Myojo Chukazanmai - Oriental Flavor

Myojo Chukazanmai is one of those brands that fans of fresh Japanese ramen really enjoy. I was really surprised to see that this brand had an "Oriental Flavor". Usually, you'd only see that flavor applied to a generic Asian-style broth for a really cheap instant noodle like Cup Noodles or Maruchan Instant Lunch. I would have figured that Myojo Chukazanmai could have picked all their flavors out of the pantheon of Japanese ramen flavors, including Shoyo, Shio, Miso, Tonkotsu, and countless others.

I really had no idea what this broth was going to taste like, since it was marketed only as the generic "Oriental Flavor". It ended up tasting like garlic and sesame, which was quite nice. There was also a slight flavor of creamy nuttiness, not unlike what you would get in a Tonkotsu broth. The noodles in Myojo Chukazanmai's offerings are thin and chewy and seem undercooked despite how long you cook them. They are not fried very deeply and are similar to the fresh noodles you would get in a ramen restaurant. They also taste a little bit starchy, which helps add to the "fresh ramen" taste.

Altogether, this was a decent bowl of ramen. To be honest, I prefer the more "instant" tasting ramen noodles. In other words, the ones that taste like they have been fried in palm oil. I'd leave the fresh ramen to the places that actually make it fresh! But if you are in a place where you just can't get access to a ramen restaurant, then I would recommend this to you when the craving strikes.

Myojo Chukazanmai - Oriental Flavor - 5.5/10