Suedy’s Koo-Ki Sushi Selection
The sushi selection is sold three ways: in handsome reusable gift boxes, in decorative paper boxes, and in single pieces served on edible chocolate plates. The sushi is artfully arranged, and each box also comes with a minature “shoyu” bottle of chocolate sauce, dabs of green chocolate resembling wasabi, and an edible “ginger” flower made of tinted, ginger-flavored white chocolate.The sushi pieces were my favorite from the Koo-Ki line. The “Fruit-o-Maki” (pictured) is a great example: an assortment of fruit-flavored smooth chocolate and caramel pieces are encased in a rice cookie, and surrounded by a thin layer of dark chocolate. I mostly tasted the citrus flavor in this piece—it had a bright, vibrant lemon tone. The various fillings nicely offset the cookie, and I enjoyed the play of different textures between the smooth ganache, the crispy cookie, and the chewy caramel. Before I tasted any of the sushi pieces, I was a bit suspicious that the cookie portion would be too hard or would be too much of a texture change, but all of the elements worked together nicely.
I also enjoyed the “Lemon Egg,” again because of the bold citrus flavor. Described as a “lemon-flavored ‘egg omelet’ with a luscious lemon meringue filling,” this candy was not too tart, but very pleasantly lemony, with a strong white chocolate taste as well. The smooth texture and generous portion of the lemon candy perfectly balanced the cookie portion underneath, and it was all tied together with a thin strip of dark chocolate.
The “Berry Maguro” sushi piece was a fun surprise. This candy featured white chocolate flavored with strawberry, over a hazelnut-chocolate ganache atop the rice cookie. This flavor combination sounded a little suspect, but it turned out to be delicious. The first flavor to come through is a strong strawberry taste, then just as it leaves the mouth the hazelnut arrives and lingers on the tastebuds. This was especially ingenious because I feel the strawberry on its own might be too powerful, but it’s nicely supported by the smooth hazelnut paste.
Musubi Munchies
Musubi Munchies are a new entry to the Koo-Ki Sushi line, and feature five miniature candies in different flavors, packaged with a small “shoyu” bottle of chocolate sauce. The apricot candy consisted of apricot-flavored gummy eggs atop a rice cookie. It had a nice apricot flavor, and the gummy eggs were a good match for the taste because I found them reminiscent of the texture of dried apricots. I also enjoyed the cranberry munchie, in which a tart cranberry was covered with a thick layer of sweet white chocolate and wrapped in a rice cookie. The cranberry-chocolate piece burst with sweet-tart flavor.Some of the other munchie varieties were a little disappointing. A chocolate edamame version, featuring a chocolate-covered roasted soybean, was a bit too dry for my taste. I like the idea of playing with sweet and savory flavors, but my personal preference would have been for a smooth or chewy element to balance out the cookie and dry-roasted soybean. On the other end of the spectrum, the peach-mango candy had a delicious flavor, but the gummy center was extremely springy—I found myself working very hard just to chew through it. The flavors of each of the munchies were fantastic, but the eating experience was more uneven and I found myself wishing for a bit more filling in contrast to the cookie portion in most of the munchies.
Other Chocolate Specialties
Suedy’s Koo-Ki Sushi also produces novelty chocolate products inspired by Asian culture and cuisine. I tried the dark chocolate/crème de menthe chopsticks, which were delicious. They had a nice dark flavor, deeply chocolately without being too bitter, and the top third of the chopsticks were inlaid with chunks of mint-flavored chocolate. The chopsticks were also beautiful—they had a glossy finish and were speckled with gold dust for a rich, lustrous sheen. I admit that I ate mine plain—they were that good!—but I imagine they would also be delicious swirled in a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.Koo-Ki Sushi also offers sake cups in four flavors. The cups are beautifully decorated with flower accents around the edges and a thin coating of luster dust to make them shine. I tried the green tea variety which had a subtle green tea flavor in a white chocolate base. I imagine that these cups would be very nice with a light fruit sorbet or mousse.
The “Lucky Cat” chocolate pieces are modeled after the cat statues that are commonly seen in Asian restaurants. The cats are molded out of solid white or milk chocolate and decorated with gold dust and hand-painted details. I tried the white chocolate version and although white chocolate is not my favorite, this cat was delicious. The chocolate tasted very rich and fruity, and since the website doesn’t mention the white chocolate being flavored at all, I will attribute the full flavor and pleasant taste to very high-quality chocolate. The cats are small (around 2.5 inches tall) but because they are solid chocolate, they are a substantial treat and are very satisfying.
