7-Eleven Poké Ball Onigiri: The Nintendo Life Review
Of course, we have to start with the ball that started it all…
Poké Balls
This red and white original comes with roasted pork meat, garlicand mayonaise.
Of the three, this was the hardest to eat… the sausage slipped off the rice and we were forced to eat each one separately
As you can see in the photos, the Pokéball design consists of only the outer plastic wrap. Below, the spherical onigiri is quite similar to what we used to catch our first Caterpies and Weedles. However, the color of the pork and dark seaweed strips evoke the image of a Poké Ball. As seen in the cross-section, the chefs at 7-Eleven sandwiched some mayonnaise between the rice and the meat.
Before we bit in, we questioned where this pork came from. With the introduction of Scarlet and Violet, perhaps this sausage was made from Lechonk, or maybe the chefs took from the Pokémon’s past to fillet another pig-themed Pokémon like Tepig. They omitted to specify which Pokémon we’re enjoying, although we’re sure they all taste the same.
Of the three balls, this is the hardest to eat. Immediately after taking a bite, the sausages slipped from the rice and we were forced to eat them separately as if it were unfinished Lechonk fried rice. That said, Lechonk slices are pretty good, if a bit salty, though the onigiri is only 172 yen from a convenience store. Strips of seaweed, or noriand the rice we enjoyed as they were quite fresh.
However, since we have to admit to not liking Japanese mayonnaise, the little blob in the middle left us unsatisfied with the entire package. It overpowers any hints of garlic as Dragonite uses Hyper Beam on Pidgey, leaving us disappointed overall with the original Poké Ball.
Average: 5/10
Big ball
The blue and red Great Ball takes the famous Japanese dish omelette rice and compress it into a compact rice/Pokeball form.
Although the omelette itself doesn’t have any buttery smoothness, the rice is a bit spicy to make up for the egg.
Omelette rice – or pilau – often see fried rice wrapped in a thin omelette before topping with ketchup. In this form, a slightly thick layer of omelette is topped with the onigiri, and instead of drizzling ketchup on top, the chefs have mixed ketchup over the rice. In, Mushroom and chicken mixture are waiting for hungry Pokémon fans and Japanese businessmen looking to spice up their convenience store lunch a bit.
Like Poké Ball, we wonder which Pokémon the eggs come from – is it Togepi? Or a chicken-like Pokémon like Torchic? Who can say? What we can tell you, however, is that the mushroom inside definitely reminds us of Amoonguss. Or maybe it’s Shiinotic.
We are off topic. We like this onigiri better than the first because the omelette above remains the same. Eating it with your hands, as Arceus intended for all onigiri, is a much more enjoyable experience. While the omelette itself doesn’t have any buttery smoothness, giving it both a bland flavor and texture, the rice has a bit of a spiciness that gives it an eggy taste – and no, it doesn’t quite taste like sauce. tomato.
However, the Amoonguss and Torchic mix comes together to create a weird, pasty mix that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. In fact, we’re not sure if any Torchic is present. Admittedly we are not big mushroom fans.
Not quite great, but good: 7/10
super ball
Like in actual games, Ultra Ball appeals to our taste buds most easily. A combination of pork (Grumpy?), a medium boiled egg (Happy and soy sauce It doesn’t seem very special when compared to the other two, but it all comes together to create a much more delicious onigiri.
If you squint, the middle half boiled egg could represent the Ultra Ball’s drop button, or possibly the Pokémon itself. A strip of seaweed wrapped around the top half represents the Ultra Ball’s black design. Other than this, thematically it doesn’t have much to do with its packaging and of the three which we consider the least appetizing.
Sometimes, simplicity wins the day. The middle egg halves were well cooked, neither dry nor watery, although we would have liked to sprinkle a little salt on top. Seaweed gives a slightly crunchy texture with an aromatic flavor. But it was the rice, mixed with soy sauce and chunks of Grumpig, that seriously hooked our taste buds.
In fact, it’s not too far from a regular old fried rice – our personal favourite. Out of the three, we wouldn’t hesitate to buy the Ultra Ball rice balls again.
Ultra Balls, Indeed: 9/10
Hungry for some donuts onigiri? If you had the chance to walk into a Japanese 7-Eleven, which onigiri would you most like to eat – if any? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
*Minimum genuine Pokemon 15%. Maybe. May contain traces of Digimon.
