I took my first bite of the chashu right out of the box, without heating it up. The chashu was as lean as it looked. Texture-wise, it’s about typical of what’s served in run-of-the-mill ramenyas, if only a bit thicker. If anyone had a slice of overcooked white turkey meat during Thanksgiving, that should give you an idea of the texture of this chashu. The pork was a bit sweet; the sugar and sweet sake in the marinade overpowered the shoyu by just a bit.

After I prepared some tonkotsu instant ramen, I let the pork soak in the soup for a few minutes to warm up and soak in some of the soup. The contrast between the slightly salt soup and the slightly sweet pork made the chashu taste even more sweet, which didn’t really go well with the ramen.

Mitsuwa’s chashu makes a decent, if unexciting addition to a bowl of instant ramen. If I find anything better, I’ll be sure to report back, but this chashu gets a middling 5 out of 10.