Product of Portugal
Available at Cost Plus World Market
A package of 200g for $1
Regal Biskuit Marie
Product of Indonesia
Imported by Empire International
Available at various Indonesian grocery stores
A package of 125g for $1.25-1.50
Prelude:
The idea struck me that this would be a food and not a restaurant blog. So, I will also do product reviews. For the forthcoming, I will review more mainstream products. Today, I was looking for snacks when I opened my pantry and saw these two. So, why not? I'll make this the inauguration of my product review. Enjoy.
General:
Quite unheard in the United States, Marie biscuit is popular in Europe and Asia. It is a type of simple sweet biscuit that is quite inoffensive to everyone and pairs great with a cup of tea. Basically, it is just a composition of flour, sugar, and vanilla. However, such simplicity often lends to interests on just how well it can be executed.
There are many versions out there in the world but I have easy access to two readily available versions. The idea sparked from Her Majesty Wifey Queen Bee's insistence on the superiority of Regal's over Vieira's version. However, she relies on the tasting of the two on different occasions and we know that memory is unreliable. So, I setup a straightforward non-blind comparison, non-blind because I would be identify which one is with immediately, anyway.
Interested in a second round? Tell me where to get different versions and I will do a new, possibly blind, tasting.
Details:
Vieira Biscuit Marie: a larger diameter, a bigger packaging size, and a cheaper price immediately pulls a competitive advantage bruiser. Texture is soft, flavor is more subtle with softer sweetness palate and vanilla aroma. I like this better as the flavor is more balanced with a smoother texture: more refined. Simple yet quite elegant for the genre. 4 stars.
Regal Biskuit Marie: a coarser crumbly texture and a bolder sugar and vanilla flavor, creating a milky overtone. A darker from a longer baking as well (thus the texture). She likes this better for the milky overtone. For me, it is okay at 3 stars.
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| Vieira's(left) and Regal's(right) |
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| Vieira's(left) and Regal's(right) |
It would be better for regal manufacturer tried to adjust its flavor and color to its local market preferences.
ReplyDeleteReviews above by Dr. Laurent Tambayong would be great help to start for.
As person that born, raised, and lived in Indonesia, like many other people here may be, I my self like regal with its little bolder sugar flavor as well as its little burnt taste because of its longer baking process.
Congratulation for your very informative blog my friend.
Best Regards,
(Ubermensch Narsowan)