A few months ago, we ordered some Nissin ramen and yakisoba from Japan. Reviewing everything in case we order more in the future.
My husband was craving new ramen flavors earlier this year and decided to order from Nissin in Japan and have them deliver to Blackship in order to send it to the US. Earlier in the year, we tried ordering from different Japan snack box services, but our orders were cancelled due to the pandemic affecting shipping in Japan. Those same pandemic shipping restrictions made it so we were only able to choose the ship-by-sea option through Blackship, which took months to arrive. But we were fine with waiting.
Ramen
All of the ramen we tried had speckled, whole wheat noodles.
Nissin RAOH Miso Ramen (orange)
Fairly thin noodles. Not too strong of a flavor. Would be great with add-ins like corn and a runny egg. Okay, but not outstanding.
Nissin RAOH Tonkotsu Soy Sauce (purple)
Thick noodles with almost like a fish sauce hint in it. Very flavorful pork broth. Only had a sauce packet, nothing extra. This one takes the longest to cook; it had the thickest noodle.
Nissin RAOH Dandan (brown)
Tomato peanut broth with a slight spice. It would taste great with corn and crushed peanut topping.
Nissin RAOH Soy Sauce (red)
Thin broth, a bit of an unusual smell. Like a wonton soup with extra soy sauce in it. Would be good if you were fighting a cold. Oily sauce.
Nissin RAOH Tonkotsu (green)
Thin noodles. Excellent taste with a flavorful tonkotsu pork bone broth. Had sesame seeds with dried green onions. Would taste even better with fresh green onions and a runny egg. I’d get this again.
Nissin’s Ramen Shop Shio (Salt) Hakodate (blue)
My favorite. The light seafood flavor combined with the bouncy noodles made this a tasty delight to eat. It came with toasted sesame seeds. Reminded me of cheap ramen noodles, but these were speckled and excellent tasting. Definitely ordering this one again. My husband says these noodles are fried and have a Hokkaido scallop dashi. That’s why it’s so delicious.
My husband was excited to try the Nissin Chikin Ramen. It didn’t have much flavor or taste to me, even with the nori topping. The noodles were like a cheap cup noodle, the flat cut type. Very cute packaging. We added a yolk to the middle, that helped. Not something we’d order again.
Yakisoba
First up is the Meisei Ippei-chan Night Shop Yakisoba. It was sweeter than the US yakisoba that I’ve had before. I really loved the mayo on top and texture of noodles. They call the mayo packet a “mayo beam,” and that’s awesome. I’d definitely order this one again.
Secondly, we tried the Meisei Ippei-chan Night Shop Yakisoba, Salty Taste. This was my favorite variation of all the yakisoba we tried. It had a garlic Parmesan flavoring and included some small pieces of cabbage. This one also came with a mayo beam. I’m a fan.
Last one is the Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O. Same sweetness as the other kind, but no mayo beam. Too sweet for me. With all of the yakisoba we tried, I miss the meaty savoriness of the Maruchan yakisoba that I grew up enjoying. At least this U.F.O looked super beautiful.
The Rest
I was interested in this Ando’s Cup Corn Potage. It turned out okay, like a watery corn chowder soup. Wouldn’t order again, but glad I got to try it.
Next is the Nissin Japanese Style Curry Meshi JAPAN. This had a tasty beefy flavor with a slight amount of heat. It was very good. We might get this again.
We also got the Nissin Hayashi Meshi Demiglace (Hayashi Rice). It has a beef stew flavor in a meaty tomato sauce with small flat beef pieces. Really flavorful, savory, and hearty. Good for a cold day. Every bite had a depth of flavor. Ordering this one again for sure.
Lastly, we made the Tachikawa Mashimashi Uma Juice Heavy Rice (Mashimashi Rice). Surprisingly spicy with rehydrated beef chunks and rice with some peppers. Like a soup with rice in it. Not bad, but I wouldn’t order again. We loved the cute pig design, there was even one on the inside of the lid.
In addition to our order, they included these All-In Noodles for free. It came with a booklet of ideas for different ways to prepare it. The noodles are infused with extra nutrients. My husband made it with Parmesan and roasted tomatoes, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. The noodles tasted odd.
If you’re in the US and interested in getting things only available in Japan shipped to you, you can sign up for a free Blackship plan.
Have you tried any of these items, or have a favorite Nissin ramen we should try out?