ZenPop Japan is a Japanese Subscription Box Service from Osaka, Japan. They have 4 different types of subscription boxes:
- Ramen – 7 bowls of authentic Japanese noodles
- Sweets – 15 different kinds of weird and wonderful Japanese sweets
- Ramen + Sweets Mix – 2 bowls of noodles and 6 – 7 sweet and savoury snacks
- Stationery – 10 kawaii and high-quality stationery products from Japan’s top brands
When ZenPop Japan approached me to review their subscription box service, I knew I wanted to check out their box dedicated to ramen. I am all about the ramen life.
Pricing
The plan starts at $27 USD with free international shipping. It’s pretty good that shipping is included as other subscription box services charge for that extra. With 7 ramen inside the pack, it is just under $4 USD per noodle.
It is more expensive than what you would find in a grocery store, but depending on where you live, Japanese ramen noodles may be hard to find. Plus, it’s exciting to try something new that you wouldn’t normally pick up.
Ramen Pack
The box I got was for October 2019 and the theme was Southern Japan. There were 3 varieties of Tonkotsu, which is from Fukuoka. Then 2 bows of Chanpon, a regional dish of Nagasaki, and then one from Osaka.
CupStar Tonkotsu Ramen
From the packaging, I wasn’t expecting much but this was one of my favourites. It has onion, garlic and ginger with the rich pork bone broth. It has a depth of flavour which I really enjoyed. There is also diced pork bits, roasted sesame seeds, scallions, and wood ear mushroom for added flavour and texture. I would definitely get this again if I saw it in a store.
Maru-uma Tonkotsu Ramen
This was surprisingly good. You get the aroma of the pork bone and veggie extracts when it’s cooking. The toppings – wood ear mushroom, sesame seeds, scallions, and red pickled ginger was very enjoyable.
Hyoubanya Koku Tonkotsu
The broth is light flavoured compared to the other ones in this package. It is topped with chashu bits and scallions. You can even make a boiled egg and add it into the bowl.
It was a decent ramen, but not my favourites as I personally prefer richer broths.
Men Dining Chanpon
This is a Chinese inspired noodle dish from Nagasaki prefecture in Kyushu. The noodles are smooth and in the rich soup with white and black pepper. There are also bits of cabbage, kamaboko, and wood ear mushroom. It was decent, but hard for an instant noodle to recreate the felling of this dish.
Seimen Yasai Chanpon
The noodles have a different texture that is soft and chewy. Just make sure not to overcook this instant noodle. The broth has pork, chicken and seafood so it’s unique. You’ll also find toppings like cabbage, onions, scallions, snap peas, carrots, squid, kamaboko, and wood ear mushrooms. To enhance the taste, they suggest adding a few drops of spicy sesame oil if you have any.
Sugo Negi Miso Ramen
This is the most popular ramen from the Sugomen collections. They have a special process of making the noodles and it’s not fried like other ramen noodles on the market. The noodles has a nice texture but the broth wasn’t my favourite as I generally tend to not love miso based ramen broths. Just a personal preference as I find it too salty.
Okonomiyaki Sauce Yakisoba
This was fun to try out as it was different than all the ramen in the pack. Very fancy packaging and way to prepare this. It’s a dry noodle, so you need to pour out the water after the noodles cook. Then all the sauce and toppings go into it.
It definitely had the aroma of okonomiyaki with the ginger and cabbage pieces.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was an adventure going through all the noodles. 7 ramen was perfect for the month. The subscription boxes aren’t for everyone, but its great for those who are instant noodle fanatics who don’t have a good amount of selection in their local grocery store.
Where I live, I have tons of ramen options, but they don’t carry all the instant ramen from Japan. ZenPop was a great way to discover some new styles and brands. Instructions were easy to follow and made for a quick meal.
Now, I’m ready for my Japan trip, which is just a few days away.
Website:
https://zenpop.jp/
