This chilled sando is a convenience store must-try.

When you’re travelling around Japan and learning the language, you’ll find yourself picking up new words in odd places, and right now the word at 7-Eleven is “yokubari“. Literally translating as “greedy” or “indulgent“, the chain is using the word to describe a range of single-serve “one-piece” sandwiches that are so loaded with decadent fillings they’re bulging at the seams, and now there’s a new variety on the shelves.

▼ Chocolate Chip & Whipped Cream

At first glance, you might wonder where the chocolate chips are, as the cross-section shows what appears to be flakes rather than chips.

The chocolate chunks are there but they’re hiding inside the sandwich, scattered within the cream filling.

We only found out about the chunks after picking up one of the “yokubari sando” at our nearest 7-Eleven. It took us a while to get to the inside of the sando, though, as we were mesmerised by just how beautiful it looked.

▼ The combination of white, brown and pink created a wonderfully harmonious colour palette.

The pink slices are called “sakura bread”, and are said to add more than just visual appeal as they’re slightly salty, with a flavour that’s reminiscent of pickled cherry blossoms.

Opening the sandwich for a closer look, we were pleased to see that the filling hadn’t just been pushed to the cross section – it covered the entire surface area of the bread, proving the chain wasn’t skimping on the chocolate chip cream.

This is when we discovered that the cream was actually filled with chunks of chocolate, making it look like chocolate chip ice cream.

▼ Flakes up front, chips out back.

Putting the sandwich back together for a taste, we took a big bite and lost ourselves to the super soft texture.

The bread was plump and chewy, the cream was fluffy and exquisite, and the mixture of chocolate flakes and chips made it taste chunky and melty at the same time.

This meltiness actually had another surprising effect, as it made the whole thing taste like an ice cream sandwich. The chocolate itself tasted like the hardened sort you get on chocolate-covered ice creams, so every bite fooled the taste buds into thinking this was an ice cream.

It was such an unusual sensation that we hardly noticed any saltiness from the sakura bread – if it was there it only added to the ice cream effect – and we were glad we had it chilled as this made it taste even more like chocolate chip ice cream.

We didn’t think the chain could outdo itself after wowing us with its previous Yokubari Sando, filled with colourful chocolate sprinkles, but we’re happy to say they’ve blown us out of the water with this new variety. Sweet, delicious, and very indulgent, the Chocolate Chip and Whipped Cream Yokubari is a convenience store must-try, and it’s perfectly timed for summer, when its ice cream-esque character will keep you cool and refreshed during Japan’s scorchingly hot days.

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We find out if salty sakura pink bread is really a good way forward for the chain.  

Japan has a penchant for white bread sandwiches. Commonly featuring fluffy slices of shokupan, made with an enriched dough containing milk, these sandwiches aren’t just confined to savoury fillings as they pair well with sweet ingredients too, opening the door for some eye-popping sweet creations that defy Western traditions.

Right now, 7-Eleven is pushing the envelope even further by turning some of its white bread pink, and filling one particular offering with peaches and cream.

7-Eleven doesn’t just use one type of peach in this sandwich, as it contains both yellow and white varieties for added flavour and colour.

Keen to find out if the new sandwiches tasted as good as they looked, we picked up a pack from our nearest 7-Eleven, and when we unwrapped them, they looked even plumper and softer than they did on the store shelf.

These were some of the most beautiful sandwiches we’d ever laid eyes on – it was almost as if they’d been painted by an artist and crafted by a sculptor.

▼ They should call these artisanal fruit sandwiches.

With the cross-section being such a thing of beauty, we decided to open the sandwich up to see if all the ingredients had been sneakily pushed to the front for display purposes.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the case as the filling extended all the way to the edges of the triangular slice, with a hidden piece of white peach adding an extra element of surprise.

Happy with the look of the sandwich and the size of the filling, it was now time to test out the most important element of all: the flavour. After reassembling the sandwich, we took a large bite and the first thing we noticed was the pillowy soft mouthfeel.

The combination of whipped cream and shokupan was like biting into a cloud, giving the palate a soft entry point for the juiciness of the peaches that quickly followed. The soft fruit burst with a cool sweetness on the tongue, and although we could’ve mistaken the peaches for canned pears, they were so delicious that we didn’t mind what they were. With every bite, though, we began to notice an unusal accent in flavour on the palate, as the bread had a slight saltiness that was similar to pickled cherry blossoms. This is no accident, as 7-Eleven calls this bread “sakura bread”, which isn’t just a reference to its pink colour but its salty-floral sakura flavour as well.

Salt is something we’ve never tasted in a fruit sandwich before, and certainly not to this extent, as it’s very evident on the palate. While it creates a very unique blend of salty and sweet flavours, we’re not entirely sure if sakura bread will become the next big thing in the world of fruit sandwiches, as it takes the focus off the sweet fillings that make them so popular. It does present a unique twist that makes these worth trying, though, and it’s particularly well-suited to the summer months, when the refreshing coolness of the fruit will be a delicious reprieve from the heat, and it makes a nice partner for the new chocolate chip sandwich, which tastes like ice cream.

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