While tasty sandwiches and even butter chicken curry are among the many offerings that sometimes cause people expecting glum convenience store fare be surprised by the quality of food at 7-Eleven in Japan, sweets lovers would be remiss to overlook their diverse pudding selection.

In particular, 7-Eleven has recently teamed up with celebrated pâtissier Pierre Herme (winner of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by the World's 50 Best Restaurants) to beef up their dessert selection with some surprisingly gourmet pudding.

With world that the collaboration was continuing with a new "Pierre Hermé Signature Pudding Caramel" that's been melting in the mouths of online reviews, we had to stop by our local 7-Eleven to give it a taste test!

The new Pierre Hermé Signature Pudding Caramel is actually a triple serving of caramel, layered in caramel flavored sauce, jelly, and the pudding itself. The top layer is the caramel jelly, which brings a slight opening bitterness that doesn't linger thanks to a particularly delicate jiggly texture that quickly melts in your mouth .

(c) grape Japan

The middle portion is the actual caramel pudding, which also has a melt-in-your-mouth quality and a balanced sweetness that most fans of Japanese pudding, flan, or creme caramel puddings will love. This portion alone could make for its own pudding, but fits perfectly between the soft top layer and the rich bottom.

(c) grape Japan

The bottom level is the caramel sauce, which is quite thick and has the heaviest impact on flavor. As you dig deeper with each layer it provides for a rich finish, but when combined all in one scoop it's an array of caramel delight that strikes just the right balance to please casual caramel fans and caramel heads alike.

(c) grape Japan

Those looking for yet another surprisingly gourmet pudding from 7-Eleven may want to try out the Pierre Hermé Signature Pudding Caramel (although it's only available for a limited time), which packs a different texture and flavor of caramel in each bite.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.