Meal kits are something that almost everyone’s given a go in the last year. There is a certain novelty to re-creating your favourite restaurant dishes for yourself at home. Japan Centre sent me a Vegan White Natural Ramen Shoryu DIY Kit to try last week, which didn’t disappoint.

I’ve walked past the Shoryu in Shoreditch a million times (and always crave ramen when I do), but I’ve never stepped in, so I was excited to satisfy my ramen craving – just at home. The kit arrived in a chilled box and all of the ingredients were individually wrapped in biodegradable bags; I always look out for biodegradable packaging when meal kits are delivered, as there can be a lot of unnecessary packaging. The ramen ingredients (two types of mushroom, fresh noodles, vegan broth, spring onions, tofu, and seaweed) were fresh, and the portion sizes were very generous. The kit came with an instructions booklet (as well as chopsticks, a tote bag and a mug coaster), and the ramen was very easy to assemble (ready from package to plate in just 10 minutes). The broth was standout – no seasoning required! 

Japan Centre has lots of kits available online for delivery – DIY Kit options include Ramens (meat and veggie options available), Bao Buns, Sushi Rolls, Katsu Curry, Poke Bowls and even Cookies! Japanese food is hard to nail at home – so why not have a kit delivered?

The Japan Centre Food Hall is a well-loved institution situated in Central London with an outpost in Westfield Stratford City. Japan Centre aims to deliver a variety of quality Japanese goods to customers in the UK (and beyond) and Japan Centre Online was launched in 2005 to bring the store experience to those living outside of the city. 

DIY Kits can be found online to order here.

Locations: https://www.japancentre.com/en/stores

Written by Lenny Wright

Photography courtesy of Japan Centre