Mr. Donut looked at a donut and said, “You know what would make that better? If we stuck some ham in it.”

You’ve got to respect Mr. Donut, and not just because of the honorific title in its name. The Japanese donut chain is extremely forthcoming about what it has to offer: donuts.

So it’s kind of weird that in a recent press release touting its new menu items, Mr. Donut seriously buried the lede. As of November 17, the chain has expanded its breakfast options by adding a slew of baked pies (including savory varieties) and toast with toppings. The press release starts off by introducing things such as the frankfurter pie and tuna melt toast…

…but it’s not until the very end that Mr. Donut gets around to the real story: breakfast sandwiches made with donuts instead of bread!

That right there is the Savory Ham and Egg Sandwich Donut, with a slice of ham ringed by egg salad nestled lovingly inside a split donut. If you’d like different fillings, you can also get a donut sandwich with ham and cream cheese or ham and tuna.

If you find those just too decadent a way to start the day, the other new items are Chicken with Five Kinds of Vegetables, Shrimp Bisque, and Clam Chowder Hot Savory Pies…

…Apple Custard and Apple Cheese Hot Sweet Pies…

…and, finally, Hot Toast with Egg and Mayo.

▼ Even in the group photo, the breakfast donuts are subtly shoved to the edges.

Each of the breakfast donuts are priced at 172 yen (US$1.60) each, making them an extremely economical, and in all likelihood highly tasty meal (though we do have an experience-based fear of mixing sweet and tuna flavors). The pies are slightly pricier at 216 yen, and the toast types, oddly enough, are the most expensive, at 270 yen. All can be had with a drink as part of Mr. Donut’s “C Set” option for 360 yen.

While the company hasn’t specifically said that the new menu items are for a limited time only, the competitive nature of the Japanese fast food business means that experimental foodstuffs are being cycled in and out of menus on a more or less constant basis, so if you’re keen to try these so-crazy-they-just-might-work donuts, you’ll want to head to Mr. Donut while they’re still on sale, and also while your body is still young and strong enough to handle eating breakfast donut sandwiches.

Source, images: PR Times
[ Read in Japanese ]

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’s not going to knock the breakfast donut until he’s tried it.