Cheetos Popcorn

I had no idea the Cheetos product line was quite so extensive.  I mean, wow, they've really made, well, a brand. 

"CHEETOS® snacks are the much-loved cheesy treats that are fun for everyone! You just can’t eat a CHEETOS® snack without licking the signature “cheetle” off your fingertips. And wherever the CHEETOS® brand and CHESTER CHEETAH® go, cheesy smiles are sure to follow."

I've reviewed Crunchy Cheetos chips before, certainly not my thing, but, I can't resist an opportunity to try another new snack food, and a popcorn no less, so when I saw Cheetos popcorn come out, I had to try it.  I'm an avid snacker, and popcorn is my #1 vice.

If you are curious about the rest of the product line, yes, there are classic Cheetos in puffs or crunchy styles, or in "paw" shapes, bites, or "Fantastix".  There are healthy baked versions, or "simply puffs" versions in a few flavors.  Then of course there is the Flamin' Hot varieties, or the the Flamin' Hot Limon, or the XXTRA Flamin' Hot ... But then there are ... Flavor Shots.  A bunch of different Mac 'n Cheese varieties.   And now, popcorn!

CHEETOS® Popcorn.

I grabbed a bag the very first chance I saw it in a store near me.

It was very clearly Cheetos branded, orange, and with a big cat on the front (er, Chester, I guess that is Chester?).

 

CHEETOS® Popcorn: So Orange!

"Introducing CHEETOS® Popcorn, bringing the delicious taste of CHEETOS® to a classic snacking favorite - popcorn! CHEETOS® Popcorn delivers all of the rich, smooth, cheesy flavor you know and love from classic CHEETOS®. Ready to go right out of the bag, it’s popcorn with an added boost of cheesy mischievous flavorful fun."

My first thought when I opened the bag was, "wow, that is ... orange!".  Orange fingers were likely to ensure, a signature part of the Cheetos eating experience after all, “cheetle” and all that.

The kernels were all large, well coated.  It was ... yup, cheesy.  Generic cheesy.

But there was nothing about it that screamed "Cheetos".  Really, it was like any other mass produced, decent enough, cheddar popcorn on the market.  I wouldn't be able to distinguish it from any other brand, particularly those big drums that show up at the holidays.  It didn't taste ... unique.

**+, nothing really special here.

Lotte Candy From Japan

One of the best parts of travel? Besides, you know, the culture, the experiences, etc, etc ... yeah, of course it is the food, and in addition to trying every random snack I can get my hands on, I also love trying different types of candy and chocolate when I travel.

Which brings me to Lotte, a brand I disovered in Japan.

Lotte is a huge multinational company, known for their confections and ice cream across different parts of Asia.  In Japan, if you have a random sweet from a convenience store, if it doesn't come from Meiji or Gilco, it most likely comes from Lotte.  

I've tried a ton of Lotte products while in Japan, but never bothered to photo nor review.  I am totally addicted to their gum though, and order it online often, even though soooo expensive to ship here (warning, not the kind I get now, but they have a bunch that are caffeinated, and if you don't know this, and are a gum addict like me, this can be dangerous!)

But this one was too fun not to write up ... 

Lotte Crunky Corn Flavor Chocolate Bar.

"This famous chocolate bar from Lotte is loaded with sweet and juicy corn from Hokkaido, Japan. Enjoy munching this creamy corn-flavored chocolate treat that has crunchy puffs inside. You can add soy sauce and bake it in the oven for 2 minutes to make it taste like real baked corn."

I had no idea what to expect with this one, but, I do sometimes love white chocolate (for sweetness, I just don't think of it as something even in the "chocolate" family of products).  And I love corn in desserts (thank you Thai desserts in Sydney for introducing me to this concept!  You can read all about my first encounter with a dessert with corn from Chat Thai in my review, and see it totally torn normal to me, and something I seek out, like the corn in the green tapioca with cream from a random Thai dessert stall in Thaitown).  And I love Milk Bar corn cookies (as you know from my reviews), for dessert, for breakfast, for anytime.  So corn in dessert form was not a novel idea to me.

But this was still ... fascinating.

It is sweet.  It tastes like corn.  It is creamy.  it  is crunchy. It confuses the brain.  And I think I love it. 

I started by just breaking off a piece and eating it, and then another, and another.  I think it could be *really* fun to melt down and drizzle on popcorn or chex mix.  And then of course, there are the instructions to add soy sauce and bake it … which sadly I never got to, as I just couldn't stop eating it.

Whittaker's Chocolate

I'm always eager to try new types of chocolate bars.  I'm not a major chocolate-o-holic, and usually don't opt for chocolate desserts, but a little piece of quality chocolate in the morning alongside my coffee always hits the spot.  Or in the afternoon, for a little pick-me-up.  So, on a recent flight to Sydney, when I saw a new brand of chocolate onboard my various Air New Zealand flights, I was happy to drive in.

The brand was Whittaker's, a New Zealand based company.  The company was founded in 1896 by J.H. Whittaker, when he moved to New Zealand.  Business took off, was passed down through the generations, etc, etc.  Still a family run company.

But you don't care about the history.  You care about the chocolate.  Whittaker's has several product lines, including standard bars (dubbed "Blocks"), fancier bars (the "artisan collection"), and then a bunch of other shapes: slabs, mini-slabs, chunks, squares, pips, and "sante".  The also make chocolate milk, ice cream, toffee, and "k-bars", a kind of toffee based confection.

Our flight had the sante bars, so that is the only product I tried.  I wasn't impressed.  They claim to be the premium chocolate maker not only of New Zealand, but of all of Australasia.  I hoped this isn't the best the region has to offer.

Since then, I've had the chance to try many other styles, as co-workers often bring it to the office as a "local" treat, picking ridiculous flavors.  These have been really fun, and actually much better.

Sante

"There is simply nothing like the snap of one of our pure chocolate sante bars.  Long, thin, and elegant, Sante means health - in a happy way.  These certainly make you feel happy".

Sante bars are just thin, um, bars of chocolate.

They come in 4 varieties: creamy milk, dark, dark peppermint, and dark ghana.  I tried the two that our flight offered.

I did like the Sante form factor, a thin bar, with a nice snap to it.  I'm not quite sure why I liked the form so much, maybe just because it was something different?  But, it worked.

35% Cocoa Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar.

I started with the milk chocolate, a 35% bar.

The chocolate was very nicely creamy.  So far, so good.  Nice form, good creaminess.

But ... the flavor was a bit odd.  There was a strange aftertaste to it, it reminded me of decaf coffee, in that way that decaf coffee sometimes has a bad funk to it.

I couldn't get past the aftertaste, which is sad, as it really was nice and creamy.

50% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar.

I moved on to the dark chocolate, only a 50%.

It was ... sweet.  It reminded me of a Hershey Special Dark.  Dark chocolate shouldn't be sweet like this.  It just wasn't at all what I was looking for, but the finish was smooth.

Slabs

"Our slabs have long been one of our most loved products. It started with the peanut slab, made from “good, honest chocolate” as we like to say. Now there are 10 different slabs to choose from, each one better than any other. Honest."

Next up, Slabs.  As you might expect, these are, well, thick, heavy, um, slabs?

Hokey Pokey Slab.

"A single serve slab made from 33% cocoa, 5 Roll Refined Creamy Milk chocolate with a hint of caramel and filled with the classic kiwi taste of crunchy honeycomb ‘hokey pokey’ pieces."

Wow, can you get *any* more New Zealand than this?  Classic New Zealand brand of chocolate, filled with the most unique New Zealand sweet?

I enjoyed this bar.  The chocolate was the same decent creamy Whittaker's milk chocolate, as expected.  The hokey pokey bits were sweet crunchy pops.  They added a fun texture and additional sweetness.

Blocks

"These generously sized blocks are designed to share with fellow chocolate lovers. But they’ll have to be quick, obviously."

And Blocks.  Yup, um, blocks of chocolate.  You know, "to share", easy to break off. 

Jelly Tip.

"The classic Kiwi ice-cream flavour reinvented in chocolate with our 28% cocoa sweet vanilla white chocolate on top, flowing raspberry jelly in the middle and 33% cocoa, smooth 5 Roll Refined Creamy Milk chocolate with a hint of caramel underneath, in our generous 250g block."

I need to admit that I clearly lack proper kiwi knowledge.  As I had no idea what "Jelly Tip" was.  I guess, an ice cream flavor?  Just when I thought I was figuring out New Zealand and Australian sweets ...

I needed to learn more.

"Whittaker’s has reinvented another Kiwi classic by teaming up with Tip Top to create the satisfyingly good Jelly Tip Block with Milk Chocolate. Whittaker’s has been making some of New Zealand’s favourite chocolates since 1896. Similarly Tip Top has also been making some of New Zealand’s favourite ice creams since 1936, so for these two iconic companies to come together to produce one super delicious treat. It is simply a match made in heaven! 

The Jelly Tip Block gets its name from Tip Top’s Jelly Tip ice cream, with its delicious raspberry jelly tip, creamy vanilla ice cream centre and crisp chocolate shell. Whittaker’s have done their own take on the iconic Jelly Tip with the Jelly Tip Block. A sweet oozing jelly tip centre is covered in a rich milk chocolate base and creamy vanilla white chocolate top. One bite and you’ll wonder why nobody thought about this delicious chocolate combination sooner! 

Raspberry flavoured jelly in white & milk chocolate, Whittaker’s Jelly Tip Block will surely satisfy!"

I must try this ice cream at some point.  But for now, the chocolate.

This was a fun bar.  The white chocolate creamy, smooth, and sweet.  And then, a fruity inside, with a hint of chocolate in the mix too.

Not what I reach for when I want *chocolate*, but a nice sweet, slightly fruity, alternative.

Milk Bar (Previously Momofuku Milk Bar): Soft Serve, CakeTruffles, and Milk Bar (Crack) Pie.

Update Review 2018 & 2019 Visits

I've posted previously about Milk Bar (previously Momofuku Milk Bar), a discovery of mine loooooong before Christina Tosi (owner, pastry chef) became, um, famous, looooong before their cookies were included on JetBlue Mint flights, etc.  I've been a fan since the "early days", and you've seen some prior posts covering the cookies, the signature Cereal Milk (and other) softserve and truffles, and even cake delivery from New York to San Francisco (quite easy actually, they sell direct online and through GoldBelly).  I've seen the rebranding, the pivots, the mass distribution, etc, and, although not frequently in New York, I've had the opportunity to try it several more times when I've visited.

October 2018

I didn't actually visit myself, but had a friend in New York, who was flying back direct to SF, whom I may or may not have convinced to swing by Milk Bar on his way to the airport ...

For Crack Pie.  Ok, now called, trademarked, "Milk Bar Pie", but when I got it in 2018 it was still Crack Pie.  For a reason.  Another signature dessert from Milk Bar with a cult following.

Crack Pie Packaging.

Have you ever had a slice of pie served like this?  Yeah, I think they get a point for this packaging, designed to fit a slice of pie, without crushing it.

I've had many versions of crack pie in the past few years, as nearly every pastry chef I know has wanted to do a version of this, but somehow I hadn't ever had the "real" one.  So when a friend was visiting Milk Bar I asked him to grab me a slice ...

Crack Pie.

"Milk Bar’s Crack Pie® is a fan favorite! With a toasted oat crust and a gooey butter filling, Crack Pie® is impossible to resist. Christina Tosi first made crack pie® for family meal at both wd~50 and Momofuku (before Milk Bar’s doors opened!) and the cooks named it right then and there! It’s been on our menu ever since!" -- Original Description

"The iconic dessert was a happy accident born in the kitchen of wd~50 when there wasn’t much in the fridge. When Tosi served the simple, gooey pie (inspired by southern Chess Pie) at staff dinner, she never anticipated the reaction it got — and a signature pie was born! With a sticky, buttery, salty-sweet filling in a hearty oat cookie crust, Milk Bar Pie has been a Tosi favorite since the beginning." -- 2020 Description of new branding

So ... how was it?

Eh.  It was ... fine.  Sweet.  Decadent.  Buttery.  But it really wasn't special to me in any way, and I think I prefer many other versions I've had of it.  It was just sweet rich filling in a hard oat crust.  It was what it was.

I'm not sure why I didn't love it.  I tried it chilled, I tried it room temp.  I didn't try it warm, as I didn't have an oven (staying at a hotel in NY).  I didn't try it with whipped cream or ice cream, which is what I thought it really needed, since I didn't have that either.

It mostly made me sad, because I wanted to love it, and have loved so many other versions of it, how could I not love the real thing?

July 2019

In the summer of 2019 I spent a week in New York, visiting every soft serve place, and loving the incredible quality of New York specialty soft serve.  I'd be hard pressed to tell you my favorite, my #1 pick, to be honest.  So many fantastic options, each with their own merit.  But special call outs to Big Gay Ice Cream and ZOMG Soft Swerve (for the incredible Halo Halo soft serve).

I also did swing by Milk Bar, as the seasonal flavor was one I hadn't tried yet: Compost Cookie soft serve, made from their signature Compost Cookies.

Compost Cookie Soft Serve.

"We swirled our kitchen-sink cookie into this silky smooth creation, and we can’t stop sneaking samples. This bad boy is sweet, salty and only a spoonful away from depositing dessert dreams right into your mouth. Try him topped with our Compost Cookie Crunch (pretzels, potato chips, graham crackers, coffee, oats, butterscotch) for creamy, crunchy perfection."

Well, I'm glad I asked to try this first.  And I was given a generous sample.

I like the compost cookies, I like sweet and salty, I like soft serve, and I thought this would be a winner.

But ... it just didn't translate into a good item for me.

It was gritty, a texture I didn't care for, and tasted like ... oatmeal cookies.   I didn't taste any of the other components really.  I didn't find the sweet and salty nature, that makes the compost cookies so addicting.  Sadness.

So I simply purchased more sprinkles, yes, literally, several sides of sprinkles, and the staff always love me for this.  They truly are the best sprinkles I've ever had, and have never found anything like them elsewhere.

Original Review, May 2017

Momofuku Milk Bar.  In person.  Finally.  I've reviewed Momofuku Milk bar previously, when I ordered a cake for overnight delivery, and when Christina Tosi brought the amazing cookies to a book tour stop I went to, but, my only other in-person visits were years ago, before I had a blog, before I felt compelled to take photos of my food and share it all with you.

On my recent trip to New York, I finally visited a Milk Bar again in person ... twice in as many days.  I've had tons of the cookies before (once at a party in NY when a friend brought them, and several times on Christina Tosi's book tour when she brought them), but I hadn't been to a Milk Bar in person in about 7 years.  It was a cold, rainy night the first evening, but this didn't deter us from visiting, for the soft serve ice cream in particular.

The Setting

I visited two Milk Bars on this trip, the first time to Midtown, and the second to the newly opened Chelsea location.

The Milk Bar located in midtown is tiny.  There is no seating.  There is no counter on the side to stand and eat your treats.  There is just a register, a blackboard with the menu, and a wall with shelves of self-serve items on it, plus a little station for condiments for hot drinks.  We didn't know this before we arrived, but luckily the place was empty, so we were able to mill around and eat our treats out of the rain, even though there wasn't really space to do so.

The Chelsea location isn't much bigger, although it did have a single bench to sit on inside.

Blackboard Menu.

The menu is on a colorful blackboard, thoughtfully arranged and colored to make the best things stick out.  The illustrations were cute.

Packaged Cookies, Tins, Mixes.

As I said, the midtown store is tiny, with a row of shelves with baskets of individually wrapped self-serve cookies, tins of cookies, and assorted baking mixes.

Display Case.

Near the midtown register is a display case with all of the baked goods: cookies, klossies (gluten-free and vegan cookies), truffles, bombs (savory items), and crack pie.  The Chelsea location has a similar display, along the wall.   It was useful to see the items to have a sense of size and clearly know what you were ordering.  The location of the display was a bit unfortunate though, because you didn't see it until you got to the register, and the Chelsea version was even less useful, as it was past the register, and quite easy to miss.

Prep Area.

The food prep area at the midtown location, as you guessed it, was tiny.  The single worker took our orders, rang us up, and also filled all orders.  For cold, packaged items, he just grabbed them, and cookies were already self serve, but all drinks, ice cream, and shakes required assembly and he had a very small area to work in.  This area packed in a microwave, toaster oven, milkshake mixer, and of course, the soft serve machine, Electoro-Freeze brand.  I think the toaster oven is used to warm up cookies?

One diner ordered a hot chocolate, which I assure you, was not a pre-made mix.  It was made in a milkshake container, and I saw lots of fudge going into it.  It was even mixed using the milkshake stick, which resulted in an incredibly frothy consistency.

Service was good, but, we were the only customers and I'm not sure how well this tiny space would possibly handle an actual crowd.

Soft Serve

Momofuku Milk Bar soft serve ice cream.  Oh, yes.  This is why I was there, and, clearly an item that I cannot get shipped to me in San Francisco.

Most of the Milk Bar stores sell two flavors of soft serve: cereal milk™ and a second rotating flavor.  It was Coke Float the first day I visited, but my second visited happened to be on "Menu Change Day", where it was replaced with Sweet Potato Pie.  Milk Bar does not offer cones and has only one size of ice cream available (4 ounces), served in a little cup (ok, they also sell pints).  You can add a few toppings (sprinkles or chocolate chips for 25 cents, fudge or cornflake crunch for $0.75).  Not tons of choices here, and surprisingly, no crazy sundaes.  I really thought Milk Bar would be all about the toppings ... it seems like any of the cookies could be crumbled on top, or the truffles, or even just the milk crumb ingredients for the cookies ... but they keep it simple.

If you want to go decadent and creative, Milk Bar also makes a ton of different milkshakes using cereal milk as the base, with cornflakes, hot fudge, or coffee blended in, or, if you are even more crazy, with any of the truffles blended in.  I saw someone get a shake and must have been so obviously drooling over it that when it was finished and placed on the counter, she hesitated in grabbing it and asked, "I'm sorry, was this yours? Did you order it too?"  It really looked incredible.  They also make floats with cream soda, orange soda, or coke topped with soft serve.

It was absolutely freezing when I visited, and I was soaking wet from the rain, when I visited the first night, but I couldn't resist getting the soft serve anyway.  It is the thing of legends, for good reason.  And two nights later?  Sure, it wasn't raining, but, I couldn't resist trying the new flavor.

Cereal Milk™ Soft Serve with Sprinkles. 4 oz. $5.25.

"Made with milk, cornflakes, brown sugar and a pinch of salt, it tastes just like the milk at the bottom of a bowl of cornflakes!"

The first day I went for the signature Cereal Milk.

I wanted a topping, and I opted for sprinkles since I really do love sprinkles on soft serve.  They had rainbow only, and coated the bottom half of the ice cream only, certainly a different application than I've seen before (usually ice cream shops just roll an entire cone in sprinkles ...).  This did allow me to try the ice cream on its own first though, and didn't overwhelm like can sometimes happen with sprinkles.

The ice cream was ... yup, cereal milk.  It really did taste like cornflakes and sugary milk.  It was sweet and a bit corny.  The ice cream was creamy and not icy.  It was very good, very satisfying.  While sweet, it wasn't overwhelming, but you certainly did want to eat it slowly.

The sprinkles were ... amazing.  The best $0.25 I've spent in a long time!  Seriously, I don't know what it was about them, but they are not standard sprinkles.  As my friend said, "These are not just corn syrup, they taste like real sugar!"  I quickly ran out of sprinkles.  I had a few bites of the remaining ice cream without sprinkles, and decided that I really did like it better with sprinkles.  Sure, the ice cream was great on its own, but, I could splurge for $0.25 more of sprinkles.  So I slunk back up the counter, and asked if I could buy more sprinkles.  The server didn't even flinch, just found a small container, and filled it up with sprinkles, easily 5x what I received originally.  I went to hand over my shiny quarter, and he laughed and said it was fine.  Score!  I loved the sprinkles.

The little cardboard cup was an interesting serving choice for the ice cream.  It had little pull out handles which I actually liked, since it was cold, and holding the cold ice cream didn't help with my cold fingers.  So I think I liked this.  The wooden paddle for a spoon though I didn't really like, although I see the whimsy, a throw back to the little wooden paddles that come in packaged ice cream.

Overall, this was very good, and very satisfying, even on a cold wet day.  I can only imagine how great it is when actually warm out.  The $5 price certainly is high for a small ice cream, and I'll admit, it looks pretty small when you first get it, but, the flavor is so intense that it really is plenty.  I'd certainly get this flavor and topping again.

Sweet Potato Pie & Cereal Milk Twist with Sprinkles. $5.25.

"The most delicious take on the classic spun into a soft serve ice cream, topped with graham cracker crust and charred marshmallows! available as a twist with cereal milk™ soft serve!"

My second visit took place after dinner Momofuku Nishi.  We certainly could have ordered dessert there, where they did have soy crème brûlée that sounded right up my alley, but, when we walked by Milk Bar, just a few doors down, I saw the sign advertising the brand new Sweet Potato Pie flavor, and, well, there was no competition.

I walked in, and immediately asked to try a sample.  I know better than to just blindly order a flavor.  It tasted *exactly* like a pumpkin pie, or, I guess, a sweet potato pie.  It was well spiced, sweet, and creamy, although a bit runny and softer than what I had the previous visit.

It was great, but I decided to go for a twist with Cereal Milk, as I suspected that the flavors would compliment each other well, which they did.  Both flavors are pretty intense and sweet on their own, but somehow they balanced each out out quite nicely.

For toppings, to go alongside the new ice cream flavor they were introducing graham cracker crust and charred marshmallows, but, they weren't available yet.  These seem like much more fitting toppings than the standard corn flakes, chocolate chips or fudge, or even sprinkles, to go with the sweet potato pie base flavor.  I got sprinkles as a fallback, and they were fine, but didn't quite go with the sweet potato, as I suspected.

This time the ice cream came in a large see through plastic cup, and the sprinkles were poured on top.  An entirely different presentation than what I had in midtown.  Interestingly, the model on display used the little paper cup and only coated the bottom of the ice cream, just like I had at the previous location.  I'm not complaining about getting a much larger portion, or about it being easier to eat from a bigger sized cup, but I'm not really sure why it was different, particularly when someone after me got the regular little cup ...

Anyway, the ice cream flavor was fantastic, and I was very happy with my twist, although I would prefer a different topping.

Cake Truffles

I've had my eye on the cake truffles for quite a while.  I don't like cake really, but ... I do like cake pops, as the cake consistency is much different when blended with frosting, and cake truffles sound like a similar concept, sorta.  The truffles are cake mixed with a flavored milk and formed in a ball, coated in white chocolate, and then coated in some kind of crumb, available in multiple flavors.

Three flavors were available when I visited: chocolate malt (chocolate cake with malted milk and malt milk crumbs), pumpkin pie (pumpkin cake with pumpkin milk and "spiced pie" and graham cracker crumbs), and the classic b'day (vanilla rainbow cake with vanilla milk and rainbow cake sand).

b'day truffles.  3 pack for $4.35.

Truffles are sold in 3 packs or dozens, but all must be of the same variety.  (Plea to Milk Bar: pretty please make a sampler?)

The cookies were all self-serve, but the truffles were not, which surprised me, until I looked at the packaging (uh, several hours later) to find that they said to keep refrigerated.  Oops.

b'day truffle.

"Vanilla rainbow cake mixed with vanilla infused milk, coated with white chocolate and rolled in rainbow cake crumbs – it’s a birthday party in a bite!"

I went for the b'day, mostly because I don't trust pumpkin spice and I didn't want chocolate.

These things were intense.  A friend took one bite and said that single bite was plenty for him.  And I'll admit, just popping one of these on its own was a bit too much.   Soooo sweet.

By the way, if you'd like to make these yourself, you can find the recipe, including the sub recipes for the cake, the vanilla milk, and the birthday cake sand all online here.

b'day truffle: inside.

The truffle was just a ball of sweet, it is hard to describe much more than that.  I didn't really detect the different layers, it all was just overwhelming sweetness.  I guess there was slightly more smooth sweetness near the exterior from the white chocolate shell?

The inside texture was also really strange, it crumbled apart fairly easily.  It certainly wasn't moist and light like cake, but wasn't like a cake pop either.  The outside was coated in birthday cake "sand", which I now actually understand.  If you imagine cake as sand ... this is what it would be like.  A bit gritty, but not unpleasant.  So strange.

Sorry, I really fail at describing this, but, really, I just don't know how to do better.

I enjoyed the truffles, but, I didn't feel compelled to eat the through the whole 3 pack in one sitting.

The next morning however, I may have snuck one with my morning coffee.  This was perfect!  I kept my coffee black, and the bitter coffee and sweet truffle paired fantastically.  I think these would also be great crumbled on top of ice cream.  Or, of course, in an milkshake (which Milk Bar does make, I can only imagine it ... Cereal Milk blended with 3 of these! OMG, sweet overload).

I wish the truffles were sold in singles, since 3 at a time is quite an undertaking, and they require refrigeration.

Packaging for a dozen truffles.

Truffles are also sold by the dozen, and come packaged in a box.

When I ordered a cake for delivery from Milk Bar, (yes, you can have their products overnight mailed to you!), I also threw in an order of truffles, just in case there wasn't enough cake, or in case it got damaged, and, well, because I wanted to try another variety of truffles?

My flavor choices again included b'day or chocolate malt, but the seasonal pumpkin pie was replaced with another seasonal option: grasshopper pie.  I eagerly ordered a dozen.

Grasshopper Pie Cake Truffles (dozen). $18.

Inside the box was a tray with a slot for each truffle.  The slots barely held the truffles, as they really are not petite items.

Grasshopper Pie Cake Truffle.

"Brand new for this holiday season! Chocolate chip cake mixed with mint cheesecake, coated in white chocolate and rolled in chocolate crumbs!"

This flavor excited me.  Chocolate chip.  Cheesecake.  Mint.  White chocolate.  Crumbs.  So many good things, and all ones that did sound like they'd combine pretty well.

The coating on this was much more extensive than on the b'day - a thicker layer of big chunks of chocolate crumb, compared to the rainbow cake crumbs, which were really more like a dust.  It kinda looked like crushed up Oreo, and tasted that way too.  I found the coating a bit too chalky for my taste, but, note, I don't really like Oreos.

Grasshopper Pie Cake Truffle: Inside.

Like with the b'day truffle, I couldn't really find the white chocolate layer, but I trust it was there.

Inside was not quite what I was expecting.  This looked much like the b'day, light brown, and I didn't see any chips.  Wasn't this supposed to be chocolate chip cake and mint cheesecake?  Hmmm.  I'm still not sure where the chips were.

The center was again a bit of a strange texture, but I was prepared for that this time.  And it was very sweet, again, I was prepared for that.  It was slightly minty, and I liked the minty contrast with the chocolate crumbs.  But ... I didn't detect anything cheesecake-like.  And obviously, no chocolate chips.  This seemed more like a mint blondie filling than anything else.

Overall, I didn't care for these.  I liked the mint, but, everything else didn't come together for me, and the generous chocolate cake crumb coating ruined the finish for me.

J.C.'s Snacks, Australia

Quick little review today ...

You know I love snacks.  You know I love to travel.  You know I love to try new snacks when I travel.  It should come as no surprise that I pick up random things when I visit places, like my beloved Sydney.

J.C's Snacks is not a particularly notable brand, but they are found throughout Australia.  

"Good food is the source of good health, happiness, and vitality.

And we believe quality ingredients are at the heart.

Since 1994, we’ve hand-picked from only the best growers and producers to create simple, honest and wholesome foods.

Better food for a better world – that’s our mission.

As a humble family business, this is a great source of pride."

Yup, better food, good sourcing, you know he drill.

The product line up isn't that exciting on the surface: dried fruits, nuts, and mixes mostly.  But they have some I'd love to try - think Kri Kri Chilli Peanuts! - but most are just basic varieties.

Southern Style Rancho Mix.

"A mix of roasted & salted cahews, tex mex toasted corn & honey dijon soya crisps."

Like most snack mixes it seems, I adored one element of this, thought one was "ok", and quickly discarded the third.  And, to my amusement, the one I loved was not the one I'd expect to love.

The ones I really enjoyed were the honey dijon soya crisps.  I loved the honey mustard coating, and the crispy crunch to the sticks.

The tex mex corn nuts were ... fine.  The ingredients said cheese coating, but, eh, I didn't taste cheese.  They were just pretty basic, standard, too crunchy little corn nuts.

The cashews were simple roasted & salted cashews, nothing interesting about them in any way.

But those honey dijon soya crisps were wonderful, and I wish I could purchase just them.  Or, find someone who likes the other elements, so I don't feel guilty wasting them!

Boloco, Catering and Take-out, Hanover, NH

Update Review, July 2020

Boloco isn't somewhere I expected to seek out again (or, ever really - I'm not that into Mexican cuisine, and my first experience, at a catered event, didn't give me a reason to try to visit myself), but, in July of 2020, I found myself nearby one, and needed a light meal.  Ok, and I was drawn in by the $1 mini burrito of the week! Thus, Boloco it was.

Limited Menu During COVID.

Due to the COVID situation, Boloco has reduced the menu down, but it was still pretty extensive.

Chips & Queso. $3.50.

Since I wasn't into the salsa last time, I went for the queso this time, particularly after multiple staff told me it was good.

Chips.

The chips were as I remembered, white corn style, nice salt level, crispy.  But just tortilla chips, not really my thing.  I may or may not have had my own deep fried thick cut chips with me to use instead ... and gave these to my dad when I got home.

Queso.

The queso really was good.  Definitely better than I expected.

It was perfectly melty, like, perfectly melty.  Kinda amazing, really.  Liquid, but just thick enough, perfect consistency.  Nicely warm.

The flavor was not just "cheese", it was a mild cheese, but then there was kick from whatever was mixed into it, bits of peppers and onions.  Really, it was quite good.

I was pleasantly surprised by the queso, enjoyed dunking my own chips in it, and later polished it off by smothering some greens with it.

Elote Street Corn Mini. $1!
Mini of the week, usually $6.

"Farro, street corn salsa, cotija cheese, creamy elote aioli, fresh cilantro, tortilla chips."

Throughout the summer, Boloco offered a weekly $1 mini.  The variety rotated through their regular menu, and seemed entirely random.  These normally cost $6!

You had your choice of tofu, chicken, or no protein for that price, or, steak for $1 more.

I went sans addition, since I didn't want chicken or tofu, nor did I want to spend another $1.  Lol.

Elote Street Corn Mini.

"Farro, street corn salsa, cotija cheese, creamy elote aioli, fresh cilantro, tortilla chips."

The filling was definitely ... interesting.

As one who doesn't like rice in her burritos, the farro was a least a touch better, but I still wasn't into it.  I don't want grains inside my burrito!

The street corn salsa was great though, corn, peppers, nice spicing, quite flavorful.  The cotija and "elote aioli" went well with it.  I wasn't into the chips inside really, but I liked the idea of the additional crunch.

I really wished I could just have a burrito filled with the corn salsa, a touch of cheese, and some aioli, heh.  Smothered in queso?

Original Review, December 2016

I was recently in Hanover, NH for a recruiting event at Dartmouth, where we had lunch catered by the local Boloco.  I knew of Boloco, a chain of fast casual burritos, with locations only in New England (and mostly Massachusetts), but this was my first time actually eating anything from there.  For lunch, we had burritos, chips and salsa.  I can't say I was excited for this, as I don't like Mexican food very much, and I don't really like burritos in particular (well, I don't like rice and beans).  But the last recruiting event I did had Mexican catering from Rubio's and that was fantastic, so, I had a bit of hope.  Plus, Boloco isn't really Mexican ... it is "globally inspired burritos", aka, basically just wraps.

I wasn't impressed with Boloco, but, to be fair I didn't have any items I would have selected given the full menu.  For our evening event, we had catering by Ramunto's (pizza, garlic knots, and cinnamon knots), and that was much more successful.  Stay tuned!

Catering Box of Burritos.

Our catering order arrived nicely packaged and was set up by the staff.  They laid out a white paper tablecloth, set up plates and utensils, opened up the chips and salsa buckets (and took the lids away, which was a problem when we had leftovers ...), put out serving utensils, and left the burritos in a closed box to keep in the heat.

Chips & Salsa.

Boloco offers 3 tomato based salsas (mild, medium, and bold) plus corn and mango salsa.  I'm not sure which this was, I think likely mild as it had no heat.

I didn't like the salsa.  The chunks of tomato were vibrant red, but, flavorless.  It had no heat or spice to it.  There was lots of raw white onion.  Overall, just bland and not fresh tasting.

The chips were pretty good though, very salty, but I liked that.  Chips and salsa are normally $1.99 for a personal side, we were provided with giant containers as part of our package ($10/head including a burrito and drink per person).

Classic Fajita Vegetarian, small size. $6.88.

Boloco's concept is that you pick your style (buffalo, teriyaki, cajun, Bangkok thai, tikka masala, summer, or classic Mexican), then your type (burrito or bowl), then your size (mini, small, or original), your tortilla (white or wheat), your protein (white meat chicken, dark meat chicken, grass-fed steak, slow braised carnitas, tofu, fajita veggies), and then any additional things you'd like to add (other veggies, other grains, sauces/dressing, hummus, guac).

I liked the sound of some of the styles, like the ones with tikka masala or thai peanut sauce, and I don't like rice or beans, so I could certainly have come up with a tasty custom version, but since this was a catered event, I didn't have options, and I didn't know what the different styles actually were as I hadn't been to Boloco before.

I grabbed a "Classic Faijita Vegetarian" because I didn't want chicken or steak and the rest all seemed to be chicken or steak.  Sadly this turned out to be just a boring veggie burrito, classic Mexican style with rice, pinto beans, cheese, salsa, and cilantro, in a wheat tortilla with some fajita veggies (onions and peppers).

So ... yeah.  Mushy rice and beans and the same flavorless salsa made up the majority of my fillings.  I don't really like these things even when nicely prepared.  The veggies were fine I guess, but I only found a few thin slivers of onion and peppers, and they were very soft and slimy.

Speaking of slimy.  The tortilla, likely because it was packaged up, was super moist and gummy.

I didn't really like anything about the burrito.  On the plus side, it was hot.  The packaging was very effective.

A small veggie burrito is normally $6.88, but this came as part of a catering package including chips, salsa, and drinks for $10 each.

Singapore Airlines, SQ33, SFO-SIN

Update Review, January 2020 Flight

I've reviewed the glory of Singapore Airlines before (SFO-SIN, SIN-SFO), a new discovery for me, as I had never had opportunity to fly to Singapore before.  

My first experience was in November 2019, and I was able to quickly follow it up with another flight, same route (SFO-SIN), just two months later ... which was amazing, until, well, COVID broke out, and I had to cancel the rest of my trip, to Thailand, which was my actual destination (and somewhere I've never been!).   I added the stopover in Singapore to my itinerary as I had loved it so much just the two months before, and was eager to return.  I was able to try one new element of the SQ experience: a bulkhead seat.

Flight Info

Flight: SQ 33

Departure: San Francisco International
Departure local time: 8:10pm (scheduled) 8:40pm (actual)
Arrival: Singapore Changi
Arrival local time: 5:40am (+2 days)
Duration: 17:30 (non-stop)
Seat: 19A

Equipment & Amenities

My aircraft was exactly the same as my previous two flights (SFO-SIN, SIN-SFO), the Airbus A350-900, ultra long range, with business and premium economy classes only.

Business class is broken up into two cabins, a smaller cabin of 6 rows, and a much bigger back cabin, separated by the galley and bathrooms.  On both my previous flights, I intentionally got a seat in the smaller front cabin (row 12, row 15), both times single window seats, as I expected them to be far more quiet due to the smaller cabin size.  For this flight however, only middle seats remained in that cabin, so I went for the front part of the back cabin.

But I had little intention of keeping my seat.  I knew that at exactly 96 hours prior to departure, all remaining bulkhead seats, normally reserved for elites, would open up to the masses like me.

Now, I never normally want a bulkhead.  They are adjacent to the bathrooms and galleys.  Often where bassinets are located.  Notorious for being the loud choice, no question.  For a long flight, picking these seats, on the surface, seems crazy.

Except these seats are a different design than the others.  Recall how I really, truly did not ever find a way to be comfortable on my flights before, due to the angled nature and tiny foot well of these seats.  Never comfortable seated, certainly never comfortable sleeping.  This is why I picked the bulkhead, taking the risk of all the additional noise.

Now, all bulkhead seats are not created equal.  The front row of the front cabin is far preferred - there are no bathrooms there, only the small galley, and not the galley that is actually used for the "action".  The window seats don't have as deep of footwells as the center, so if you are traveling with someone, those center seats are rather amazing.

I had the pick of a window or center in the second cabin, and opted for window, even though it meant the shorter footwell.  I thought that being 5'7" this wouldn't be a problem.  Well ... it was still just a touch too short!!!  Still, considerably better than the angle, again, for both sitting and most definitely for sleeping, but, the noise from the galley and crew opening and closing doors was very disturbing, even through earplugs.  And the mattress pad is still woefully inadequate, the bed horribly hard.

I considered this slightly better overall, but, sleep on this flight I really did not do, which, for a nearly 18 hour flight ... is rough.  Very, very rough.

Dining

This is a looooong flight, and as before, I appreciated that the menu let me know all my dining times and options.

The dinner menu was new for this flight, but the Refreshments and Breakfast were exactly the same as my previous flight.

Drinks & Starters

As before, our first drink orders were taken before takeoff, and served fairly soon once underway.

When the drink orders were taken, the FA didn't know what the wines available would be, except she knew that for red there would be a French Bordeaux, and probably an Italian wine.  I did find it odd that they wanted drink orders without knowing what they had to offer.  Once underway, she came back to tell me that there was a US wine, which, if the menu was accurate, meant it was a meritage.   I'm not sure it was that though, as she said the other one was Italian, which isn't on the menu at all ....

Red Wine / Perrier / Nuts

 "2015 Chateau Hostens-Picant, Sainte-Foy Cotes de Bordeaux, France."

Anyway, both before takeoff and once airborne, she really pushed the Bordeaux, so, I tried it.    It was brought out quickly once airborne, and served with a bowl of warm cashews and almonds, again, nicely salted.

The wine was ... fine.  Nothing offensive, not harsh, not acidic, not too tannic.  And also entirely boring.  No complexity to it at all.  Retails for ~$20.  The other red retails for $10, so ... I guess this was the premium wine.

As on my previous flight, I felt the wine offerings were certainly a low point in their lineup.

Dinner

The first meal is Dinner, served about 1.5 - 3 hours into the flight, which, in San Francisco time, was very late (particularly for me, I usually eat dinner around 5:30pm!).  I had a snack at home, and then in the lounge, before boarding, as I knew to expect this.

Suzzane Goin's Menu.

The menu format was the same as my prior flight, starting 2 pre-designed menus, one by an LA area chef, which was just the regular appetizer and dessert, and a seemingly randomly pre-determined main from the dining menu.

Canyon Ranch Menu.

The other special menu was by Canyon Ranch, a healthy wholesome option.  If you wanted dishes from this menu, you could not mix and match though, and needed to select the entire lineup.  It featured an entirely different appetizer and dessert, and like my previous flight, I was more interested in the appetizer served with that menu.

Main Dinner Menu.

The regular inflight dining menu is next, with a choice of main dishes (lamb this time instead of beef, chicken, pork instead of duck, and vegetarian).

Dinner.

But as before, I utilized "Book the Cook" to select from an extended menu, and actually just opted for the exact same item I had last time, the crab cakes, even though I didn't really like them much last time.  Nothing else sounded great, and I really did love the side dishes with the crab cakes.  Plus, I love crab, so, I wanted to give them another try!

Meals were served sooner than on my prior flight, which I appreciated given how late it was.

The meal was not quite what I expected, with surprise great elements (prawns and pomegranate sauce!) and previously great things that were really not good (veggies!).  Overall, I wound up with more than enough tasty food, but there were a fair number of flops.

Appetizer: Grilled Prawns with Smokey Eggplant Dip

.

"Pine nut crumble, lavosh, and pomegranite vinaigrette".

Appetizers are served from the cart, along with wine refills and water.  You do not get a choice for appetizer.  The regular menu (as in, not the special Canyon Ranch one), had an appetizer I was not excited for: Saint Agur Cheese and Pear Salad, a "Salad of arugula, frisee, shallots, and pear, topped with Saint Agur blue cheese and candied hazelnuts served with Meyer lemon dressing."

I was not interested in this salad at all really.  I don't really care for pears, I dislike blue cheese, and meh to lemon dressing.  The Canyon Ranch appetizer sounded much better, but, as last time, I wasn't expecting to be able to order it.  And I wasn't able to order it, exactly.  Rather than the listed salad, we were *all* served the Canyon Ranch appetizer instead.  I was happy about this, but it was a bit odd, and they certainly didn't explain what was going on.

It also wasn't quite as described.  The lavosh was no where to be found, but I didn't care, given that I don't really want bread anyway.

The prawns were better than I expected, not rubbery, not fishy, and nicely seasoned.  Slightly smokey grilled flavor too.  Juicy and fresh.  I liked them, particularly when rubbed into the pomegranate vinaigrette.

The smokey eggplant dip I wasn't into though, it was just an odd mush with chunks in it, and I certainly did not want the pine nuts sprinkled on top (pine nut syndrome victim here!), nor the pomegranate seeds (meh, seeds), but overall, I was happy to have a light, refreshing protein source to start.

A bread basket was offered with a few types of rolls and the signature garlic bread, which smelt great, but I knew I didn't really care for, so I skipped all this.

Main Course: Book the Cook - Crab Cakes.

"Crab cake with broccoli, baby carrots, fresh asparagus and roasted potato wedges."

Mains were delivered one by one, not really in order.

Last time I had this item, I really was pleased with the veggies on the side, flavorful, crisp, and really just quite good.  I was looking forward to them again, particularly the roast potatoes, and brought garlic aioli to dunk them in.

Alas, this was really poorly prepared this time.  The veggies were really, really, really overcooked, soft and mushy.  The carrots and broccoli were worse than what I picture awful school lunches containing.  The asparagus was way too soft, but the flavor was nice, so I ate least ate that.

And those potato wedges I was looking forward to?  Yeah, soft and mushy, just like the other veggies.  No crispy potatoes here.  Sadness.  I still dunked a few in my garlic aioli, and tried to like them, but ... this prep was just really not good.

The crab cakes were also not good, but I didn't expect them to be.  Even mushier than last time, and so fishy.

I hated the grilled lime on the side, so very sour.

Not a good dish, at all.

Dessert

I was looking forward to the dessert line up, as I know Singapore Airlines can impress in this area.  I was even more excited when I saw the menu!  The main dessert was ... a pot de creme!  Yes, I adore puddings, and this sounded fantastic.

The dessert cart soon rolled through the cabin, with the main dessert, cheese, fruit, and the little petit desserts.  Of course, the Canyon Ranch menu had a different dessert, and it wasn't available to the rest of us (coconut tres leches cake).

Pot de Creme.

"Salted caramel pudding with whipped cream fraiche and double chocolate sable cookie."

The pot de creme was decent.  The texture was great, a nice firm custard, thick, rich.  It was sweet but not cloying.  I didn't really get any salt though, which disappointed me, and I almost asked for another salt shaker (as mine had been collected after the mains).  The flavor, caramel, was good, but it did get a bit one-note after a while.

The portion was quite large, and I found myself not wanting to finish it, although I enjoyed the first half.

I enjoyed the cream fraiche on top, although it certainly was a bit deflated, not light and fluffy as whipped cream normally is.  Tangy, and nice compliment to the sweet pudding.  It was even better with my fruit (more on that soon).

The cookie I only tried a small bite of, given that I don't generally care for cookies, but, moreover, I don't eat caffeine at night, and this was a double chocolate cookie.  It was actually pretty good, but extremely chocolately, a nice shortbread.  It did seem like overkill with the large portion of pot de creme though, as it was a full size cookie.

Overall, not a bad dessert, but I mostly appreciated it for the cream fraiche on top.

Berries.

The dessert cart also had fruit to offer, mostly whole fruit or sliced melon, but they also had some berries, grapes, and strawberries.  I liked these last time, so I tried them again.

I was again pleased with the quality of the fruit.  I still don't really understand, but I really liked the berries, the strawberry was better than it looked, and I really liked the raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.  Juicy, refreshing, flavorful.  And excellent dunked in the cream fraiche!

Refreshments

The Refreshment menu is available after the main menu, on demand, anytime, and was exactly the same as I had on my prior flight.  I ended up ordering from here to supplement other meals.  The congee with grouper sounded like it might be a nice comfort food, and I almost ordered it for additional morning item.  Next time.

Vanilla Ice Cream

As before, I got ice cream to go with my dessert feast.  They have only Häagen-Dazs and only vanilla, but I do like this, and it went nicely with my berries and cream fraiche.

Served rock solid, but melted nicely eventually.

Farro, Red Quinoa, Roasted Butternut Squash Salad.

"With toasted pumpkin seeds, grilled halloumi cheese, and pomegranate dressing."

I ordered this about 5 hours before landing (more on that soon) as a pre-breakfast, as it was 10am in my world, and I was starving.

Let's just say, to start, this did not match my expectations.  For one, the description listed farro.  No farro.  It listed toasted pumpkin seeds, which I looked forward to for crunch.  No pumpkin seeds.  It did not list green beans, which were more dominant here than the squash, a title ingredient.  And that squash?  Which I certainly expected to be a feature ingredient, plentiful, large chunks was just tiny, tiny cubes, and not many of them.

Only the quinoa and halloumi were as expected really.  Oh, it also surprised me as it was a warm dish.  I thought salad, I thought chilled.  The entire thing was warm.

This isn't to say it was bad.  It just totally was not what I thought I was getting.

The grains, quinoa only, again, no farro, were actually nice warm, and weren't mushy, nor undercooked.  The surprise green beans were fine, not as soft and mushy as in my entree.  I lamented not tasting any squash though, I was looking forward to it.

The pomegranate dressing I think was the same we had with the prawns appetizer, and I really liked it then, and it again jazzed up this whole dish nicely.

And finally, the grilled halloumi, which I give great credit to - somehow not too squeaky, and it really did have grill marks.  It was a slightly goaty-er tasting halloumi than I cared for, but, overall, not bad.

This was considerably better than my main dinner, but it wasn't quite what I wanted, and felt odd to be eating at that time.

Breakfast

On my previous flight, 5 hours before landing (!) we were woken, abruptly, no choice, for breakfast.  It was fairly awful, as I was asleep then, finally, and then there was sooo much time left in the flight.  It made no sense to me.  I was expecting that this time, and had really, really failed to be on a good sleep schedule, so I was awake a good 6.5 hours before landing, eager for that 5 hour mark to hit, but also, terrified about what the day ahead would be like, as it was not even midnight in my destination, and I was up for the day.

I was asked by a FA passing through if I wanted anything, and asked about breakfast.  She said we were still 2-3 hours away from breakfast.  Doh.  And hence, the aforementioned quinoa dish.

Finally, only 2 hours before landing this time, it was time for breakfast.  This schedule would be nicer ... had I planned for it (and the time zone change) better, staying up later, sleeping in later, and dining when I woke up.  Not sure why this was done so inconsistently.

Breakfast Menu.

The menu was entirely unchanged from my previous flight: fruit, cereal, granola, yogurt, bread, pastries, plus your choice of hot main dish (dim sum, sweet potato pancakes, poached eggs) or the single Book the Cook continental plate.

Service followed the same format as other meals, with the "appetizer" round offered from a cart along with a round of drinks, bread basket passed through soon after, and hot dishes ordered in advance and delivered as ready.

AMAZING BREAKFAST!

I pre-ordered the poached eggs, as the dim sum wasn't that great before (sadness!), and I do like hollandaise.  I was still tempted by the pancakes but wasn't as into the sides that came with them.  When I saw my neighbor get them, I understood why that was listed as the healthy option - it really was just a big plate of scrambled eggs, veal sausage, and a single, *tiny*, sweet potato pancake on top.

My breakfast though?  Um, actually really, really, really good.  Every course (yes, it was 3 courses) was very good.  I was way too full getting off this flight!

Decaf Americano.

"Decafinated espresso with delicate notes of caramel, toasted bread and chocolate with a sweet aftertaste."

For coffee, I started with decaf, to try to better time the caffeine for when I'd need it, knowing the day was going to be rough.  It was .... fine, as before, I found it too small, wanted it bigger, and it got cold very quickly.

Arabica Selection: Guatemala.

To go with my breakfast, I opted to try another variety of the Illy coffee, just to try something new, having tried the Ethiopian and the Brasile on my prior two flights, so this time, I went for the Guatamala, the only single origin that I hadn't yet tried.

It was crazy bold and harsh, particularly when served this style with so little hot water for the multiple shots (or so it seemed).  I asked for extra hot water, mellowed it out, and enjoyed it, but it was a very, very bold coffee.

Starter: (Off Menu) Berries.

I knew I didn't like the cereal, muesli, or yogurt last time, and the fruit platter had melon on it, so that ruled out the entire starter section of the breakfast menu, served from the cart.  I did ask if they had any berries left, and was rewarded with two little plastic containers full.  I kinda laughed at the presentation, but I really, really didn't care.

The berries were just as good as my previous ones with dinner, and I again really enjoyed them.  I may or may not have topped them with a little melty ice cream.  So. Good.

Bakery: Blueberry Muffin

The pastry basket finally made it my way - I was the last one served, doh!  It was ... lacking options by the time it got to me, and the lady next to me took the last custard danish, which is what I was eyeing.

The bread basket passer was also really unhelpful.  "Bread, muffin, or pastry?", he said.  "What kind of danish is that?", I asked, pointing at the one remaining one.  "Breakfast", was the answer.  I think it was some kind of fruit filled.  At least, when I asked a second time, he told me the single remaining muffin was a blueberry one.

I remembered liking the muffin last time, so this wasn't a bad fall back, and, after the quinoa dish, and with my eggs, potatoes, etc still coming, I was almost hoping I wouldn't want it, because this was a lot food.

It was still quasi-warm, which was nice.  

"Blueberry?" Muffin: Inside.

As before, I did find the muffin to be quite good.  Very moist, and the streusel topping was just fabulous, so sweet and crumbly.  The muffin definitely was in the cake style, very sweet.  I'm sure it was horribly unhealthy.

My only qualm with it is that it was really just a plain, sweet, cake muffin with streusel top.  "Blueberry" was rather false advertising, as there were no visible blueberries on top, and once I dug in, I didn't find any inside either.  There was a tiny, tiny, tiny blueish spot.  But berries were not found.

Still, this was a good cake-muffin, and being served warm made it even better.

Main: Poached eggs with hollandaise sauce.

"Poached eggs with hollandaise / chicken sausage / roesti potato."

At this point, post halloumi & grain bowl, post delicious berries and melty cream, and post desserty muffin, I was pretty full.  I wasn't really concerned though, because, well, I don't generally liked poached eggs in the US (now, in Australia, that is another thing all together, and no, I don't understand why I only like eggs there ...), and really I only ordered this because I didn't want the other dishes, and I figured I could at least eat the roesti potato smothered in hollandaise if I needed more.  I had breakfast #2 (#3?) waiting at my hotel buffet.

But this was shockingly good.  I devoured most of it.

I'll start with the meh.  The chicken sausage.  It looked fine, looked like it had a slight char, grill marks on the outside.  It did have a nice snap, and was warm.  But I *hated* the texture inside, really firm and mealy in a strange way.  And I definitely was not into the flavor.  My neighbor had the veal sausage (it comes with the "pancakes"), I'm curious how it compared.

I did not try the little tomato, which also came with my neighbor's pancakes.

Next up, the item I was planning to enjoy, the roesti potatoes.  Or, the attempt at roesti potatoes anyway.  A crispy potato item this was not.  It was interesting though, a mix of both small cubes and mashed potato, some seasoning and herbs (although it needed more, luckily we had salt & pepper shakers with our meal).  It had a sear on both sides, making it golden brown, but, because of the heating style, it certainly didn't keep its crispness.  Once I smothered it in hollandaise though, this didn't matter much.

So, the potatoes, once seasoned and hollandaised, were definitely good, just, not really roesti potatoes as advertised.

The best was yet to come though.  Shockingly.

Poached Egg Perfection.

I had zero expectations for these poached eggs.  I've had many a poached egg on a plane, and usually, the yolks are fully cooked, the whites are rubbery, etc.

I cut into the first one, and probably my face showed my surprise.  What?!  A perfectly oozy, runny yolk?  When does that happen.  I figured it was a fluke.  I went for the second.  Same result.  Woah.  Woah, woah, woah.

But ok, it can look good, but still, this is an egg catered out of the US, and, as I said, I never like eggs in the US really.  But this ... this was good.  The yolk was flavorful.  The white was perfectly cooked, firm, but not rubbery.  Um, wow.

A well cooked poached egg, even a good one, is not enough for me to be excited about, but with the hollandaise?  Oh yes.  The hollandaise wasn't anything extraordinary, but it was good.  Not broken.  Not too thick, not too thin.  Not too lemony.  It didn't look generously applied, but that is because it was just kinda hiding on the plate in the middle.  There was more than enough for my eggs and potato.

Like the potato, this needed seasoning, but salt and pepper shakers were on my table, so, no worries.  For a girl who doesn't ever really like poached eggs, and rarely eats more than one even when she likes them, I was shocked when I looked down to see I had polished off both eggs, most of the potato cake, and all the hollandaise.

To say I was full at this point was an understatement, but I was really quite satisfied with what I had.

Original Review, December 2019

Flight Info

Flight: SQ 33
Departure: San Francisco International
Departure local time: 8:10pm
Arrival: Singapore Changi
Arrival local time: 5:40am (+2 days)
Duration: 17:30 (non-stop)

This was certainly the longest flight I've ever taken.  When you add on boarding time, and deplaning time, it is well over 18 hours.  18 hours!  On a single aircraft!!!

Although I am quite accustomed to 14-15 hour flights for Sydney, this really did push me to another level of ... tolerance.  I was quite ready to be off the aircraft.

If I were doing this journey again, I'd consider not flying direct, and adding a stopover, to just break it up a bit.  Its a very long day.  Literally.

Equipment & Amenities

My aircraft was the Airbus A350-900, ultra long range version, with only Business and Premium Economy classes.  No economy, no first.

Business class is broken up into two cabins, a smaller cabin of 6 rows, and a much bigger back cabin.  I was luckily able to make it into the front cabin, window seat, row 12 (which is the second row).  Checking the available seats daily has its benefits!

Front Business Class Cabin.

I knew I wanted the front cabin for the smaller size, and likely quieter experience.

The cabin felt quite spacious, as the middle seats have no overhead bin.  Amazing what a difference that made, but, it seemed a bit odd, not that had a shortage of bin space, but it seems like it could be a problem if everyone had roller bags?

Another strange thing about the layout is the lack of bathrooms.  The front of the first business cabins is a galley only, no bathrooms.  Between the cabins is another galley, and only 2 bathrooms.  That is 2 bathrooms, for ALL 67 business class passengers.  Sure, the flight is long so there is plenty of time to use it, but, there were certainly congested times, particularly given how frequently we had the seatbelt sign on.  A strange decision on their part for layout.

Seat.

The seat is another ... interesting choice.  I had read many, many reviews of these seats, so I knew that people hate them, but I was unprepared with just how bad it would be.

But I'll start with the good.  A very wide seat.  It comes with a nice pillow, with an additional one with the bedding (more on that soon).

The entertainment screen in front is large, well positioned.

But the seat?  SO UNCOMFORTABLE.

Seat Controls.

I tried every single setting, but was never, ever able to find a comfortable sitting position.

Footwell.

Because of this.  The bane of my, and nearly every passenger's, existence.  The foot well.

It is deep, sure.  But it is OFF TO THE SIDE.  You must sit at an angle to use it, and no, the seat isn't angled itself.  It makes no sense, no sense at all.

It also was uncomfortable, at all times.  I tried soooo many positions, but never found a way to be comfortable seated with this foot well.  I hated it, truly.

It was fine for sleeping though.

Hand Controller.

The main entertainment screen is not a touch screen, but this controller is.  It was fairly useful, but not particularly user friendly.  I liked that it always had a screen showing my status that I could swipe to, with the time in both locations, and remaining flight time.

Power and laptop slot.

The seat did have some great things going for it, particularly in the storage front.  I really liked having power (including USB), with a slot for my laptop, right at my side.  Easy to throw my laptop into when food came, etc.  Cords were never in the way.

The ledge below it was also quite useful for setting things down.

This area also had a cubby that I used for water bottles, and is where the tray table pulled out of.

Front Console.

In front of the seat is another useful area, with another cubby with a door that closes, a permanent, convenient drink slot, and a mirror.

All very useful, great design.

More lighting controls.

Additional toggle lighting controls were on the side, very easy to use in the middle of the night.

Bed Mode.

For such a long flight, a quality sleep is key.

Unfortunately, this aircraft did NOT provide that to me.

The seat design is one where the seat actually folds down, revealing a mattress pad (kinda), blanket, and additional pillows.  The crew are happy to prepare the bed for you.

It has some smart touches, like velcro to hold the pad in place.  But the mattress pad was woefully thin.  This is was the hardest bed I've had on a flight in a very, very long time.  My entire body, already hurting from sitting in the horrible uncomfortable positions, throbbed on this hard, non-padded surface.

It also had a different seatbelt than the sitting up seat, and this was the style that pulls out and tightens, which was also horribly uncomfortable.  It was tight against my body in ways that I really disliked, and could never position to way it wasn't pressing on me.

I hated this bed.  At least it didn't slant?

Socks and slippers.

The only amenities provided at the seat are socks and slippers.  No pajamas, but also, no toiletries, no amenity bag.

At first, I, like many, thought "how cheap of them!", but actually, what I don't need is *more* airline amenity cases, and more lip balm.  The bathrooms had toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, and a few other things in them, in large containers, for all to use.  This makes so much more sense, no waste, and no need to carry things to the bathroom.  I think I appreciated this approach, but I've never seen it done before.

Dining

This is a looooong flight, so there is plenty of food and drink consumption to be had.

Dining Experience.

I appreciate that they outline what to expect from the "dining experience", highlighting what meals will be served when.

Drinks & Starters

Our first drink orders were taken before takeoff, and served fairly soon once underway.

Singapore Sling.

"Synonymous with the Lion City since the early 1900s, this classic cocktail is made with dry gin, DOM Benedictine, Cointreau, cherry brandy, Angostura bitters and Grenadine, mixed with lime and pineapple juice."

Drink orders were taken before we even took off.  I had barely looked through the first few pages of the menu, and wasn't prepared to order at all.  So ... this happened.  A signature, Singapore sling, served fairly soon once airborne.

I ... don't know why I ordered this.  It seemed like what I was supposed to do?  I didn't realize what a fruity drink this was, and ... I wasn't in the mood for something so fruity.  Probably fine if you want to pretend you are on a beach?

Mixed Nuts.

As soon as our drinks were brought out, we were offered a bowl of (warmish) nuts. Cashews and almonds.  They were good, above average airline nuts, nicely salted.

Dinner

The first meal is Dinner, served about 1.5 - 3 hours into the flight.  Late for San Francisco time, but, it did help make the long flight time pass.

Suzanne Goin's Selection Menu.

The dinner menu consists of many pages, starting 2 pre-designed menus, one by an LA area chef, which was just the regular appetizer and dessert, and pre-determined main from the dining menu.  I guess this was to just make it easy for those who don't want to make decisions?

Canyon Ranch Selection Menu.

The other special menu was by Canyon Ranch, a healthy wholesome option.  If you wanted dishes from this menu, you could not mix and match though, and needed to select the entire lineup.

 It featured entirely different items, including an asparagus and burrata starater, that I really did want!

Regular Dinner Menu.

The regular inflight dining menu is next, with a choice of main dishes (beef, chicken, duck, vegetarian).

Dinner.

In addition to all these choices, you can order online before the flight, to pre-reserve a regular inflight option, or to "Book the Cook" and pick from a much larger lineup.

I went with an advance Book the Cook order, of crab cakes, a fairly easy choice, as the menu was kinda limited, didn't feature any of the Singapore Airlines signature dishes (Lobster Thermidore, etc), and the only other slightly interesting option was the halibut.  The Cantonese duck is what I would have gotten from in-flight menu, but crab cakes sure sounded better.

Table Setting.

Tables were set for dining about an hour or so into the flight, and appetizers were delivered from the cart.  No choice, unless you got the Canyon Ranch menu.

Appetizer: Duck Rillette.

"Mashed duck meat on grilled country bread garnished with sweet and sour prunes, frisee, parsley and onion salad, prune dressing."

Unless you order the special Canyon Ranch menu, all diners are served the same appetizer, duck rillette.  These were served from a cart after initial drinks and nuts, about an hour and 15 minutes into the flight.  I wished I could have opted for the Canyon Ranch one though, an asparagus salad with burrata, endive, etc.

The rest of us had duck rillete.  Well, this sounded potentially good, but ... I did not enjoy it.

The mashed duck meat was ... well, mash.  Kinda ... reminded me of catfood.  Lacking seasoning, and didn't taste like anything specific. 

It was drizzled to order with the prune dressing, a nice touch, but ... I didn't particularly care for it, it was fairly sour, and didn't bring the complimentary sweetness I was expecting with the duck.  Nor did I care for the sweet and sour prunes, again, just kinda sour.

The frisee was fine, the red onion harsh, and why a huge sprig of parsley?  This was not a success for me.

Merlot.

For wine, I was told there was a merlot or a shiraz, which didn't match the menu.  I asked which was least tannic, but the FA didn't know.  I randomly picked the merlot.

It was ... eh.  Fine, but not great.  Not very big or bold, not very interesting, but not offensive. Just, fine.  I wouldn't get it again.

Garlic Bread.

Right after the appetizer cart came a basket with passed bread, a decent looking selection.  I was drawn in by the aroma of the garlic bread.  

It was warm, it had lots of butter and garlic, I guess it was fine, but the bread wasn't particularly fresh tasting.

The aroma was fantastic though.

Perrier / Shiraz.

With the meal, I decided to try the shiraz.

It was a bit better, but had a pretty harsh finish.  I was let down by the wines.

Main Course: Book the Cook - Crab Cakes.

"Crab cake with broccoli, baby carrots, fresh asparagus and roasted potato wedges."

The main dishes took quite a while to arrive, but eventually were served, one by one.  I didn't see any two meals the same, many people skipped the meal (it was 10pm San Francisco time after all), some, like me, had ordered in advance from the Book the Cook lineup, and a few people opted for the in-flight menu.  The variety was impressive though, I saw seafood, meat, noodles, just about everything going by.

I ordered the crab cakes as I adore crab, but these were among the worst crab cakes I've ever had.  Mushy, fishy, not seasoned, and no sauce/aioli with them.

Of course, I knew they would have no sauce, so I came prepared with garlic aioli (from the Polaris lounge, their garlic aioli is sooooo good, so I got a side of it as I was leaving the lounge, precisely so I could use it with the crab cakes).  The aioli helped, but .... I gave up on the crab cakes after a few bites.

Luckily, nearly everything else on the plate was really quite good.  I was a bit surprised.

The asparagus was really fantastic, thin, tender, flavorful.  I added a little salt and pepper and quite enjoyed it.

The summer squash was grilled, a nice char mark and flavor from the grill.  Well, huh.  Not bad.

The baby carrots were also decent, not too soft and mushy.  Same with the broccoli, bright, vibrant, not too soft.  

I don't normally get excited about vegetables, but, these were all far better than I expected.

The "roasted potato wedges" were really just halves of red potatoes, but, they were decent as well.  Not as crisp as I'd want, but not soggy.  I dunked these in the aioli and really enjoyed them.

The final elements, a chunk each of roasted lemon and lime, looked like they'd be useful for adding some acidity, and I was excited to drizzle the citrus over everything to jazz it up, but, they were both quite sour in a strange way.

So overall?  I actually really did like my veggies and potatoes and aioli.  It was a shame to not like the crab cake, but really, that was just a small portion of the dish, and I had plenty of other food.

Dessert

Sinagpore Airlines then moves into a full on dessert service.  I was fairly impressed.

Dessert Time!

The dessert lineup came down the aisle after our mains were cleared away, on a cart.

I was a bit blown away by the options.  On offer was fruit (whole fruit such as bananas, pears, grapes, plus cut melons, assorted berries), cheese and crackers, "petite patisserie", and lemon angel food cake, along with the panna cotta from the menu.

I got a few things.

Yoghurt Panna Cotta with Hemp Seed Granola and Pomegranate Blueberry Compote.

My main dessert choice was easy.  Of course I wanted the panna cotta!  I love panna cotta.

This was actually really quite good.  Well set, firm but creamy, and the flavor was fairly complex, a vanilla flavor, with depth from the yogurt.  Far better than I expected.

I liked the idea of the granola on top for crunch, but I really wasn't into this granola.  I scraped it off.  The compote also seemed like a good idea, but I didn't like it either, and, it wasn't blueberry as listed, rather I had large seedy blackberries.  I scraped it off too.

But the panna cotta itself was good, the portion rather large, but I easily finished it.  I would have loved to have a compote with it I liked though.

Fresh Fruit.

I also opted to try some fruit, at the FA's urging.

It, much like the vegetables, surprised me.  Some of the better airline fruit I've ever had.  Seemingly fresh, ripe, juicy.  The berries in particular were really nice, and I added them to my panna cotta.

Port.

.To go with my dessert, I asked for the port.

Much like all the alcoholic drinks on this flight though ... I just didn't like it.  Harsh.  Bitter.  Sigh.  I gave up trying more drinks at this point, likely a healthier choice anyway.

Air New Zealand definitely still has the best port on board (and, best wine, for business class, in general).

Pralines.

The treats just kept on coming, with passed pralines once the desserts were cleared.  Two varieties, white chocolate and salted caramel. 

Of course I asked for one of each.

The dark chocolate salted caramel one was quite good.  Smooth caramel filling, rich dark chocolate, and lovely pop of salt.  Very enjoyable in the morning with my coffee - of course I asked for another then!

Refreshments

After the main meal service, throughout the flight, you an order additional items on demand at any time.

Refreshment Menu: Page One.

The options were extensive, ranging from light items such as soup, salad, or sandwiches, to more substantial meals, including a burger and potato wedges, an indian feast with 4 different dishes, congee, or noodles.  Something for everyone.

I didn't try anything from this lineup, but the women next to me ordered the burger at breakfast time.  It did come with an egg on top ...

Refreshment Menu Part 2.

The second page is less substantial items, including a veggie wrap, a granola parfait, ice cream, and snacks.  Many of the snacks were available in a basket in the galley throughout the meal, including Sun Chips, Angie's Boom Chika Pop Sweet and Salty Popcorn (I love this stuff!), Milano cookies, nuts, and Hershey's Cookies and Cream bars.

Refreshment: Haagen-Datz Ice Cream.

When the dessert cart came through, I simply asked what the ice cream flavor was, from the anytime refreshment menu and ... a moment later, I was served ice cream.  Oops.  #allTheDessert

It was just vanilla, and rock solid, definitely not ready for consumption, but that was fine, as I wasn't ready for it either.  Once it softened a bit, I tried it, and was rather pleased.  Just simple vanilla, but it was good.  I immediately plotted to make an afogado in the morning.

Refreshment: Greek Yoghurt and Granola Parfait.

"Garnished with homemade granola, fresh berries, and coconut flakes."

In the morning, since I couldn't have the breakfast fruit (melons), didn't want the breakfast yogurt, and certainly didn't want the granola again, I asked for the greek yogurt and granola parfait from the "Refreshment" menu.  A few moments later ... a Oikos Greek yogurt container was placed in front of me, still sealed.  Uh, wasn't that the same as the breakfast yogurt?

I pointed at the menu again, it was removed, and a few minutes later came back plated, loaded with coconut and topped with 3 each of raspberries and blackberries.  There was no granola, certainly no "housemade" granola.  Doh.

As expected, I didn't like the yogurt, and would not have ordered had I known what it was.  The coconut flakes were sweetened, and fine, but there was soooo much of it.  It was like, instead of granola, they just added a cup of coconut.

The berries were again great, but, 6 berries was certainly fewer than I wanted.  I wonder if I could just order some berries in the future, even though not on menu?

 Breakfast

About 5 hours before landing (!), it was time for breakfast.  Or whatever meal this was, given that it was midnight in Singapore.  The timing was certainly awkward, but, I guess we had been "sleeping" a while.  I was kind annoyed though, as I was finally actually asleep, and the cabin sprang into noise and action ... lights, seats being flipped, etc.

Breakfast Menu.

The lineup was fairly standard: fruit, cereal, granola, yogurt, bread, pastries, plus your choice of hot main dish (dim sum, sweet potato pancakes, poached eggs). For this flight, only one Book the Cook option was available, just a very boring continental plate, so I did not go for that, and selected a regular on board menu instead.

Breakfast.

I pre-ordered the dim sum, although I obviously love my breakfast carbs, so the potato pancakes did sound slightly tempting (but they come with scrambled egg, veal sausage, and marinated tomato, none of which I wanted), and I love hollandaise, so the poached eggs had potential (but also came with a bunch of things I didn't want).

Service followed the same format as other meals, with the "appetizer" round offered from a cart along with a round of drinks, bread basket passed through soon after, and hot dishes ordered in advance and delivered as ready.

I loved that they had a full coffee menu, all Illy pods, for espresso drinks.  A unique offering, and let me pick exactly the style of coffee I wanted.  They also had a standard pre-brewed carafe for those who didn't want to make decisions.

Table Setting.

Tables were set, and on the tray as it was set was a platter of fruit, no berries this time, but there was kiwi (yay!) but also ... melons.  All plated together already, so I had to skip, given my allergy.

The cereal was the same granola from the panna cotta that I didn't care for, or cornflakes, with only skim or whole milk available.  I skipped.  Yogurts were packaged Oikos that I don't really like.

Illy Coffee.

To go with my breakfast, I was excited to order from the extensive coffee menu, rather than just getting the house brewed option.  How often do you get to pick from 6 different roasts, all of varying intensities?  Kudos for having the Illy machine.

 Arabica Selection: Ethiopia Coffee.

"Floral notes of jasmine, orange blossom and chamomile. For a balanced taste."

I started with a light roast, Ethiopia, always a favorite region of mine, served as an Americano.

This was fine, pretty strong actually, and, if it was easier to do so, I would have asked for more hot water added, to weaken it just a bit.  It was nice to have a decent coffee, but I didn't find it particularly complex.

Espresso Decaf. 

"Decafinated espresso with delicate notes of caramel, toasted bread and chocolate with a sweet aftertaste."

Later, I swapped to decaf, and it was pretty similar.  I was thrilled to not have instant, but again, this wasn't particularly great.  But it certainly wasn't full of "decaf funk".  And again, I wanted a bit more hot water,.  Next time, I'll just order that way.

"Blueberry and Chocolate" Muffin.

A pastry basket came around soon after the appetizer cart, and I was fairly impressed, at least visually, with the lineup.  An assortment of fruit filled danishes that looked fairly crispy, plain croissants, shiny white rolls, and muffins.  I don't normally go for the breakfast pastries on flights, even though I adore baked goods, because they usually just are not good, but, these did look above average. 

I asked what kind of muffin it was, and was told "blueberry and chocolate" ... more on that part soon.  I had low expectations, but, I was drawn in by the streusel top.

The muffin was indeed above average.  It was not stale, it was not dry.  Quite moist actually.  It truly did taste "fresh".  The base didn't have any particular flavor to it though, nor did it have any fruit or mix-ins.  Fine, not extraordinary.

The top half was where the muffin shone.  The streusel topping I did enjoy, crumbly, sweet, slightly buttery.   Exactly what I like in a breakfast pastry.

As for the "blueberries and chocolate" ... well, there was certainly no chocolate.  There was some dried fruit on top, and only on top, and only in that one corner.  I didn't think it was blueberry, it seemed more like cranberries or some other mountain berry, but I can believe it was a particular variety of blueberry?  It was fine, but, I prefer juicy berries, I prefer them mixed in, and I did want chocolate!

Main: Selection of Dim Sum.

"Pan fried radish cake, pork dumpling, prawn dumpling, and vegetable dumpling."

I usually go for carby breakfasts, but, given the timing, and the option to actually have something like dim sum for breakfast, I was happy to go this route.

I was impressed when it showed up, a lovely platter.  I was asked if I take chop sticks, which were provided with a chopstick rest.  A soup spoon also came with the dim sum, I'm not quite sure why.

It was served with a spicy sauce, that I originally thought was ketchup, before tasting it.  I thought it was super strange to serve with ketchup, but the other breakfast items came with it, and I thought perhaps they thought I'd want for the radish cake?  I asked for soy sauce, which was quickly provided, and mixed nicely with the spicy sauce to form a great dipping sauce.

The lineup started a bit weak with the pan fried radish cake, 3 slices.  I just didn't like the flavor, and I do like radishes.  It tasted more like turnip, kinda bitter.  I wasn't into that.

Things got much better with the prawn dumpling though.  I'm not sure why I was served two prawn dumplings, and no vegetable dumpling, but this was a good accident.  Really, for airline dim sum, this delivered.  It was hot, the wrapper was not too thick nor too thin, and the filling?  Soooo juicy and succulent. I couldn't get over *how* much prawn was inside.  Soooo much prawn.  Definitely the best airline dim sum I've ever had (sorry, Cathay Pacific).

The pork dumpling though I hated!  The wrapper was fine, but the very, very meaty, very very porky filling just wasn't for me.

Overall, I was happy with my order.  A few pieces of dim sum for a savory element, followed by berries and muffin, made for a lighter, balanced, pretty nice breakfast.