Last August I won the 1st Asian Aisle blog giveaway! I wasn't expecting such a big prize package! Because I wanted to thank Cindy for the great prizes, I picked out a few treats for her while I was in the Philippines. Today she featured 'Clover Chips'. Head over to Asian Aisle to check it out!

Other Asian Aisle Posts:

Choc-Nut Feature

Taste Testing

Wow!

My first blog post with my new laptop!

When I was in the Philippines for 2 months my husband and I got our favorite snack foods and I also got to try a few new ones. I wanted to share the snack foods we tried! I think you can see a theme with most of these snacks- most are seafood or fish flavored, which is something the hubby & I enjoy. I love trying foods from other countries! And the Philippines has a lot of different snacks foods!

1. Choc-o-star









Choc-o-star is a lot like Choc-nut. They are both chocolate peanut butter powder flavored candy. The little bars crumble easily into powder. I can't remember, but you usually get 20 in a pack. I like Choc-o-star better because it's got a better chocolate flavor to it.

2. Tempura Chips














I like these best of all of Regent's snacks. Tempura chips are supposed to taste like shrimp tempura. While they don't taste exactly like shrimp tempura. they have a nice spicy shrimp taste to the chips.

3. Sashimi Chips














Sashimi chips are also made by Regent Foods. My husband likes these better than the tempura chips. They are a little bit spicer though. They are supposed to taste tuna sashimi. I find they have a strong garlic aftrer taste to them.

4. Fried Pusit (Squid)














I can't seem to find the Chivalry Brand company online. I didn't think I would like Fried Pusit. (Pusit is Squid in Tagalog). But it actually reminded me of beef jerky. It has a very sweet and spicy flavor to it. (chili powder is one of the ingredients.) I actually brought home a couple bags of this!

5. Jack & Jill Salmon Sushi Potato Chips














My sister in law works for URC the company that makes these potato chips. These were really good. They have a tangy salmon sushi flavor with little seaweed flakes all over the chips. (Looked like chives).

6. Kalamares Pacific Squid Rings














These didn't taste too much like calamares to me. They actually reminded me of Herr's Onion Rings in the USA. They had a nice spicy seasoning on them.
7. Pacific Fishballs














I took one bite of these and handed the bag to my husband. These were not good at all. I can't explain the flavor. They had a very tangy sour taste to them. My husband finished them.

You can buy Filipino snacks & foods online from the following places:

Pilipino Mart

Phil-Am Food


Phil-Am Foods

Foreign Food Cravings

Taste Testing (Asian Aisle)

I had a taste testing Friday night with my parents & three younger brothers. We tried all of the products I won in the Asian Aisle giveaway. (Thank you so much Cindy!) Some of the products, I’ve linked to the Asian Aisle blog where they were featured. (The products that have not been featured yet are linked to their manufacture website, etc.) I had a really fun evening trying all of these interesting and unique products and wanted to share my reviews.
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SOO Singapore Jerky: Pork Jerky & Hot Pork Jerky.



The jerky had a sauce like coating on it. It tore really easy into smaller pieces and was really yummy. It reminded me almost of boneless spare ribs from a Chinese takeout place. I actually liked the spicy one better.

Philippine Dried Mangoes



Ahhhh this is why I entered the giveaway in the first place! I love Philippine dried mangoes. There is no better mango then a Philippine mango. These are sweet and chewy and addictive! F.B. and I would buy them everytime we visited the grocery.

Kasugai’s Gummy Candy. (Flavors: Apple, Grape, Muscat, Pineapple, Orange.)



I love the packaging. Each one would say the flavor and, “Comes in a attractive small bag” Heehee! Apple was good, I love orange. Even the muscat flavor was good. Kind of a cross between an apple & grape flavor to me. Pineapple was not so good. My brothers agreed- it didn’t really taste like a pineapple.

Pocky: (Almond Crush & Strawberry Cream.)



I’ve seen pocky in the international aisles at the supermarket, but I’ve never tried it. I really liked it. The chocolate on the almond crush one was really rich and creamy. The strawberry cream was awesome too. They have a nice crunch to them almost like a cracker or cookie.

Yan Yan Vanilla Cream Snack



Everyone had so much fun with these! All of the biscuit cookies have silly sayings on them. My Mom cracked up because she got one that said, “In a hole.” She made me take a picture. My Dad got “Beware of lies.” You dip the cookies in the vanilla cream. I would definitely get these again. My fiancé said he’s had them in the Philippines.



Nagaraya Barbecue Cracker Nuts



Wow! I’ve seen these in the Philippines and F.B. said he’s also had these before, but I never tried them. These were everyone’s favorite. The peanuts are so light and airy with a crunchy coating. Never tasted anything like them. I love the smokey barbecue flavor too. Will definitely be bringing some of these home on my next trip to the Philippines!

Hello Panda (Biscuits with chocolate cream.)



Yum! Yum! Yum! These were soooo good! The cookie is light and airy and crisp with rich chocolate cream inside. Everyone loved these! F.B. said he has had these before too over in the Philippines. I would definitely buy these again!

Ramune Carbonated Drink (Melon)



Opening the bottle was quite an experience! You have to use this plastic plunger thing and push it into the top of the bottle; this releases a marble. When you open it, it sounds like a bottle of champagne opening! The bottle’s unique shape keeps the marble from going down into the bottle. We each tried a little of the soda. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t sweet enough for my liking. I’m keeping the bottle; it’s so different and neat looking!

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce



It says HOT for a reason! I only had the tiniest little taste of this and my mouth was on fire! It might be okay diluted with other sauces; it’s not bad, just hot. My 14 year old brother has a fondness for hot stuff. He took a spoonful of this stuff! And his eyes were watering, but he loves it! Haha!

Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste



This wasn’t as hot and has a different, almost sweet taste to it with a thicker texture. Will definitely find a use for this. I have some rice noodles in the cabinet; I will have to put together a stir fry dish with this sauce.

Philippine Brand Mango Juice Nectar



So yummy! Everyone enjoyed this too. Like I said, Philippine mangos are… well, heaven! It reminded me of sitting at my fiancé’s dining room table eating a fresh mango. (He would cut a half, and you would eat it with a spoon.) This was really good juice!

Ginger Candy



I’m not too fond of ginger, so I didn’t know what to expect with this candy. The rice paper covering was different- I did try to peel it off, even though it's supposed to disolve in your mouth, haha! It was chewy and spicy and I was surprised that I loved it! It reminded me of Brachs cinnamon heart candies. My Mom really enjoyed this too.

Flower’s Kiss Candy



Unique flavor. I’m not sure what the fruit flavor is supposed to be. I love the pretty paper and flower design. These were not bad at all, I liked them.

Meiji Gummy Choco (Strawberry, Muscat, Orange.)



I had a similar candy in the Philippines that I didn’t like because they were too gummy. But these were firmer and very fruity with a chocolate coating. You can smell the fruit when you open the container. I love the container- I think I’m going to keep it when their all gone, it’s so cute!

Hi-Chew (Flavors: Orange, Lemon, Green Apple, Strawberry, Melon)



Love love love these! I’ve never tried these before. The remind me of a firmer chewier starburst candy. Orange was the top favorite with everyone, followed by strawberry. Melon was surprisingly good, it tasted like fresh cantaloupe. The orange flavor, as well tasted just like an orange! All of them were good; I’m going to have to hunt these down around here in Philadelphia!

Botan Rice Candy



Different, another candy with a rice paper coating, hehe. These were chewy, with a slight orange citrus flavor. Not overpowering though, not bad.

Marukawa Bubble Gum. (Various Flavors.)



When I think of gumballs, I think of that hard crunchy break your tooth coating, haha! These were really soft and chewy & had a strong fruit flavor. All of the flavors were really good. Everyone liked them.

I also thought it was funny that underneath there was a piece of styrofoam that said this!


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I had alot of fun with this taste testing! I really want to do another blog like this, with Philippine snack foods & candy when I am back in the Philippines in November. I would also like to do a Philippine snack food giveaway! (Look forward to at least 2 giveaway's while I'm in the Philippines! *wink* )


Phil-Am Foods

Philippine Snack Foods

Foreign Food Cravings

One thing about visiting a foreign country yearly is you develop cravings for certain foods or restaurants you can't visit every day. I am really craving Chow King, Yellow Cab or Gerry's Grill. Or Saisaki Japanese buffet! Yummy! Or just local food. I miss having Liempo. We would get it from a stand. It's sooo good. (It's roasted rotisserie pork with some kind of sauce.) Or pansit noodles! And I love when his Ate makes corn & crab soup with quail eggs. It's not like I can drive to these places. It will be 6 more months before I am back in the Philippines. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite Philippine Restaurants! (Please click on the links & they will take you to each restaurants website!)

1. Gerry's Grill

 























 2. Chow King
Chow King is fast food Asian food. Whenever we go here we usually order the same meal: Sweet & Sour Pork, Rice, Pansit, Dumplings, Prawn Crackers & this little dessert thing with sesame seeds and cinnamon inside.













5. Jolliebee

Phil-Am Foods

Philippine Snack Foods

Taste Testing (Asian Aisle)

I'm discussing possible dates to return to the Philippines to visit F.B. I'm thinking I'll be going October 6th and returning December 2nd. I want to stay 8 weeks. I'm applying for a tourism visa from the Philippine Consulate in New York. (PCGNY). I shouldn't be working those months and I will still get to spend the holidays with my family (though I'll miss Thanksgiving.) I'll also get to be with F.B. on his birthday this year if I go on those dates. His birthday is October 9th.

I've just about paid off my last trip. Only $300 more dollars to pay off before I can make a new debt on my credit card of $1,100-1,500. Getting a new credit card again with a 0% APR for a year. That's usually what I do. I hate interest! I always get a new credit card without interest for year when I buy a new plane ticket. I should be getting my new place ticket in April sometime! I'm excited!

It would be great to spend 8 weeks (2 months) with my boy! 3 weeks just goes by too quickly and it's so expensive to fly there. I want to stay as long as I can! So will be getting my plane ticket and applying for my visa! And then I can look forward to spending time with my boy again!

I wanted to share some of my FAVORITE Philippine products. I always stock up when I go over there.










1. Vaseline Shampoo.


Vaseline Shampoo (Unilever Philippines)

Buy Vaseline Shampoo from Pilipinomart!

Ahhhh! This is the best shampoo ever! I've tried them all except the blue one with aloe... haven't seen that one yet. But I always bring back several bottles of the stuff. It works so well and leaves my hair clean and shiny. I wish we had this in the USA! You can buy it online, but it costs $7 for the smallest bottle- compared with under a dollar for the same bottle in the Philippines! Which is why I stock up on it when I'm over there!









2. Closeup Toothpaste (Philippine Version.)

Closeup Toothpaste

For some reason Unilever Philippines isn't showing up on Unilever's website. Not sure why. It's no fair! In the USA we only have Red Hot regular and Red Hot Whitening Closeup. In the Philippines they have even more Closeup flavors than the picture above! My favorites are: Crystal, Icy Chill & I love the Lemon Mint Twist. Don't think I'd like Menthol though... blech.

Weird thing is... you can find Menthol Halls Cough Drops in the CANDY aisle in the Philippines! Yes Candy! F.B. & I would walk by the candy aisle and I'd get aggravated and say, "Cough Drops are not candy! Menthol is not candy! Come to our drugstores and you'll find Halls next to the sore throat medicine! Menthol is medicine!" (BTW- if you ever need cough drops while in the Philippines just go down the candy aisle!)











3. San Mig 3-in-1 Sugar Free Coffee Mix


San Mig 3-in-1 Coffee Mix

Buy San Mig 3-in-1 Coffee Mix

OMG! This coffee is BETTER than Starbucks... better than Wawa coffee! It's Amazing! And it's INSTANT! It's also sugarfree and comes with the sugar, creamer & coffee in one packet. And the coffee flavor is AMAZING! I've never tasted coffee so good in my life! My brother didn't believe me until I let him try some. Then he made me bring him back some. I emailed the place I buy some of my Philippine groceries from (Pilipino Mart) last week and asked if they would ever consider carrying San Mig coffee. They emailed me back saying they were adding it to their new products! So you know I stocked up! (You cannot get this coffee anywhere else online! I've looked!) There's a link above, if you would like to buy some too! I'm thinking when I visit the Philippines again I might ship a box back over to the USA for myself. It's cheaper to buy there and it's sooo good! I've only got 2 more packets left until my order comes! Hehe!











4. Choc-Nut


Buy Choc-Nut at Pilipino Mart!

Choc-Nut candy is sooo good! It's like a peanut butter chocolate powder candy. It melts in your mouth! You can actually buy it online from Pilipino Mart. I ordered 2 packs when I ordered the San Mig Coffee, hehe! Yummy! F.B. got me addicted to Choc-nut. Hehe!









5. Kopiko Coffee Candy

Kopiko Coffee Candy

Buy Kopiko Coffee Candy on Amazon.com

I think the Kopiko coffee candy I get in the Philippines is made in Malaysia. But it's still sooo good! It's a creamy coffee hard candy. My Mom makes me bring her a bag back whenever I visit the Philippines. It's the best coffee candy around!

So those are some of my favorite Philippine Products I wanted to share with everyone!