Dessert from Family Mart, Tokyo

Update Review, September 2019

As you may recall, I discovered the joy of convenience store products in Tokyo during my last trip, ranging from sandwiches and salads in bags at 7-Eleven and Lawson, to soft serve ice cream at MiniStop, among many other things.  Family Mart was of course one of my stops, where I had a lovely salty milk pudding.

This time, I went seeking out baked goods, perhaps not what you'd expect from a convenience store, but I know they are delivered fresh daily (and do run out!), and, well, I was still on a quest for good melon pan, having struck out at even the most famous bakery in Tokyo (Kimuraya, granted, not famous for the melon pan).  I read that Family Mart makes the best melon pan out of all the convenience stores, so, it was my first (and sadly only, as I ran out of time), stop.

Chocolate Chip Melon Pan.

I was about to grab a regular melon pan when I saw the chocolate chip one.  That sounded even more delicious, so, I opted for it.

The bakery goods come from Familia Bakery, rather than Family Mart branded, unlike the other stores that brand as their own.

The first thing I noticed, even before purchasing, just based on feel ...  no crispy crust like I wanted.  Still, I took a gamble.

The topping, my favorite part usually, really did let me down.  It wasn't crisp, it wasn't sugar cookie-like, but it was sweet.  I did like the little chocolate chips studded throughout.  Tasty, yes, but, signature crispy awesome cookie-like crust it was not.

The rest of the bread was more disappointing, although, to be honest, it is what I expected.  Kinda ... dried out.  A bit stale.  Lacking any real flavor.

I'm glad I got this urge to try the melon pan out of my system, but I can safely say I wouldn't do this again.  It also clocks in at nearly 500 calories, which, for such a lackluster item, is clearly not worth it.  It made me wonder how it was possible to have such a high calorie count, honestly.  I mean, it was big, but ...

Original Review, November 2017

When in Tokyo, eat at convenience stores.  Seriously.

I loved my salads in pouches from 7-Eleven.  The egg sandwiches from Lawson Station.  The packaged pudding from anywhere.

So next up?  Family Mart, the other big chain (alongside 7-Eleven and Lawson).

At Family Mart, I sought out one thing: dessert.

Desserts from Family Mart.

We only visited Family Mart once for dessert, so each just selected a single item: a cream filled pastry for my companion, a pudding for me.

They were both successful, and I wish we had a chance to go back for more.

Salty Milk Pudding.

The pudding selection at FamilyMart had many options.  I almost went for the caramel pudding, or the one that looked like flan, or the crumble topped one.  So many choices (although sometimes hard to guess which were yogurt, and which were pudding).

But in the end, I saw "salty milk pudding", and couldn't resist.  There are some thai desserts that are salty and sweet puddings that I love, and this sounded certainly the most unique.

Salty Milk Pudding Contents: Sweets Toppings + Pudding.

Once I removed the plastic top, I found a gold packet of "sweets topping", on top of the next layer of packaging, a sealed lid covering the pudding.

I easily pulled back the lid, and tried the pudding plain first.

It was a nice texture, not too thick, not too rich, sorta like almond tofu crossed with more traditional cream pudding.  It was moderately sweet, and slightly salty.

I liked it plain actually, and would have consumed it that way with no problem, but of course, it was time to try the unexpected topping.

Salty Milk Pudding with Sweets Topping.

I drizzled just a little on to try it.

It was ... well, sweet, caramelized sauce.  It reminded me of flan.  It was perfectly good, but I actually strangely preferred it plain.  Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for really sweet?

But overall, a nice pudding, far nicer than anything you get in American grocery stores, and <$1.

Oh, and the cashier added the adorable little spoon to my bag, which was the perfect size to savor the pudding, just like a gelato spoon.

Cream Filled Taiyaki.

My companion couldn't decide between the cream filled pancake or taiyaki, and finally went for the taiyaki, because, uh, it was cuter?

Taiyaki: Inside.

He wasn't thrilled with the choice though, he expected it to be cake or pastry, and rather, it was mochi-like, as you can see the translucent layer under the outer layer here.  I agree, I like mochi, but that kinda soggy layer wasn't great.

The cream filling however was fantastic.  Super rich, super thick, very, very tasty.  Sweet, but not too sweet.

Once he discarded this, I used the mini spoon that came with mine to scoop out all the custard.  Such great custard!