Noodle Journey Episode 29: Myojo Shio Tonkotsu Ramen

This review marks a first for me: a review of a frozen instant noodle product. Everything prior has been shelf-stable, but this one, Myojo’s Shio Tonkotsu Ramen, comes straight from the chilled section of my local H Mart. With two servings per pack and a price of $5.99, it’s a $3 bowl of fresh ramen, which is remarkably affordable compared to premium instant varieties like Ichiran. This is a Japanese product from Myojo, a brand known among noodle enthusiasts and often praised on Reddit for its quality.

The package contains two bundles of thin wheat noodles made with tapioca starch and egg, along with two packets of soup base made from real pork extract, pork fat, concentrated stock, and the usual mix of soy sauce, garlic, and onion. The sodium is heavy at 2800 mg per serving (122% of the daily recommended amount), so use caution if you decide to drink all the broth. Cooking involves two pots of boiling water: one for the noodles, which only need two minutes, and one to dissolve the soup base.

Noodles:
I did accidentally let the noodles clump up during the review, but this was my fault and not a product issue. The noodles are thin, chewy, and absolutely top-tier in texture. Even with the slight mishap during preparation, they were impressive. This really feels like fresh ramen.
• 10/10

Spiciness:
There’s nothing spicy here unless someone is unusually sensitive to garlic or ginger.
• 0/10

Overall:
The broth has that familiar tonkotsu flavor profile of ginger, garlic, soy, and onion, with excellent balance and no one element overwhelming the others. While labeled as a shio tonkotsu, it leans heavily into the rich, thick tonkotsu side, with the “shio” component mostly represented in the broth’s salt content from what I could tell. The texture of the soup is exactly what you’d expect from a proper tonkotsu: thick, milky, and restaurant-quality. The only minor downside is the lack of toppings; there’s no garnishes at all, which ever-so-slightly dings my final score. Still, the flavor and consistency are excellent, and the noodles elevate the entire bowl.
• 9.5/10

In making the inevitable comparison to Ichiran: this beats it in flavor, noodle quality, and price. However, due to limited availability since you need an Asian market nearby with a frozen ramen section, Ichiran still holds a spot for those who rely on online ordering as your only method of buying premium ramen.

Notes since filming: One of my good friends told me afterwards that he thinks reviewing frozen ramen is cheating. What do you think? I think this was absolutely amazing.