Ramen, Reviews

Sun Tonkotsu Ramen

September 6, 2014

Sun continues dominating the packaged ramen market with its Tonkotsu offering. I, personally, have always preferred Shoyu over Tonkotsu in restaurants and at stands. However, in the case of Sun’s offering, I actually prefer the Tonkotsu. So, I guess I lied in my last review – Shoyu is no longer the single best pre-packaged ramen. Sun actually managed to top themselves.

The Cook

Like all Sun products, each package comes with two servings that consist of a flavor pouch and a package of uncooked noodles.

One of the main differences with the Tonkotsu offering is the packet itself. Tonkotsu flavoring is much thicker than Shoyu, and may have frozen more in your freezer. Due to this, you will need to warm up the packet first. I like to drop it in the noodle water of a minute while it’s warming up.

As always, add 10-12 oz hot water to the flavor packet to make the broth. I like to use 10 oz in the case of Tonkotsu due to the intense, amazing flavor.

Make sure to cook your noodles for the minimum 3 minutes. You may want to keep an eye on this noodle cook, however, as Sun’s Tonkotsu noodles are thinner than their Shoyu noodles. They are very easy to overcook.

Strain your noodles thoroughly and add them to the broth, and voila! You are about to eat the most amazing pre-packaged ramen ever, provided you like pork-flavored broth.

The Review

Sun continues to amaze with the most fantastic pre-packaged ramen I’ve ever eaten. As much as I love Shoyu, this Tonkotsu does it to shame. The pork flavor from the packet is absolute perfection. This actually rivals a lot of Tonkotsu I’ve had in restaurants and at stands flavor-wise, it’s that good. If I had to point out a single problem it would be that I prefer the Shoyu package’s noodles to the Tonkotsu’s. The thinner noodles are tasty and slurp well, I simply prefer the consistency of the Shoyu’s noodles.

The other potential problem is that not all people – people from the US in particular – might not like the pork-flavored broth. It’s a bit different from your typical American flavor profiles, so it’s not for all people. It’s also quite salty, as is typical of a pork-flavored broth.

Honestly, these glowing reviews are much shorter and more boring than your typical review – there are only so many ways I can say, “GO BUY THIS NOW” without coming off as repetitive. Whether or not you like the pork-flavored broth is for you to decide. If you’ve never had Tonkotsu, give it a try. If you have tried it, like it, and have a hankering for some at home, go get Sun Tonkotsu Ramen. It’s absolutely phenomenal.

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