Who doesn’t like to have a quick and easy snack when you’re feeling a little hungry, right? You go in a convenient store, grab a piece of bread and a bottle of juice, pay at the counter and have that lovely snack immediately after walking out of the store. Everyone does that. But what if you can also get a hearty Japanese “meal” at a convenient store? You can do that now at 7-Eleven.
Okay. 7-Eleven already have quite a selection of quick Japanese snacks at their store all over Malaysia. But this one may interest you even more. 7-Eleven has come up with 9 delicious new Onigiri flavours that will fill up your tummy when you need it. And since 7-Eleven is available at almost every corner of your hometown, you don’t have to go far to get your Onigiri fix.
But first, what is Onigiri?
Onigiri is an awesome dish that can be eaten right about any time of the day. It can be breakfast, a snack, or a meal on the go. You can stuff it with your favourite ingredients and it can be prepared at home or bought in specialized Japanese restaurants or convenience stores. It is basically a Japanese rice ball stuffed with meat or fish. There can be salmon with mayo, teriyaki chicken, tuna mayo, crab meat and anything you can come up with. It is usually wrapped in savoury nori (dried seaweed). And you can store them in the fridge to last quite a long time.
Onigiri at 7-Eleven
Now the good news is, you can get your quick Onigiri fix at 7-Eleven. Like I said earlier, there are 9 new flavours to choose from. Before I start on my review, I would like to thank 7-Eleven for sending me all 9 fabulous Onigiri flavours for me to savour on. I can tell you this, ALL of them are delicious! So let’s go over the flavours briefly one by one.
Salmon Teriyaki
This is one of my favourites. The rice are cooked perfectly and very filling. Of course, they use Japanese rice for this. It is wrapped neatly in nori, almost like it is done by a pro. Now what I’m going to talk about is the salmon teriyaki filling. I can tell you this, they are generous with the salmon bits. The teriyaki sauce has that tangy sweetness taste to it and full of flavour. And it’s not too overly sweet, but just nice. I can have this all day long.
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: RM4.20
Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
What’s not to like about this one? It’s smoked salmon, with cream cheese! The taste of the smoked salmon is exactly how you’ll get while eating a piece of smoked salmon. And the cream cheese is heavenly. A very good combination for a filling, I must say. This is another flavour that I can have all day.
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: RM4.50
Abalone Wasabi
I love wasabi. And it’s a good thing that the abalone wasabi have just the right amount of wasabi in it that won’t clear your sinus in a bite. I can tell that the abalone is fresh. And it’s chewy too. You will enjoy this if you love to have your sushi with wasabi.
- Rating: 8.5/10
- Price: RM5.00
Unagi
This is my wife’s favourite. I only got a single bite off this because my wife was hogging it. To me, the amount of unagi is just enough. It doesn’t have the fishy smell and it is cooked nicely. Flavours are great, similar to what you get when eating a bowl of Unagi Don at a Japanese restaurant.
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: RM5.50
Chuka Idako
For those who don’t know, it’s baby octopus. It is seasoned in a thick red sauce and with a dash of sesame seed. It is sweet and savoury, with a nice chewy bits of the baby octopus on the inside.
- Rating: 8/10
- Price: RM4.50
Soy Garlic Chicken
This is something different. They have included say sauce mixed with ginger and garlic as the marinade. The chicken is fried, so you will get the crunchy texture with every bite. The taste is unique in this one. A little salty and a little sweet, mixed in a harmonious flavour.
- Rating: 8.5/10
- Price: RM3.70
Teriyaki Chicken
One of my favourite dish when dining at a Japanese restaurant and it’s not cheap. But it’s good to know that I can have this whenever I want at a much cheaper price from 7-Eleven. Just like the salmon teriyaki, the sauce is not too sweet nor it is mild. The right amount of flavours has been thoroughly unfused in making this filling. A good quick snack to have when you have a busy schedule.
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: RM3.70
Tobiko Kani Mayo
One of the popular Onigiri flavours, kani mayo (faux crab meat in mayo). We usually see kani mayo sushi going around on a kaiten belt in most Japanese restaurants. And there are many kani mayo filled Onigiri out there from various stores. But I’m surprised that the one done by 7-Eleven is on par with the rest, if not better. This is my go-to Onigiri flavour when I’m in a rush.
- Rating: 8.8/10
- Price: RM4.20
Tuna Mayo
Another cheaper option with the basic ingredient. But don’t let the price fool you. Although it’s cheap, flavours are spot-on. The strong fresh tuna flavour will leave you wanting more and the right amount of mayo is used for this filling. My 3yo son absolutely love this. Seeing him enjoying this Onigiri leaves me wanting to buy more, and he did asked for more. This is one of the flavours that I will get as my own snack too.
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: RM3.70
Final Thoughts
Now I know that if I want to get a quick Japanese “meal”, I can simply head over to the nearest 7-Eleven store near by house. There are about five 7-Eleven stores within 1km radius from my house. Surely I can head to any of one them to buy some Onigiri.
In terms of flavour, I can tell you this. ALL 9 flavours are good. It surpassed my expectations. Trust me, I have tasted plenty of Onigiri from various convenient stores and hypermarkets but only some that I would go for again. 7-Eleven’s new Onigiri flavours are made with love. The people behind it are probably well trained to prepare quality Japanese style fillings. If you don’t believe me, go and buy some from the nearest 7-Eleven store.
Best of all, the price is right.
Check out www.7-eleven.com.my for more offers.
