Chocolate review: Hawaiian Host Founder's Collection Dark Chocolate covered macadamia

I have a backlog of chocolate reviews not because I've slowed down in sampling, buying and eating chocolates but because there are other things to write about. Since today is Valentine's Day, I decided to mark this date with a post on chocolate.

We got this box of Hawaiian Host chocolates as a pasalubong last May 2024 and kept it on reserve for a few weeks before opening the box.

The dark chocolate variant of Hawaiian Host's chocolate cover macadamia nuts

Details at the back of the box included a brief history of the chocolate covered macadamias.

Nutrition information

Expiration date and ingredients - We ate this way before the 'Best Before' date. There is no information on the minimum cacao content of the chocolate.

When you open the box and slide the tray, there is still this cover to protect the chocolates.

Each chocolate sits on a slot. Without the cover, they can easily get dislodged.

We enjoyed eating this. The less expensive but usually available at supermarkets are the milk chocolate and dark chocolate variants of chocolate covered macadamias from Meiji. I thought Hawaiian host is just a bit better than Meiji's but you won't really be able to tell the difference when you're eating them. Will I be buying this soon? Maybe, but there is no urgency given there are many other chocolates out there to enjoy.

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Scallop King from Ramen Nagi

We sort of had a lot of ramen last January. It was the birthday month of the wife and daughter so we took advantage of the birthday promo at Ramen Nagi to enjoy their ramen. A basic rule is to have two companions pay regular on their order of ramen. Proof of the birth date is requested from the celebrant so be sure to bring a valid ID to avail of the promo. In one of those dinners at the restaurant, I ordered this special ramen that was on limited offer. I wanted to try something new and different from the usual Butao I order for my meal.

Scallop King featured a lot of scallops and a broth thick with what looked like powdered nori.

I remember the shots they usually took of food in Japanese TV programs to show how delicious the food would look like. This was an attempt to do something like that. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to include the smoke from the ramen as I lifted the noodles for the photo.

This is one of the best ramen's I've had. My only 'complaint' if I can call it that is that the soup or broth is quite thick that you get quite full even before finishing the bowl. So a recommendation to those trying this ramen to eat your noodles and scallop first before indulging in the broth.

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Paalam Nay Paring, October 24, 1928 to February 1, 2024

Last February 1, 2024, a beloved aunt passed away. She was 95 years old. She had been ill for quite some time and in her old age had become senile. I was sad the last time I saw her and she could no longer recognize me. Nay Paring was my companion for several trips via sea when I traveled back to Manila from Iloilo during my childhood years when I took vacations in Cabatuan. We always took a Negros Navigation vessel in those days. She was like a mother to me along with Nay Nene who passed away in March 2017.

This weekend marks the anniversary of her passing and burial. The last surviving sibling is my father. Tatay traveled to Iloilo yesterday to join our relatives including my cousin who is the only surviving child (Manong Joam is the eldest of two brothers but the younger Manong Edgar passed away about 3 decades ago.) in celebrating Nay Paring's life. While I was not able to join them, I look forward to visiting Cabatuan on my own like I did last year.

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