the ramen blog & other goodies!

“Nissin gotochi Hokkaido kegani instant ramen.” This may be the first time the name of the instant ramen is longer than the review…almost…

So we’ve got fancy packaging? Check. Promises of Hokkaido miso seafood goodness? Check. The reality? Well…not quite.

The soup has a pleasantly light miso smell and taste, but there isn’t much of a detectable seafood flavor. The noodles are typical for Nissin’s instant ramen and actually detracts from the soup. I would like this better as just a light miso soup instead of instant ramen! Overall, it’s a slightly above average instant ramen and gets a 6 out of 10.

(…hmm…”Avoid Direct Sunlight”…is Nissin marketing this as a ramen for vampires, or do I just miss True Blood?)

…blogs that is. I’m behind on my blog reading, and I decide that catching up on Japan-based ramen blogs (and recently, these two characters) was somehow a good idea to do right before dinner. Now I’m absolutely starving…for ramen. Really, really good ramen…is there a ramen equivalent of a cold shower? (Shaking fist in air)

For a full review, another video, and pictures galore: the one and only: rameniac

Pei Wei Asian Diner, the “pan-Asian cuisine” chain owned by P.F. Chang’s has been heavily pushing ramen for the past few weeks. They’re on a “mission to redeem Ramen’s good name as a noodle dish” and want to “upgrade” your ramen with their Japanese Chile Beef Ramen “hot from our wok.”

They had a “Great Ramen Exchange” during which you get a bowl of discounted ramen in exchange for a pack of store-bought instant ramen, which they then donate to the food bank along with a cash donation. Nice. That was on Sept 9th, though…

But for tomorrow: Hey- I thought you and your readers would be interested in some fun ramen things Pei Wei is doing. On September 14, Pei Wei is giving ramen-freaks the chance to create their own ramen recipe. You can submit your recipe on Pei Wei’s Facebook page and other fans will vote on their favorite. The winner will receive the ultimate ramen luxury experience for themselves and 9 friends which includes a dinner of ramen packed with Kobe beef, Tempura Lobster, Shiitake Mushrooms and Lotus Root. Read the rest of this entry →

So Nissin is giving away little Gundam figures with Cup Noodles, but the main reason I’m posting this is as an excuse to tell everyone about the 1:1 scale giant robot in Tokyo!

via Trends in Japan

I’m not even sure this is worth posting, but seeing how it hit 97 degrees today…

Basically this ramen “tip” says to cook your instant noodles, but don’t fill it up all the way. Leave about 5 cm of space for ice cubes. Ta-da!

via Japan Probe