Style-testing the mixes of ice cream, mochi, and one different all-star Japanese dessert ingredient.
This yr Häagen-Dazs is celebrating 40 years because the premium ice cream model arrived in Japan, however whereas Häagen-Dazs has been a relentless within the Japanese sweets scene for 4 a long time now, the identical can’t be stated for every one in all its flavors. A key issue to profitable over Japanese sweets followers is a gradual movement of latest and seasonal treats, which implies others must be pruned from the lineup to make room for brand spanking new arrivals.
However as Häagen-Dazs Japan celebrates its fortieth birthday, it’s looking again and brining again some previous favorites, and in its newest batch they’re even getting some new twists.
Chocolat Basic was the primary chocolate taste that Häagen-Dazs Japan developed itself, and now each it and Dolce de Leche Caramel are again in shops, dubbed as Revival Chocolate and Revival Caramel. Or, extra precisely, they’re now known as “Revival Chocolate and Hana Mochi” and “Revival Caramel and Hana Mochi,” since these new variations get candy mochi rice truffles as further additions, plus another conventional Japanese dessert factor.
One of many issues we’ve discovered in life is that there’s normally little, if any, level in making an attempt to withstand chocolate, so we began our taste-test with the Revival Chocolate (or “Fukkoku Chocolate,” because it’s known as in Japanese) and Hana Mochi. Carry off the lid, although, and also you’ll rapidly see that there are three layers to this dessert.
The chocolate ice cream truly sits on the backside, on prime of it’s mochi, stretchy chewy however gentle sufficient that it may be minimize by means of with a spoon. On prime of each of them, although, is a dollop of anko, or candy bean paste, enhanced with chocolate and a contact of caramel.
Mixed, these make for a reasonably complicated, however completely fulfilling, combination of flavors. The ice cream right here is definitely a bitter chocolate taste, whereas anko has extra of a simple sweetness, but on this case it’s tempered by the caramel. Add within the rice notes of the mochi, and this virtually feels such as you’re consuming ice cream, cake, and a creamy chocolate all in the identical chunk. It’s additionally pleasurably mysterious to eat a dessert that has this type of pseudo-melty texture (from the mochi and anko) even whereas it’s nonetheless properly chilled.
Now let’s transfer on to the Revival Caramel and Hana Mochi.
As soon as once more, we’ve received three candy strata right here: ice cream, mochi, and anko.
Actually, although, there are 4 components stacked right here. Because it’s unlikely that anybody shopping for Revival Caramel ice cream goes to complain by saying “Hey, this tastes like caramel!”, Häagen-Dazs doesn’t maintain again on the marquee ingredient and drizzles caramel sauce over the caramel ice cream earlier than slapping on the mochi, which right here will get topped with wealthy caramel-infused anko. The shortage of caramel restraint is well-advised right here, since Häagen-Dazs has crafted its taste to steadiness in that ultimate spot the place it’s primarily candy however with simply the correct quantity of delicate, however by no means harsh, bitterness.
▼ And as soon as once more, the feel is improbable.
At 351 yen (US$2.50) these are a bit costlier than most single-serving grocery store/comfort retailer ice lotions, however we expect we are able to discover room for them in our budgets and stomachs, particularly since they’ll solely be round for a restricted time.
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