Eat snacks. Mostly candy. Almost too much.

Recent Snack Reviews

A oval foamy gummy that says BUBS on it. It's vertically split between two shades of soft pink.
Fine

Bubs Wild Strawberry Pomegranate Oval

Candy from Sweden

Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
Source:

Sweet Mickey’s in Seattle

This was my least favorite of the Bubs gummies I tried. It is simply ok. I actually was not sure what the flavor was supposed to be until I looked it up online later.

Written on May 03, 2025

A sugary skull-shaped gummy split vertically in two colors: pink and blue
Yum!

Bubs Dizzy Skull

Candy from Sweden

Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Source:

Sweet Mickey’s in Seattle. Also available on Swedish Candy Store

Like the other Bubs candies I tried, this gummy is a little softer than usual. The Dizzy Skull is bubblegum flavored, but that flavor is more subtle than with American confections. The taste starts out with a mild sourness before quickly turning to sweet.

Written on May 03, 2025

A green and yellow sugary gummy rhombus
Fave!!

Bubs Sour Foam Rombs Tutti Frutti

Candy from Sweden

Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Source:

Sweet Mickey’s in Seattle. Also available on Swedish Candy Store

I wasn’t sure what to expect biting into such a large gummy, but pleasantly found it softer than most of the gummies you get from a bulky candy wall. I think that’s important, it would be too much if Bubs candies were the consistency of say, a Haribo. I found this fruity flavor quite pleasant and would buy it again!

Written on May 03, 2025

A bag of Haw Flakes, which each come in a squat tube format
Yum!

Haw Flakes

Candy from China

Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Source:

A friend’s house

I had never heard of Haw Flakes—made with hawthorn berry—until recently, but I learned they are a snack staple of many Chinese-American childhoods. The texture was a surprise to me, both flaky and a bit chewy. I liked that these were fruity and not too sweety.

Written on Feb 02, 2025

A bag of red, yellow, and green licorice sticks with white filling
Fine

Darrell Lea Fabulicious Mixed Flavor Sour Candy Stix

Candy from Australia

Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
Source:

Metropolitan Market

My impression of this brand of licorice really depends on the flavor.

  • “Tropical” was juicy and delicious.

  • Green apple flavor was pretty good.

  • Raspberry tasted weird and chemical and I ended up throwing the rest of those away.

Written on Feb 02, 2025

An orange box featuring sandwich-style cookies on the front, in the shapes of maple leaves. There are even "veins" on the leaves of the cookies.
Fine

Leclerc Celebration Biscuits à La Creme – Feuille D’Érable

Cookies & Biscuits from Canada

Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
Source:

Epicerie Richard, a random convenience store in Quebec City

These maple sandwich-style cookies are solidly alright for me, maybe a touch too sweet; my partner in snacks is a fan. I do find the maple leaf shape of the cookies very pleasing, and love the attention to detail on the veins of the leaves.

Written on May 27, 2024

Pink, rectangular chocolates sitting on a dish, surrounded by small branches of sakura blossoms
Yum!

ROYCE Signature Nama Chocolate – Sakura Fromage

Chocolate from Japan

Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Source:

A different couple friends brought a box to share back from Japan

I don’t like white chocolate, but these are pretty good—maybe a 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up. The sakura flavor and consistency of Nama chocolates really improves white chocolate.

Written on May 05, 2024

A box of uniform, rectangular chocolates perched on top of a stack of other chocolate boxes
Fave!!

ROYCE Signature Nama Chocolate – Au Lait

Chocolate from Japan

Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Source:

A couple friends brought a box to share back from Japan, but you can order these chocolates online at the ROYCE’ website

This was my first time trying ROYCE’ chocolates, and wow these are so nice. They have a squishier, chewier consistency—almost like fudge, definitely in truffle territory at least. The cacao powder does get on your fingers a little bit, but I find I don’t mind.

Written on May 05, 2024

A tube of Pringle-like chips with an illustration of a lemon on the tube
Fine

Chip Star Potato Chips – Setouchi Lemon

Chips from Japan

Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
Source:

Japan Candy Store

Chip Star chips have a similar shape and texture to Pringles, if you’re familiar with those. I was curious about this lemon flavor, so decided to try them out. They’re solidly okay. I would say the lemon flavor doesn’t have much zing to it. Perhaps the flavor was modeled after a particularly sweet lemon, since the manufacturers couldn’t use sugar here to balance out the sour.

Written on Jan 15, 2024

A bag of mayo beef flavored chips. There's a photo of real beef with mayo on top. A logo of a bull in sunglasses holds up a beer.
Yum!

Yamayoshi Mayo Beef Potato Chips – Masculine Chili Oil

Chips from Japan

Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Source:

Japan Candy Store

These are pretty dang good. I had no idea what to expect from the flavor (beef with mayo and chili oil???), but it really and truly tastes like what’s on the bag. It almost freaks me out just a bit. These are best savored, a few chips at a time.

No idea what makes chili oil masculine; likely a wonky translation.

Written on Jan 15, 2024