Ramen group Kamitoku is known for simple and delicious beef bone ramen.
Pound for pound, Kamitoku's official instant ramen might even hit harder than their actual ramen! In short, it's one of the very best instant ramen I've ever tried. Let's get to it!
Kamitoku - A Beefy Background
Most ramen shops in Japan use chicken and/or pork bones for the soup. But Kamitoku use beef bones. This is more common in Tottori prefecture, where Kamitoku is based. In addition to Tottori, Kamitoku has a branch in Tokyo's Ginza district.
They also have a branch Honolulu, Hawaii. Over there it's actually a food truck.
Called "Tottori Gold", Kamitoku's signature beef bone ramen is seasoned with a light soy sauce. This lighter seasoning allows the deep beef bone flavors to really emerge.
Furthermore, they add a fair amount of black pepper, most of it resting on the slab of pork. This black pepper goes well with the tasty beef bone soup. The other toppings are extra crunchy - bean sprouts, menma (bamboo shoots), and green negi (spring onions).
Lastly, medium-thick noodles bring it all together.
Kamitoku - Instant Gold
Instant noodle manufacturer Sugakiya Foods was responsible for bringing Kamitoku's ramen to life. Sugakiya Foods isn't as well known as bigger brands like Nissin. But they've modestly created a handful of quality instant ramen from famous ramen shops.
I believe that is one is their finest work. I'll tell you why in detail below.
It comes with three packets. The clear and light blue packets are for the toppings. The orange packet is for soup.
The Soup
This is where they knock it out of the park. I don't know if I've tasted an instant ramen soup that's so similar to the actual soup. The same beautiful beef bone flavor is present.
The same sweetness and oily consistency is there too. We can't forget the black pepper - they made sure to include this! In summary, the soup is the clear star of the show.
The Toppings
In terms of toppings, the instant version has a slice of chashu pork, green negi (spring onions), and bean sprouts. The pork and negi are good. But the bean sprouts stand out most.
They're fresh tasting after you add the water and properly crunchy.
The Noodles
The noodles aren't flash fried. This is usually the case with better quality instant ramen. This means tastier (and healthier) noodles.
But Sugakiya Foods doesn't do noodles as well as other instant ramen manufacturers. These medium-thick noodles are good. But they're not as impressive as what their peers make.
Conclusion
Despite the noodles, my final score for Kamitoku's official instant ramen is 5/5. Again, the soup is insanely good! It's to the point where you can overlook the noodles - which are still good by the way.
The toppings are a notch above the noodles. But the soup is several notches above both noodles and toppings.
In summary, Kamitoku's instant ramen soup is one of the most delicious recreations I've seen.