Forget sweet sandos, 7-Eleven wants us to explore the world of sweet burgers.

7-Eleven Japan is famous for its sweet sandwiches, commonly filled with fruit and cream, but now the chain is shaking up the convenience store scene by bringing out a new sweet burger. Called “Rare Cheese & Almond with Orange Peel Sweets Burger”, or “Brioche with Cheese Cream, Almond & Orange Peel” in English, this new treat was released on 23 June and is already creating a buzz online, so we picked one up at our nearest branch to see if it was worth the hype.

The burger looked even sweeter in person, and kind of reminiscent of a maritozzo, a sweet brioche-style Italian bun filled with a generous amount of whipped cream that previously took Japan by storm.

▼ 7-Eleven even tried to bring the craze back by releasing a maritozzo in January this year.

Sadly, the passion for maritozzo failed to reignite, and less than six months later, the “Sweets Burger” appeared. Whether by design or coincidence, this new creation does seem to hold its own place in the convenience store world, being distinct from a maritozzo and unlike any other treat we’ve seen at 7-Eleven before.

After taking it out of its packaging, we marvelled at the pink hue of the buns, which were reminiscent of the chain’s recently released fruit sando and chocolate chip sandwiches, which feature pink-coloured bread.

▼ 7-Eleven seems to have developed a fondness for pink bread this year.

Measuring around 7 centimetres (2.8 inches) in diameter and 6 centimetres in height, it’s on the small side for a sweet bun, especially given the 313 yen (US$2.15) price point, but the tiny size only adds to its cuteness.

Slicing it in half for a closer inspection of the cross section, we were impressed to see that the almond and orange peel pieces extended all the way through the cream, promising to deliver a satisfying eating experience from start to finish.

It also became clear that this was definitely different to a maritozzo – instead of containing whipped cream, this brioche had a firm, Australia-sourced cream cheese centre. It was the most unusual “patty” we’d ever seen, and biting into it , it was one of the tastiest too, with the almonds and candied orange peel adding extra depth to the rich, creamy flavour while providing a light finish on the tongue.

The smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture of the cream cheese patty was made even more satisfying with the chewy contrast of the brioche buns.

The only problem was, the burger was so delicious we couldn’t get enough of it, and after finishing one we had to resist the urge to race out and buy more of them.

This is definitely one of the most unusual finds you’ll come across in a Japanese convenience store right now, but stocks are limited and likely to sell out so be sure to get in quick to try it while you can. And while you’re there, don’t forget to wash it all down with another viral find, the super creamy iced latte.

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