Food review: Shoryu Ramen’s authentic DIY ramen kits to share

Being the family chef is something of a drag at the best of times. Fortunately, there are mail order kits out there for those seeking respite – or just a mouthful of food they didn’t cook – and one of the best has to be Shoryu Ramen’s new DIY ramen kits. I tried the Ganso Ramen (with BBQ pork belly) last week and it tastes exactly like it does in the Piccadilly Gardens branch of this authentic Japanese food chain. It’s also a breeze to make.

First up: boil an egg, peel and marinate in the soy mixture provided. Next, warm the 12 hour, pre-slow-cooked ramen stock, boil some water to cook your noodles, and slice the char siu pork into six pieces. This is pork belly that has been marinated and prepped to buttery perfection at Shoryu HQ so you pretty much don’t have anything to do other than slice and sear in a hot pan. Assemble your ramen to look a bit like the picture they send with it and eat.

I’ve tried a few ‘at home’ boxes now, and Shoryu’s ramen lends itself so well to the formula. In non-COVID times, I’m a once-a-week ramen kind of person, but in the months before lockdown I did find myself struggling to visit. The fact that they now offer DIY kits is perhaps the only good thing to have come out of this lockdown and I can only beg the team to continue when we come out the other side. The score: a solid 4/5 (my only gripe being the lack of leftovers).