This Nissin Foods Japanese Ramen Kyūshū Black is the second of three in the Japanese Ramen series. It uses an aromatic black mayu (roasted garlic and sesame oil) and seaweed with Nissin’s ‘secret recipe’.

The instant noodles are cooked in 550 mL of uncovered boiling water for 4 minutes. After removing from the heat, the seasoning powder is stirred through before the seasoning oil is added along with any toppings of choice (usually soft boiled eggs are easiest).

The noodles have a toothsome smooth bite with the distinctive aroma of roasted garlic and sesame oil, the latter coming through more prominently than the roasted garlic in the taste of the broth. Indeed, the broth tasted thin without the richness you’d expect and the fragrance of the black garlic was weak compared to the version at Ramen Bar Goku. The weakness of the broth means that the noodles don’t take on very much flavour, tasting rather bland despite their good texture.

This Nissin Japanese Ramen Kyūshū Black contained 116 g with instant noodles and soup base. It was produced in Singapore and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.