Transport and Chocolate - Perfect Together

I've been a little remiss in sticking to the Friday candy bar routine lately - this week I was derailed by a particularly plentiful bake sale at work - of course I had to sample not only the Bakewell tart but also the intriguing-sounding Chocolate Beet cake (which, incidentally, was nice but a bit dry, and really only tasted marginally like beets). The sacrifices I make for research...

But despite all the distractions, I managed to secure the next bar in the row on Friday and bravely sample it on Saturday so I can keep delivering these reviews to my faithful readers. And what might this next bar be, you ask? None other than the venerable Double Decker.

I have to admit, I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. (A bit of disclosure - I'm actually bending the rules a bit this week as I have not only tried the Double Decker before, I've actually actively sought it out when I haven't been living here because I like it so much.) So how does the bar I was willing to buy for a hard earned $3 ($3!) at Cardullo's fare in the official English candy bar test?

It's still as delicious as I remember. For those of you that haven't had the opportunity to eat one of these delicious bars, it's a thick bar with a layer of crispy rice in chocolate on the bottom and a layer of chewy nougat on top. Oddly, I had always thought there was a thin layer of caramel between the nougat and crunchy bit, but that actually doesn't exist. Weird - doesn't detract from the tastiness, though. What's so unique about this bar is its robustness - it's incredibly hefty and filling, in a good way. The bottom slab is compact and dense in the way an American Crunch bar is, and the nougat on top is chewy and substantial, not like the mousse-y texture of a Topic or Mars Bar (ew). Also, it's not too sweet, which is nice - I wasn't all over the place after eating it, unlike the sugar overload disaster post-Boost Bar review.

Four and a half bars!

A high rating, but I'm still leaving myself room to be wowed by some as-yet untested bar. I think I was a little less impartial with this bar than the others, as I've always loved it. Nonetheless, it fully deserves the rating. I mean, what's not to like? A delicious candy bar, and a name that serves as a tribute to a much-loved icon of public transportation. Unless they're coming out with a Monorail bar, I don't think there's any better combination for me. :P

Bar-o-Meter



A Nice Day for a Picnic

I was worried my chocolate bar tasting would be derailed this week by an ill-timed stomach bug, but luckily I have recovered enough to devour an entire chocolate bar. Whew. Also, it's sunny in London. :)

This week my candy bar of choice (and by choice I mean next in the row) is a Picnic, which has been hyped up to me in remarkably hyperbolic terms by pretty much everyone. I wasn't sure it could live up to the expectations, but it seems like it did!

The Picnic (so named, I assume, because of the variety of ingredients) is definitely one of the more substantial bars I’ve tried. It's a lumpy flat-bottomed bar packed with "goodies", as Gin would say. Raisins, peanuts, caramel, crispy rice bits, biscuit center – what’s not to like? The whole thing feels almost like trail mix covered in chocolate (it must be the addition of the raisins), which means it must be healthy, right? The biscuit bottom gives it a really satisfying crunch, and peanuts, raisins, and crispy rice make it pleasantly chunky. For Americans, the Picnic can best be described as the love child of a Twix and a Baby Ruth. Yummmm.

I think texture is what really makes this bar. It is immensely satisfying – not at all mushy or soft like some other bars. I don’t love the chocolate on the outside, but it must be the same as I’ve been eating the past few weeks, since it’s another Cadbury, so I'll discount that. Besides, the chocolate to goodie ratio is so small that the coating doesn't overly detract from the rest of the bar. I would have preferred more caramel, since sometimes the saltiness of the peanuts made the bar a bit too savory, but that's probably down to my sweet tooth. Also - bonus - the Picnic is longer than most bars I’ve tried – meaning I had half to save for later!

This is truly delicious, and worth all the recommendations it got.

Four bars! A new record!

The Picnic has entered the race for my favorite English candy bar - can the Double Decker next week knock it off that pedestal? Stay tuned and see!

Bar-o-Meter



Chocolate Simplicity

Friday went by in a fog (see previous post), but I DID manage to pick up a new chocolate bar for the weekly post. (I am nothing if not dedicated to my culinary pursuits.) I think I've hit the Cadbury motherlode as this week's bar is a Wispa.

A bit of background here: Introduced to the UK in 1981 (good year), the Wispa was discontinued in 2003 when Cadbury looked to revamp its line. But the public protested on behalf of the bar, and in 2008, an internet campaign brought it back! (Morgan - and Wikipedia - are of the opinion that the entire "campaign" was a conspiracy by Cadbury to drum up interest, which in my opinion makes the story that much better.) In any case, the Wispa appears to be back to stay, and a good thing it is!

On first glance, it appears very plain - just a lightly aerated chocolate center (which kinda resembles coral) covered in a layer of milk chocolate. But when you bite into the bar, it's so light and fluffy, it somehow manages to taste better and creamier than regular milk chocolate. So simple, yet so tasty! I'm not generally a big fan of milk chocolate, but this is delicious (and, incidentally, my best value for money so far, at a mere 45 pence for the bar). The Wispa is well worth the many recommendations I've gotten so far, and fully deserving of a comeback (staged or not).

Three bars! (would have had more if we were talking about dark chocolate, but hey - can't win 'em all)

Bar-o-Meter



Chocolate - postponed!

Dear readers,

There will be a slight delay in this week's post, due to the effects of a hangover and the fact that I have already eaten five (no wait, six) biscuits today and a slice of cake.

In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure....my boss's leaving cake. Yes, we are ALL transportation nerds.