Sweets disguised as fast food

Billed as "the world's first sweet fast food," the hamburgers and fries at Mamido's Burger in the Shibuya district of Tokyo are not at all what they seem to be. They look like hamburgers and fries but they are actually a confectioner's creation...sweets in disguise!

For example, the Mamido burger consists of a 'bun' that is actually sponge cake, a 'meat patty' that is actually chocolate cream, and 'pickles' that are kiwis.

The deep-fried fish burger (photo above) has a banana shaped like a fish fillet in sponge cake and is topped with 'tartar sauce,' which is actually fresh cream. The fries? They look like the real thing but are actually custard cream covered in starch powder and deep-fried!

Everything on the menu is a sweet of some sort.

In an interview with the media, Shino Naoyo, the president of the firm, said: "I wanted to make sweets that people could eat with one hand, and I wanted something that would be a hit in Shibuya." The inspiration for her idea came from a traditional Japanese sweet known as dorayaki, which consists of a sweet bean paste filling between two pancakes. [Web Japan]

What a great idea! It's a little off-putting at first glance to see something that's not going to taste like what it looks like, but I think that sensory confusion is exactly what makes it intriguing and special. [Thanks to the Cake Fun blog.]