There are many things in life that just go hand in hand -nuts and chocolate; Hollywood and botox; cats and toxoplasmosis. Of all these, only nuts and chocolate would qualify as a match made in Snack Heaven, unless of course, you have nut allergy, in which case, it would be your hell.

Pepero is an almond and chocolate dipped biscuit stick from the Korean company, Lotte. You see, Leibniz Minis Choco has already proven that chocolates and cookies are the best thing since sliced bread. Chocolate, cookies and nuts? Probably the best thing since Leibniz Minis Choco?

Although boxes of Pepero are always displayed beside Japanese cousin Pocky, I’ve never been compelled to give one a try. So why this change now? Well, there was a little white sticker at the front of a the box that read $1.20. I had to do a triple take – the cheapest fancy Pocky is $2.40.

The design of the box feels a bit old, not helped by the unsavoury shade of green. Inside this box is a matte foil, again in the same verdant shade. We know that pictures on boxes are usually poor approximation of what to expect inside but these gnarled chocolate and almond dipped sticks are true to its packaging.

The biscuit sticks are a touch thicker than Pocky’s. I had two boxes of Pepero Almond and the second box has slightly bitter biscuit sticks, like they were left in the oven a few minutes too long. The chocolate and almond are consistently…okay. There’s a good balance of not too sweet chocolate and crunchy, very nicely-roasted almonds. But is it better than Pocky? Maybe. If you don’t like your chocolate too sweet, you might like Pepero better than Pocky.

All in all, this is a good, cheap snack. The only complaint I have is that there are only 10 sticks in a box. Compare this to the 25 sticks in a chocolate Pocky and suddenly you realise why these tasty sticks are so cheap. Grrr!

A good alternative to Pocky, Pepero will appeal to those who prefer their chocolate not too sweet.

Let me be honest — I bought this because of the cute, colorful box.

I absolutely looove opening boxes with this type of perforation. They produce the manliest of tearing sounds. Mmmmm….

Er… ok, back to the review. See the chocolate-coloured outer shell? I used my two front teeth to bite into this because based on years of eating similarly-shaped snacks, I’d assumed that this would have an easy-to-bite, crumbly texture.

How wrong was I. The shell was much, much harder to break, as compared to say, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish or Hello Panda Chocolate Biscuits — causing a slight shock to the system. Yes it sounds all too dramatic, but such is the excitingly dangerous life of a snack-tester.

The shell was very dry and brightly crunchy, and didn’t taste very chocolate-y. Though the texture did provide a contrast to the creamy banana filling, I’d prefer it slightly softer.

For the cream filling – if you have tried a banana milkshake before, a bad one that is, you pretty much know how this taste and smell like.

The pieces came in at least four different shapes – A fish-shaped one with straight tail and another with a concave tail, an octopus with four arms and another one with three. These shapes serve no other purpose than to entertain people like me.

I felt sick of the stuff after my fifth piece. I wasn’t sure whether it was due to the fact that I’d eaten too much MiniSnacks earlier.

Update: I tried eating this again on empty stomach but didn’t manage to finish more than two pieces.

Photos: Snacktimes

If toxic banana flavour suits you fine, then this is the snack for you.

I had my dinner, my tummy was full but I was longing for something sweet to end the night. I eyed a masculine-looking dark orange box with gold-foil lettering in my snack drawer. Chocolate sticks? Sounded like the perfect after-dinner treat.

The sticks were very slender in size, about 10cm long and 0.7cm wide (I’d expected it to be slightly bigger. Nevertheless, it’s a good size for nibbling). The swirly texture running through the length was a nice touch. What about the taste?

The taste was pleasant, if slightly forgettable at first, perhaps due to its tiny size. Only after three sticks would you get a proper feel of the product. The orange flavour was zesty and nicely balanced with the milk chocolate, which was not too sweet. There were tiny, crunchy bits that added texture to an otherwise plain affair (remember this is an orange-flavoured, not orange–filled, chocolate stick).

I stopped at five sticks (half a serving) to see if I’d crave for more. I kept the box in the fridge, made myself a cup of tea and switched the TV on. In the middle of watching The Queen (the film starring Helen Mirren), I’m thinking of thin, orange-flavoured chocolate sticks again and I’m not even hungry to start with.

Perhaps due to its small size I needed more to satisfy my sweet craving. Perhaps, I was just giving excuses. Just one more wouldn’t hurt, I thought. And then I ate 7.

Photo: P.T. Ceres

Starts off unremarkable, and then you find yourself wanting more.