Howl'n Good Specialty Popcorn

It is time.

Finally.

Time for me to introduce you to my all time favorite munchie.  You know how much I love my snacks,  and in particular, popcorn.  And this ... this is the best of all.

Let me introduce you to the glory of Howl'n Good Speciality Popcorn.  A popcorn maker, based in Lebanon, NH, my hometown.  In the summer, you can find them at farmer's markets in the area, making hot and fresh kettle corn on site, selling massive bags, with fresh squeezed lemonade to go alongside.  The aroma as they make it fresh permeates the surrounding area.  You cannot NOT go buy a bag.

Or, in my case, but many bags, vacuum seal them, and stash them in your freezer.  Because, as much as I love the smell of the hot, fresh kettle corn, it turns out, I like it much, much better frozen.  It gets crispier, the flavors pop more ... I just adore it.  And, you can store it this way basically forever.

All. The. Popcorn.

At the farmer's markets, Howl'n Good sells only on variety, classic kettle corn, but they also produce a wide range of flavors, from simple to spicy to plenty of sweet offerings.  Some are available in a handful of stores around town (like the Marsh Brothers Deli at the Little Store, which I've reviewed before) and at the holidays, you can order direct.

Update Review, December 2022

When I visited my family for the holidays this year, my mother stocked up on Howl'n popcorn for me.  She wasn't able to get it from them directly, as they didn't do a holiday popup this year, but they do stock it in three places places around town, rather odd assortment: the hospital gift shop, a random hardware store, and a sandwich shop (that is actually incredible Marsh Brothers Deli, which I've reviewed before).  So she went to them to see what flavors she could find.  

They didn't have any sweet flavors besides the kettle corn, and she vaguely remembered me not loving the others, but still got them anyway.  I was still happy to try them again, to see if my opinions had changed at all (they didn't really).  But the kettle corn was glorious as ever.

Garlic Parmesan.

I remembered not really caring for this one before, but I still tried it again.

I again wasn't a fan.  The garlic was quite strong, and although I use garlic in all my cooking and certainly like garlic, I just didn't care for it on my popcorn.  It just had a bit of a harsh, raw taste to me.  *+.  But my mom still enjoyed it, and she's a garlic lover.

Sour Cream & Chive.

Another flavor I had previously not really loved, but still tried again.

I liked it more this time, mainly due to the fact that it seemed much better coated.  Lots of sour cream powder, decent herby nature from chives.  It reminded me a bit of the powdered sour cream and onion powdery coating on Auntie Anne's pretzels.  I still would pick other flavors over this one, but it was pleasant enough.  ***.

Original Review, 2020 - 2021 Tastings

The Christmas of 2020, I was at my parent's house for a prolonged escape from Covid city life, and let's just say ... we went a little crazy ordering all the flavors available.

Classics

For those who prefer the simple classics, Howl'n has a few options for you, such as the "Simply Popcorn", which is just lightly salted, the aforementioned kettle corn, and a Movie Theater (aka buttered) version.

Of these, I've only ever had the kettle, but I've been devouring it for ... years at this point.  The business has even changed hands during my years of fandom, but I remain loyal.  I always stock up on kettle corn when I visit in both the summer and winter, and really, truly, fly back to San Francisco with an extra suitcase full of it, just to throw into my chest freezer.  I know this sounds crazy, but ... I just have never found any kettle corn that even rivals it.

Kettle.

Kettle corn.  The classic.  This is what they sell at the farmer's market, this is what I first fell in love it.  This may look like a very large bag, but, um, if I'm not careful, I can take down one of these in a night.  No question.

There is something magical about this kettle corn.  It strikes that perfect balance of sweet and salty.  Ok, really, it is probably *horrible* for me, as the salt level is over the top, as is the sweetness from the lightly candied pieces, but they play off each other in a way that just makes it downright addicting.  As my mouth gets overwhelmed by salt, I hunt for more sugar coated pieces to balance it out, and then, once I feel it getting too sweet, it is back to the salty ones. On repeat.  Until the bag is gone. 

The kernels are always perfectly popped, the candied pieces are super crispy, and it just adds up to being pure glory.  And addiction.  Total and complete addition.  I am powerless against this.

The best kettle corn, I've ever had.  No question.

*****.

Savory

If sweet and salty kettle corn is not your thing, Howl'n Good makes a number of savory options, ranging from mild to cheesy to fairly spicy.  These you must order specially around the holidays, or find around town.

Chip/Dip Flavored

I made up this category name, but, Howl'n makes an assortment of flavors that are the flavors of, well, usually potato chips and/or dips.  Savory, salty bases, with some kinds of spices. 

We tried a few from this category, but I choose to skip the ranch - always my sister's thing, and one I'm still ... skittish of, because of her extreme love (and over-usage) of ranch, that has just left me, uh, ranch averse?  We tried all the others though, perfect to munch on when you somehow don't want the sweet component, or want to serve alongside your lunch.

Salt and Vinegar.

First up, a very classic potato chip: salt and vinegar.

This one just messed with my head.  Yes, um, it was salt and vinegar.  Common flavor in chips, but, sooo different to have as popcorn, I'm not sure why.  The salt level was high.  The acid level was high.  It was not crazy intense, but certainly not mild.  

I couldn't ever figure out if I liked this one or not.  Mostly it just fascinated me.

***, glad to try it, but I probably wouldn't get it again.

Sour Cream and Chive.

Next up, Sour Cream and Chive, or, you know, slightly grown up sour cream and onion, which, at one point in my life, was a variety of chip I liked.  This popcorn was a ... very, very, very mild flavor.

I could tell it was a savory popcorn, as it did not have the kettle corn underlying it, but the sour cream and chive flavors were very muted.  The little bits of parsley and chives visible made me at least *think* chive, and herbs, but I can't say I tasted it at all.  Same with the sour cream, I could tell there was a powder coating, but, I didn't taste much if any.

The popcorn was well popped, fresh, but, just not much going on here.

**.  I wouldn't get again.

Spicy

While kettle corn is still my goto, sometimes I love a spicy popcorn just to mix it up, and Howl'n has a few in this category.  I tried both.

Sriracha.

First up, the most popular spicy condiment these days: sriracha.

The sriracha one took me by surprise.  No, not because it was crazy hot, but because the base is ... kettle corn.  Yes, sugar (and salt) coated kettle corn.  I was not expecting the sweet element. At all.  I thought this would be just spicy!

Once I realized it was a kettle corn base, I did like it - lightly spicy from the hot sauce, a savory element from garlic powder, and, well, sweet kettle corn.

The savory elements were very lightly applied, so this was a lighter style overall - a hint of everything, not a glazed/heavily coated flavor.

I liked it, found it quite munchable, but it did take an expectation re-set.

***.

Buffalo Bleu Cheese.

Next up, not a light offering.  The buffalo bleu cheese.

This one my mom picked.  I adore buffalo things (not wings, but, well, everything else, as in, the sauce and veggies and dippers!), but am pretty fickle when it comes to bleu cheese, so I was apprehensive about this one.  Still, it looked awesome, incredibly well coated.

The buffalo flavor was good.  I liked that.  But ... yeah, the bleu cheese, for me, just not a winner.  I think the popcorn undernearth it all was classic kettle corn too, and I'm not opposed to sweet and savory, but the sweet + buffalo + bleu cheese was very muddled for me, and I just really wasn't a fan.

Mom polished off the bag with no problem though!

*+, overall not for me.

Cheesy

And then there are days where you want cheesy fingers.  You know what I mean.  Like when you eat a bag of cheese puffs, and then gloriously suck all that powdered remains from your fingers like a child?

For these days, Howl'n has several options, two of which are cheddar: White Cheddar or Windy City Cheddar.  What is the difference?  I wanted to know too, so I e-mailed the owner to ask.  He told me, "The Windy City is an orange cheddar that is made with an extra cup of the cheese."  So, white cheddar is, uh, white cheddar, and Windy City is orange cheddar, and cheesier.  They also make a garlic parmesan, if you prefer a more "grown up" cheese.

Windy City Cheddar.

I opted for the Windy City Cheddar over the white cheddar.

This is classic cheddar popcorn.  The kind that gets your fingers totally coated in orange powder, and you love it.  The kind that you scarf, and then realize how gross you feel.  And the kind that the bag, the tub, whatever vessel it came in, gets depleted way, way, way too fast.  And you may have regrets.  But you love it at the time.

Wait, this doesn't happen to you?  Heh.

I really liked this one, and was glad I picked the Windy City Cheddar instead of the White Cheddar.

Really well coated in cheese, extremely cheesy, and just, well, good.  Very cheesy, very savory. Interestingly, in addition to the cheddar coating, there is some blue cheese in there, which luckily I didn't detect.  And buttermilk and whey, which I'm sure added to the lovely creamy coating.  (And, of course, yellow #x, y, and z!).

****, very good, but, best in moderation.  You've been warned.

Update Review (2021): I read my previous review of this popcorn with a bit of disbelief.  Um, I don't really care for cheddar popcorn/puffs in general.  Why did I like this so much?  I had to try it again.

And ... I again, LOVED it.  Soooooo cheesy, but, I like it.   But warning, this is a heavy popcorn, and it sits that way.  ****.  Again, you've been warned!

White Cheddar.

The next year, in addition to the Windy City Cheddar, I also got the white cheddar, to compare side by side.

It was definitely a more mild option, but still quite cheesy.  It didn't feel quite as heavy, and clearly didn't leave my fingers covered in orange.  The flavor was much like Smartfood, but the kernels were much better popped and fluffier.

I find this one better in terms of not making me feel sick if I eat too much, but also not quite as addicting.  

***+.

Garlic Parmesan.

My mother picked this one.

She's a bit of a garlic lover.  By which I mean, she loves garlic, so of course she picked this one.  I like garlic, but wasn't as excited by it as she was.

For me, it was ... ok.  The garlic flavor wasn't really there at first, but it came through on the finish.  There was some light cheesiness, but parmesan isn't really the type of cheesy I like.  

Fine, but kinda boring for me.

I only enjoyed this when I was really in the mood for 1) mildly savory and 2) cheesy, which, just isn't often.

***, but my mom was glad to finish it off.

Sweet

And then, the sweet popcorns.  Chocolate lovers can pick from chocolate glazed on its own, to mixed with strawberry or caramel.  Caramel lovers can go for caramel glazed, the aforementioned caramel and chocolate mix, or, mixed with apple, aka, Caramel Apple.  During certain times of year they also ofer a red hot cinnamon, but I have yet to get my hands on that.

Many of the sweet varieties use kettle corn as the base, so they are not simply sweet, but sweet and salty.

Chocolate Glazed.

I started with the basic chocolate glazed, not wanting to mix flavors, to really evaluate the chocolate flavor on its own.

It was, well, standard kettle corn, sweet and salty, with a chocolate glaze, with cocoa powder in the mix with the sugar coating.  Somehow in my mind I was picturing a more decadent popcorn, *drizzled* not glazed, but I'm not sure where I got that idea from.

It was fine, but not very chocolately.  When I want chocolate popcorn, I tend to want very, very coated/covered popcorn, like the pieces in Harry & David's signature Moose Munch popcorn.  Or perhaps a mild one like the Dark Chocolate and Himalayan Sea Salt from Lesser Evil, if I'm in the mood for a healthier version.

So this was fine, and it was as advertised, glazed, not coated.

***.

Chocolate Strawberry.

I wanted to try a fruity flavor, and since it wasn't available individually, I had to go for the mix of chocolate and strawberry, always a great pairing.

The chocolate was the same as the unmixed, except that it was not kettle corn base, no salty element.

The strawberry was really, really interesting.  One of the most flavorful and intense varieties of popcorn I tried, incredibly fruity, and it too was not kettle corn, no salt.  Artificial flavor, and red #40, nothing more, but it was intensely fruity (although not necessary "strawberry").   Very candied.  It reminded me of a candied apple, bright red, and overkill on the sugar.  I liked it.  But you really had to be in the mood for candied popcorn.

I wasn't necessarily into the mix, but I liked picking through it, when in the mood for chocolate going for the most intensely chocolate pieces hiding in there, and when in the mood for sweet, the strawberry, and balancing it all out with the lesser coated pieces in-between.

Really a unique flavor, and, when in the mood for a well-coated, sweet and fruity treat, this certainly delivered.

And yes, best frozen!

****, but only when in the mood.

Caramel Glazed.

And finally, the caramel glazed.

Again, *glazed*, not coated, but there were some pieces in here that were very, very glazed.  I adored them.  They were balanced out by the rest, also sweet, but just regular sweet and salty kettle corn.

This certainly isn't stick-your-teeth-together style caramel corn, but rather, just a nice light coating of deep, lovely caramel flavor from both brown sugar and molasses.  

I appreciated this flavor quite a bit, still sweet, sweet decadent, but didn't leave me feeling awful after I inhaled the bag.

****.

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Desserts from La Mousse

Desserts, baked goods, my favorite things to review.  And by "review", you know I mean "eat".  Even if they are not from traditional bakeries.

Like, La Mousse, a wholesale bakery providing to restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses.  I know it isn't quite fair to publish reviews of items that you can't just walk into a store and buy, but, you can find La Mousse products all around, they just might not be labelled with the brand.  And so it goes for wholesale bakeries, people eat their goods all the time, and just don't know it.

Anyway, La Mousse.

"La Mousse Desserts taste the same today as it did on the day when Nadine Korman first created them over 34 years ago. Every dessert is prepared by hand using the finest quality ingredients- from real butter to real eggs to real cream. La Mousse, the pursuit of sweet perfection, sets the standard of quality."

Based in LA, distributed nationwide, all products are distributed frozen. They make about 120 products, including mousses, specialty cakes, cheesecakes, scones, bundt cakes, cookies, bars, fat-free muffins, banquet cakes, bites, petites and hors d’oeuvres.  They claim to take no shortcuts, "not settling for anything but the best".  

I've tried an assortment of their cakes, pies, and bars, and was never particularly impressed.  

Update 2023: I took several years off from trying these products, but the past year my office has started sourcing items from them again, so, eventually I caved and tried more.  I'm still not impressed.

Cakes

La Mousse makes 10 full size "Specialty Cakes" and several petites carried year round, plus additional holiday specials.  Most are layered cakes.

I've tried several, and although they tend to look really good, the cake really isn't ever good.

Petite Boston Cream Pie.

"Layers of white cake filled with a layer of fudge, chocolate mousse, and a layer of custard, topped with homemade fudge and white swirls." - Gourmet Express, Wholesale Distributor

"A layer of white cake topped with rich chocolate mousse, creamy custard and finished with a layer of chocolate ganache and white chocolate drizzle. " -- La Mousse

The first one I tried, a old favorite of mine, Boston Cream Pie!  It wasn't bad, actually.

The cake (bottom layer) was dry and boring, but, the rest was good.

The custard layer was thick and creamy.  The middle layer, milk chocolate mousse, was creamy and fluffy, with a decent chocolate flavor for a milk chocolate.  The fudge/chocolate ganache on top was awesome, really thick, really rich, intensely chocolatey.  I liked the sweet white chocolate drizzled on top too.

Was it real Boston Cream Pie?  Not at all.  The custard was far too thick to be real Boston cream.  The two different chocolate layers were a bit strange, I've never seen milk chocolate mousse in Boston cream pie.  But, I did enjoy the top 3 layers quite a bit, so, not really complaining.

I've had these several times, and felt the same way every time, pleasantly surprised by how good the cream layer, the mousse layer, and the ganache in particular are. One of the better items.  ***+.

Boston Cream Pie (full size slice).

"Two layers of white cake are filled with a layer of fudge, a layer of chocolate mousse and a layer of custard. The entire dessert is topped with homemade fudge." - Gourmet Express, Wholesale Distributor

So, if the above were the "petite" version, you know that means they make a full size one too!  And here you have it, the full layer cake.  Same types of layers, just, more of them.

Cake, custard, fudge, mousse.

I again was impressed.  Not with the cake, that was certainly a throwaway component, but the rest was quite good.  The custard rich and creamy, the chocolate mousse had great flavor, and the darker, thicker, richer ganache was wonderful.

I'll gladly have more of these, just, minus the boring cake parts of course.  ***+.

Lemon Cake.

"Three layers of moist lemon cake filled with lemon cream custard and covered with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

This cake looked decent.  Promising, with all the white chocolate on the outside.

But ... it was not tasty.

The cake was incredibly dry.  And flavorless.  "Moist lemon cake"?  No.

The layer of cream filling was mushy and not ... creamy?  Even the white chocolate was fairly flavorless.

I couldn't find a component of this that I enjoyed. *.

Coconut Whiteout.

"Whipped cream and coconut covers three layers of fluffy white cake, apricot jam and cream custard between the layers."

This was also not tasty.  It wasn't bad exactly, but there was nothing good about it.

Dry, plain, stale-ish vanilla cake.  Flavorless cream custard between the layers.  A bit of sweet apricot jam.  Flavorless white cream topping.  Lots of coconut on the exterior. *.

German Chocolate Cake.

"Two layers of rich choc. cake, layered and topped w/blend of sweet butter, cream, coconut and pecans. Fudgy frosting w/white chocolate leaves."

I couldn't get over the toppings on this one.  And, that VERY, VERY thick layer of coconut pecan frosting filling!!!

Starting from the top.  The large white chocolate "leaves" were fine, sweet, creamy, white chocolate as expected.  Sadly, they were the highlight.

The other element on top was a decoration made from the same thick, rich fudge frosting that also coated the backside.  The frosting wasn't really that rich, not chocolately, and not remarkable in any way.

And then ... the other frosting.  Shredded coconut, mixed with chopped pecans, and buttercream.  So much of it.  It was sweet, it was gooey, but it was pretty standard, again, not remarkable in any way.

Then the cake.  Chocolate cake.  Boring, dry, not moist, not intense.  Just cake.

Overall, this was just boring. It was the quality level of what you'd expect from a home baker, who used a box of mix, a can frosting, and somehow developed the piping skills for the rosette on top.  **.

German Chocolate Cake (September 2018).

Even though I really disliked it last time, I couldn't resist trying it when it was featured at our dinner again.  I mean, *look* at those toppings!

But, it was again, truly not good.  I love sweet frosting, and pecans, and coconut, but this frosting doesn't deliver in any way.  Mushy coconut, just sweet, sigh.  I tried so hard to like at least that part, but alas, nope.

And the white chocolate on top, still the best part I guess, but not remarkable, it was a lower end waxy style.

Note to self: really, give up on this cake, no matter how good it looks! **.

Petite White Christmas Yule Log. December 2019.

"White chocolate genoise cake with a cream and raspberry filling, topped with white chocolate ganache and Christmas decoration."

For the holidays, La Mousse makes classic yule logs, both milk chocolate and white chocolate coated versions (the former with mocha cake, the later with vanilla).  They come in multiple sides - full size, elaborately decorated ones, or, "petite" individual servings, which I had.

While the decorations on the petite ones are not as extensive, just some "bark" ridged frosting and a decorative holly berry (?), I found them even more adorable than the full size (those have poinsettias, mini mushrooms, and more on top!).

These were as tasty as they were good looking.

The cake is rolled with raspberry cream and a thin layer of milk chocolate, to create the ringed look.  The cake was fairly average, just vanilla cake, but it was decently moist and light, and really was just a conduit for all the other components.

The raspberry and chocolate cream filling was slightly fruity and slightly chocolately, neither flavor too pronounced, but they combined nicely, and accented the otherwise plain cake.

The entire thing is coated in white chocolate ganache, fluffy, sweet, and definitely delicious.

And finally, the holly berry topping, with a sweet crunchy white chocolate leaf and little berries that seemed like marzipan.  I loved both toppings.

I liked how this came together, and I added some white chocolate ice cream on top, and loved it even more (for me, cake always needs ice cream with it, even when it already has excellent frosting components ...). ***+.

One negative aspect of these is just ... how not wholesome they are.  Now, I know this is a dessert item, but I was still impressed (and not really in a good way) at the ingredients.  Manufacturing cream is #1. High fructose corn syrup, lots of emulsifiers,  and lecithins, interesting items like "sugared egg yolks" and "liquid egg whites" ...

Cheesecake

They also make a slew of cheesecakes, including seasonal ones (of course they have a pumpkin one for fall), and some petites as well.

The cheesecake fared much better than the cakes.

Petite New York Cheesecake.

"A delicious blend of sour cream and cream cheese slowly baked on top of graham cracker crust and topped with ground almonds."

Wow, this was really excellent cheesecake.

The base was a standard compressed graham cracker crust, not really my favorite thing, it always seems like such a throwaway crust to me.

But the cheesecake.  This was excellent!  Rich and creamy, the perfect texture, perfect intense tang from the use of sour cream alongside the cream cheese.  I was really, really impressed with the quality of the cheesecake.

On top was ground almond crumble, which I also liked.  It added some texture and crunch, and bit of interest to the top of the cheesecake.  Others weren't fond of it though.

Overall though, I thought this was excellent.  ***+.

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake.

"Creamy dark chocolate and luscious cheesecake perfectly blended atop a chocolate cookie crust.  The top is decorated with a white chocolate marbled design."

Sorry for the bad photo here, it really lacks a lot of the detail of this one.  The top did indeed have a chocolate / white chocolate marble design, and the side was coated in a chocolate cookie crust.

So, it looked decent.  The taste though?  Not so good.

The base was a "chocolate cookie crust", but it really seemed cake like, dark, dry, cake.  Nothing good there.  The majority of it was the "luscious cheesecake" that also seemed more like a cake, in a really strange way.  It wasn't smooth and creamy as cheesecake should be.  It wasn't rich.  It was ... just kinda pasty, a strange texture, and not a good mouthfeel.

The dark chocolate on top was perhaps the best part, but there is nothing much to say about it besides that it wasn't awful. **.

Bars

La Mousse invests heavily in their line of bars, double the size of any other product line, clearly one of their top sellers for retail.  I never really want bars, but, I've tried many over the years through our catering department.  They ... are pretty awful.  

Apple Cobbler Bar.

"Our famous shortbread is filled with a towering portion of fresh apples and cinnamon, then finished with a cobbler topping. " 

This was not good.

I'm not sure what is famous about the shortbread, it just seemed like any old shortbread.

The apple layer was extremely mushy.

The "cobbler" was mostly oats, not buttery, and mushy too.

It basically tasted like applesauce with some mushy oats on top.

I did not like this. *.

Strawberry Cobbler Bar.

"Our light and flaky shortbread crust is filled with a natural strawberry jam and dried cranberries, topped with a delicious cobbler topping and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. "

Next, the strawberry cobbler.

Not any better.

Same crust.

"Strawberry" layer actually meant strawberry jam and ... cranberries?  Fruity, sure, but not very good.

And the cobbler topping was different, less cobbles even, and coated in powdered sugar.  

Meh. *.

[ No Photo ]

Blueberry Cobbler Bar.

"A shortbread crust is filled with blueberry jam, dried blueberries and dried apples."

Ok, finally.  One I didn't hate.  Although, honestly, it seemed to have the same composition as the others (it should be the same crust and cobble right?), and they did add dried apples to the blueberry (why!)

I didn't think it was extraordinary or anything, but, the bar was sweet, the crumbles gave good texture, and the fruity layer was sweet (and luckily, I didn't taste the apple!).

I would really call this a dessert, at least not for me, but perhaps with some whipped cream it could be one?  I found it more breakfast appropriate, alongside a coffee ... **+.

Pumpkin Cobbler Bar. (Seasonal).

"Buttery shortbread crust layered with pecan pieces and a creamy pumpkin pie filling and topped with brown sugar crumble topping."

This bar had some good elements.

The pumpkin layer was great.  It was well spiced, and a thick, creamy texture.  I loved that layer.  I also liked the pecans mixed in, and think the pumpkin + pecan combo is a match made in heaven - I always take a slice of pumpkin and a slice of pecan pie at Thanksgiving, so, I liked the flavor combination, and the extra texture.

But just like the other bars, I didn't like the crumble top.  I didn't like the shortbread crust.  Both were dry and strange tasting.

Luckily, the bars were huge, and the pumpkin + pecan layers generous, so I just extracted them, added whipped cream, and was quite happy. **+.

Butter Brickle Blondie.

"A butter brickle, chocolate chip brownie with chopped walnuts. " - La Mousse

"These creamy and chewy butter brickle choc. chip blondies are exquisite!" - GourmetXpress, Distributor

I fall firmly in the "cookies and bars are not desserts" camp ... unless warmed up and made a la mode or something.  So this blondie?  Yup, just a bar.

It was chewy, it had walnuts and chocolate chips, but ... yeah, a bar. Not my thing. **.

Pecan Square.

"A shortbread layer is topped with the most wonderfully chewy mixture of dark syrup, brown sugar, butter and lots and lots of pecan pieces."

I adore pecan pie, so, pecan bars are one of the few types of bars that I tolerate.

But these I didn't care for.

The shortbread crust was ok, soft, buttery, sweet, but the gooey layer above it had a strange flavor (it had honey and brown sugar, both which I like, but didn't work together well here).  The pecans were chopped and kinda burnt tasting.

Not a success. *+.

Dulce De Leche Bar.

"Shortbread crust with butter brickle candy and topped with Dulce de Leche cheese and decorated with Dulce de Leche cheese frosting and caramel." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Our buttery shortbread crust is layered with a crunchy butter brickle, Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and dulce de leche frosting. Each bar is then decorated with dulce de leche drizzle. " -- La Mousse

I did not like this either.

The shortbread crust, again, lackluster.

The cheesecake was just too sweet, and not a great consistency.  Kinda mushy. *.

Dulce de Leche Cheese Bar (2023).

"Our buttery shortbread crust is layered with a crunchy butter brickle, Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and dulce de leche frosting. Each bar is then decorated with dulce de leche drizzle."

I don't know why I keep trying La Mousse bars.  But I do.  I forgot that I had tried this before, and not like it.  But I like dulce de leche after all ...

The base was the same as all the others - not a delightful buttery shortbread as advertised.  Soft, crumbly in not a good way, fairly throwaway.

Above that, dense sorta-cheesecake.  It is thick, not particularly cream cheese flavored, nor particularly dulce de leche inspired.  At least it wasn't cloying sweet?  Really, it is hard to describe, because it was relatively uninteresting.  Sweet, dense, quasi-cheesecake. The drizzle on top was perhaps the best part. 

Meh. **.

Egg Nog Bar.

"Decadent Egg Nog cheesecake with a hint of rum on a shortbread crust." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

I really don't know why I keep trying these.

Soft, stale, low end shortbread crust.

Mushy not very good cheesecake that tasted vaguely like egg nog.  MEH. *.

Chocolate Cherry Brownie.

"A dense fudge like brownie is covered with a glace cherry filling and finished with bittersweet chocolate drizzle.  A cherry chocolate dream."

Eh.  These weren't great either.  The texture was odd, softer than a brownie, more like a ganache than a cake.  Not that ganache is bad, but these weren't really something you could pick up, and, the bar itself just wasn't anything special.

The glace cherry topping was sweet and gave it a very "low end" feel, but if you like those kind of cherries, and you like the chocolate cherry combo, perhaps these were good. *+.

Creme Brulee Cheese Bar.

"We start off with a shortbread crust and bake it with creamy cheesecake, rich custard and vanilla bean specks and top it with a caramel glaze."

By now you likely know how I feel about crème brûlée, given that I have a label on my blog devoted to it.  I also do like cheesecake.  But, I don't tend to like La Mousse's bars, so I was slightly wary of this one.

It was ... mediocre.  The crust was the same as other items, which isn't particularly great.  They say shortbread, but shortbread should be more buttery and sweet.  This is not a shortbread to be excited about, and is just a step about a throwaway crust.

The cheesecake/custard/whatever it is had a reasonable consistency, thick, sorta like a flan, but, more cream cheese forward.  Not really a great cheesecake, not really a great flan.  But not awful.

The topping is brulee-eque in looks, but is just a soft topping, so it lacks the actual fun part of a crème brûlée with a great candy shell to break in to.

So, overall, definitely not as a decent cheesecake, certainly not a real brulee, and overall just kinda "eh". ***.

Mocha Crunch: Top View.

 "Two layers of Bavarian mocha cake filled with a mixture of whipped cream and butter brickle pieces, topped with Bavarian chocolate ganache and covered with Heath Bar chunks."

The first ingredient in this bar?  Manufacturing cream.  Then English toffee.  Then sugar and vegetable oil.  Does that tell you what you need to know about this bar?  Yeah, there are "liquid egg whites" and "sugared egg yolks" in there too, plus espresso, butter brickle candy, and chocolate, and more, but, uh, not exactly wholesome.

The top layer was fine, just chocolate ganache and Heath bar bits.  I do adore my Heath Bar from time to time (it was my long time favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor when I was younger!) 

Mocha Crunch: Side.

From the side, you can see the other layers, with the mocha cake and cream layers.

These, however, were awful.  The cake was mocha flavored, but, it was both dry and cardboard like at the same time.  Really not tasty at all.  And the cream filling?  Flavorless, and also strange texture.

I pealed off some topping, but, otherwise, this was not a winner. *.

Mocha Crunch Bar (2023).

"Two layers of mocha cake filled with a mixture of whipped cream and pieces of butter brickle, topped with chocolate frosting and covered with pieces of heath bar candy."

This product *should* be good.  Heath bar candy topping.  Chocolate frosting.  Butter brickle.  Whipped cream.  I mean, really, how could that NOT be good?  I don't know, but somehow La Mousse makes these great components not good in any way.

I had this many years ago, and didn't care for it then, but, I've been on a Heath bar kick lately, so I wanted to give it another try.

Where to start.  The cake was dry.  It didn't taste like mocha.  The whipped cream had an odd taste and texture.  The frosting was essentially non-existent.  Even the pieces of heath bar couldn't save this, as I tried to extract them from the rest of the disaster, but couldn't really.

Really not good. *.

Tortes

La Mousse doesn't call any of their creations "pies", but there is a "torte" category which includes, um, a pecan pie.

Pecan Pie.

"Pecan pieces w/dark syrup, brown sugar & sweet butter, poured into a shortbread crust, topped w/pecan halves meticulously placed, glazed." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Large pecan pieces combined with dark corn syrup, brown sugar and butter are poured into a buttery shortbread crust and topped with hand placed glazed mammoth pecan halves. " -- La Mousse

Well, ooph.  Pecan pie isn't ever a light pie, but this was a particularly heavy pie.  In physical weight, too.  It literally weighs 5.3 lbs.

Huge slices, super lofty, and dense.

Pecan Pie: Cross Section.

As you can see from the cross section, the color of the filling was very dark.  It was a rich gooey custard, with a stronger flavor than I am accustomed to in pecan pie.  I couldn't place the flavor though, it wasn't quite molasses, but it was more than just corn syrup and brown sugar.  I couldn't tell at first if I liked it or not, it was quite strong, and in the end, I decided I did not like it.

The pecans on top were very generously applied, several layers deep.  Plenty of pecan in this pie.

The crust was tasty, a soft, sweet, buttery shortbread, but, the pie itself I just didn't care for.  **.

Read More...

The Sarap Shop

This is the story of a food truck, not my normal dining destination, but one I have been Instagram stalking pretty much since it opened.  Why?  Well, besides having a menu that is full of things I adore (pork belly! ube!), and a slew of raving Yelp reviews, it was started by a chef I know from his time when he worked at the cafe at my office.  I loved his story, and wanted to support it ... and, of course, eat delicious things.

"The heart of Filipino culture is rooted in our bold hospitality — the ability to quickly turn strangers to friends to chosen family members. This is the magic we've been able to experience ourselves as first-gen Fil-Am Bay Area kids."

The food truck is called The Sarap Shop, and their cuisine is Filipino-American comfort food.  Oh yes.  Hence, the pork belly and ube, and menu that calls out to me.  The menu is also extremely dietary constraints friendly - many items are actually vegan, most can be made gluten-free, and everything is very clearly marked with allergens.  They were early on board with working with Impossible meat, found in a curry version of lumpia and in loco moco from their regular specials menu, and one of the most lauded dishes is actually their tofu sisig.  This is a place that those who want to devour pork belly wrapped in carby pita with fries can dine side-by-side with a vegan gluten-free friend eating the signature tofu sisig salad.  

The Sarap Shop has certainly had an interesting past few years, as have all businesses in the food service industry amongst a pandemic.  Their original location was inside Chase Arena ... and, uh, people weren't exactly going to games in the first phases of the pandemic.  They pivoted to meal kits for home delivery, introduced a retail line of sauces, and, opened the food truck in Parklab Gardens, an outdoor, covid-friendly environment.  They thrived, Yelpers loved it, and thus, I had to visit, bringing along a group of co-workers, as we did a lunch and mini golf outing.  I soon returned on my own when the craving hit.

The food truck closed down recently, but they are pivoting their operations (they have a commercial kitchen and interesting stuff in the works), and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Part of our Feast!

My first visit, I visited with a group of 15 people, so I was able to see, and taste, nearly all of the menu.  Everything was good, everyone was pleased with their food, and there were some clear standouts, at least to me: the pork belly (both sisig and adobo, because, duh, well cooked pork belly is a thing of beauty) and ... the ube fries.  ZOMG, the ube fries.

Setting

The Sarap Shop has two main locations, and a commissary offsite where much of the prep is done.  In addition, they offer catering delivered to you.  Our visit was to the food truck, in Parklab Gardens.   I haven't seen the location inside Chase Arena, so I can't comment on that, but I think it is just a concession stand.

The Truck.

The "truck" is really a tailer, located in Parklab Gardens alongside a few others, which is its permanent home. 

The menu is available in pictorial form right in front where the order window is.  Once ready, food comes out the side window.

Specials.

The main menu at Sarap Shop is based around 3 main concepts: rice bowls (with golden, seasoned jasmine rice and a small side salad), pita sandwiches (which include fries, slaw, and aioli inside), and salads.  You can get your choice of protein prepared in most of the styles, where proteins range from pork belly (two ways, as adobo or sisig), tofu (in their signature sisig prep), or crispy boneless chicken strips.  The menu usually has a few specials as well, like their play on loco moco made with Impossible Beef and a crowd pleasing carbonara.

Besides the main entrees, the "snacks" portion of the menu is a cross between what I consider appetizers and side dishes, and all are deep fried.  Calamari, fries, and lumpia (both regular pork or an interesting vegan impossible burger curry version).  Sometimes specials like onion rings show up here.  Portions of these are quite large, and are great for sharing.

The menu is rounded out by two signature milk teas, both soy based and vegan, one a play on halo halo and the other coffee based with flan.  These are available in individual bottles, or, jugs.  There are no desserts on the menu.

Savory Food

Our group ordered, well, nearly everything.  I got to try rice bowls, salads, snacks, and all the specials.  Pork belly adobo, pork belly sisig, tofu sisig, fried chicken, carbonara, calamari ... yup, we got it all.  The only thing no one ordered was the lumpia or pita wraps, which I didn't notice until I went to write this up.  Next time ...

Side Salad. $3.

"Cabbage mix, carrots, corn, and tomatoes tossed in a house-made calamansi poppy seed dressing."

I started with something a bit boring - a side salad.  This is also used as part of the rice bowls (they come with a scoop of rice and a scoop of this), and is the base for all of the salad dishes.   But why did I get a boring side salad?  Let me explain.

Rather than order a main dish myself, I opted to order this, along with two fried "Snacks" for myself, and had alliances formed with 5 people to try portions of *their* main dishes in exchange for trying the snacks.  Basically, I'd get to sample most of the menu, and have a slew of fried goodness, several carb laden pastas, and fatty fatty pork belly headed my way.  I wanted the side salad to combat all the heavy food.  Balance, you know.

It turned out to be a refreshing pairing, which is what I was looking for.  Crispy shredded cabbage and carrots, juicy tomatoes, and ... cooked corn.  I'll admit, the corn didn't really do it for me - I like corn, but cold cooked corn was not my favorite.  I like hot corn on the cob, cold roasted corn in salads, or fresh raw corn, or corn nuts, but cold cooked corn ... kinda eh for me.  I also wished for something acidic, like some harsh red onion.  It just felt a bit incomplete, which maybe is ok, as it is usually considered the base of the meal, not a standalone salad.

The dressing was vinaigrette style, with a bit of crunch from poppy seeds, and acid from the calamansi.

Overall this was fine, but not something I'd get again.  I also found it odd that they have no salad base option with leafy greens, which I think would make a better eating experience, both as a side here, but also for the salad dishes.

**+, but a great value for just $3.

Calamari Bistek. $10.75. ("Snack")
+ Extra Yay-ioli Garlic Sauce ($0.50) + Extra Ahy! Sauce I'm Spicy ($0.50)

"Crispy, crunchy calamari tossed in a citrusy, savory bistek sauce. Topped with caramelized onions, aioli, and lemons for an extra fresh slap of flavor to the face."

Next came one of the "snacks", and perhaps the item I was actually most looking forward to.  Calamari.  Fried calamari.  I know you can get fried calamari many places, in many styles, ranging from Italian style breaded and fried and served with marinara, to tempura battered and served with aioli, to fish and chips style beer bettered, etc, but it had been ages since I had good fried calamari, and I was really craving it.  I couldn't wait to see what they did with the bistek sauce, and I'm definitely all over caramelized onions and aioli!

The calamari portion was generous, and included individual rings and larger pieces.  All were thickly breaded in a crispy coating, truly crispy and crunchy.  The coating seemed quite flavorful, I thought it was in the batter, but perhaps that was the bistek sauce it was tossed with after frying?  Either way, super savory and delicious.

The execution of the calamari was done properly, not a chewy bit to be found, and the coating covered the pieces well and didn't crumble or break off, as so often happens.  Great job with the breading and frying of these!

So, calamari, well prepared, flavorful.  Definitely a heavier fried item, this batter wasn't for wimps.  And then the toppings, which ... were eh.  The onions weren't caramelized as described, but rather, seemed pickled?  Certainly not what I think of as caramelized onions, but they did add a nice punch of acid.  They would have been great with the side salad.  There were two bits of lemon that I wanted to use to squeeze over the calamari, but they were too small to really be effective.

Finally, the dipping sauce, aioli (the larger container shown above).  It was good, a vegan garlic aioli.  I wanted something more flavorful, so I am glad I added on a side of their spicy dipping sauce too ($0.50), and that was actually the perfect pairing for me, creamy and spicy.  In the future, I'd ask for that instead of the regular aioli.

Overall, this was a well prepared dish, had good flavor, and a unique coating.  I wished it was served hotter though, as it was rather lukewarm when I got  it(they were crazy busy with a slew of orders though, so, I get it), and the toppings weren't really what I was looking for.  It also was a heavier breading than I was craving, but I did love the crunchy factor it added.

I'm not sure I'd get it again, but I was glad to try it.  I did have a little left over, and crisped it back up in my toaster oven at home, and it was actually much better, as it was then piping hot.

*** originally, but ***+ leftover.

Dirty Style Onion Rings $9. (Toppings on the side)

"Crispy and crunchy golden brown onion rings with a drizzle of our Ahy! I’m Spicy Sauce, Yay-ioli Garlic Sauce, and house slaw."

My next visit to Sarap Shop I was hoping to get the calamari again, as I was craving fried food, but, alas, they were out of it.  I wasn't too upset though, as they had the onion rings back in stock (those were out of stock when I visited the first time), and I had been eying them too.  Available regular, with ketchup, or, as I got them, "Dirty Style".  Normally the toppings come on top, but I asked for them on the side, knowing I wouldn't finish them, and would want to be able to nicely reheat at home.

The onion rings were quite good.  And, served piping hot, right out of the fryer.  Crispy, all assorted size rings, nicely drained, greasy in just the good ways.  They totally and completely hit the spot on a hot (and hungover, sssh!) day.   

I quite liked all the "toppings" too.  The slaw was actually just great to eat on its own, I think they tossed it fresh to order with the dressing so it was really crisp, and it was not over dressed.  I think it was the same calamansi poppy dressing that came with my side salad?  Very good slaw, regardless, and nice to have the light contrast with the onion rings.

Both sauces I had before, and was happy to have again.  They worked great with the onion rings, and while I'm sure the regular onion rings with just ketchup would be good too, even if you don't go full on dirty style, I recommend getting at least one of these sauces on the side to dip.

Overall, just a nicely executed dish, and if I was craving fried food, and there was no calamari, I'd get them again, no hesitation.  ****.

Lechon Sisig Carbonara Pasta. $15.
(Special Entree)

"Spaghetti noodles tossed in our housemade creamy and dreamy carbonara sauce. Topped with roasted pork belly sisig, longanisa bacon bits, and shaved parmesan."

Ok, now we were getting to the main dishes.

Sisig carbonara is a regular special on the menu, available both in lechon and tofu versions.  I knew this would be a very filling dish, so I opted to just steal a portion of each from dining companions, knowing I could always order more if I wanted it.

The base of both versions is spaghetti carbonara.  The pasta was well coated, creamy, and rich.  This is comfort food, through and through.  But really, although the heavy pasta is comforting enough, the real appeal here is the toppings.  Here we had bits of pork belly sisig, which was everything I wanted it to be - juicy, fatty, flavorful.  Who knew sisig sauce and carbonara would pair so well together?    

But this dish kept giving.  Longanisa bacon bits, large shards of parmesan, fresh chopped green onion, diced red onion.  Soo much going on here.  Textures, textures, textures, and I appreciated the acidic onions to slightly balance things out.

Overall, a very unique dish, very rich, and perfect if you have a big appetite and want a gut filler.  For a lunchtime outing, when trying all the other things, it was definitely not an ideal choice, but I think it would make a great dinner on a winter day.

***+ as an overall dish, **** for the pork belly sisig alone.

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Lechon Sisig Rice Bowl. $14.25.

"Roasted pork belly, onions, garlic, and serrano peppers sautéed in our savory and citrusy Super Sisig Sauce. Served with golden java rice and a side of our house cabbage salad with calamansi poppy seed dressing."

I also got a chance to try the Lechon Sisig Rice Bowl, but sadly didn't get a photo.  

It featured the same lechon sisig, bits of chopped up pork belly in flavorful sauce that was totally addicting, and even though I'm not a rice girl, the rice served alongside was really well seasoned, and the side salad added a fresh component.  Just a really well rounded dish, and, swoon, that pork belly sisig. 

It was my favorite of the savory foods, and I'd get it again in a heartbeat.  ****.

Tofu Sisig Carbonara Pasta. $14.
(Special Entree)

"Spaghetti noodles tossed in our house creamy and dreamy carbonara sauce. Topped with shaved parmesan and our best selling tofu sisig, a garlicky, citrusy, spicy stir-fry."

Another companion got the tofu version of the Carbonara, and I'm quite glad he did, as the tofu sisig is a signature item at Sarap Shop.  Vegans and omnivores alike praise it, in the rice bowl, the salad, or, as we had it, on the carbonara.

The base pasta was the same, but this time, instead of bits of pork belly sisig and longanisa bacon bits, we had bits of tofu sisig and ... corn nuts!  Yup, they mimic the crispy bacon bits and pork belly crackling with corn nuts here.  Vegans do not lose out on texture, and in fact, I think they even win.  I really liked the extra crunch from the corn nuts.

The tofu sisig was quite good ... for tofu.  Honestly, probably more enjoyable than most any other firm tofu dish I've had.  The pieces were all just under bite sized, which worked well, and they were crisp yet bouncy, and the sisig sauce added the flavor punch.  It also had plenty of garlic, which went very well with the creamy carbonara.  I certainly preferred the pork belly sisig though.

I appreciate the thought and care that went into crafting the vegetarian version of the sisig, and I see why it gets such praise.  But for me ... pork belly all the way.

***+.

I Love My Ado(bro) Salad. $14.25.

"Pork belly slow braised in our house adobo sauce, a tamari and vinegar-based marinade. Topped with crispy fried okra. Served as a salad over cabbage mix, carrots, corn, and tomatoes with a side of house calamansi poppy seed dressing."

And finally, one final entree, which I ordered at the end when I realized no one had gotten the full on pork belly experience.  The ado(bro) features pork belly prepared a more classic way, served as full slices of pork belly.  This is available as a rice bowl, wrap, or salad, and I opted for salad knowing the pork belly would be quite heavy.

The salad base was the same as my side salad, just a bigger portion.  Fresh, crisp, shredded cabbage, juicy colorful tomatoes, and that same cooked cold corn and dressing.  Eh, but, it also soaked up all the juices from the pork belly, which infused it with plenty of flavor, and definitely took it up a notch compared to the side salad.  When I brought some leftovers home, I decided to stir fry them rather than eat it cold (since it was a bit soggy), and it stir fried beautifully, the fats and oils from the pork belly really infused it, and the corn was much better stir fried too!

But back to the salad.  I got this for the pork belly.  And it delivered.  The portion was quite sizable, 6-7 full slices, of well cooked pork belly.  Juicy, fatty, slightly crispy.   Fat rendered well, nothing chewy, just, melt in your mouth.  The adobo sauce was flavorful, although I think I slightly preferred the sisig sauce, as it had the heat from the serrano peppers too.  

This is topped with fried okra pieces, which certainly was a unique element.  I'm not sure I liked it though - the fried bits with the fatty pork belly was just rather heavy, and the okra was well ... okra.  Although fried and crispy, it was kinda gooey and slimy inside.  I'm not sure what would have worked better - the crunch was a good touch, but ... yeah, I dunno.

While I appreciated the freshness the salad base provided, I think the rice bowl may be a better pick with the generous amount of pork belly, as the salad alone didn't quite balance it out in the way a more mellow carb like the rice would, or the pita from the wrap version.  I took the leftovers home and served it on top of mashed potatoes, which worked surprisingly well!

**** for very well prepared pork belly.  I kinda wish they offered just the pork belly adobo as a "snack" option ...

All the Sauces! $15 each.
Yay-ioli Garlic Sauce, Super Sarap Sauce, Ahy! Sauce I'm Spicy.

Sarap Shop uses some signature sauces in their dishes, and all are available to purchase by the bottle as well, both online for shipping, or at the truck.  Since I'm a sauce girl, I got one of each to bring home to my own kitchen use.

Yay-ioli Garlic Sauce

"The creamy, dreamy, and garlicky partner-in-crime to carbs, a glass of wine, a cozy blanket, and your bestie."

The Yay-ioli I was familiar with, as it was the dipping sauce for my calamari, and comes as a drizzle over several of the other dishes.  I appreciated it as a creamy component, but didn't find the garlic to be as strong as I'd hoped.

This sauce is vegan, made with soy-based mayo as the base, with garlic (duh) and tamarind.  A unique spin on aioli, the tamarind in particular is not a flavor I have often. ***.

Super Sarap Sauce

"Supercharge everything — from takeout to kitchen staples to pantry finds — with our savory & citrus-y all-purpose sauce. Dip it. Sizzle it. Marinate it. Use it in endlessly sarap (it means tasty 😋) ways."

The Super Sarap Sauce is a cooking sauce, I'm not sure which of their dishes it is used in, but I wanted to try it as a drizzle sauce, a cooking sauce for stir fries, and more.  They call it general purpose, so it seems pretty flexible.  It is tamari based (so gluten-free), with depth of flavor from garlic, mushroom (umami!), calamansi, and sugar (to make it addicting?).

I haven't tried this yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Ahy! Sauce I'm Spicy.

"A one of a kind blend of malinamnam (that means umami), tangy, sweet, & spicy Filipino flavors you’ll want to put on everything. Guaranteed to make any saucey auntie yelp, “Ahy Sauce!” 😉"

Spicy sauce had my name all over it.  I'm definitely one to spice up most anything these days.  This sauce, like the Yay-ioli, uses soy based mayo as the base so it is vegan, and has a lovely mix of serrano and habanero peppers along with chili paste, to get some real kick to it.  It is rounded out by tomato, garlic, tamarind, lemon, and sugar, which creates a quite complex flavor profile.  Heat, sweetness, acid, its got them all.

Definitely my favorite of the sauces, and I'd recommend getting a side (always available for $0.50) to add to any dishes at the truck.  ****.

Sweet Treats

I said that Sarap Shop doesn't offer desserts, which is true, but that doesn't mean they don't have any sweet things.  On our visit, they had a special that was not quite a dessert, but certainly not savory.  They also offte the sweet signature milk teas, and we ordered a custom snack mix from their catering lineup.

Kapwa Baking Co Ube Fries.

"Our house stealth fries, tossed in ube sugar, and served with a side of Kapwa Baking Co's famous ube milk jam.  Make funnel cake jealous with this sweet and savory treat."

I mean really.  The moment I saw this special was still available (originally just a thing in October as a partnership with Kapwa Baking Co), I knew I had to get it.  Fries are just fries, and I was planning on skipping ordering the "Stealth Fries" from the snacks menu since we had other fried things, but ... fries with ube sugar?  Sweet and savory?  And ube jam?  YES!!!

To say I loved these is a bit of an understatement.  

First, the base, the fries, were actually really quite good.  These seemed almost battered, super crispy outside, but fluffy inside.  As far as fries go, these were pretty top notch.  Our group also ordered the regular "stealth" fries, and folks devoured those too, but those just came salted and served with ketchup, where these came ... tossed in ube sugar (!) with a little pot of ube jam on the side.

The ube sugar, along with being quite pretty, added, well, sweetness to the fries.  Why have I never thought of putting sugar on fries before?  The description compares it to funnel cake or fried dough, and, hmm, yeah, it makes sense.  Fried carbs coated with sugar ... why not?  Why don't we see things like churro fries?  And the ube jam?  Sweet and so very strong in ube flavor.

Eating these was addicting.  By the handful addicting.  I found I didn't want just one, didn't want to slowly just munch on these, no, I wanted several, as a handful, all dunked generously in the ube jam, all at once.  The combination of sweet and salty and fried and starchy ... zomg.  Danger, danger.  I'm fairly certain I could devour an entire portion of these in about 3 minutes flat if I wasn't trying to act polite in my group.   And while I could tell others were interested to try them, um, let's just say, I didn't really offer, which is horrible of me, since everyone else was so generous with their sharing.  But damn, these were just crazy good.

While I really enjoyed the pork belly in the savory dishes, these were, hands down, the dish of the day for me.  Unique and just totally completely addictingly delicious.  I hope they stay on the menu, and I've been inspired to sugar coat (literally!) more fried savory foods in the future ...

****+.

Halo Halo Milk Tea. 10 ounce. $4.25.

"Inspired by cereal milk, we infused this drink with our favorite nostalgic flavors from the popular Filipino dessert, Halo-Halo. Enjoy hints of ube, flan, tropical fruits, red bean, and more."

This is a pretty fun drink.  Sure, milk tea has kinda had its moment, and this isn't made to order, you can't customize sweetness or mix-ins, yadda yadda, but, they perfected their recipe, and created a nice beverage, that really does capture the essence of halo halo.  The base is soymilk (thus, vegan) and jasmine tea (medium caffeine), plus the obvious ube, along with bits of jackfruit, red bean, and coconut jellies.  You do need to give it a vigorous shake if you want to get the bits.

It is obviously a beautiful color, and the ube flavor is quite pronounced from the extract they use (not powder).  It doesn't have the taste or texture of something made with real ube, but also doesn't taste fake like powders often can.  It is sweet, definitely sweet, and I thought the soy milk base was an excellent choice even for those who like cow dairy, as the soy and vanilla-like ube flavor are always a winning pair for me.

Everyone enjoyed trying this drink, but also admitted it was basically a dessert, and not really what you'd want to just sip on with your meal.  Most preferred a small glass, not even a full bottle like this.  But for a girl like me who "requires" dessert with every meal, it was a perfect finishing touch. ***+.

They also make a Sea Salt Leche Flan Coffee, but alas, were sold out on our visit.

Halo Halo Milk Tea. 32 ounce. $12.

If you, like many, find the halo halo milk tea addicting, you can get it in jug form to take home as well.  It keeps about a week in the fridge, and that way, you can portion it, or thin it down, as you please.  The jugs are also great for sharing at Parklab Gardens if you go with a group, as we did.

Ube Cookies & Cream Snack Mix. $7.75.
(Catering Only).

"Sweet. Salty. Purple. Ube snickerdoodles crumbles, Oreo bits, pretzels, popcorn, and Kix cereal drizzled with ube white chocolate."

I couldn't resist ordering one item from the Sarap Shop catering menu in advance for my group: Ube Cookies & Cream Snack Mix.  I mean, really.  You know how much I love snacks, and obviously anything ube, and ... it had popcorn too?  Yeah, we clearly needed to get this.  You can order this in advance, minimum order is 10 bags.  10 bags seems about right for, uh, one person.  I'm not joking.

Um, yeah.  ZOMG.

This snack mix was basically everything I wanted it to be.  But warning, it is super sweet.  Super, super sweet.  And if you were in it for the cookies & cream aspect, you may be disappointed.  I however don't really care for Oreos, so I was thrilled that they weren't really as dominant of an ingredient as the product name implied. 

But let me start from the top.  Ok, this snack mix is sorta like a Chex mix, but, replace the Chex with Kix.  I actually don't really like Kix, and certainly would have preferred a Chex base, but, the round little bits did give it a different eating experience than the more standard Chex, in a kibbles n bits sort of sense.  The smaller sized Kix also meant more surface area and less cereal, and thus, definitely a sweeter product than had Chex been used, as each Kix bit was covered in ube white chocolate and powdered sugar.  Super sweet, crunchy base.  Kix was the dominant ingredient (well, really, powdered sugar and ube white chocolate probably were).

Next we had pretzels - I found at least 3 kinds of pretzels in my mix - a few round balls nearly the same size as the Kix, twisty rods, and waffle shaped ones.  The pretzels were some of my favorite bites, as they provided a kinda respite from the sweet, and brought in a salty element too.  The waffle shaped ones were particularly fun as they captured coatings in between the waffles.  There weren't tons of pretzels, and I might have preferred more, just to make the overall mix a tad less overwhelming sweet.

Then ... the popcorn.  ZOMG.  You know I have a popcorn obsession, and this popcorn was no different.  Why oh why have I never have ube white chocolate powdered sugar popcorn before?!  It was magical.  Large well popped pieces, sweet coating, zomg.  Like the pretzels, there wasn't tons of popcorn, and I'd love more, or really, I would 100% support Sarap Shop selling just the coated popcorn.  I'd buy it by the gallon, no question. 

Next we had the cookies: Oreo cookie bits and Ube snickerdoodle crumbles.  The Oreos were few and far between, and very small bits, but, as I said, I'm pretty "meh" on Oreo, so this didn't bother me.  The chocolate and ube combination was fairly new to me, and I can kinda see how it works.  And then, the other cookie, the ube snickerdoodles, which I found very little of, and was kinda lost amongst all the other ingredients.

So overall - totally and completely addicting, totally and completely way too sweet but in a way you can't help but devour knowing it will make you feel poorly if you finish it all (which you obviously do), and a bit too Kix heavy for me, but 100%, I'd get it again.  I also wonder what it would be like to use on top of an ice cream sundae, or actually with milk added, like a sweet dessert cereal?

****+, #addiction.

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