Kawaguchi Bara no Shizuku--Rose Candy: Review

As a fan of all (most) things rose scented, I also have a knack for rose flavored food items (gum, drinks, etc).

Today's goodie post is on this rose flavored hard candy that has a soft jelly like substance in the center.

As always,  Japanese packaging is #1. The pink rose in the background of the bag is just so pretty and makes it seem more welcoming!

Back of bag

The candy comes individually wrapped inside also in the same pretty pink rose wrappers.

The candy itself is like most other hard candies, round in shape. The

The candy is light pink in color (reminds me so much of Spring!)

And as you can see below, the inside does indeed have a softer/gooey filling inside.

I was surprisngly pleased by the flavor of this candy and was expecting something stronger, in terms of rose flavor. The outside rose hard candy is a soft and somewhat subtle rose flavor that leaned on a tangier side. The inside filling was sweeter and was rose flavored without the tangy note.

Overall, this rose candy was very lovely and wasn't perfume-like at all. It was nice popping this in and just enjoying the weather outside (does that sound a bit cheesy? haha oh well).

I bought this item for around $3.29 more or less (Japanese candy is pricier in general, but I don't blame them since they go all out for the packaging and it is also an imported item). If you ever get a chance to try Japanese rose flavored candies and you like roses, then I highly recommend checking out your local Japanese or Asian grocery store!

Would you try a rose flavored candy? What's your favorite flavor for hard candies??

Mamnoon Restaurant, Middle Eastern Cuisine: Restaurant Review

A couple weeks ago, my family and I went out to dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday. We went to this restaurant called Mamnoon, which serves Middle Eastern food. It is located in Capitol Hill right by the Melrose market.

There was a $5 special going on where you get an assortment of breads for $5 and the proceeds benefited... The one in the front (that kind of looks like pizza bread) was frikken amazing. It was like a spicy pepper sauce and was so nice and airy. The one to the left of it was flatbread sort and reminded me of pizza. The one in the back with sesame wasn't particularly my favorite--there was some type of salted filling in it, but it went well with the dipping items.

Muhammara ($10) - walnut, pepperpaste, pomegranate, cumin eaten with bread. This was very simple and was eaten as an appetizer. It had a nice smoky flavor throughout without being over powering, but probably not something I would order again, especially not for the price.

Arnabeil makli ($8)-frid cauliflower, tarrator, and parsley. I personally do not like cauliflower but this was actually surprisingly good! I think I liked the burnt (in a good way) taste to it and the sauce on top balanced well with the smoked flavor. The texture was better in this dish I know because it was fried, as opposed to steamed or sauteed cauliflower.

(~$20-25)

I'm not sure what this dish is called since I can no longer find it on the menu, but this was probably one of the better dishes.

A tender slice of cow tongue, served with a side of pickled vegetables and a sweet sauce to pair with it.

I loved the presentation of this dish, especially with the cork serving board. The condiments on the side in their own separate dishes were also a nice touch. The meat was so tender and so nice to bite into and it paired really well with the sauce.

kefta ( i believe!) ($22)- minced lamb, onion, pistachio, baharat. This wasn't exactly what I expected and was slightly disappointed, especially for the price of the item. I also didn't expect it to come in sausage-like logs. It was also a little salty, so the pairing with the cream (baharat I assume?) calmed down the saltiness. I found that the pistachio didn't do much to enhance the flavor of the lamb but more so compliment in texture.

fesenjun ($32)-lamb meatball, walnut, crispy onion, pomegranate molasses, saffron basmati.

This was another winner in the dishes we tried out. The lamb meatballs were moist and tender and the crispy onions added a nice layer of texture and flavor to the sweetness of the molasses and savory flavor of the meatballs. I absolutely love basmati rice and thought the aroma of the rice blended well with the meatballs, as well as add another means to soak up the sauce!

The fresh greens and walnut also added to the overall aesthetics to the dish.

Turkish coffee ice cream-fresh breeze organic cream, valrhona chocolate ($6). I'm not sure what distinguishes Turkish coffee, but I am a fan of all and any coffee based ice creams so this one was a hit. The coffee flavor wasn't dark but on the lighter side and a bit milder than what I expected. The cream was almost like a palette cleanser and was almost unnecessary since I feel like it didn't really add or take away from the dish. The chocolate bits were nice though and weren't too sweet. They also had a more grittier texture to them.

mouhallabia ($7)-milk pudding, pistachio. This one was a big winner with my mother. The milk pudding wasn't too sweet in any way and had a flavor I can't quite describe, but there was definitely more than a 'milk' flavor to it. The pistachio actually went really well with the pudding--giving off texture and a nutty flavor. The half tangerine, though, I felt was almost too overpowering for the dish. It also didn't help, in my opinion, that it was a bit frozen too. I could have done without it and had more pudding.

My overall thoughts on this place was that I did enjoy it and would love to check out their lunch meu or pop in for a snack some time. This is a place where the dishes are a little more pricey so probably not for those on a budget. However, if you want to try some Middle Eastern foods and are willing to take the time and money, I would definitely try some of the items out.

Have you tried Middle Eastern foods? What is your favorite dishes? Any recommendations?