Suica’s Penguin Spring Colorful Chirashi, a seasonal ekiben that is perfect for the spring cherry blossom viewing season, is produced by Orange Page for the cuisine.
The chirashi sushi inside is colorful and pleasing to the eye, and the vinegar in the sushi rice is a weak and very mild type. This bento has a somewhat soft overall feel despite the strong flavors of the dishes lined up on the sushi rice: the well-seasoned grilled scallops, the shiitake mushroom stew, and the shrimp amazu-zuke (sweet pickled shrimp) with its strong shrimp flavor and texture.
The broiled eel was small but not too thick, and the simmered bamboo shoots were quite hearty. The lotus root is crispy, the kogomi-soaked in soy sauce is easy to eat without any astringency or peculiarity, and the slightly stimulating sweet pickled ginger is an effective accent. The sakura mochi (cherry blossom cake) for dessert, of course, has real leaves, and each of all the side dishes feels very carefully prepared.
The cute pink on white bento container is said to be made by Yamanaka-nuri, a traditional craft of Ishikawa Prefecture, and is slightly heavy and feels very solid in the hand. The outer lid and body can be heated in a microwave oven and used in a dishwasher, and there is also an inner lid to prevent leaks.
Incidentally, the cute round case of the “Suica no Penguin Bento” that appeared in the spring of 2022 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Suica, and the “Suica no Penguin Bento Adult Kid’s Lunch” lunch box that appeared in the fall to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the railroad, were both very practical Suica penguin goods. The children’s lunch box in particular is well-packed and is actually used as a lunch box every day in the author’s home.
The price of 2,800 yen may seem a bit high for this ekiben, which is not very large in quantity, although each dish is very solid and tasty, but as an attractive and practical Suica Penguin merchandise plus a meal, it seems rather inexpensive. The “Suica no Penguin Spring Colorful Chirashi” is limited to 10,000 units, so if you are interested in this product, please be sure to order as soon as possible.
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