Food & drink
Cheese. Cold cuts. Something crunchy with serious flavour. The apéro board just got a new regular.
Published in The Crunch · 4 min read
The apéro is one of the great rituals of eating well. That window between the day ending and the evening beginning: drinks on the table, something to pick at, nowhere to be for the next hour. It exists everywhere, going by a different name: aperitivo in Italy, drinks and nibbles in London, after-work drinks in Singapore, happy hour anywhere that understands the assignment.
What makes it work is the food on the table. Not a full spread, just enough. Something that holds its own against a glass of wine, earns its place beside the cheese, and gives people a reason to keep reaching in. That's exactly where Ambry's Crunch Cubes sit.
On the apéro board
The classic apéro spread is built around contrast: fatty and lean, mild and strong, soft and crunchy. Cheese and cold cuts cover the first two. Crunch Cubes handle the third and bring a flavour dimension that olives and crackers simply don't.
What makes them work here is what makes them work everywhere else: bold flavour, real crunch, and enough substance that you're not just eating air between sips. On an apéro board they pull their weight. They belong there the way a strong aged cheese belongs there, not as a filler, but as a statement.
Umami-rich foods are one of the oldest companions to wine and spirits. The same fermented, savoury depth that makes aged cheese and charcuterie so good alongside a glass is exactly what
Seaweed and
Kimchi Jjigae bring to the table.
The Ambry's apéro board
A simple spread that works every time
- A sharp aged cheese — comté, aged gouda, or a good parmesan
- Something cured — prosciutto, bresaola, or a firm salami
- Olives — good ones, ideally marinated
- A bowl of Original as the neutral anchor
- A bowl of Seaweed or Kimchi Jjigae for the flavour-forward end of the board
- Whatever is open and cold in the fridge
What pairs with what
Every flavour has its natural drink. These aren't rules — they're starting points.
Wine · Cocktails · Spritz · Everything
Original
Clean, lightly salted, endlessly versatile. The one you put in the middle of the table when you're not sure what everyone is drinking. Works as the neutral anchor on any apéro board alongside wine, cocktails, or a cold beer. Nobody will push it aside. Most will reach for it twice.
After-work favourite Cold Beer · Lager · Pale Ale · IPA
Mala
The numbing Sichuan heat and the cold bitterness of a beer are made for each other. A lager cuts through the spice cleanly. An IPA leans into the aromatic heat. Either way it's the kind of combination that makes a Friday feel like a Friday.
Cold Beer · Soju · Makgeolli
Kimchi Jjigae
Complex, fermented, fiery — Kimchi Jjigae belongs with Korean drinks, full stop. The acidity and spice are a natural fit for the clean sweetness of soju or the slight sourness of makgeolli. Against a cold lager it's equally at home. Bar snack energy, fully unlocked.
White Wine · Champagne · Spritz · Soju · Sake
Seaweed
Umami and acidity are a classic pairing, the same logic behind oysters and Chablis. The seaweed and sesame notes sit beautifully against a crisp white or a dry sparkling. And alongside soju or sake, the clean savoury depth just makes sense. This is the wine bar flavour. The sake bar flavour. Order accordingly.
Every occasion. One bag.
The apéro is the obvious home, but Crunch Cubes travel well across the full range of drinking occasions.
After-work drinks on a Friday, the kind that start at one bar and end somewhere else, call for something you can carry and actually want to eat. The after-work beer at home, on the couch, television on: Original or Mala, bowl optional, no further justification required.
The wine bar, where Seaweed alongside a glass of white is a combination that doesn't need to apologise to anyone. The cocktail hour, where something with enough character to hold its own against a Negroni or an Aperol Spritz is harder to find than it should be. And at home, coffee table set, a bowl of mixed flavours in the middle — that's the one. That's the occasion Crunch Cubes were made for.
The scene
Friday evening. Someone's place. The board is already out — cheese, something cured, olives in a small bowl. A few bags of Crunch Cubes torn open and poured alongside. Drinks poured. The playlist sorted.
Nobody is talking about protein content. Nobody needs to. The Kimchi Jjigae is disappearing faster than the brie, and someone has already asked where to get more.
That's the apéro. That's the point.
The crunch the board was missing
High Protein Crunch Cubes — four flavours, every occasion
Bold enough to hold their own against whatever's in the glass. At home on the apéro board, at the wine bar, on the couch, at the party.
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Frequently asked questions
Which flavour should I start with for an apéro board?
Original and Seaweed are the most natural fits alongside cheese and cold cuts. Original works as the neutral anchor for everyone at the table. Seaweed brings an umami depth that plays beautifully with wine. Add Kimchi Jjigae if your crowd leans adventurous, or if soju is on the table, in which case it's mandatory.
How many bags do I need for a group?
Two bags per person for a relaxed evening is a comfortable amount. For a party board, three or four bags across two to three flavours gives people variety and plenty to graze on without running short.
Should I serve them in a bowl or from the bag?
A bowl is the move for social settings. It looks better on a board and makes it easy for people to reach in. Mix two flavours in one bowl and let people discover the difference. Pour them out just before serving so they stay at peak crunch.
Do they work alongside non-alcoholic drinks too?
Absolutely. The same pairing logic applies. Seaweed with sparkling water or a light oolong, Mala with something cold and lightly sweet, Original with essentially anything. The apéro ritual works just as well without alcohol.
Is the protein content relevant in a drinking context?
More than people realise. Protein slows alcohol absorption and genuinely extends how satisfied you feel through a long evening. It's not a health angle, it's just one more reason Crunch Cubes belong on the table.
