Monday 2 February 2015

Review - Britannia Good Day Chunkies

Hello foodie buddies! I am back once again, this time with Britannia Good Day Chunkies. I was thrilled to know that I was one of those tweeps chosen by @GoodayCookies on Twitter to receive the #ChunkieSurprise. I received the goodies yesterday and that's when I decided to write a review.



Good Day Chunkies are being positioned as a high-end snack. It's being said that it would be available for sale only for a few weeks exclusively on Amazon.in under their gourmet section.

Price - INR 50 (I got it as a gift though)
Weight - 100 grams (3.52 oz)
Quantity - 6 Cookies



I received the package, which was packed really well in the carton. Inside the carton was something that looked like a gift-box. It was a shiny, box with 'Amazon.in' printed all over it. It had a really cute orange ribbon tied around it. It contained 2 packs of Britannia Good Day Chunkies, as you can see in the pictures below. Each pack was 100 grams (net weight) and contained individually packed 6 cookies. All of this looked very neat and sophisticated. 







Now coming to the taste test. I unwrapped a cookie and it looked fully loaded. It appeared pretty rustic to me, with all those cracks on the top which indicated the fact that it has been baked to perfection. You can see the chunks of chocolate on its surface. Then I broke the cookie into two. It snapped and reveal a treasure of chocolate hidden inside of it, which was somewhat gooey. The cookie smelled very inviting. First bite, and I was in heaven. The cookie was slightly crumbly. Personally, I do not like cookies that crumble a lot. This one was crunchy and had a firmer texture. It did not stick to the palate as well.





The gooey chocolate was a combination of dark and milk chocolate. The rest of the cookie dough was not very sweet. It was considerably savory; salty to be precise. The combination of somewhat salty cookie dough and the sweet chocolate was really amazing. You do not get to experience such divine tasting cookies every day unless you bake them yourself at home. I am a big fan of well-made chocolate cookies and I know it when I see one.

My Rating

Taste - 5 on 5
Quality - 4 on 5
Appearance - 5 on 5
Packaging - 5 on 5
Value for Money - 3 on 5
Fullness Factor - 3 on 5

Overall Rating - 4.16

Let's take a look at the nutritional value.

Nutritional Info - Britannia Good Day Chunkies per 100 grams approx.

Energy - 512 Kcal
Carbohydrate - 62 g (Sugar - 32.5)
Protein - 5 g
Fat - 27 g
 - Saturated fatty acids - 8.5 g
 - Mono unsaturated fatty acids - 3.5 g
 - Poly unsaturated fatty acids - 0.5 g
 - Trans fatty acids - 2 g
Cholesterol - 4 mg 
Calcium - 60.5 g

(Figures are based on calculated values - Ref *NIN; ** US FDA norm)

Now the big question. Would I like to buy them?
ABSOLUTELY! I already ordered a couple of them on Amazon.in today.

Saturday 2 August 2014

Review - KFC's Chicken Rockin' Burger

After KFC's Mango Burst review, it's time to tell you about the Chicken Rockin' Burger! Yay Burger!!!

So, this was the second burger at KFC I recently tried after Chicken Zinger. The description mentions that the Chicken Rockin' comprises of crispy chicken fillet, 3-pepper mayonnaise and iceberg lettuce packed between soft buns.

Price - INR 79 + 17.45 % Tax = INR 92.79 (May vary with location)
Weight - 150 grams
Quantity - 1 burger

Let's take a look at the pictures of my Chicken Rockin' burger.


The burger came in the usual wrapping paper with Colonel Sanders' picture on it. The appearance of the burger was kind of off-putting. What I hate the most is the way they raise your expectations by showing you pretty pictures on the menu and then serve you something that doesn't look half as good.


Let's move on to the tasting part now. The buns were slightly warm. There was ample mayo. But like you can see, there was not much lettuce that should have been there. Just a few sorry-looking shreds of soggy lettuce sticking out from one side of the burger. You lift the bun, boom! No lettuce!


I had inquired at the counter about the patty while placing my order. The chicken fillet comes from the thigh of the chicken, which happens to have the juiciest and tastiest meat. The buns were the usual buns. They could have at least used sesame buns, considering the price tag of the burger.

The chicken fillet was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It was very comforting biting into the chicken fillet. It was the original recipe chicken and hence a bit bland, but the 3 pepper mayo compensated for the lack of flavors in the fillet. The burger was not very spicy, considering it had "3 pepper mayo". 3 pepper mayo is sounds spicy and is supposed to taste that way, isn't it?

And only God knows whose idea it was to create a burger without the cheese! But I think it's a sales tactic of KFC to not add cheese to their default burger recipe. They straightaway ask the customers while taking the orders "Single Cheese or Double Cheese?" and then punch in some more numbers in the billing machine if you say yes, which is pretty often.

If you had read my previous post on KFC's Mango Burst review, you would remember me saying that I am not a fan of KFC's burgers. Now here is the reason why is that so! The buns! They are so dense and doughy. As you chew on the burger, the bun sticks to your teeth and on the palate. You can feel it sticking in your throat as well, making it tough for you to swallow. You must have a drink by your side to wash (literally wash) that burger down! However, Chicken Rockin' buns were not as doughy and dense as those of Chicken Zinger's. So, thank God!!

Let us take a look at the ratings now!

My Rating


Taste - 2 on 5

Quality - 2 on 5
Appearance - 2 on 5
Packaging - 3 on 5
Value for Money - 2 on 5
Fullness factor - 2 on 5

Overall Rating - 2.16

Time for reality check!

Nutritional Info - KFC's Chicken Rockin' Burger

Serving Size - 5.3 oz (150 grams)
Calories - 404.88
Protein - 18.75 g
Carbohydrate - 38.87 g
Fat - 19.38 g
Sodium - 0.68 grams

So the question is, will I order Chicken Rockin' again? I don't think so!

Saturday 26 July 2014

Review - KFC's Mango Burst

With a recent bad experience at McDonald's and the constantly deteriorating quality of food there, I have been spending a lot of time at KFC's given the lack of options. I find my new haven a tad bit expensive. Neither I am a big fan of their burgers. Will tell you why is that in my next post. But I do like their rice bowls and a couple of drinks they have under the Krushers range.

I recently visited KFC with a friend. She suggested we go for Mango Burst. So, we went for a Mango Burst. I was at the counter trying to look at how they made it. I could just see the yellow gel like substance that they added to the glass with a spoon. It was the Mango concentrate. I really couldn't see the next step though. It came in the usual plastic glass with a lid and the straw making it's way through it. I do not know the exact quantity of the contents, because unfortunately the KFC India website is not updated. But it felt like 250-300 grams of sugary Mango goodness. The drink had a bright yellow color.



Price - INR 95 + 17.45 % Tax = INR 112 (May vary with location)
Weight - Approx 300 grams
Quantity - Not known

Nutritional Info for Mango Burst - Not Available

With high expectations in my mind, I sipped on the Mango Burst. And oh boy! What a drink it was! The mango tasted really strong and nice. It had a nice punch. It smelled great. We all know Krushers contains added flavors. But this one managed to taste 80% natural. Yes! 80%! Somehow we tend to know the difference between artificial and real.

It had a nice fruity aroma, a bit artificial but pleasant. It was chilled to the appropriate temperature, which had a soothing effect. The texture was grainy from the ice granules. The consistency was pretty thick and I am sure it won't splash around even if you try thumping your glass on the table really hard. Misleading pictorials on the menu I tell you!

The description mentions that Mango Burst contains yogurt. However, I couldn't get the flavor of yogurt. It was just mango mango everywhere! A natural sour tinge from the yogurt would have been nice. I did love the texture a lot! It was indeed a much-needed break from the usual Coke Floats and Fanta Float at McD.

Let us take a look at the ratings.

My Rating

Taste - 3 on 5
Quality - 3 on 5
Appearance - 4 on 5
Fullness factor - 4 on 5
Packaging - 4 on 5
Value for money - 2 on 5

Overall Rating - 3.3

Will I go for Mango Burst again? Well that depends on how I find other Krushers. I am yet to try them.

Thursday 17 July 2014

Review - Strawberry Créme Flavored Oreo Chocolatey Sandwich Biscuits

Oreo Strawberry Créme is the third addition to the Oreo cookie range in India, i.e., it was launched prior to Oreo Orange Créme. You can find its review here -> Review - Orange Créme Flavored Oreo Chocolatey Sandwich Biscuits. So, after much procrastination I finally tried out Oreo Strawberry Créme for the first time. Surprisingly, it turned out better than its Orange cousin.



You will often find that the Oreo cookies in the pack are either cracked or completely crumbled. Well, it is quite normal for biscuits that are packed without the plastic tray to crumble and fall apart by the time they reach us. But for the cookies that look so beautiful and the price charged that is so hefty, I think Cadbury India (a part of Mondelez International) should tinker with the packaging of Oreo cookies. A plastic tray would be a nice addition.



Price - INR 15
Weight - 60 grams (2.11 oz)
Quantity - 6 cookies 

Let us see how it tastes.



When I opened the pack, the chocolaty fragrance laced with the freshness of strawberries hit my senses. I took a bite and I could taste the subtle strawberry-ness from the cream. The cream was moderately sweet, just the way I like it. It was not at all overpowering and I could still taste the bitterness of the cocoa from the biscuit. After the first cookie you can sense how synthetic the flavor tastes. It lacks the natural tang of real strawberries. The cookie doesn't leave a remarkable aftertaste. I tried dunking it into the glass of milk and it tasted okay.

I was happy with the way the cookies smelled and looked. Unfortunately, my taste-buds were not pleased and had a difference of opinion.


Personally, I love the chemistry between the two sinfully delicious ingredients that strawberries and chocolate are. You can taste the magic by simply biting on a fresh strawberry dipped in melted dark chocolate! But Cadbury just couldn't get it right! May be too much of artificial essences killed the show!

Let us take a look at the ratings.

My Rating

Taste - 2 on 5
Quality - 2 on 5
Appearance - 3 on 5 
Packaging - 3 on 5
Price - 1 on 5
Fullness Factor - 5 on 5

Overall Rating - 2.5

Will I buy these again? I think I will just stick to the Vanilla and Chocolate Créme.

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Review - Orange Créme Flavored Oreo Chocolatey Sandwich Biscuits

Cadbury India (a part of Mondelez International) recently launched a new variant of Oreo cookies in India. The Orange Créme Flavored Oreo is the fourth addition to the list of Oreo Chocolatey Sandwich Biscuits, after Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. I have previously had cakes that featured a fusion of chocolate and fresh orange juice. The combo of slightly bitter dark chocolate and tangy orange is pretty interesting. I decided to try out the Orange Créme Flavored Oreo. So with high hopes, I picked the small pack of 6 cookies from the shelf and placed it in my shopping cart.

Let's see how it went!

Price - INR 15
Weight - 60 grams (2.11 oz)
Quantity - 6 cookies 













As you can see, the cookies look very beautiful. I like the contrast between brown biscuit and orange cream. It looks very inviting and delicious.

So, I took a bite and I found myself deceived by its good looks. The chocolate biscuit was crunchy. The orange cream tasted inorganic and artificial. There was too much sweetness and artificial essence of orange. There was no tang. The cream was so overpowering that I could not taste the typical slight bitterness of the biscuit. It was just a sweet mess.

I really love the Vanilla and Chocolate cream Oreos. The Orange cream is nowhere near them. The aftertaste was really unpleasant. I tried having them with milk, but didn't make a big difference. I do love oranges. But this one was just too sweet for my taste. In short, Orange Créme Oreo is the Jar Jar Binks of the Oreo universe.

Image Source
These Oreos tasted like Parle Kreams Orange. Good thinking that I picked a small pack. Unfortunately, there Orange Créme Oreos failed to woo me.

My Rating

Taste - 0 on 5
Quality - 2 on 5
Appearance - 4 on 5 
Packaging - 3 on 5
Price - 0 on 5 (Tastes bad, so no points for price)
Fullness factor - 5 on 5

Overall Rating - 2.3

Will I buy these again? Not at all!

Review - Lay's Chile Limon Potato Chips

Hello there dear readers. This is my new blog where I will share eating brand reviews. I decided to take off my new endeavor with Lay's® Chile Limon Potato Chips. This flavor was launched in India quite a while ago. But I decided to do this review anyway. I often stick to Classic Salted, Magic Masala or American Style Cream & Onion. I decided to try out Chile Limon flavor. I wouldn't have tried this if it weren't for my whimsical mind. But, I must say that I was quite happy that I did.



I picked this bag for INR 10 at the local supermarket. This pack contained 20% extra chips. So, it looked like a good deal, considering it is Lay's which is mostly air! Let's take a look at the product.

Like I said, air! Lots and lots of air!

Smells great!

Price - INR 10
Weight - 31.2 grams (26 grams + 5.2 grams / 1.1 oz)




As I opened the pack, a tangy waft of flavors greeted my senses. The first bite into the chip was quite dramatic. My face might have looked like this baby's when the uber-sour notes of lime hit my taste-buds. The lime felt very strong at first. It contained lime juice powder which managed to taste like freshly-squeezed lime juice.

Fresh and crispy

But somehow, the second bite tasted good enough. And the subsequent bites just got better. I could taste a subtle zest of red chilies, because the lime overpowered the hotness. I think there should have been more chili. It also left a good aftertaste in the mouth. So, I am happy that I tried it.



My Rating

Taste - 2 on 5
Quality - 3 on 5
Appearance - 3 on 5
Packaging - 3 on 5
Price - 2 on 5 (Lay's in mostly air)
Fullness Factor - 1 on 5

Overall Rating - 2.33


Nutritional Info - Lay's Chile Limon Potato Chips

Serving Size - 1.1 oz (31.2 grams / about 15 chips)
Calories - 172 (from Fat - 90)
Protein - 2.27 g
Carbohydrate - 15.3 g (Sugar - 1.03 g)
Fat - 11.36 g
Sodium - 239 mg

So, the question is would I buy these chips again? Yes, may be when my favorite flavors are not available.