Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Me & Morinaga

Garandee and I were so happy after finding that our favorite Japanese "P75 Store" was back in business. It was her only source for reasonably priced natto and my only source for...

(insert drum roll here)


Jumbo Wafer 01
Morinaga's Choco Monaka!!
The ice cream that blew my mind.


Now called "Choto Shop", the grocery has a bigger floor area allowing much more variety. But who cares about variety, I just want my Choco Monaka!

Garandee: "They have more vegetables now!!!"

Uhhhh.... right. Anyway, Choco Monaka has been available in Japan for ages. Considered very common among the Japanese as how the infamous Pinipig Crunch is to us, Filipinos. I can't even count my shirts that got stained when a large chunk of chocolate coating fell from my Pinipig Crunch, usually on my second bite!

So what makes me love Choco Monaka so much?


Jumbo Wafer 02
Vanilla ice-cream covered with a crunchy waffle!


Jumbo Wafer 03
And what's that inside?
A layer of chocolate between the ice-cream and the waffle, and another extra crunchy chocolate bar at the core!


Is that BRILLIANT or what?!

Choto Shop is located in Pasong Tamo St., Makati, where Little Tokyo and Shinjuku Ramen are at. If this post makes you wanna go over there pronto to grab some, chances are we already hoarded all the stock.

Kidding! I'm on a diet.


Garandee mode:
Yes, diet onegaishimasu (please)!! Your hand is so debu (fat).

47 comments:

witsandnuts said...

Grabe, mukhang masarap yan ha?! Sana pwedeng mabuhay yung picture at ako yung unang makakakuha at kakain nyan. =)

Leamsi said...

yummy...i love waffles and whatever you put on them. much more ice cream!!! i so wanna try it. sana meron din dito. :D

Midge said...

And here I thought I was the only Morinaga Choco Monaka junkie in the country! Glad to see that Choto Shop is back in the biz!

mordsith said...

it looks delicious! by the way, does it melt fast?

Garando said...

Witsandnuts:
Naku, sobrang sarap! Daan ka agad dun sa Choto shop pag umuwi ka ng Pinas. Makikipag unahan ka nga lang sa mga bata. ;)

Yummybite:
Hmmmm... Meron ba mga Japanese groceries dyan? Check mo baka sakali meron silang binebenta! ;)

Midge:
yeah, they should have more of those things brought in! Did you try the one with chestnut and red bean filling? Masarap din.

Mordsith:
Medyo. Best to eat it immediately para matigas pa yung ice cream and super crunchy yung wafer and chocolate. ;)

kg said...

grabe! ang sarap naman nyan. i remember tivoli ice cream sandwich [don't know if you've hear of it]. ganun din sya, ice cream between two wafer cookies. sarap! i love ice cream!

Chynna Dantes said...

Looks so yummy.
Sana I can try that one of these days :D

glenville said...

we frequently dine in kikufuji right beside little tokyo - i'll check out this choto shop. i love pinipig crunch! and that choco monaka looks sinfully yummy!

HalfCrazy said...

Ooh, this looks yummy and I love Chocolates, I wonder if I'll ever find this one on Supermarkets and other establishments besides the Choto Shop?

I've been in Manila for years now but I still have no idea that Little Tokyo exists LOL.

Alice said...

I want one, and I want one NOW! LOL!

Dee said...

Hi. That sounds really yummy. I'd like to try that one of these days. :)

lenj said...

looks so tempting! too bad i live far from makati :(

Missy said...

It looks yummy!!! I haven't tried that one yet, maybe my kids would love it. I'll try to find that choko monaka na yan hehehe. How much is that in Pnas?

Chyng said...

tempting! nagcrave din ako sa icecream! weee!

Unknown said...

Ah!
Jambo! ジャンボ!
That's good! That's REALLY GOOD!
How I miss those too...
I don't think I can find those to buy here so I'll have to wait until my next trip to Japan to eat those (and no, I have no idea when it'll be, unfortunately).
I remember I saw the CM of this on the net once, I think I even downloaded it because it was cool and all that but I don't know if I still have it :( (though it's probably available at youtube)

You're lucky that you can find this kind of product there. Take advantage of it and buy lots :)
Because for me these are way too distant...but that motivates me to go to Japan :)

Dennis Villegas said...

I WANT THAT!!! Don't buy everything, leave something for us. LOL

Hey, I'd really go to Pasong Tamo one of these days just to try that! Looks brilliant!

Thanks for letting us know about this.

Btw, is this imported from Japan?

sheng said...

I. want. that. Ano ba naman, i am drooling na talaga, waaaah, kainez, i wanna grab that pic and dunk it in my mouth, pag pina-LBC ba, hindi matutunaw yung ice cream sa loob? Huhuh... mukha talagang masarap.

caryn said...

hey, i love this too! nice naman, they have it there ;-) btw, are you into natto like garandee?

Garando said...

Kg:
Ah! that sounds familiar! Yan ba yung naka advertise sa TV noong araw? Parang na aalala ko yan, but unfortunately I never got to try it. Promdi ako eh. :D

Chynna Dantes:
Yup, do find time to visit Choto shop. Hopefully may stock sila. ;)

Glenville:
Yeah, drop by next time you eat at kikufuji. You'll find a lot of other neat stuff there like pasta sauces, curry blocks, assorted sweets & snacks, etc...

HalfCrazy:
Unfortunately I doubt it's available in supermarkets. Choto shop ships their stock directly from Japan kase. Check out Little Tokyo na lang, daming ok na authentic Japanese restaurants dun. Once you're done eating, get your dessert at Choto Shop! ;)

Alice Teh:
Uh-oh... stay calm now... There's enough for everybody. I hope! LOL! :D

Dee:
Hello! Thanks for dropping by Balut & Natto. Yep! try it and I assure you, you won't regret it!

Lenj:
ay ganun? Sayang... well if ever your in town and near the area, make a side trip to Choto shop! ;)

Missy:
Oh I bet your kids will! Baka sa mga Lawton or Family Mart meron, pero best bet ko siguro sa mga supermarket. It cost P75 dito sa Pinas.. so it's probably around 120Y dyan or less.

Chyng:
Hehe.. naku lalo na ma init ang panahon no? ;)

Shadowmoon:
Ohh, you've tried it! Subarashii! Which country are you from anyway?
Jambo's ad is still in youtube, Garandee showed me a couple of weeks back and it was pretty cool!
And yes, I'm guilty of hoarding the Jambo every once in a while. :D

Dennis Villegas:
Hehe, Don't worry, nag iiwan naman ako usually ng isa. LOL!
Yes, it's imported from Japan. And so far parang Choto shop lang ang nagbebenta nun eh.

Sheng:
Hehe pag kina-in mo yan after dalin ng LBC dyan, labas mo LBM. :D

Caryn:
Yeah, sobrang saya ko na they have it in Manila! Natto? Nope, she's been bugging me to eat it but I just couldn't. Pag kumain sya ng balut, saka ako kakain ng natto. Sounds fair enough! ;)

Mabel said...

hello there garando, thanks for visiting my blog and the comments. by the way, i have a tag for you.

jeanny said...

looks so inticing. :)

bat ngayon lang nagkaroon nyan sa Pasong Tama, nakakasisi tuloy why ako nag resign sa dating kong ofc na malapit sa shinjuku hahaha!

jeanny said...

ngek...i mean pasong tamo lolz :)

Jeanny said...

Hanuveh enticing nga kc hahahs

Unknown said...

I'm from Brazil.
You can find some japanese products here but this kind of sweet I never found.
I think they don't import because it would end up being too expensive to sell, I don't know.

Japanese snacks are the best!

Rico said...

Wow! That last shot made me crave for it. I think I read about this in Anton's awesome blog that I lurk, hehe.
Is there ample parking? Or would you suggest we park at the nearby mall? My wife wants to go there, and I've got to sample that choco monaka.

UrbanBoy said...

Do... pare walangiya ka... xop

now im definitely going to Choto shop...!!!!! (uubusan kita ng stock bwahahaha)

don't you know...?

ice cream addict on a diet + this ultrayummy blog = DISASTER!!!
....

hehehe joke lang.. anyway i have to do some grocery shopping.. im making japanese pastas :D

physiquemama said...

I've been wondering how it’s kept its crunchiness. I miss it! I miss natto too!

Jules said...

whuhaaaaa....
Kya nga gusto kong mkpnta ng japan..pra mtikman ang lahat ng msarap jan...=(
Japan is my dream land.whehehe=)
Kaso la pa opportunity eh.bwisit..;D

Garando said...

Mabel:
Wow, thanks for the tag! I'm heading over to your blog now...

Jeanny:
Haha Ice cream pala weakness mo ha. Malayo ka na ba sa Pasong Tama? :D Daan ka na lang dun siguro during weekends.

Shadowmoon:
Brazil? Cool!! Interesting because I know there are a lot of Japanese who settled there. But you're probably right, it must cost a lot to import it.

Rico:
Yeah, Anton is amazing. That guy knows all the new spots in Manila. Sometimes even before it officially opens!
If you go during weekends then yes, there's enough parking at the front. But during weekdays... it's hopeless. Your best bet is Cinema Square's basement parking.

Thego-getter:
LOL!! Do check it out, you won't regret it. So pano yan, unahan na lang tayo dun? May the fastest man win. :D

Rica:
I think they need to keep it frozen-hard at all times. I remember eating it 15 minutes after I bought, it was soft and not so nice anymore.
I will buy lots of natto later for Garandee, she prefers to eat that while I'm gone. :D

Garando said...

Summer:
hehe. No worries, if you put your heart into it, set it as your goal and who knows in the future you might be walking under the cherry blossom trees in Japan! ;)

Unknown said...

Uiy.....
Sarap nman nyan?!
All i can say is, pengeeeeeeee...;D
Halata bang gutom?!whehehe=)

HalfCrazy said...

Ah that sucks, I'll try to go to Choto Shop if I ever get to pass Little Tokyo. Sana mag available talaga sa supermarkets!

75 pesos pero mukang malaki naman! And yummy pa LOL. Perfect for Summer.

Clarissa said...

yap,it's jumbo!!これは おいしい!!パリパリ だよね!!\(^0^)/

Jonie said...

Waffle and ice cream?! Oh my gawd!!!!

Garando said...

Solo:
Di naman masyado, medyo lang. LOL.

HalfCrazy:
Yup, P75 pero sulit naman. Good for 2! :D

Clarissa:
Hello! Thanks for visiting my blog and for leaving comments! Hala, di ko kasama ngayon yung translator ko eh, so I won't know what you wrote until I get home. Hehe :D

Jonie:
Yes, plus tsokoleyt! Winner di ba? :)

twishinky said...

dang that looks gooooooood.

I think i'm heading over there... screw diet and lactose intolerance hahahaha!

Pinky said...

OMG! And I thought ice-cream filled mochi was already sheer heaven!!! I will definitely look for Choto Shop during our upcoming home leave... thanks for sharing!

Garando said...

Twishinky & Pinky:
I went to Choto shop the past couple of weeks, and they didn't have any stock. :( I wonder why they stopped selling it... Maybe the price went up?

ms firefly said...

looked soooo yummy!!!
i may have to write down the name though, it's not so easy to remember eh?!

Garando said...

Ms Firefly:
Exactly how I felt when I first heard my wife's name. lol

magnetic_rose said...

hi again garando (and garandee :D) -- thanks again for dropping by my blog :) btw, in case you weren't aware, CHOTTO STOP has been open since january this year :D i guess they just never got around to letting folks know that's why it's taken some people by surprise. cheers and hope to run to you in the store someday!

Garando said...

Magnetic_Rose:
You're welcome! And thanks for visiting Balut & Natto. :)
We read about Chotto Stop at that Kitchen Cow blog, and we were so happy! That was where we did our groceries kase before they moved.
OK! If you find someone there carrying a lot of those Morinaga ice cream, then that's most likely me. ;)

Yoj said...

Woooow that's soooo yummy! I've been to Choto Stop twice, but I haven't tried this yet. >_<

Argh, I want to try it! >_<

*wipes drool off her mouth*

Garando said...

Yoj:
Very yummy indeed! Garandee just told me last Monday that she found 12 bars in Choto Stop. I rushed to get some the following day but it was all sold out by the time I arrived!! Talk about fast! :D

reena. said...

re-reading this post. suddenly, i have the sudden urge to get my hands on a choco monaka.

i hope that little shop still has some in store.

Garando said...

Reena:
I hope you have more luck than I do. Lagi na ako na uubusan, and I go there like every week! :D

madhatter said...

hahaha thanks for this post! I live next to Choto Shop, now I'm taking my 'lil boy out for Choco Monaka!