(Beni Haruka Suiito Poteto Kureepu | Red Sweet Potato Crêpe)
General Description
Here we are with another seasonal sweet potato snack from Family Mart! This time we have a crêpe! Crêpes are pretty popular desserts in Japan, or at least in Tokyo. While you won't see them as often at convenience stores, there are quite a few specialty crêpe shops. As a result, this caught my eye when I saw it at Family Mart.
I love crêpes, so this is right up my alley!
[Cultural Note] Seasonal Flavours
Perhaps because Japan is an island country that shares no borders with other countries, the foods and flavours that are “in” change with the seasons.
While you can find some seasonal flavours all year round at certain stores, you’ll see cafés and restaurants advertising specialty drinks and desserts and stores selling unique snacks depending on the time of year.
Some notable seasonal flavours are:
- Strawberries (mid/late winter)
- Cherry Blossom (early spring)
- Maccha (spring)
- Mint (early summer)
- Pineapple, Lychee, Lemon, Watermelon (summer)
- Sweet potato (fall) Chestnut (fall)
[For more cultural notes, check this page.]
Review
- Price
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320 JPY (1 hand-sized crêpe) - Taste
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So there's 2 whipped creams, 1 regular and 1 sweet potato flavoured. Neither are particularly sweet. To be honest, this is the kind of whipped cream I'm not really a fan of. For both, the taste is very light, so it's just this very mild creamy sweetness.
On one side, there is a layer of something that is like a sweet potato puree but thicker and more solid. As you can see, it holds its shape. The taste is a strong, straight sweet potato flavour.
There is what I think is a caramel sauce? It has a strong bitter taste, but I couldn't taste the caramel that much.
The crêpe is your standard crêpe. It's actually not that sweet or eggy. - Texture
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The whipped cream is very light and smooth. It's lighter than how I like it. For me, it's so thin that it's not satisfying to eat. The sweet potato filling is nice. It's kind of like completely smooth, slightly thick mashed potatoes. It's very easy to bite into. The filling and whipped cream are pretty consistent all the way through.
- Smell
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There's no strong smell.
- Overall
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It's hard to place the taste. It's a kinda creamy sweet potato flavour. It's very filling though, so it's good if you want a dessert that will fill you up. I don't know why, but I don't find it super satisfying taste-wise. I think it's the whipped cream. It's very "nothing" to me, so it's hard to get a hold on what exactly I'm eating. - Would I try again?
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I won't say "no", but I think it's unlikely. It's not bad and I wouldn't turn it down, but it's not for me. If you like light light tasting whipped cream and are interested in this snack, try it out! However, I think there's something better for me out there.
