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Any visitor to Japan will surely have noticed how central the convenience store (or ‘konbini’) is to everyday life in Japan.
They might also have noticed the occasional gaikokujin (foreigner) wandering through the aisles, dazzled by the array of snacks and other food on offer – pot noodles, onigiri, karaage, lunch bento, steaming oden, fluffy cheesecake slices, Japanese chocolates, breads and desserts.
To the locals, the konbini has become part of Japan’s “life infrastructure”, an official classification by the Japanese government.
Japan’s love affair with the convenience store has been going on for more than 50 years, since the early ‘70’s when a humble Family Mart store opened in Saitama, closely followed by a 7-Eleven store in Toyosu.
Today, there are tens of thousands of these stores in cities and prefectures throughout the country, with three huge chains – 7 Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson – dominating the market. Locals pop in multiple times a day for household items, umbrellas, toiletries and other essentials, manga and, of course, food.
Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng admit they have an obscure interest in konbini. The pair, who have spent more than a decade travelling to Japan, have indulged their passion in Konbini: Cult recipes, stories and adventures from Japan’s iconic convenience stores, published by Smith Street Books.
A chef by training, Brendan has worked at restaurants including Kadeau in Copenhagen and Benu in San Francisco, and the three-Michelin-starred Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo and Hong Kong. He studied the craft of ramen making in Osaka before deciding to specialise in kappo and modern kaiseki cuisine.
In 2016, he and Caryn established a pop-up Japanese restaurant, Chotto, bringing traditional ryokan-style breakfasts to Melbourne. The café transported diners to Japan on a cultural and culinary journey, inspired by everything from countryside dinners on the Nakasendo trail, to the food of Japan’s far north and south, and the animated feasts of Studio Ghibli.
Through recipes and stories, their book celebrates the sometimes odd but always delicious konbini offerings, grouping them into chapters for Onigiri, Hot Snacks Counter, Osouzai (side dishes), Bento: More Than Rice, Bakery, and Desserts. The Roll Cake here is one of the konbini’s most popular desserts, often coming in flavours such as coffee, chocolate or matcha.
A stylish book in the most Japanese of ways – clean, streamlined, and picture-perfect – it will appeal not only to visitors who have fallen in love with Japan, but especially to those whose idea of heaven is a Japanese convenience store stocked with treats.
Roll Cake
Serves 6 to 8
4 eggs
100 g (3½ oz) sugar, divided into 65 g (2¼ oz) and 35 g (1¼ oz)
40 ml (1¼ fl oz) neutral-flavoured oil
65 ml (2¼ fl oz) boiling water
80 g (2¾ oz) cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Filling
250 g (9 oz) strawberries, washed (optional)
300 ml (10½ fl oz) cream
30 g (1 oz) sugar
1.Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 25 x 35 cm (10 x 14 inch) roll cake tin or lipped baking tray with baking paper. Grease the baking paper with baking spray or neutral-flavoured oil.
2. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites.
3. Whisk the egg whites with the 35 g (1¼ oz) of sugar to firm peaks and place in the fridge.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the 65 g (2¼ oz) of sugar until doubled in volume. Stream in the oil while whisking, then add the boiling water and whisk well.
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold through with a spatula, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
6. Pour into the roll cake tin and smooth the surface. Drop the tin from a height of 10 cm (4 inches) onto the bench to remove any large bubbles, then bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Meanwhile, if using strawberries, cut the tops off. If some are very wide, use a round cutter to remove the sides so they are mostly uniform in diameter. Place on a paper towel in the fridge to absorb any excess water.
8. Remove the cake from the oven. Grease a sheet of baking paper, then place it, greased side down, on top of the cake and turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool to room temperature, which will take 20 to 30 minutes.
9. When the cake is cool, make the filling by whipping the cream and sugar to firm peaks.
10. Remove the top sheet of baking paper from the cake. Trim the cake to make the edges straight and remove any overcooked edges. Spread the cream evenly over the top, leaving a 2 cm (¾ inch) border on one long edge.
11. If using strawberries, place them in a horizontal line in the centre of the cream. Press them in lightly so they don’t move when being rolled.
12. With the cream-free end away from you, take the closest side and roll the cake up tightly, using the baking paper to aid you. Make the roll quite tight, so the cream fills in
any air gaps.
13. Still rolled inside the baking paper, carefully transfer the cake to a plate. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, to set.
14. Take off the baking paper, slice the cake and serve. The cake is best consumed within 2 days.
Recipe and image from: Konbini by Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng, published by Smith Street Books. Photography © Gorta Yuuki and Daniel Herrmann-Zoll.
