We find out if a convenience store kebab can compete with the real thing.
In recent years, kebab stores have become common around Tokyo, with huge barrels of meat no longer being a strange curiosity but a serious craving. 7-Eleven is now catching on to this trend by serving up its own version of a kebab, in the form of a Chicken Kebab Sandwich.
This was something we were surprised to see when we visited a branch the other day, and our curiosity immediately got the better of us. Keen to find out just how kebab-like the sandwich would be, especially with sliced white bread instead of pita holding it together, we plucked one off the shelf and took it home for a taste test.
The first thing we noticed upon opening it, was the filling, which seemed to have everything you’d want in a kebab sandwich – chicken, tomato, cabbage and lettuce. Though it was generous, it wasn’t overflowing to the point of falling out everywhere, which is what usually happens when we hold a kebab.
The fact that we could hold it in one hand and easily bite into it made this a very convenient kebab, which is what you’d ideally want from a convenience store, but the big question was… how would it taste?
Taking a bite, our eyes widened with glee as we were amazed by just how authentic the fillings were! For us, the sauce is always the key to a good kebab, and that distinctive, spicy sauce with a slightly herbal accent had been properly recreated.
The sauce helped to lift the ingredients and bring them together to deliver an authentic kebab flavour. One thing that really surprised us, though, was the kick, as the sauce was quite spicy, despite only measuring one out of three chilli peppers on the rating scale. It was a hot, tingling, slightly fiery spiciness so if you don’t like spicy food, you might want to tread with caution here.
As lovers of spicy food, this was no problem for us, though, and in fact, it was a very welcome surprise. The heat only added to our overall appreciation for the sandwich, but before polishing it off, there was one more thing we had to test: the cross section. Convenience stores are known for committing what’s become known as “cross-section fraud”, where the sandwich looks full at the cross section but lacks ingredients towards the back of the slice.
Peeling the sandwich apart, we were happy to find there was no cross-section fraud here, as the sandwich was nicely filled to all three sides. This earned it another tick in our books, making it an all-star in terms of looks, ease-of-eating, portion size and flavour. There was only one point of contention, as it could be argued that, at 429 yen (US$2.79), it’s not that cheap, so you might be better off buying an actual kebab from a kebab shop.
However, there’s something to be said about the convenience of being able to pick up a tasty kebab at 7-Eleven. Not only is it a treat to know you can satisfy a craving for a kebab at any hour of the day or night, it’s especially nice for people outside of big cities, where kebabs aren’t as readily available.
Much like the taco burrito that came before it, 7-Eleven’s kebab sandwich is a great way to introduce more people to flavours from around the world, and remind us all that Japan knows how to do a great sandwich, even when it’s not filled with fruit and chocolate chips.
Images ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]
