The Olympics are Over...

...and all I got is this lousy mascot-shaped chocolate.

Actually, its not lousy at all. To finish off the British summer to end all summers, I thought I'd write a review for the chocolate Wenlock that I got as a thank-you from one of my co-workers. Not only does this beat the chocolate medals that everyone else seemed to be getting hands down, its also another addition to my totally creepy mascot collection, as I have been OBSESSED with these things this summer. (But not as obsessed as this person. Or the creative team that made this.)

At least it WAS an addition to my collection. Fatigue from one too many early shifts set in and I devoured the entire thing in 10 minutes of madness. Although the wrapper is pretty sweet, the chocolate isn't much to write home about, as it's kinda like eating a Cadbury's easter egg, only one that's oddly shaped. I know I haven't been too generous to Cadbury's chocolate in the past, but maybe it was the sleep-deprived deliriousness or the Olympic and Paralympic spirit going to my head, but this thing was pretty tasty. The chocolate shell was a little thin (this is no substantial Lindt chocolate bunny) and therefore a little floppy, but tasty all the same. Nothing amazing, but some pretty decent milk chocolate. 2.5 bars.

I am off on vacation (finally!) the next couple of weeks, so I expect you all to be waiting with bated breath to see what kind of weirdness I manage to bring back from the US. Until then, I will stuff myself on delicious seafood and California produce as I wend my way down the west coast. So much for that Olympic diet...

Bar-o-Meter



Insert Clever Title Here

So, I thought it would be clever to try and tie this review into the Paralympics, but the long weeks of shift work have rendered me unable to be creative. I've got nothing, people.

Ok, I DO have a review of not one but TWO bars. And thanks to the generosity of my little sister, I have two bars from Central America. Exotic guest review, here we come!

So the two bars that made it back from Nicole's Central American adventure are the wonderfully named Huevitos from Ecuador and Canonazo from Paraguay. And they almost even came back without having been completely melted and reformed in this adorably labeled ziploc bag:

So, the Canonzado is a round bar that kind of looks like the fake logs that take you around a log ride in any amusement park. It's a multi-layered affair, with a layer of crispy rice-studded chocolate wrapped around a tube-shaped cookie layer, all filled with soft chocolate cream. It's like what you would get if you rolled a Crunch bar out flat and wrapped it around one of those chocolate-filled wafer straws you get in the Pepperidge Farm cookie variety pack at Christmas.

Unfortunately, it doesn't actually taste as good as that would suggest. The cookie tube is really dry and the chocolate (both within and without) is pretty tasteless. This is an interesting concept, but doesn't really deliver. No bars.

Next up - Huevitos. Even those of you with the most rudimentary grasp of Spanish (myself included) will recognize that the name means something little and cute. And it delivers, with four little chocolate covered balls (not unlike chocolate-frosted donut holes from Entemann's) inside the wrapper. The Huevitos (little eggs!) also go for the layered effect, wrapping a chewy marshmallow center in a thin layer of something between honeycomb and wafer, covering it all in chocolate. 

Again, this is somewhat of a disappointment despite all the variety it provides - the honeycomb/wafer is a little dry, which kinda takes away from the overall experience. However, I find that I can't stop popping these little chocolate eggs into my mouth because of the crack-like (I only can imagine, Mom, I have never taken drugs) hit of sweetness from the marshmallow in the middle. So sugary, so chewy! Plus, they're fun to eat. However, if asked if they were GOOD, I'd probably say no. 2 bars for the sheer joy of eating.

Two fails, then. Much like the zero medal count from both Ecuador and Paraguay in the Paralympics, so far (do they even have athletes competing?). Perhaps central America should stay away from candy bars and simply devote their energies to making delicious food instead, which I will continue to devour with relish.  

Overall? 1 bar. Ouch. Better luck next time.

Bar-o-Meter