Here is part 2 and the conclusion of my T&T product reviews. It has been a fascinating foodie journey! You can find part 1 of product reviews here.
Chinese Style Pastry with Egg
I wish I could say I understood this product but then again, it reminds me of an eggy Rice Krispie square which I also do not understand the appeal.
“This crumbly and chewy snack’s golden brown appearance comes from the natural colour of maltose syrup.” Which is great but flavour wise? It is just not something I appreciate. But, if this a kind of treat you grew up eating, perhaps you would like it. As a result, I do not feel as though I can rate it other than to say that it is indeed crumbly and chewy.
Korean Kalbi Marinade Sauce
I wish I could say I knew exactly what to do with this “marinade sauce” as well but the two words going together made me a little nervous. I never use a marinade as a sauce if I can help it. The directions on the bottle say to marinate and then stir fry or grill the meat. Nothing about adding the sauce afterwards.
I wanted to try it with chicken. Anything that makes chicken more interesting will get bonus points from me. So I marinate the meat for a few hours.
Cooked the meat in some oil until done. Sauteed veggies, added some garlic, ginger, chicken, broth… brought it together with a slurry and… Very little flavour! At all! I have never seen Reg put so much salt on a dinner. (Face palm)
One thing I do love is their packaging and comments, “Contains pear paste to make meat more tender and delicious.”
The next day I warmed up the leftovers and added more sauce. Much better! Sweet and a tad salty, go easy on the sauce. Add some but not too much and you will not be sorry. I realized afterwards that this sauce contains MSG which is a bummer because I would totally have bought it again but Reg is a tad sensitive to MSG. Thankfully it was me who ate all those leftovers with the extra sauce.
If you do not have MSG issues in your home, you will probably love this product. For you, I give this four out of five wooden spoons. For us? I just do not want to take a chance on using so much it makes Reg sick so I will not be using it again.
Aloe Vera Drink
This bottle is huge! You get 1.5 litres of aloe very drink…
… Regularly $2.49 at my store, on sale for $1.88! That is a lot of beverage. But wait, it kind of looks weird?
Is there stuff floating in that glass?
Yes there is! When I saw that, I absolutely did not think I could drink this product. I lived in Vancouver scared of bubble tea! Thankfully because of this care package, I took a risk and gave it a shot.
It is delicious! Honestly, I was shocked. Despite sucking in the aloe vera “crush” with surprise and unease, the flavour is wonderful. Light, fruity and kind of reminded me of lychee fruit… This was my favourite product from T&T.
When our friends Mike and Jen came over, I asked them and Reg to do a taste test between the aloe vera drink and the Jasmine green tea and… this won! It is so refreshing, it is hard to stop drinking. Which is good because apparently aloe very juice is very healthy.
There is more fructose than aloe vera juice in this beverage but slightly less calories per cup than soda and juice: 90 calories per cup. I tried using it in a mango smoothie but it was way too sweet and ended up tasting like maraschino cherries!
Healthy properties, something I have never had before, tasty, refreshing and a great price… I give this product four and a half out of five wooden spoons. It is just on the verge of being too sweet for me which is why I hesitate to give it a perfect score.
If you are having trouble finding these new products on the east coast at your Superstore, apparently the dry goods came faster than products like these ones. Just give it time, they are on their way!
Debra She Who Seeks says
I have found that, when it comes to desserts, “sweets” and Eastern taste versus Western taste, “never the twain shall meet.”
Sandy aka Doris the Great says
I’ve tried the Kalbi marinade; it’s a Korean product and, as I have a Korean student and have been practicing my Korean cooking over the past 2 years, I did know what to do with the sauce. I used it to marinate meat (pork or beef) and chopped veggies (onions, julienned carrots and zucchini, mushrooms). Then I ladled it out without much sauce and stir-fried. It was pretty good, but I like to make my own Kalbi sauce instead of the store bought version. Hope this helps some readers.