Here’s another product found in Guam that I never knew existed: Acecook Jonetz Rich Tonkotsu Flavor Noodles. A little explanation here is probably warranted. In Japan, there’s a chain of convenience stores called Don Quijote, affectionately called “Donki” for short. There are other Donki locations in other countries, and those international locations are under the name “Don Don Donki,” like the one in Guam where this cup was purchased. The official original store brand for Donki is “Jonetz.” So this tonkotsu cup is made by Acecook with the Jonetz branding for exclusive sale in Donki convenience stores. Hope that all made sense, since I’ve got one more product besides this one with the Jonetz branding on it to review next time. Let’s get onto this one though!
Read more: Review: Acecook Jonetz Rich Tonkotsu Flavor Noodles
I find it interesting that this cup only uses the term “ramen” in tiny print down at the bottom, whereas the rest of the cup just says “noodles” everywhere else, but in that one spot, it does promise a “stall-style” and “authentic” experience. This is manufactured by Acecook’s factory in Vietnam, and considering it’s entirely in English, that means it’s specifically made as an export product. And you know what that means: artificial pork instead of real pork. Yes, this is meat-free, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I have had some issues with artificial pork flavoring in the past.
This hits a little high in the sodium department, clocking in at 1680mg for the entire cup.
Inside, we’ve got a block of noodles made from wheat, tapioca starch, and MSG. There’s a powder packet containing non-dairy creamer, salt, sugar, MSG, palm oil, yeast extract (typically used as a pork flavoring substitute), soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper. There’s an oil packet containing palm oil, artificial flavoring, sesame oil, fish sauce, shallot, and ginger. And finally, the dried vegetable bits are black fungus (one of my favorites), soy protein (imitation meat bits), green onion, and sesame seeds. While this is meat-free, it does contain fish and dairy, meaning this is suitable for pescatarians but not vegetarians.
Opening up the powder, I got a nice aroma of garlic and soy, and the oil’s aroma was a strong combo of sesame and onion. Despite the presence of fish sauce, I didn’t detect any fishy smells coming off the oil.
Noodles:
I was a little alarmed after steeping that some of the noodles on top still felt pretty hard. After stirring them up, that seemed to have resolved the issue, and I was left with a decent-enough noodle texture throughout the cup. These are a little rough-textured and chewy, with a slightly medium gauge. Pretty pleasant for steeped noodles in a cup.
- 7/10
Spiciness:
There is some black pepper in the broth, but I was hard pressed to find it. This isn’t spicy at all.
- 0/10
Overall:
The immediate flavor notes I got out of this once again prove that artificial pork flavoring is just so hard to get right. Chicken and beef seem to be much easier in comparison based on all of the artificially-flavored chicken and beef broths I’ve had over the years. But for some reason, so many manufacturers think that adding a ton of yeast and/or sesame approximates pork flavor (by contrast, Itsuki has somehow nailed artificial pork flavoring to the point where I find it almost indistinguishable). And here we are again, with a broth loaded with sesame oil that just dominates the palate. Don’t get me wrong, I like sesame oil, but this is a lot. One taste of this side-by-side with an instant tonkotsu made with real pork and the difference is obvious. Putting aside the strong sesame oil flavor, to be fair, underneath it all I also got some savory and salty notes plus some onion and garlic – the kind of flavor notes I was hoping to get without the sesame oil getting in the way. On the bright side, Acecook did nail the consistency with the broth – it’s thick and rich like a good tonkotsu should be. The creamer and oil togteher did a nice job simulating the creamy, rich nature of real tonkotsu. As for the flakes, the green onions and fungus were just right, but the soy protein balls had a strangely puffy and chewy texture that I found slightly unappealing. I had higher expectations for this, considering it’s the store brand for one of Japan’s most beloved chains, but in the end, while the noodles were good and the broth consistency was right, I found the amount of sesame oil to be too overpowering and the artificial pork flavor to be sorely lacking. If you’re a fan of funky sesame oil flavoring and the way artificial pork seasoning tastes, like in Nissin Raoh Artificial Tonkotsu for example, you might enjoy this one. It’s just not for me.
- 5/10
