I always enjoy trying out products from around the world for this blog, but especially when they are as unique and innovative as these Calbee Pizza Potato Chips. They might look fairly standard and unassuming, but these are actually chips seasoned with REAL MELTED CHEESE on top. I've certainly never come across anything like these before! They're available online at Oyatsu Cafe.
It seems like a fantastical proposition but these ridged potato chips really do have a coating of melted cheese already on them (although some of the chips have a lot more of this topping than others). The scent when opening the pack is very cheesy, and coupled with their appearance I was expecting these to be quite heavy on the cheese flavor. However, the overall flavor is not dominated by the cheese and nothing like the basic "cheese and herb" combination that is usually found in pizza themed crisps.
These taste much more complex, with quite a sweet and savoury, whilst quite meaty, flavor going on. Even though the picture on the packaging shows a pepperoni pizza, these are not standard pepperoni flavored crisps either, the background sweetness is too strong for that. I could taste some guerkin and mustard in these too, which slightly reminded me of the Cheeseburger Cheetos from Japan that I reviewed last year. Of course, all of this is joined by a cheese flavor too, but it's not as overpowering as the initial scent suggested, it's more of a medium cheddar. Although, the crisps with more of the cheese flakes had a noticeably cheesier and saltier flavor. These crisps are so unusual with their delicious sweet and salty flavour, and unique melted cheese topping, they're certainly worth a try for any snack fans.
These were kindly sent to me by Oyatsu Cafe, a brilliant online store full of Japanese snacks and treats. Use the discount coupon GROCERYGEMS for 15% off any Oyatsu Cafe order.
http://oyatsucafe.com
Grocery Gems Verdict: Calbee Pizza Potato Chips
RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Probably.Purchased: Available from Oyatsu Cafe.
Price: $2.99 (approx. £1.83)
