the ramen blog & other goodies!

Time for an “old school” ramen review. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a bowl of Sapporo Ichiban. I used to eat this as a kid and especially enjoyed the beef flavor, but for some reason stopped eating it as I grew older. Eating this ramen brought back pleasant childhood memories…too bad the noodles don’t live up to the memories.

The dominant flavor of the soup is the onion powder, with hints of garlic and msg, and just a touch of white pepper. The noodles are chewy and thick, almost udon-like in texture, and unfortunately tasteless. Oh, and there are a few onion flakes scattered throughout.

If you just want a quick bowl of noodles, these will do. My wife says these are “yum but not yum-o.” I say they get a 4.

A reader sent me this picture of an extreme ramen eater taking all necessary precautions. Eating ramen can be dangerous, kids. Wear a helmet!
Thanks to super local!

It’s like something out of a bad 80’s commercial: you’ve got your ramen in my ice cream! *You’ve* got your ice cream in my ramen!

Tokyo ramenya Kikuya has something for everyone. Want a bowl of ramen but can’t wait for dessert? Have a bowl of vanilla ice cream ramen or even chocolate ramen! Prefer a drink with your ramen but can’t be bothered with a cup? How about a nice bowl of coffee milk ramen? Or a green tea ramen? And for the ultimate in Japanese delights: natto ramen. If you’ve had natto before…enough said.

Japan It UP!

First of all, our deepest sympathies go out to all the people who’ve lost homes in the Southern California fires, and a great big heartfelt THANKS go to all the brave firefighters. The “ramen blog headquarters” is just a few miles from the Santiago Canyon fire, and we’re still trying to pick all the ash out of our ramen.

Have you been to instant ramen heaven?

Here’s something I thought I’d never say: here’s a NSFW quote about ramen — ramen?!?!

Ramen, the educational video, just like the ones you watched in grade school (complete with educational video cheesy music)? (look in the lower left corner of the page)
via tokyolifer

Hey kids, science experiment

Can you eat a “galaxy” of ramen? A “universe” of ramen? How about a “black hole” of ramen

And now, for something slightly different…

I’m a real snob when it comes to ramen: I believe that only “true” Japanese ramen, instant or otherwise, should be considered “ramen.” Korean “ramyun”? Not ramen. Chinese “la mien”? Nope. Try again. Not ramen. So what’s wrong with this picture?
1. The brand is called “Dr. Noodle.” Come on! That’s like saying “Mister California Roll” sounds like an authentic sushi restaurant!
2. Shiitake spinach flavor…shiitake and spinach?? Not exactly a traditional ramen flavor.
3. The words “non fried” smack in the middle of the package. (Shaking my head…I’m just not big on “healthy” foods…)

So why in the world am I doing this review? Why else do I do things I don’t normally do…my wife…likes it… Read the rest of this entry →

This spicy miso-based ramen comes with your basic green onions and sesame seeds and that’s about it. It’s got a pretty generic spicy soup broth that reminds me a bit of Korean ramyun, but that’s about it. The noodles are hard (cook it for an extra minute or 2 because 3 minutes is not enough and have a taste I can only describe as “instant noodle-like,” and that’s about it. And that’s about it for my review! Daikoku chigekara ramen gets a mediocre 5.