Hong Kong has long been on my wish list of dream destinations, and I was so excited when Mr. Grocery Gems had the fantastic opportunity of taking a trip there a few weeks ago. As you would expect he brought home lots of interesting snacks! I keep meaning to do a blog post about his "Hong Kong Snack Haul" so watch this space. In the meantime I had to blog about one of the most awesome products he found, these Lay's Kyushu Seaweed Flavor (no U on purpose there!) potato chips.
This flavor has been around for a few years in some parts of the world. My pack has Product of Taiwan on the back and is distributed in Hong Kong and Singapore. I wasn't sure what to expect from the flavor "Kyushu Seaweed", especially since my only reference point for seaweed as a food is the fried sugary "seaweed" that Chinese takeaways sell.
The crisps themselves are golden and crunchy, with the same texture as Walker's crisps (the UK equivalent of Lay's). There is a generous seasoning of finely shredded seaweed on each of the potato crisps, giving these a lovely strong flavor. The initial taste is quite sweet, just like the takeaway seaweed, with a salty soy sauce and garlicky flavor to follow. This is joined by a hint of fishiness, which sounds like it should be awful, but just seems to really work here. In fact, these crisps are incredibly moreish and satisfying. If I saw these for sale again (any import shops stock them?) I would absolutely want to purchase a few more packs.
Grocery Gems Verdict: Lay's Kyushu Seaweed
Rating: 8 out of 10Nutrition: 137 calories per 25g.Purchased: In Hong Kong.