Puku Puku Tai – Chocolate
Taiyaki is a traditional, and popular Japanese snack that is shaped like a fish. It’s usually made using batter and has the consistency of either waffle or pancake on the outside, and typically has a filling inside; most often it’s filled with red bean paste but can be filled with anything. That’s right, even ice cream. Mmmmm. I’ve had my fair share of the snack and the many variations it comes in. I usually find it at night markets or as a street food, where it’s fresh and piping hot. It’s also a popular ice cream treat in South Korea, where it’s filled with red bean paste and vanilla ice cream. I’m still a bit curious on why they decided to use a fish, but that’s not to say it can’t come in different shapes or forms. The fish is just the most recognizable and traditional form it takes.
The snack I have today is made by Meito, a brand that does other snacks like chocolate. This clever snack is supposedly similar in Taiyaki in theme; it has an ice cream cone like texture, and has airy filling inside. This particular one is apparently one of their more popular variations, which makes sense. Chocolate is typically a safe choice. Without further ado…
I just have to say, this looks exactly like your typical Taiyaki. If I didn’t know what it was, and you put it in with the fresh ones, I might actually be fooled until I pick it up. Being that it’s basically an ice cream cone, I don’t expect it to have much heft to it. Mind you, it’s a bit heavier than I expected (since ice cream cones are light), but still not heavy enough to fool you. The smell is also very chocolatey, so that’s a good sign right?
Biting into it is like biting into a dry ice cream cone. Not the waffle cones, but the standard, super flaky, crumbly ones. I personally prefer waffle cones, but I’m not sure how that would mesh with the the delivery of the experience. The outside is like a dry ice cream cone, so you would think it’s not such a great start, but the chocolate in the center balances things out very well. For those of you who have never had those dry ice cream snacks, that are actually just chocolate and an ice cream cone, the center is aerated chocolate, like an Aero bar where the center is all bubbles to give it a fragile but melty experience. The combination works surprisingly well, and before you know it the entire fish is done.
The snack is so light in fact, that I wager that you could have 2 or 3 of these and not even notice. It doesn’t hurt that each one is only 88 calories. Though that could work against it since you also won’t feel full or satiated until you’ve had 3 or 4 of these. Your mileage may vary. That being said, I would definitely consider doing this again. Especially since they have so many flavour varieties, I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled to try their other offerings like strawberry, matcha, and whatever else they crank out.
