World of Noodles 7: Nissin Raoh ラ王

Nissin Foods are legends of the noodle world having invented instant noodles with their Nissin Ramen (出前一丁) range before having the bright idea of Cup Noodles, which revolutionised noodle eating forever. Nevertheless, it'd be fair to say that neither of these iconic brands truly resembles fresh ramen noodles.

I guess that's where the Nissin Raoh ラ王 range comes in. From the red and gold packaging, you know that this is a premium noodle product.

There are numerous sachets including rich soy, soup mix, dried beansprouts and a slice of almost bacon-like fatty pork (freeze dried maybe?). Now I was a bit nervous at working out how to 'cook' these noodles but this handy video explains all.

So how do these noodles taste? Damn good is the answer; I'd go so far to say that they're the best instant noodles I've ever tasted. They actually resemble real ramen with a springy QQ texture in a rich broth. I had a few reservations about the astronaut food qualities of the pork and beansprouts, but both actually tasted pretty good. That said, of all the elements, it was the rich soy that stole the show – I'd buy bottles of it if I could.

Sadly, I don't think these noodles are available in Britain and I picked up this packet on my recent trip to Tokyo. If I'd known how tasty they were going to be, I would've filled a suitcase full of Nissin Raoh before coming home.

PS: Whilst I couldn't track down these noodles in London, you can buy other varieties of Japanese noodles at the Japan Centre, either at their store in Piccadilly or online. I appreciate charity is a very personal matter but you can make donations for the victims of the recent earthquake on their website when you shop online.