the ramen blog & other goodies!

Maruchan Chili vs. Top Ramen Chili

It’s another exciting Maruchan vs. Top Ramen matchup…Chili vs Chili! First of all, to anyone who’s never tried the chili flavor: look at the packaging with the chili peppers and the flames. Raise your hand: how many people think this is simply a spicy version of the instant ramen? (Raised hand). Now raise your hand if, when you read “chili,” you thought of chili as in “chili beans” and “chili cookoff”? (My hand is lowered) Yes, these actually taste like both: spicy chili. Top Ramen takes a 2 pt lead by half-time with their slightly more bbq flavored chili. Maruchan’s not giving anything up, and fights back with their slightly more tangy flavor. It’s a close game! These two teams are really evenly matched. And oh! It goes into overtime! Top Ramen throws down the gauntlet with its stronger chili (pepper, this time) flavor. Maruchan is just a bit spicy, but Top Ramen is spicier. Maruchan Chili made a great effort but Top Ramen Chili squeaks by with the winning shot at the buzzer! What a game!

Maruchan Roast Beef vs Top Ramen Shrimp

Wow, Top Ramen Shrimp just can’t seem to hold on the the ball. Maruchan Roast Beef is running circles around them with their superior beef bouillon soup. Their uniforms have their school motto “Rich Taste” and they’re sure living up to it. Top Ramen Shrimp, on the other hand, is briny and light, with an herbal something component that tastes a bit like cilantro salt. To add insult to injury, their undercooked noodles put the nail in the coffin. I’ve never seen noodles make a big difference in these competitions before, folks. Usually, all the instant ramen noodles taste pretty much the same. I guess it just goes to show how far this school has fallen. Maruchan Roast Beef blows away their competition!

Losing team scores:
Maruchan Chili: 5.5/10
Top Ramen Shrimp: 3/10

Top Ramen Oriental vs Maruchan Roast Chicken

Round 1…fight!

Maruchan gets the early advantage, confounding Top Ramen by asking them the age old question: just what *is* “oriental” flavor? While Top Ramen Oriental fumbles with an answer and plays a defensive game with their slightly watery, and mildly shoyu-esque-but-not-really flavor, Maruchan Roast Chicken jumps ahead with its “dark roast” chicken soup taste. Top Ramen Oriental battles with their taste of dried onion powder and 3mm specks of green onion but just can’t catch a break with their just-average performance. Maruchan Roast Chicken wins this round!

Maruchan Chicken vs Top Ramen Beef

It’s Maruchan vs Top Ramen again! Top Ramen tries to gain an early advantage with an MSG bite on the tip of the tongue, but Maruchan Chicken just scoffs it off. However, neither team is playing particularly well. Top Ramen Beef’s soup is not particularly beefy, tasting more like their Oriental flavor with just a dash of added beef flavor. Maruchan Chicken, on the other hand, runs circles around Top Ramen, sprinkling celery and curry powder around them for some reason. Top Ramen just can’t handle it. Maruchan wins again!

Losing team scores:
Top Ramen Oriental: 5/10
Top Ramen Beef: 4/10

Ah, spring. Time for flowers to bloom, little birdies chirping, and brighter, longer days. Time for college basketball…and RAMEN! Prompted by the idea of saving up for a $110 bowl of ramen and the stereotype that college students and instant ramen go hand in hand (and these days, who doesn’t have the budget of a “starving college student”?), we present our very own Instant Ramen Final Four! (more…)

I’ve been waiting for Mizuki to open since something like last October, when they ran a cryptic ad in a local Japanese magazine announcing a new ramenya in Irvine…with no address and no opening date. Oh, and they were hiring. Excited that a new ramenya was opening in my back yard, I put on my sleuthing hat and pretended to be interested in a job in order to get more info…I got nothing. (Note to self: forget about becoming a private eye.) Another ad popped up in January announcing a February opening. This time there was a phone number…and a mention of legendary ramenteur (is there such a word?) Sano Minoru, the “ramen demon.” My interest reached a fever pitch. Sano Minoru!?! Involved in a new ramenya!?! In Irvine?!? WOOHOO!

Several phone calls and several different misleading grand opening dates later, it’s finally open…to mixed reviews. Fellow food blogger Exile Kiss went so far as to email me to warn me off. “it’s mazui (bad)…I wanted to warn you (to save your money).” Gulp… (more…)

Kintaro Ramen…one of the “big three” of Vancouver’s ramen zone. Kintaro is a no-nonsense ramenya with an open kitchen. While its competitor Benkei Ramen has obviously spent some time on its interior decorating, Kintaro settles for bare, concrete walls. The ramen chefs dwell silently behind the counter, working efficiently and quietly. The waitresses clump near the back of the restaurant, also quiet, but alert, waiting to serve customers quickly. At times we almost felt a bit rushed, but given the small space and that it’s often very crowded, I can’t really blame them.

On a side note, I just want to establish my “ramen chops.” Not only did I walk for 45 mins to get here, I forced my poor wife to come with me. Then again, it was cold, and slightly uphill, but I can’t say I was barefoot, and it wasn’t snowing. (more…)

I saw this Noodle Restaurant after lunch while walking down to the Waterfront to see the Olympic cauldron. I was too full to eat, but still had to poke my head in to look at the menu.

The good: there was about a dozen different types of ramen available.
The bad: for each type of ramen, there was a corresponding udon. e.g. Shoyu Ramen or Udon. Miso Ramen or Udon.
The ugly: Really? Ramen or Udon? Ramen or udon purists out there know that you can’t just substitute noodles like that and call it a day.

Or, maybe I’m completely wrong and the Sapporo Ramen Shogun geniuses somehow manage to make it work. The place was pretty crowded. If anyone would care to enlighten me, maybe I’ll try it out on a future trip to Vancouver.

Sapporo Ramen Shogun
518 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC
(604) 684-2922
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