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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Lotte Chocolate Pie Review

Time for some snackage! Spotted this at the Japanese food aisle at SM. I was a bit hesitant at first.. I mean, c'mon, PHP80? You could buy two meals with that (´へ`) However, curiosity won over practicality. Curiosity... and those fiendish squirrels. It's like they called out to me with their teeny voices, begging me to take them home!
Excited by the thought of discovering a new delicious sunakku, I hurriedly dropped it in the cart.
Pai no Mi - Chokoreeto Pai
Real Pies? Pie Nuts? Pie Fruits?

I set it aside in case of an "emergency;" I have those I-must-get-chocolate-in-my-system-now-or-somebody's-gonna-pay-for-it moments, you see. Ummm... "you're not you when you're hungry?"  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯





Well, that moment came. Blinded by chocolate deprivation, I just tore into the box, like a child on Christmas morning. I didn't really mind its perforated lines. You're supposed to open it from the top like this. Because I didn't open it right, I didn't get to see the lyrics on the inside. Dang. At least I tried to follow the ones on the bag.

"Saku saku pai no mi meshiagare ♪ / Help yourself to some real crunchy chocolate pie "
Fail. Mr. Squirrel doesn't look too pleased.
Some caramelized sugar action on top
The long trip overseas was not kind on these little ones. There were so many casualties. These were the best-looking pies of the lot. They sure are delicate.  I tried a couple. As is, they're pretty bland.

*Ms. Endive voice* Nuuuked to perfection!
Popped them in the microwave.. because the little girl wearing a hat told me to. I wouldn't wanna cross her. Srsly tho, you have to do it if you want to eat pies that resemble the ones on the box- oozing with chocolate filling.
  
Pros
+ Texture: 64 layers of flaky fun can't be wrong, especially after a trip to the microwave! The sound and feel of that crunch... 
+ The novelty: Mini-pies made of puff pastry with chocolate filling? Pretty unique, as far as mass-produced snacks are concerned  
+ The packaging: The Japanese sure know how to package things! It's decorated with a smattering of persuasive squirrels ("Buy our stuff! Eat our pies!"), flowers (or leaves, not sure), and music notes. I'd describe it as whimsical. The generous amount of mini-pies per pack and the fact that the box opens from the top makes for easy sharing. A thoughtful touch, methinks ^^ I was sold! Except for..

Cons
- The little girl wearing a hat.. she creeps me out (just like the Quaker guy used to when I was younger)
- Taste: They weren't kidding about the mild milk chocolate filling. It's very, VERY mild. It had a sugar shell but it's not that sweet. It's not terribly bad, it's just.. okay.  The microwave helped boost the pies' flavor ever-so- slightly 

Verdict
Too bad the actual product didn't live up to the hype the packaging set up for it. When it all comes down to it, food should taste good. I'm content with Hello Panda - it's yummier, cheaper and easier to find! I would buy these pies again, if only to see those lyrics (=ω=) 

The Mi-stery
What does the 'mi' in 'pai no mi' actually mean? Real? Nut? Fruit? I'm leaning towards 'real,' just because it sounds nice haha. I've tried reading around, only to find that others are are just as unsure as I am. If you're up for some Engrish, here's an excerpt from Lotte's website (brought to us by good ol' Google Translate): 
Breadfruit tree is like bread like flavor of its fruit and bake to, is a tropical plant, it is a designer, and was reflected tree "like a dream and we can pan the next." The designer who continues to have much feelings that I wish I was the tree such, we have asked that the design of real pie one day. Determined motif "can be real people and the next pie, a mysterious forest" and that, following the prototype of the design is finished now. But this design does not change from the old days, do not feel old. There are, of the designer in charge, and single-minded desire pure yearning of boyhood is that it firmly alive.  
Also, Lotte wouldn't be Lotte without its ads!

Disclaimer  
As with all reviews, this is pure opinion; I'm not writing this off as something to avoid altogether. What might be tasty to you might not be tasty for me, and vice versa. Try it and let me know what you think (◕‿◕✿)

1 comment:

  1. Will try the "Hello Panda" you mentioned.. Haha

    -your number two??? fan.. :))

    ReplyDelete