7-eleven Shirokuma Ichigo (strawberry shirokuma) – セブンイレブン 白くまいちご

Lent started today, and this year I’ve set myself the rather tough challenge of forgoing all dairy products, so over the past few days I’ve been taking advantage of my final chances to eat chocolate and ice cream before Easter. One thing I got a particular craving for was shirokuma. Shirokuma, or ‘polar bear’, is a crushed ice dessert made with condensed milk, that is usually topped with colourful fruits such as orange and pineapple. While 7-eleven does stock traditional shirokuma, I opted for the strawberry version, as it has a more generous helping of fruit.

Although this is apparently ‘premium’, it comes in a relatively cheap-looking yet sturdy plastic cup adorned with pictures of a cheerful white bear. At 245ml, I’d say this is on the large side for frozen dessert servings, though it’s still well under parfait size.

The top layer consists of chunks of frozen strawberry nestling against a little igloo of ice cream, with two blueberries peering out like beady black eyes. I attempted to eat this straight from the freezer but found that the frozen fruit numbed my teeth and due to the high water content of the strawberry it was almost like trying to bite into ice cubes, so I’d advise giving it a few minutes to thaw a little. It’s difficult to taste anything through the cold at first, but as the fruity pieces began to defrost they taste sweet, refreshingly tart, juicy and as fresh as frozen food can.

The ice cream has a lovely light, almost fluffiness to it, though no distinctive flavour besides the inherent creamy taste; I didn’t catch any hint of vanilla. Beneath the fruit is a layer of gooey condensed milk, with that perfect tang of intense sweetness that you expect.

The ice cream igloo is surrounded by a glistening moat of strawberry syrup (is this metaphor getting too convoluted?) which is extremely sugary in contrast to the slight sourness of the real fruit, but thankfully used sparingly. Hiding underneath all the various toppings is the finely crushed, milk-flavoured ice that forms the main bulk of this treat. A few flecks of freeze-dried berry look decorative against the white, but they are mostly too small to have any noticeable flavour.

The milk ice is delicious: it’s sweet but not overly so and is actually quite refreshing. The consistency is fairly grainy, meaning that it doesn’t start melting into a slush after five minutes – an important point for someone like me who likes to devote at least half an hour to consuming dessert. One of the best things I noted about this product is that the flavouring is consistent right down to the base, so you aren’t left with a disappointingly bland layer of unflavoured ice crystals at the bottom, as you might be with a slushie.

At the heart of the shirokuma is another reservoir of condensed milk, at least a good couple of tablespoonfuls, which intensifies the sweet milky flavour of the ice and creates an interesting contrast between the crisp frozen fragments and thick, sticky liquid.

Finally, in the very bottom of the cup, is bubblegum-pink strawberry sherbert. Unlike the denser ice cream atop the dessert, this pastel concoction is very wet and frothy, and apt to melt rapidly once exposed to room temperature. Personally I don’t enjoy foaminess, but I can appreciate that the sherbert contributes to giving this sweet a great range of textures, and it does go well with the condensed milk.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: I’m always delighted with 7-eleven desserts because there are so many different ingredients, layers, flavours and textures in play, and Shirokuma Ichigo was no exception. The amount of condensed milk was just right and overall it was perfectly filling without being at all sickly. I only wish I hadn’t left it so close to Lent to review this, because I could really go for another one right now…

9/10

7-eleven Premium Shirokuma Ichigo 245ml  271kcals

7-eleven Ichigo to Purin no Crepe Parfait – セブンイレブン 苺とプリンのクレープパフェ

Usually I visit cafés at the weekend, but the winter snowfall in Hakodate makes the prospect of venturing outdoors rather daunting. Nevertheless, this need not be a drawback to the cold season, as there are plenty of delicious cakes and desserts available at the nearby convenience store, such as this fruity number: Ichigo to Purin no Crepe Parfait (strawberry and pudding crêpe parfait)

This snack-sized parfait comes in a sturdy clear plastic cup that could be reused if desired. Extra packaging is limited to a narrow sticker, so you can see through to the neatly arranged layers of crêpe, cream and strawberry within.

The internal structure is more complex than it looks from the outside, so there are lots of hidden surprises as you work your way to the bottom; one of the factors that constitute an excellent parfait in my opinion. Perched atop the crêpe layer is a charming miniature pudding crowned with caramelised sugar syrup. The pudding has the texture of firm blancmange and a mild scent of vanilla, although the flavour is rather weak, and the syrup offers a slightly bitter, burnt sugar note.

The strawberries are fresh, juicy and sweet with just a hint of sharpness. The crêpe is literally paper thin and beautifully cooked so that it has a marbled appearance. Also, having absorbed some of the liquid from the fruit and cream around which it is delicately wrapped, the crêpe is extremely moist without being soggy.

Fluffy, sweet whipped cream surrounds the strawberries and hidden beneath this is a layer of golden sponge, which seems to have been soaked in fruit juice or possibly syrup, in the manner of a trifle. Under the cake another surprise awaits: more whip and then a spoonful of custard cream which has a wonderful vanilla flavour. All the above is contained within the crêpe parcel, which makes up the top half of the parfait.

The base of the dessert is composed of a tart fruity jelly that tastes of raspberry and cranberry, yet more whipped cream and finally another little pocket of berry jelly. There is also a second piece of sponge cake concealed within the white cream, but this cake is drier, light and airy. Where the cream meets the fruit jelly the flavours have infused to create a thin layer of a rose-pink concoction that resembles strawberry mousse, which is an added bonus.

I loved this product. In spite of the small size there are so many different layers and textures to keep your mouth watering right down to the last bite. In addition, it is reasonably priced and nicely presented, so that you don’t feel like you’ve lost out by swapping a café  meal for conbini take-away. I hadn’t eaten 7-eleven own-brand desserts for a while before trying this, but it’s reminded me of how good they are and left me wanting more.

8/10

7-eleven Ichigo to Purin no Crepe Parfait  ￥350   263kcal

Three Desserts: Pumpkin Pudding, Pumpkin Cake, Mocha Coffee Jelly – 三つのデザート：パンプキンプリン・パンプキンケーキ・カフェゼリーモカ

Just a quick roundup of some recent treats this time, beginning with the Yukijirushi Megumilk Pumpkin Pudding, pictured above.

This sees the light, fluffy steamed egg puddings get a Halloween makeover with the introduction of a pumpkin flavour and cute festive packaging.

These little 70g pots are almost like tiny souffles, the pudding is like a very wet, fluffy mousse and you can almost hear the faint popping sound of the air being released as it dissolves in your mouth.

I don’t like to use the word ‘eggy’ because it never sounds appetising, but it is certainly different from standard milk-based puddings. I’m not a big fan of mousse and it was a little too spongey for me. I also would have liked a bolder flavour.

According to the packaging these contain Hokkaido pumpkin so it’s possible that they’re not available outside of this my cold northern island home, but perhaps there are several versions that use vegetables grown in other regions. The tiny pots make perfect snacks or light desserts, don’t taste very sugary at all and only contain 96kcals each, so are a fairly guilt-free autumn treat~

6/10

Continuing with the pumpkin theme we have 7-eleven’s Pumpkin Cake:

As you can see, 7-eleven has also produced an attractively packaged seasonal sweet, adding charming spooky designs to the standard gold and clear plastic cake container.

The rich yellow is wonderfully vivid, although perhaps a shade or two paler than actual pumpkin flesh. The label proclaims ‘the natural sweetness of pumpkin’, but this has an undeniable sugariness to it – the delicate sugariness of icing sugar rather than the stronger sweetness of say granulated sugar.

The appearance being similar to Mont Blanc, I was expecting a similarly dense and rich texture to the yellow topping, but it seems to be a flavoured whipped cream rather than a heavy vegetable puree, so it has a very smooth and light consistency.

The internal structure mimics Mont Blanc quite closely: beneath the golden-yellow confection is a layer of fresh cream which surrounds a pureed pumpkin center, and these three creamy layers sit atop a small square of fluffy sponge cake. This was really delicious and just gorgeous to look at, without being as filling as its chestnut equivalent.

8/10

7-elven Pumpkin cake ￥232  223kcals

Straying now from the seasonal thread for the final product, which is Emial Mocha Coffee Jelly:

I’ve tried every Emial Cafe Jelly I’ve come across so far – Caramel, Milk Tea, Coffee – but as soon as I peeled back the lid of the new Mocha version I new it would be my favourite. A lovely rich coffee aroma infused with dark chocolate notes hit me at once and it had a lovely milky cocoa hue (which has been a little washed out in the photograph).

The chocolatey sauce is as silky and thick as double cream, yet without as much fat. There is a pleasantly bitter hint of espresso and unsweetened cocoa that counters the rich dairy elements perfectly. The jelly cubes are solid enough that you can slice through them with a spoon without them disintegrating into a mass of shapeless blobs. There is a mild coffee taste but the jelly acts primarily to provide a substantial texture to act as a base for the creamy sauce.

I really loved the tastes, scents and textures of this and felt that it had the best coffee flavour of all the cafe jelly range. Eating it with a fresh cup of hot coffee was a like a little luxury, so I’m going to go ahead and give it:

9/10

(!)

Emial Cafe Jelly Mocha  247kcal

7-eleven Matcha Anmitsu + cafe desserts – 抹茶あんみつ + カフェのデザート

So far I’ve only reviewed chocolate products so this time I thought I’d do some proper Japanese sweets, starting with anmitsu. Anmitsu is a cold dessert consisting of cubes of a gelatin-like substance called kanten in a thin brown or white sugar syrup (mitsu), topped with a paste of sweetened azuki beans (an) and often cream and a variety of fruits. In this version the kanten/syrup base is green tea flavour, and a lovely colour to match. This was only about 300 yen but it’s nicely presented in a sturdy plastic pot that has a little shelf to keep the cream and fruits separate from the syrupy mixture below, so everything is fresh. The appearance of the fruity topping is mouth-watering, the kanten is smooth and glossy and the syrup gives off a sweet yet earthy scent of matcha.

The topping contains slices of juicy mandarin, a cocktail cherry, plain and matcha sweetened whipped cream that melts in the mouth, chewy shiratama (glutinous rice balls), soft an and whole azuki beans, so there is a great variety of textures in play.
The kanten is slightly firmer than jelly so has a little resistance when you bite into it. The matcha taste is very subtle but the syrup has a stronger flavour, though it is sweet rather than herbal.

I’ve bought anmitsu at 7-11 several times now but I’ve never tried putting the fruits etc on top of the kanten, I like to keep it all separate so that the cream doesn’t dissolve into the syrup.

Thanks to the staple of Japanese life that is the conbini, you don’t need to go a cafe to treat yourself to a tasty dessert but if you’re looking for something more luxurious here are some similar sweets that I’ve had in Japan:

This anmitsu that I had at Hanakanro (花かんろ) near Mt. Hakodate has vanilla ice cream and multi-coloured kanten flavoured with various fruit juices such as lemon and strawberry. It’s so colourful and pretty that it seems a shame to eat but I somehow managed^^ It’s a very generous serving with lots of handmade shiratama so quite filling but also refreshingly fruity. If you ever happen to be in Hakodate I seriously recommend checking this place out because it’s in a picturesque area full of old-fashioned Japanese-style cafes and the atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing~

I had this drink at Nana’s Green Tea in Yokohama but it took me a long time to choose because everything on the menu looked insanely delicious – all kinds of iced lattes and ice creams. What I went for in the end is almost a liquid version of the matcha anmitsu: kanten cubes in a milky green tea crushed ice drink, with a sprinkling of azuki beans. My husband went for the richer version, with matcha ice cream and shiratama.

This ‘Mini shiratama parfait’, which you can eat at Rokkatei (六花亭) in Hakodate, doesn’t contain kanten but the other key elements of an, shiratama and cream are there, so if it turns out you love anmitsu but don’t care for kanten this would be ideal.
Rokkatei is mainly a sweet shop and the cafe is only a small, roped-off section, meaning there’s usually a waiting-list to get seated, but while you wait you can browse the selection of chocolates, biscuits, mochi and beautiful gift boxes on display.