While Arrivederci Pizzaria can be on the higher scale of pizza prices, the couples meal deal is great value at $35 for a pizza, a large pasta, a garlic bread and a 1.25 litre soft drink. As I’m not a fan of the pasta (the sauces are too oily for my tastes and I don’t usually eat much pasta anyway) I usually ask to substitute the pasta for something else, and they have always been happy to do this. In the past I substituted for a 1/2 litre of gelato but I’ve also substituted it for another pizza, which is what I did this time.

For the soft drink, I am glad to see they still stock Coke, as I can’t stand Pepsi no matter how many times I try it. The garlic bread is not like garlic bread offered by other pizza stores — instead it is another pizza base, with a small amount of toppings. You can choose from garlic or herb. I choose the garlic, and while it was a tiny bit greasy, it was greasy in the good way that you get fast food for in the first place, and also didn’t go overboard on the garlic (not that I mind garlic — but I know some people don’t like too much of it). All three bases had a good consistency — not chewy or hard or soggy. It didn’t have the yeasty flavour of a home-made base, but was a good thickness and enjoyable.

The first pizza I ordered was the BBQ chicken. The pizza had a very generous topping of mushroom, which at first made me think that it didn’t have much chicken, but it turned out the chicken was just in very large chunks and scattered on the pizza, so that you might go a few bites without finding some. That was alright as the mushroom and the sweetness of the BBQ sauce and cheese was enjoyable by themselves, but it would have been better if the chicken had been in slightly smaller pieces and spread more across the pizza.

The second pizza I don’t recall seeing on the Arrivederci Pizza menu before — marinated beef. Perhaps this is a result of the schwarma resurgence after the Avengers movie? I am not sure but the marinated beef did remind me a lot of schwarma, and was extremely tasty. The tomato and roasted capsicum complimented it nicely, but it did suffer from the same fate as the chicken as it was again in very large chunks and meant that a few slices had very little of the beef, while some were covered with enormous pieces. A little time taken to cut the pieces smaller and scatter them more evenly would have made the pizza appear more impressive and save on arguments when sharing slices!

Overall I still enjoyed the pizzas a great deal, and Arrivederci Pizza still had the best garlic bread (or foccacia) of anywhere hands down. If it were not for the couples meal deal, however, I might consider buying elsewhere due to price alone, but at the moment Arrivederci Pizza will probably remain my go-to pizza place, with Dominos following at an extremely close second.

Kit Kat Chunky 3 is a version of the chunky Kit Kat bar that contains three different fillings at the top of the bar. I found the idea of having three different fillings in one bar interesting, but when I first tried the Chocolate version, I was a little confused as I seemed to have only two different flavours — two smooth fillings and one gooey. I took photos of the bar with each section sliced to show the filling, and you can see that the middle filling, which is supposed to be the crunchy one, even looks the same as the smooth filling. It definitely was not crunchy, so I felt a little cheated out of one of my different textures. The smooth texture also didn’t really taste all that different from a normal Kit Kat — maybe it was a little denser and sweeter, but I found the sweetness a little sickly. I enjoyed the gooey texture more, particularly the caramel, but overall I think I would have been just as happy with a normal Kit Kat chunky bar.

Now I’m left wondering not only what those weird Japanese Kit Kat’s taste like, but where my crunchy filling went! Have you tried this Kit Kat? Did your crunchy filling actually crunch? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Cape Gooseberries are a small, marble-sized orange fruit, with a firm orange flesh dotted with tiny crunchy white seeds, and a thin edible skin like a tomato. They have a very distinct pleasant smell that is difficult to describe, but which is a little bit like a citrus fruit, and they taste bizarrely like a cross between a tomato and an orange (which is nicer than it sounds). They are often used for jam, but I don’t think I’ve every tried any gooseberry jam — usually we only had a few gooseberries available at a time. However I found them recently for sale at Fruity Capers and was glad to be able to try them again after such a long time.

It might take some people a while to get used to the unusual flavour, but for me it was very nostalgic. I was curious to try the fruit in savory salads (especially with avocado, as was suggested on the Wikipedia page) but I ended up snacking on them with some green tea and forgot to leave some for my salad. I don’t often use sweet ingredients in salads, but due to the similarity with tomato I did want to see how it would match up with more savory ingredients. Oh well, that might have to wait until I can get some more!

These rice cakes were very similar to the caramel rice cakes — they were thicker than the usual savory rice cakes, and covered with a very thin layer of sweet flavouring. They weren’t oversweet and didn’t even have the very slight unnatural flavour that the caramel rice cakes had when I first tasted them. They tasted like a very, very crunchy apple cinnamon muffin. I was especially glad that the cinnamon flavour was very noticeable, as sometimes in apple and cinnamon products you can barely tell that there is any cinnamon there. Overall these were very pleasant, and moreish — and although they are nice by themselves I couldn’t help but wonder what they might be like stuck on top of a nice scoop of vanilla ice-cream!

Passing the Fruity Capers Deli recently I noticed a few items I would like to try, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to do something similar. Here are the ingredients I bought from Fruity Capers Deli and from the supermarket:

White anchovies

I don’t mind the usual pizza anchovies — the dark pink and grey anchovies usually found in tiny jars — however I am also a fan of dried and fresh anchovies. This tasty little fish provide a great burst of flavour as well as being relatively healthy and cheap as you only need a few anchovies to provide a whole lot of flavour. I had never tried the white anchovies from the deli and found them to be fantastic. The anchovies are not as pungent as the more common darker anchovies as the white anchovies are not as heavily processed. They are simply marinated in a little olive oil and white vinegar. This means the flavour of the fish is nowhere near as strong, and is much sweeter. Along with the vinegar, the flavour still goes a long way, and I had a great time using up the leftover anchovies in wraps with salad and avocado — very tasty!

Smoked mushrooms

These had a very strong flavour, as they must have been smoked alongside wurst and had absorbed a lot of that flavour. This meant they worked best when paired with other complimentary flavours, to damped down the strength of the smoky flavour. These would be a great addition to a vegetarian deli platter, as mushrooms are fairly meaty on their own and the smoked flavour really enhances this.

Italian Prosciutto

The deli had three varieties of prosciutto but I bought the Italian version as I was advised by the Fruity Capers Deli staff that it was the less salty of the three, and I don’t like too much salt. When the proscuitto didn’t slice very well, the staff member also let me know and checked that it was ok if the slices were a little narrow. It didn’t matter so much to me as I was only going to plonk it on the bruschetta, but I thought it was great that he checked with me first to make sure that was ok (as many people would use prosciutto for wrapping around things, and the slices would not be ideal for that). Preserved meats like prosciutto may be expensive but they are full of flavour and you really only need a tiny amount, and the flavour and texture make it worthwhile.

Barilla Pesto

I’ve been using Barilla pesto for a long time — especially the Pesto Genovese (the basil pesto). The oil, basil, cashew nuts and pecorino cheese compliment each other and the flavours stand up well even when added to pasta. I seem to use this pesto for just about everything except pasta — usually using it with vegetables or thinly spread on toast (which is absolutely delicious), or in this case on bruschetta. The Pesto Rosso (tomato) is a milder flavour and probably would be best paired with lighter flavours otherwise it would get a little lost. However it is still very creamy as it also contains cashews and cheese along with the tomato.  As an added bonus all the Barilla pestos and sauces I have checked have been gluten free.

Toscano Pizza Bruschettina

I bought these on special from Coles for $4.00 for two packets (each containing nine slices). These need to be baked slightly before serving, which is easy enough as they only require a few minutes under the grill. This adds a final crispness to the bread. The bread is already spread with a little oil and oregano, which meant it was tasty enough that I ate several leftover slices with nothing on them as they were great by themselves. But of course they were even better with other ingredients. The light charring on the edges of the bread also added to the flavour, and coming presliced and only needing a moment in the grill these are a great time saver while still looking very impressive. They would make a good entrée at a dinner party if you want to prepare something quickly.  Also, despite needing a moment in the grill, the bread retained it crispness long after it had cooled, so you don’t have to worry about them going soggy if you don’t have time to serve them directly from the grill. The other advantage of this bread is that it curves up at the edges, which means you can pile on the ingredients without them spilling off the edges.

Rosella Aristocrat Capers

I know some crazy people who can’t stand capers, but I love these little vinegary bursts of flavour. It’s best to be careful not to put them with other vinegar flavours (such as the white anchovies) or it might become overwhelming. I like my capers in pasta or stir fried vegetables, as adding capers and a little cheese adds enough flavour that you do not need pasta sauce.

Always Fresh Sicilian Green Olives

These are my favourite supermarket olives. They are far superior to any other green olives in jars I have tried — only being surpassed by deli olives — and I have been looking for good green olives from the supermarket for a long time! I was surprised to find such nice olives are also pitted, which is very handy, but pitted olives usually have less flavour. Not in this case, however, as these are still very nutty and firm and don’t vanish if you put them into a cooked dish. It’s not uncommon for me to eat these olives straight out of the jar, or with pickles and a little cheese if I’m feeling a little more civilised.

Tomatoes and Spinach

Preserved deli foods are best paired with some fresh vegetables to compliment the flavour and stop it getting too strong. Tomatoes are of course perfect — especially the smaller, full flavoured varieties as these also look great on the plate. Spinach also compliments the flavours well — I have long given up on lettuce on anything when spinach makes such a good replacement, and one that doesn’t lose it’s appeal if it gets a little wilted. You can also use other vegetables like lightly grilled or fried zucchini slices, capsicum or eggplant.

Nimbin Natural Elba-Style Cheese

This is my favourite cheese, which I will review separately at a later date as I used it fairly sparingly on the bruschetta (just to add a little creaminess).

These ingredients can be mixed and matched however you like — and there is sure to be something to please everyone. You can also swap out bread for a gluten-free variety as most toppings good for bruchetta are gluten-free.  See the gallery below for examples of the combinations I used.

The chocolate used on the biscuits is dark chocolate, and of a pretty good quality. The room was filled with chocolatey smells the moment I opened the bag (so this treat could definitely lead to some lunchbox envy!) As the bags are only 60 grams, they don’t contain a huge amount. At $3.99 a packet, that makes them a bit expensive for a lunchbox treat. It would be better value if you could eat only a few of these biscuits but unfortunately they are a little too delicious! The crunchy rice cake and quality chocolate make eating these biscuits as enjoyable as other regular chocolate biscuits. In fact, I’d probably prefer these over Tim Tams due to the quality of the dark chocolate. However, that also means that it’s hard not to eat the entire small packet in one go. As chocolate is involved, these also still contain a high amount of saturated fats at 14.4 grams per 100 grams. That made me wonder whether I’d be better off eating the caramel rice cakes (2.9 grams per 100 grams) to try to satisfy my sweet cravings. They might not have chocolate, but they are still tasty and have much less fat content and are less than half the price. Maybe smearing them with a very thin layer of chocolate spread (if you can constrain yourself) might make them equal to satisfying the chocolate cravings, although that would also bump up the fat content.

Overall, these are a very tasty snack, I’m just not sure if these are quite as healthy as they could be, and whether they are really cheap enough to provide a lunchbox alternative. They are definitely better than heading for a chocolate bar while still having the flavour, and are very convenient, but the fat content and price mean I would probably look for even healthier and cheaper alternatives.

There were a few packets on a the shelf, but I noticed that due to the flexible top of the packaging and the sloped shelves the cupcakes were displayed on, a few of them had lost a lot of icing onto the top of the lid. I chose the packet with the most intact icing, but it was still hard to prevent the bendable top hitting the icing as I carried them home . The cupcakes look very pretty, so it’s a pity the top of the packaging was not a little more solid to prevent the plastic dipping down onto the icing when you hold the cupcakes. Luckily, as the icing is fairly soft the marks in the icing were not as noticeable when they were taken out of the packaging.

The cupcakes have a very light lemon smell, however the lemon flavour is only in the icing. I’m used to supercharged, super tangy lemon flavours, so the lemon flavour in the icing was a little too mild for me, but still enjoyable. The icing was very sweet, but it is a thin layer so it’s not too overwhelming. The cake itself is vanilla, and fairly light and moist although still substantial enough to be filling. Overall the cupcakes have a great texture and appearance, especially at a price of $3.00 for a packet of four. These are a very handy if you’re working to a budget, such as for an office afternoon tea, and are great value for money while still being good quality.

I ordered two pizzas on different crusts — classic crust and thin ‘n’ crispy — so I could get a good idea of the different flavours and the types of crust. Also on a whim I ordered the chicken ribs, breaking the rule about not buying meals from specialist food sellers that aren’t the thing they specialise in (eg ‘Don’t buy fish at a steak restaurant’ — I should have listened to that advice when getting spaghetti in Hong Kong.)

The online ordering process was interesting. It gives a countdown letting you know when the pizza is being prepared, cooked etc and when to expect delivery. The pizza arrived at around the right time, however when I tried to give feedback on the website (it only allows you to fill in the feedback area after the pizza is delivered) the button to submit the feedback didn’t work.

I tried the chicken ribs first. They smelt very spicy and on the first bite were very juicy and tasty. However after eating the first one (they are fairly small, as you’d expect from chicken ribs) I realised they were also very, very salty. This overwhelmed the spices after the first mouthful and made them much less enjoyable. I know I seem to be more sensitive to very salty food compared to some other people (eg I don’t like the fries at most fast food places as I feel like I’m eating a stick of salt), but it felt like the chicken had been soaking in brine. That was a little disappointing, as I feel these could have been really fantastic if they had just cut back on the salt.

Next I tried the Mustard, Beef and Bacon pizza on classic crust. It’s rare to see mustard offered on pizza, so I ordered this pizza out of curiosity as much as anything else (and also because I felt like bacon). There was a nice mustard smell when opening the box, and the pizza was sweet and creamy to balance the tangy mustard. The edges of the classic crust base were a tiny bit chewy rather than crispy, but that didn’t really detract from the experience. The savory beef, tomato and bacon flavours are complimented by the mustard and I was delighted to see that the bacon was really real bacon, and there was quite a lot of it. Not even Pizza Capers had managed bacon that looked like the stuff you have with your eggs, so my opinion of Domino’s increased hugely when I noticed this. I was surprised to find I really enjoyed this pizza, despite my expectations.

The other pizza was a Godfather on thin ‘n’ crispy as I also wanted to try some more traditional pizza toppings. The toppings on this pizza went right to the edge, and while the base wasn’t super-crispy it was still a nice texture, wasn’t soggy or chewy and held together well under the weight of the toppings for such a thin base. The base tasted a little like pastry, without being greasy or oily. Neither pizza was overwhelmed with cheese, adding just enough to give flavour without creating a gummy mess. The dominant flavour on the Godfather seemed to be the tomato, followed by the capsicum and sausage. I was a little disappointed in the sausage as it seemed a little bland, but perhaps that it because it was in such small slices. The oregano and olives worked well with the tomatoes, and overall it was a very traditional ‘pizza’ flavour. The toppings on both pizzas were great, and but I enjoyed the thin ‘n’ crispy base the best as I could appreciate the toppings without feeling stuffed with bread.

Overall, the Domino’s pizzas surprised me by being just about as good as the Pizza Capers pizzas, but at a much lower price. They were also much larger, and despite not being as ‘pretty’ as the Pizza Capers pizzas, the additions such as real bacon put them just ahead of Pizza Capers in the pizza wars so far. Definitely not a result I’d anticipated!

Vita-Weat Soy, Linseed and Sesame Lunch Slices

Vita-Weat Lunch Slices are one of those products that do not need to hide behind fancy promotional shots — they look just as good in real life as they would on any advertisement. And to take advantage of this, the packaging features a prominent window so you can see exactly what you are buying. The crispbread is tasty and crunchy without being too salty (something that I seem to be sensitive to), and doesn’t crumble or split in half tipping ingredients into your lap when you bite into it. My only complaint about this product is that the box contains two packets of six slices each, when I usually find that three slices are just enough. This means that three slices get left out for a while (especially if I’m too lazy to wrap them up) however the crispbread didn’t seem any less crispy after a few days unwrapped, so as long as you don’t leave them out for too long I guess this isn’t such a bad thing. Vita-Weat lunch slices are available from Coles and I purchased them for $3.39.

Black Swan Hommus

Black Swan Hommus is my favourite hommus — the only hommus to outstrip it is some I tried at a restaurant that was just a little nuttier. Black Swan Hommus has a great creamy, airy texture that spreads easily onto anything and works well as a dip with carrot sticks or crackers. This hommus has a great tang which seems to be part vinegar and part lemon, but it’s well-balanced by the chickpeas. Black Swan hommus is the main reason I haven’t really bothered to make hommus of my own very often — it just didn’t compare! The 500g tub of Black Swan hommus from Coles cost $7.30.

Spinach from Fruity Capers

A while ago I gave up on lettuce and switched to spinach as a replacement. Spinach generally has more nutrients than lettuce (being a much darker green), it keeps longer in the fridge, comes in handy little flat leaves so you don’t have to tear it up or balance inconveniently curly or crumpled leaves, and I think it’s also much tastier than lettuce. When I buy these tubs, as long as I keep them closed in the bottom of the fridge they will last for at least a few weeks — however they will wilt if you let the cold air get to them, so make sure they are covered. I bought this spinach tub from Fruity Capers on special at 2 tubs for $5.00. They also have spinach available as a whole plant, which is a bargain at two large bundles for $4.00. These need to be washed before use, however, as they can still contain some grit, but will last even longer in the refrigerator in a closed plastic bag.

Don Double Smoked Shaved Leg Ham

Don Double Smoked Ham is my go-to snack and lunch product. I know as long as I have this and some form of bread or crispbread I can always put together something interesting to eat. It also makes a good stand in for bacon if you don’t have any available — just fry it in the pan with some eggs and it increases the flavour. I also occasionally buy ham from the local butcher’s store, but the Don ham lasts so much longer without getting slimy or smelly it’s just a good thing to have in the fridge for impromptu lunches and snacks. I prefer to the double smoked variety to champagne ham as the flavour holds up much better when used with other ingredients, and you don’t have to use as much. This means you can use a slice with a heap of vegetables and still have a tasty end product. Grill up a few thick slices of zucchini and a slice of ham, and put them in a wrap and you’ll feel like you are eating something much more greasy and decadent. The 250g containers cost $4.95 at Coles.

Perino Sweet Snacking Tomatoes

I love these little tomatoes, but they are so expensive at $4.98 for a tiny punnet. Mini Roma tomatoes are also available at fruit shops, but they are usually a similar price — I can go a bit crazy whenever I see them  cheaper! But I’m easily able to justify the expense of these special little tomatoes but telling myself it’s much bpunetetter to spend up big on tasty, healthy things than junk food (I use the same rationale for blueberries). This is one of those products, like the Jazz Apples, that I hope really catch on and are much more available (and cheaper!) in the future.

My mother used Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid, and it’s one thing I’ve stuck to ever since moving out of home (a long, long time ago). I don’t know exactly why, except that it does get the dishes clean and I’ve become accustomed to the smell. So a few months ago I picked up some Natures Organics Earth Choice dishwashing liquid, thinking that if I’ve going to buy something new, I may as well get something that is Australian made and owned, and purports to be good for the environment.

I picked up two varieties — Green Tea and Lime, and Lemon and Basil. They didn’t have any of the Pomegranate, although I’m very curious about that one. I tried the Green Tea and Lime first and found the smell very appealing. I didn’t notice any differences in the cleanliness of the dishes, or the amount of bubbles compared to Morning Fresh — everything came out just as clean, it just smelled nicer. I didn’t seem to use any more or less liquid, although I found the packaging was less messy that the Morning Fresh can some times be (as the Morning Fresh occasionally would blow bubbles everywhere and drip over the edge when squeezed whereas the Earth Choice didn’t have that problem). I didn’t find the smell of the Lemon and Basil as nice — it seemed more like just ordinary dishwashing liquid

Another benefit is that the packaging of the Earth Choice liquid is much nicer looking than the bold yellows and greens of Morning Fresh. The transparent bottles and lighter colours mean they are far less glaring when sitting on my kitchen windowsill. I think next time I need to buy some new dishwashing liquid, I might pick up another bottle of the Green Tea and Lime, instead of the usual Morning Fresh.

So for this Brand Loyalty Challenge, it looks like a win for the challenger — Earth Choice. Have you ever switched a long-used brand and why? Let me know in the comments.