Itsu Chick N Ramen instant noodle review

Wandering around, idly gawping at the shelves of ingredients and food items at Longdan (the Vietnamese grocery shop in Lewisham which specialises in east Asian food products and plant based eating) is something I relish. On a recent visit, I spotted some instant cup/pot style noodles from Itsu. Itsu runs east Asian inspired take away/restaurant outlets in the UK, but have diversified into food products available in some supermarkets and speciality grocers. The packaging promised noodles in “hand crafted broth” which immediately grabbed my interest. I paid £1.95 for one pot of Itsu Chick N Ramen.

 

The product

Itsu have, according to their packaging, collaborated with a “highly respected food entrepreneur” from Japan named Yoshihiro, who has created the sesame miso broth paste in this pack. The broth paste is, they say, inspired by the ramen chefs of Tokyo. They have put Yoshihiro’s picture on the container, and he looks like a kindly uncle who is very particular about his noodle broth. Either that, or I’m a sucker for cutesy marketing. 

 

The “Chick-n” labelling on the packet is misleading, as these noodles, when made up are vegan and vegetarian. The packaging clearly states the product is suitable for vegans. I would suggest that since the main flavour here is miso, that the product should be renamed, the current name is just confusing! Unfortunately, this product, because there is a small amount of alcohol in the broth mix, is not Halal. 

 

What’s Inside

Once I popped off the lid, I found a sachet of sesame miso based broth paste. 

 

As a set out above, it does contain alcohol, making it unsuitable for those eating a Halal diet. There was insufficient information on the packet to determine if it is kosher. (Wine can be kosher if produced correctly, and unflavoured sake is capable of being kosher). The broth has miso paste, sesame paste, yeast extract, and a number of other flavourings and spices.

 

There was also a cake of rice noodles which were fairly narrow, but very thin, which lend themselves for quick cooking/reconstitution in the pot. These noodles, being made from rice flour, are suitable for those on a gluten free diet who normally miss out on noodle products. They are also very low in fat. Obviously, they contain carbohydrates, being made out of rice. But as I have said many times, I’ve never met a carbohydrate I didn’t like!

What does it taste like

I made the noodles according to the instructions and as a result they were soft, but not squidgy or too yielding. 

 

I enjoyed their texture, which is reminiscent of the Vietnamese rice noodles used for Pho. There’s a touch of chilli heat thanks to the dried red chilli and dried spring onion which come with the noodles. If you were to forget about these noodles when reconstituting and return much later, I think that they could become soggy rapidly because they are so thin. Put your timer on!

 

I should mention that these noodles are not ramen noodles, nor do they taste like ramen noodles. Again, the product name doesn’t truly reflect the nature of the product itself, but Itsu are popular enough that this is unlikely to matter. 

 

The broth, however, is the true highlight. It has richness, a touch of creaminess, umami savouriness, and feels much more luxurious than you’d expect from an instant noodle product. Is it “hand crafted” as claimed? I can’t say. But it is definitely flavourful and makes this product worth the price.

 

I modded my noods (as you do!) by adding toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions. The freshness of the spring onions added crunch and the green aromas and flavours I love from spring onions (a hero ingredient in east Asian food). Toasted sesame seeds can’t be eaten by everyone because of concerns about nut allergies, but I love their rich smell and nutty flavour. Because I made these noodles at home, I was able to toast the seeds immediately before eating, but if eating instant noodles at home, I would buy some pre-toasted sesame seeds from an Asian grocery shop.

I use Gingey Bites’ rating system for my noodles. For Alex’s scoring method and an index of all of her instant noodle reviews, please see: https://gingeybites.com/guide-to-instant-noodles

Texture 7/10

Flavour 8/10

Ease of making 10/10

Would I buy them again: Yes

For my previous Instant noodle reviews please see:

You can read my review of Nissin x Shoryu “Ramen Masters” Cup Noodle: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/01/nissin-x-shoryu-ramen-masters-cup.html

You can read my review of Maruchan spicy chicken and prawn noodles here: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/05/maruchan-spicy-chicken-and-prawn.html

You can read my review of Nongshim brand’s “Chapagetti” noodles here: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/09/nongshim-chapagetti-noodle-review.html

If you follow my instant noodle reviews, you will know I love to add ingredients and flavours to instant noodles. Here, at Kavey Eats blog (run by the brilliant food, travel and cooking enthusiast Kavita – AKA Kavey) is a new spin on modifying Korean instant noodles from Su Scott’s new cookbook Pocha: https://www.kaveyeats.com/tomato-kimchi-ramyun-instant-noodle

This review represents the genuine opinions of Snigdha, who has received no incentive to write this review, and who purchased the product with her own money.