  At  the moment I’m gonna guess it’s not “rare” and  go for “layer.” The picture here is of cheesecake… so I guess that makes as much sense as anything.

So anybody who has this site on their RSS feeds knows I love Pino, and while this Pino has been out for a while, I just today got around to buying it. I could see people going either way on this one. I personally thought the cheesecake flavor was a little underwhelming, but some might see it as subtle. Either way, that milk chocolate still melts in a heavenly fashion on your tongue.

As always, it’s a limited time offer. You know what I want? Pino with pumpkin ice cream. THAT would be freakin’ hizzy! To all my peeps at pino, let’s see what you can get crackin for me by autumn!

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ポテロング (Pote Long) 7

Cost: 148yen

Store: Lawson

OK, so I don’t have much opportunity to talk about anything outside of Konbinis on this site, but I’m gonna say it now: CoCo ichi is the best “quick service” restaurant in Japan. I LOVE their curry. Seriously, I’m there once a week, and if you don’t go there as soon as possible there’s a fire-storm comin’ your way.

So obviously I had to try these CoCo ichi curry flavored potato sticks. To tell the truth, I’m a little ambivalent about these. While the flavor matches CoCo ichi’s curry really well, I didn’t really feel the desire to eat more than a couple of these. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s not a hot steaming plate in my face. I love other potato sticks, but I was satisfied with just having a few of these. Maybe that makes them more valuable though. You could spread out your snacking over a few days.

If you’re a fan of CoCo ichi, you should give it a try. But I’m not guaranteeing you anything amazing here. You’re better off spending the cash at the restaurant with a real plate of curry & rice than you are getting a crispy potato stick that copies the flavor.

Panky 薫るバニラ 4

Cost: 150yen

Store: Lawson

Alright, there are so many places to go with this name I don’t even know where to start. “Would you like a little Hanky Panky?” (read in my best German accent). Etc etc ad nauseum.

The reason this is called Panky though is because there’s double baked bread (Japanese: ‘pan’) right in every piece. So when you bite into this you get a kind of unique crunchy texture that you aren’t likely to encounter anywhere else. The vanilla was nice and these make for a nice little snack. They also come laid out on a little tray much like Dars, which I’m quite fond of as well.

There are a few varieties of Panky, and I don’t know if I’ll get to review them all, but I’d definitely support anyone’s decision to go out and  try this for themselves.

とっておきのChoco Pie:あまおう苺 3

Cost: 88yen

Store: 7-11

“Totteoki-no” is a unique expression meaning something along the lines of “Saved for special occasions.” Usually things with such fanciful names tend to charge a bit more, so at 88 yen, this is something I had to try.

The choco pie is a variation on the Moon Pie. While there are a lot of countries that try to claim it as their own national snack, Konbini Life readers are smart enough to know that it really comes from America. International bickering aside, we have a pretty awesome product on our hands here. You’ve got your standard choco pie, which is pretty awesome, plus the perfect portion of strawberry jam mixed in there to make it feel like a real delicacy.  So let’s just say that your lunch break is a good enough “special occasion” to make it out and buy one.

To tell the truth, my friend from Fukuoka recommended this to me to put up on the site. She says that it’s a regional variation. Or maybe that’s just the strawberry jam she was talking about. I wasn’t really listening. I was too busy stuffing my face with this thing.

ハイチュウ ゴールデンパイン (Hi-chew Golden Pine) 4

Cost: 100yen

Store: Lawson

For years I was playa-hatin’ on pineapple. I just didn’t get it. It was too acidic. Why would anybody want it? But recently I had some high quality fresh pineapple slices for dessert at a local restaurant. It made me seriously reconsider my position. I’m now a believer.

So when I saw Hi-chew had a pineapple flavor, I had to get it. It’s good. Who would’ve thunk that I could be converted so quickly. Even to an artificial pineapple flavor? Damn, that means I may have to reconsider everything I ever thought I knew about food. This could be a life-changing experience.

Hi Chew should start a new campaign: “Golden Pine, it could change your life!” Now I have to go see if I still hate coconuts.

ハンバーガーの本 (Hamburger Book) 4

Cost: 998yen

Store: ampm

When I was a child my mother asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered unabashedly, “A HAMBURGER!!!” Thus, as long as I can remember, I’ve had burgers in my blood. Imagine my delight when I saw the Hamburger Book.

But alas, we all know we can’t judge a book by its cover. Inside is a whole array of awesome looking hamburgers, dripping with cheddar cheese and avocados, and not a recipe in sight. No, this seems to be mostly reviews of good hamburger restaurants around Japan. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a great idea as the quality hamburger joints in Japan are few and far between, but I was hoping for some good cooking ideas.

Unfortunately, the most amazing burger shop in Kobe, Star Child, shut down about a year ago. I haven’t found a place that’s a worthy replacement yet, but my eyes are peeled. I actually didn’t buy the Hamburger Book because usually those things focus on the Kanto area, but if anybody can recommend a good hamburger restaurant in the Kansai area, I’m all ears!

Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Dips 2

Cost: 158yen

Store: 7-11

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!! Remember, in Japan V-Day is time for you ladies  to shower all the men in your lives with chocolate, and not the other way around. Yay!

With that in mind, I decided to buy something I would want. What better than chocolate covered pretzels? Not that these really need to be reviewed, as they’re not Japanese. In fact, I always thought they were German, but as it turns out, they’re American. Go figure. But I do love Snyder’s.

So ladies, if you haven’t already, hustle on down to your local Sevs, grab up a handful of Snyder’s, and mail them to me. Remember, that’s 本命チョコ、not  義理チョコ！

Cloret’s Ice 4

Cost: 130yen

Store: asnas

I was given one of these as a free sample, and I immediately went out and bought a pack. Not so much because it’s spectacular gum that I want to chew all the time, but because it’s the perfect gum for when  you can’t brush your teeth.

See in the picture there all the liquid exploding out? I swear to God it’s mouthwash. This stuff takes “minty-freshening gum” to a whole new level. Even if you know it’s there, that eruption in your mouth is gonna shock you. It’s that strong.

Go ahead and order that double garlic and onion cheeseburger on your next date. When you bring your girl up to her porch and are running over all the things you might have done wrong, praying to Krom that she’ll kiss you, at least you know Cloret’s has your back.

Double Choco Doughnut 2

Cost: 105yen

Store: Lawson

Don’t let the green on brown fool you. There’s no mint up in this thing. It’s just chocolate with a color scheme that wouldn’t fly back home.

Actually, when I read this, I thought it was going to be a chocolate donut covered in chocolate, but it’s not. It’s a plain donut with an “inner chocolate tubing” then covered in chocolate. A bit hard to describe, but imagine cutting the donut in half, then looking at it down the side; there would be a whole with 3 layers surrounding it. The outer layer is chocolate, the middle layer is plain donut, and the inner layer is chocolate again. inside that inner layer is just air. DAMN this is hard to explain. I just don’t get how they made it! There’s air inside!

Arghhh. I’m frustrated. Go buy one and figure out what I mean.