Today's Review: Domino's Twisted Chocolate Dough Balls

Domino's have a good selection of their Twisted Dough Balls on the menu already, including the gorgeous japaleño and the hot dog and mustard that I reviewed a few months back. But now these twisty, doughy bites are crossing over into the dessert menu, as Domino's have released a chocolate version.

It doesn't sound like a great combination, how can the dough that works with jalapeño also work with chocolate? Well, it's slightly different. The first thing I noticed is that it's very salty. Perhaps that's just because of the contrast in tastes, but it's a little overwhelming. Thankfully, the warm, melted chocolate chips add a much needed dose of sweetness, and the whole experience is certainly sweet and filling. Unfortunately, there just seems to be an imbalance between the chocolate and dough. There's just not enough sweet chocolate to cancel out the saltiness, and while I enjoyed them while eating, they did leave a bit of a bad aftertaste. These are certainly a nice attempt at a dessert, but they're not perfect. If you like the other dough balls though, you should certainly try these.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Douwe Egberts Flavour Collective Coffee

I never used to be a fan of coffee, but I decided one day to teach myself to love it, and from milky sweet Starbucks lattes to pure espresso, I attained my goal. I normally have my coffee black, with no sugar, but the desire for flavour sometimes gets the better of me, leading me towards the far unhealthier lattes, loaded with flavoured syrup. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just have our coffees with a bit of flavour, instead of dealing with the sticky stuff? Well, you can.

This is the Flavour Collective, Douwe Egberts' range of flavoured instant coffee. It comes in four flavours: vanilla, chocolate, caramel and hazelnut. I forewent the hazelnut, as I'm not really a fan, but the others were mightily tempting, what with vanilla and caramel being my favourite kind of latte. Upon opening these jars, the aroma is magnificent. That distinct coffee smell, but with an overpowering sweetness, it really left me eager to dissolve these bad boys in some boiling water.

Once I had, I was ready to settle down and enjoy some nice, simple, flavoured coffee. The jar states that you should use one tablespoon of coffee per cup, but I found it not strong enough for my liking. I do like my coffee pretty damn strong though, so maybe it's just a taste thing. As for the flavours themselves, they certainly are bold. Not quite as pronounced as the aroma of the grounds suggests, but that's to be expected. The vanilla and caramel are my favourites, while the chocolate did leave a bit of an odd taste in my mouth, so they're not perfect. But they certainly are a nice change to your regular instant coffee, and carry about the same caloric content. I'll definitely be keeping a jar on standby in case I want something flavoursome, and I still have to try out the iced coffee recipe to experience these flavours in a different light.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Chocapic Cereal Bar

Chocapic is an interesting cereal. It doesn't seem to be available much in the UK, only in the form of odd movie tie-in cereals, but whenever I can get hold of it I enjoy it. Crunchy, chocolatey shells that taste great with milk. What more could you want? The same, but in a cereal bar? There it is. But, is it the same?

This is your usual cereal bar affair. A milky bottom layer, and on top, the cereal itself, held together with a sticky, shiny coat. It tastes good, chocolatey, and is pretty filling. The only problem lies with the diminished crunchiness caused by the aforementioned stickiness. One of the best things about Chocapic cereal is how nice and crunchy it is, and without that, the cereal bar falls a bit flat. Still, it's good for a milky, chocolatey hit, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to pick one up.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Cheetos Duos

Ah, Cheetos. You come in many weird and wonderful forms, but are seldom seen in this country. I'm always excited to find a new kind of Cheetos, though I think nothing will beat the crunchy varieties. Here's a packet I found the other day, of Cheetos Duos. I'm not exactly sure what's going on with these, because the packaging is all Polish, but from the pictures on the front I assumed that this one packet contained two different flavours, pepper and cheeseburger. That's an... interesting combination.

Can you tell which crisp is which flavour? No? Neither could I. Every one looks exactly the same, and the shape is just weird. They're bulky, with weird ruffles, unlike any crisps I've ever seen. Why they couldn't stick with the regular long shapes, I don't know, but these chunky ruffled crisps are just a bit too heavy, and quickly turned to mush and got all stuck in my teeth. Not overly pleasant, but the flavours helped a bit in that regard.

Well, it helped with half the pack. You see, of the two flavours, only one is good, but I don't know which it is, because there's no real way to tell. One flavour is pretty bland, while the other has a fantastic strong, saucy taste. I'll assume the latter is the cheeseburger flavour, as it tastes a bit like burger sauce. But whatever it is, the bold flavour does well to overcome the issues suffered from the weird, bulky shape. The other flavour, however, does not, and eating those ones is not an overly nice experience. So I'm torn. These Cheetos are half good, but the other half both baffles me and does little for my tastebuds. A decidedly average Cheetos experience.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Kinder Country

With Surprise, Bueno, or just plain chocolate, Kinder is always a tasty option. But apparently there's more thsn the few varieties in the UK, as I found out today when I stumbled upon Kinder Country, a bar of Kinder chocolate containing cereals. Very tempting.

As you can see, the bar is pretty packed with cereal pieces, but they're not the crispy rice kind that I expected to find. Instead, it's more of a puffed rice cereal, and it tastes a lot like Sugar Puffs without the honey. The pieces definitely add an interesting texture to the Kinder chocolate, but the taste, while certainly good, is just a bit weird. I would have enjoyed it more with crispy cereal, but as it is it's just a bit too puffy and sweet for me. Still, it's an interesting Kinder variety that is worth a try if you can find it.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: The Wolverine

Superhero movies have come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years, even the X-Men franchise has recovered from a lacklustre end to the initial trilogy, and the subsequent not-so-great Origins: Wolverine. I thought First Class was a new era for the X-Men, but it turns out they weren't quite done with Hugh Jackman yet, as he returns in The Wolverine.

We once again follow Wolverine, who has cast aside his hero chaps and opted to grow a beard and commune with bears in the forest. But then a Japanese lady named Yukio tracks him down, on behalf of Yashida, a man Logan once saved, who is now facing death and wants to say goodbye. When Logan arrives in Tokyo, however, he is offered the option to become mortal, ending the pain he suffers from his eternal life. Before long though, he finds himself embroiled in warfare with the Yakuza, protecting Yashida's granddaughter and uncovering a sinister plot.

Yes, the movie is predominantly set in Tokyo, which of course means ninjas, ninjas everywhere. Even the people you'd least expect seem to be experts in martial arts, because hey, Japan. Still, it makes for some nice fight sequences, which really are needed, as the super-powered villain we're presented with is flat and boring, and even the precognitive Yukio takes on the role of a boring travel guide for the first half hour, explaining everything in unwanted detail.

You see, the plot is rather underdeveloped and drawn out, populated with characters who never really progress past their cookie cutter Japanese villain stages. As for the Wolverine, the plot does offer him a chance to reflect on an important life choice, especially when his powers are ripped from him without permission. Well, sort of, because he still manages to soldier on through the rest of the movie slicing people up. The premise had great potential for character development, but Jackman, while clearly comfortable and confident in his role, is just the same grunting, screaming guy he always was. Wolverine has certainly become more weary over the years, but I've grown tired of him too.

I think it's fair to say that I didn't particularly enjoy The Wolverine. It's watchable, yes, and pretty to look at, with some great action sequences. But a lacklustre plot filled with boring characters did little to rouse my interest. Probably the best thing about this movie is the mid-credits sequence at the end, but you'll have to make it through the rest first. If you like your average Blockbuster superhero movie, and indeed if you enjoyed The Last Stand and Origins, this is a safe bet. But with so many other greater movies coming out, I can't help but be disappointed.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Matchmakers: Yummy Honeycomb

Christmas means Matchmakers, or so I assume, I only see them around this time of year. I must admit that I don't think I've ever eaten Matchmakers. I'm not a fan of mint chocolate, you see, and that seems to be the flagship flavour. But today I picked up a box of the new flavour of Matchmakers, Yummy Honeycomb.

Lots of little chocolatey sticks, more than I was expecting really, you get a lot for your money (when they're half price anyway). As the box suggests, these are indeed honeycomb flavoured. Also, as the box implies, they are also yummy. The chocolate is littered with tiny, crunchy honeycomb pieces that give quite a bold flavour. Perhaps a little too bold, they taste quite fresh in a minty kind of way, much like fruit flavoured chewing gum still has that distinct minty taste. Perhaps it's just me, but while they are tasty, and moreish, the flavour is just a little bit off. I'll have to pick up the orange flavour to form a proper opinion, but these are definitely worth a try.

My ratimg: 4/5