Category: Food

Melonpan!

June 10, 2025

‘Melon bread’ is a sweet bread popular in Japan. It’s a soft roll covered with a very thin coat of icing, and is a staple at bakeries and convenience stores (konbini). An Australian equivalent would be a finger bun, although melonpan have less icing. I’ve tried versions from konbini chains and here’s my opinions in reverse order of quality.

The New Days version of melon bread was disappointing. Not only is it weirdly yellow and unattractive, the bread itself was very dry and hard, and the icing layer almost tasteless. This konbini is operated by the rail company JR East, and they should be ashamed of their weak melonpan!

This one is from the Hokkaido konbini called Seicomart. Again, I was disappointed. It’s more visually appealing than the previous one, but the bread was again too dry and the icing layer was weirdly powdery. I was hot and tired when I bought this one, and even with a drink in my other hand could barely stuff it down.

This is the 7-11 version, and certainly had the most extreme appearance. It resembles a grenade more than a melon to me! This one conflicted me since the bread was fluffy and delicious but the icing was lacking because it wasn’t sweet enough. I feel the icing is the most important part of melonpan so regardless of the high bread quality this ultimately disappointed.

Family Mart delivered with their version. The bread was soft and fluffy and had a hint of butter taste (like a croissant) and the icing was just crisp enough without being overpowering. This was a fantastic product and could have easily taken the top spot!

But ultimately my favourite of the five was this Lawson version. It’s everything the Family Mart one was only very slightly better, and what gave it the win in my eye was the deliciously sweet taste of the icing, and the fact it had just the right level of crispness despite being so thin as to be almost invisible! If you’re going to buy only one melonpan, I’d suggest the Lawson version.

I’ll add that the melonpan from the ‘big three’ konbini (7-11, Family Mart and Lawson) are all good, so don’t be afraid to try any next time you’re in Japan.

Ramen 31: March Of The Ramen Queen

April 24, 2025

It’s been a long time since the last post reviewing some chicken ramen, but I’ve (finally!) found a few more. Let’s see what I thought…

Cup Noodles Chicken (290 Calories, 11g fat, 1160 mg sodium)

This is a new version of one of the ubiquitous chicken ramens, with the difference being it’s in a paper cup and intended to be cooked in a microwave. I followed the instructions (2.5 minutes at maximum) and it worked well, although the paper cup was much hotter to hold than the styrofoam version. The contents seemed a bit ‘blobby’ after cooking, but a quick stir and everything was ok.

As far as taste this was simply acceptable. As with the ‘normal’ version the flavour is cooked into the noodles and it lacks veggies aside from a few tiny pieces of corn and carrot. In a world with no other options this would be ok, but with better available I won’t be trying it again. I’ll give it 7/10.

Oolongmen Chicken Ramyun (310 Calories, 10g fat, 1430 mg sodium)

This was purchased in Canada, and I didn’t eat it for months since most of the other Canadian ones were awful. But when I finally got to this, I was pleasantly surprised!

The first taste was unusual – arguably not like chicken at all – and the ramen contained lots of veggies included dehydrated mushrooms. Subsequent forkfulls were better, and since I actually ate it all I deem this a higher-quality product, probably in the top 10% of those I’ve tasted. I’ll score it 8/10.

Cup Noodles Rice With Noodles Teriyaki Chicken (300 Calories, 5g fat, 1100 mg sodium)

I know this isn’t a ramen product, but since it clearly says ‘with noodles‘ I purchased it anyway. It’s another microwave-only product, and after the required 4.5 minutes on high the contents had become a sort of brown slush.

I was hesitant since the sickly sweet smell was reminiscent of rot, and when I tentatively tried a small forkful my fears were confirmed since this was one of very worst cup noodle products I have ever tasted. I hated this, and even now regret preparing it since the stench has filled the house. Score: 0/10.

I know brands I haven’t yet tried exist, but I’ve never seen them in local stores. I wonder how long it will be until my next installment?

Food Contest: AI Results

April 15, 2025

Once again Bernard had an AI judge the food postcards alongside the real judges, and here’s a photo of the judging in process:

The AI considered each pair of images several times (for an average score), and the following are some comments it produced for each food category.

Fruit: “B’s composition is simple and not as visually engaging as the intricate mosaic pattern. While both fit the fruit theme well, R’s image excels with its detailed portrayal of grapes in a compelling composition.” (R win)

Pasta: “R’s composition is creative but chaotic; B’s is more coherent. Overall, B’s piece fits the theme better.” (B win)

Hamburger: “R’s is slightly chaotic, focusing on a character more than the hamburger theme, whereas B’s is well-balanced and centered on the burger itself.” (B win)

Ramen: “While both fit the theme of ‘ramen’ well, B’s has a stronger thematic expression due to its appetizing depth.” (B win)

Cereal: “R’s uses vivid colors and a dynamic composition, creatively incorporating surreal elements like the floating cereal box.” (R win)

Salad: “In terms of detail and fitting the ‘salad’ theme, B’s conveys the variety and freshness associated with salads better than the other.” (B win)

Donuts: “B’s entry impresses with a vibrant color palette and detailed rendering of multiple donuts. However, the composition feels slightly crowded. R’s offers bold colors with cleaner presentation but lacks the complexity of details seen in the other.” (B win)

Pizza: “Both pieces fit the theme well, but R’s excels with its creative energy and expressive style.” (R win)

Sushi: “Both pieces adhere to the theme well, but B’s entry showcases a broader range of details, such as the soy sauce bowl.” (B win)

Cake: “R’s image uses a pleasing pastel palette that captures the essence of cake; however, the composition is somewhat static, losing dynamic appeal. B’s image, while vibrant, has a less cohesive color scheme, and the layering appears haphazard, ” (R win)

According to the AI, Bernard won 6 to 4, which runs contrary to the human decision.

Who was correct: man or machine? I’ll let you decide…

Robot Claw