Japan Centre Ramen Review

Whilst many restaurants have transitioned to some sort of open-aired seating or takeaway system over the last year, I still find myself eating out considerably less than I would have two years ago. Sainsbury's sushi and Aldi tempura can only serve as a substitute for authentic Japanese cuisine for so long. Luckily I have found a way to have a delicious Japanese meal without the hassle of leaving my home. 

The Japan Centre have kits that they post to anywhere in the UK.

https://www.japancentre.com/en/products/15986-shoryu-diy-kit-ganso-ramen

I had a pack of shoryu ramen for two delivered straight to my door. 

    I was salivating opening up the box. It had been over a year since I had had any kind of ramen. I was worried that there might not be enough for two people after looking at the ingredients. I'm quite greedy and thought we might need to add more noodles or meat, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the meal so filling that there were even some leftovers.
    You do, of course, have to do some cooking with kits like this, but it basically amounted to boiling some eggs, lighting frying the Char siu barbeque pork belly, and heating the noodles so that they expand in the broth.
    The kit came with all sorts of options to add to the broth and really clear instructions. We didn't add any of the spicey ingredients because my fiance (as they say in Japan) has a cat's tongue. Yet the meal was still delicious and flavourful.

    There were complaints on the Japan Centre website about the large amount of packaging and carbon footprint for just one meal, but they have tried to make this service as green as possible. All the toppings and noodles are packed in biodegradable plastic and cardboard where possible. The kits are delivered with DPD, who attempt to be carbon neutral by offsetting emissions used during delivery. They are involved in helping develop wind energy and growing green spaces across the world.
    The kits can be a bit pricey considering you still do some cooking yourself, but if you have a kitchen and the most basic of basic cooking skills, you will love this dish. The convenience of the delivery makes eating exotic food possible even in remote parts of the UK. 
    I'm excited to try more of the kits in the future and perhaps find similar services to keep my tastebuds entertained post-pandemic.