See others in the funny Japanese Kit Kat flavour series here: Strawberry, Caffe Latte, Noir, Blackcurrant (actually grape, I have been informed. Still v.revolting), Maple Syrup, Wine.
Well, I have been a bit lax in finishing my roundup of the funny flavoured Kit Kats I found in Japan. And this was my favourite I was saving up.
I have to admit I didn't actually find this one myself. By sheer coincidence, my brother also left for a holiday in Japan the very same morning as I did. He found a special deal for a holiday at a ski resort near Sapporo, in the north of Japan, and was variously attached to his snowboard, and the local bars for a week. It was a strange feeling knowing my brother was in the same country as me on New Years Eve, on the other side of the world, and yet not being able to contact him.
On his last day he went wild in the local supermarket practically clearing out their chocolate shelves of all the things he found as funny as I did - especially anything with the name "Crunky" on it. *Snort*. He found this Rockmelon/Canteloupe flavoured Kit Kat up there. I didn't see anything like it down in the south of Japan, so maybe it was a northern thing. Maybe it was old stock (it was the top of a mountain...). Who knows. I'm just happy he brought it home for me, knowing that I was on a Krayzee Kit Kat Kaper.
Despite the totally scary lurid orange colour, which is a sure-fire way to put you off immediately, this was actually a real favourite. The flavour of this was really just like canteloupe! It was strongly flavoured, yet subtle, and didn't have that fake chemical taste of the other fruit flavours we tried (ahem....strawberry). Pity about the colour, because man, I hate to think what that does to the inside of my stomach. I think the Japanese really value the taste of melons, because I saw a lot over there packaged up practically in cotton wool and silk sheets, and which cost a fortune, so that may be reflected in the quality of the melon-flavoured Kit Kat?
Like everything in Japan, their Kit Kats are individually packaged. You can't even buy a packet of biscuits without opening it to discover each biscuit in its own little pastic sachet. It caused us no end of entertainment watching the trail of plastic we'd leave behind to get to something totally random, like a rice snack. The Kit Kat bars you buy actually contain two separate, individually wrapped bars of 2 fingers each. I still have one of the bars left, and I'm going to see how long I can hold out before wolfing it down.
No, it's not a "real" chocolate bar, but it's really, really good, and very different. Unusual. Very Noice.
My score: 8.5 out of 10
Friend's score: 8 out of 10
I've tried the Green Tea flavour kit kat, it's actually pretty good! I tried to get my friend to bring me back more, but it was apparently only produced for a very limited time :(
ReplyDeleteBTW can you recommend any good bakeries in Melbourne? I'm from Sydney but may be spending some time in Melbourne so am keen to find a good bakery! :)
Hi Niki, these seem dubious to me, they all look like white choc with horrible atificial coloring!
ReplyDeleteIf you have a minute could you tell me how you did hte archives by category - are there instructions in blooger help, i can't for the life of me figure it out - thks
Hi there! You couldn't find this flavour elsewhere in Japan because it is exclusively sold in Hokkaidou only. It says so on the pack. :-)
ReplyDeleteLook! Blueberry!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I live in Canada, and you can orange, and--believe it or not--banana! We've also had Vanilla, Strawberry, and coffee. EBay has both cherry and mint as well as the blueberry--and something called 'Malt'. Interesting.
Anon - I reckon the green tea kit kat is a big old trick and it never really existed! :-)
ReplyDeleteRe: bakeries. It really depends on what side of the city you'll be - north or south of the river. I don't have a lot of free time so don't often cross the river to the south (have better things to do with my time than sit for ever on Punt or Bourke Rd)so my area of knowledge is the inner-north, but around St Kilda there are some justly famous bakeries that are excellent: Il Fornaio (at the quiet end of Acland St) and D. Chirico (artisan baker). You can sit down and have a meal at both places.
Around the north, (I draw on comments from a friend in the area here)
Babka on Brunswick St, Fitzroy, is outstanding for everything: bread, pastries, tarts. YUM!!! Good coffee too. Often crowded, but they have tables. Their meat pies are also fantastic.
Browns on Lygon St, Carlton, does excellent French style cakes & tarts as well as excellent bread. They also have tables for meals.
Dench on Scotchmer St, North Fitzroy, does good general stuff, but my mate doesn't think they has much in the way of pastries. They did score VERY highly in the best Hot Cross Bun competition in The Age Epicure last year, though.
There's another on Scotchmer St, other side of St Georges Rd, next to Tin Pot Cafe, which is also very good. I can't remember their name, but they have great olive bread and a light rye. Not cheap, but none of the good bakeries are.
There's an organic bakery called Natural Tucker, on Nicholson St, North Carlton, near corner of Park St, but they only do bread and "hippy food" (not my term) (ie no croissants or anything). They don't have tables to sit. The baker almost opposite (Nicholson St Bakery) is also very good.
There's a great little French place opposite the Melbourne Cemetary on Lygon St called Filou that does excellent pastries and tarts. They have a few tables but I've never been able to get one...
Speaking of French bakiers, the Laurent chain also have consistently high quality bread, tarts and elaborate gorgeous looking cakes. They specialise in light meals and coffee. Not sure if you have them in Sydney. There's quite a few spread across Melbourne.
Hope that all helps!!
Ange - Yes, they look really gross ,but taste great! Re: archives. I've sent you an email.
ReplyDeleteCin - I know! But they really are.
Anon - thanks for the info. Makes sense. I have thought some of the kit kats were regional specialities.
Beth - Very very cool! I wonder if Australia will ever catch on to the crazy Kit Kat flavour thing...?
hi, this blog is so cool, we love all the different types of kit kats, we live in Ireland and all the ones we have are boring, orange and tiramsu! do you have any idea how we can get to try some of these interesting flavours??
ReplyDeleteThere are some colours that a kit kat just should not be. I almost jumped when the picture loaded!
ReplyDeletedo you mind if i use this for my thumb on IM?
ReplyDeleteJenna & Avril - Tiramisu flavour sounds pretty exotic to me! We've got peanut butter here in Aust at the moment, which is pretty good, but it's just not canteloupe, is it??
ReplyDeleteApparently there's a big trade going on through eBay for funny flavoured Kit Kats. If you click on the link in Beth's comment above ("Blueberry") it takes you to an eBay bid for some weird flavours. I know some people have commented saying they do buy them online, but I'm thinking of asking the friend I stayed with in Osaka to start posting a few down here!
Plum - I know, pretty scary, but I can't believe how good these are. Totally natural taste!
Anon - Sure! Go ahead!
What an interesting Kit Kat flavour. Wished it was available in Tokyo when I was there but definitely don't recall seeing this. Like you said, probably only available in specific area. Still, would so love to take a bite of this. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2006/02/break-me-off-piece-of-that.html
ReplyDeleteCheck this out, I saw it and thought of you!
Thanks for reviewing the flavored KitKats! I will have to try the Noir... Green tea was good, and right now tiramisu and caramel are available (both tasty) in Asia/UK. Gotta get my hands on the peanut butter! Has anyone tried yogurt mint?
ReplyDeleteI never see it in Italy!:)
ReplyDeleteFrom trying one from the large bag behind my desk, I know that I find the Green Tea Kit Kats to be icky. They start out with the white chocolate flavor, and then you taste green tea in the after taste. Maybe it's cause I hate green tea, and white chocolate though. One of my company's consultants brought a whole bag back from Japan.
ReplyDelete