With convenience store onigiri, the devil's in the seasoning

The humble onigiri rice ball doesn’t have a huge amount to say for itself. It’s sustenance, a step up from Calorie Mate but a snack all the same. This hasn’t stopped convenience stores from trying to turn the rice triangle into something more, and a few recent examples really shine.

FamilyMart has taken a seemingly obvious step to upping its game. Its latest creation features a thick piece of bacon wrapped around the rice. That’s the eye-grabbing part of it (¥158 after tax), but don’t sleep on the flavor beneath the meat: This onigiri features a great mix of soy sauce and pepper, adding a nice spice to each bite.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ローソン Lawson Japan (@akiko_lawson) on Apr 15, 2019 at 3:42pm PDT

Lawson, meanwhile, is tempting customers with its “devil’s onigiri.” This just-released item comes in two flavors. The first features bonito flakes and fried tempura batter (¥110 after tax). But the showstopper is a Sichuan-inspired onigiri loaded up with spices (¥140 after tax) that delivers a nice heat you wouldn’t expect from such a simple snack.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

LATEST FOOD & DRINK STORIES

The ongoing evolution of Japan's soup curry

Along with sushi and ramen, curry is consistently ranked as one of the top three favorite dishes by all ages and genders in Japan. As I've

Mu-Hung: Chicken rice, laksa and classic hawker fare

There's something supremely satisfying about a good bowl of laksa lemak. It's one of those dishes that seem so simple — basically noodles in a spiced-up, coconut-creamy soup, along with se...

Aoyama Kawakami-an: Sobaya that lets its hair down at night

Arrive at Aoyama Kawakami-an at midday and you'll find a typical upmarket noodle shop — as quiet and genteel as you'd expect of any restaurant in the residential backstreets around Omotesa...