Umai Crate by Japan Crate focuses on bringing you Japanese-exclusive instant noodles. Each month, you'll receive 7-8 instant noodles to try, along with a bonus collectible!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Umai Crate
The Subscription Box: Umai Crate
The Cost: $30 a month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $3 off your first box
CODE: MSADD3
The Products: 7-8 Japanese-exclusive instant noodle dishes + a bonus item.
Ships to: Worldwide
Umai Crate March 2019 Review
This month’s Umai Crate booklet lists each of the items with a quick description, cooking instructions, and recommended add-ins. This is super helpful to review before and during taste testing. There is also a recipe card for savory egg custard.
Let’s get to noodling!
Momoya Tsuyu Kitsune Udon
This udon features a mentsuyu broth, which is a combination of sake, mirin, soy sauce, kombu, and dried bonito flakes. It was a great mix of sweet and savory, almost like French onion soup. The noodles were soft and creamy, and I really enjoyed the pieces of green onion and fried tofu. It was pretty good!
Fujicco Juntoro Konbu Soba
Tororo seaweed is a key ingredient of this soba. It’s a finely-shaved kelp soaked in vinegar, and springs to life with the addition of hot water. I could smell the vinegar scent right away after adding the flavor packets to the cup. The soba tasted as expected, and the broth was dark, deep, and super umami from all of the seaweed. It didn’t knock my socks off, but it was all right.
FD Eggplant Miso Soup
After having a taste of this single-serving miso soup, I am a firm believer that all miso soup should come with pieces of eggplant. It was an interesting, delicious take on a classic.
Sapporo Sauce Yakisoba
Yakisoba is easily one of my favorite offerings from Umai Crate, so I was happy to see it in this month’s box. It had a lot of spice and depth without being too hot and was a great pair to the spicy kimchi, fried egg, and this month’s seaweed sprinkle bonus item.
Ikkosha Animal Free Hakata Ramen
I’m not sure what made this ramen “animal free” because the broth was definitely tonkatsu pork, and man, was it delicious. Tonkatsu ramen is high atop my list of favorites—not just from Umai Crate, but from the ramen world in general. These noodles were resilient with a little bit of bite, and the savory, garlic-y flavor had me swooning. I tossed in some organic frozen veggies and a fried egg on top to make a most wonderful meal. Loved these!
Shijimi Ramen
Because the thought of Japanese basket clams made my hair stand on end, I knew right away this ramen wasn’t for me. So, I called in a favor! My boyfriend kindly tested out these noodles, and he said they’re all right. To him, the broth didn’t have a strong flavor, and the little rehydrated clams were surprisingly meaty, but more than a garnish than a centerpiece. “It’s still basically a cup of noodles.” Fair enough, Blair. Fair enough.
Udon Soup
This bonito-and-kelp soup base came conveniently packaged in six individual servings. The info card suggested stirring it into 1 cup of boiling water, but that seemed way too sparing, so I went for 1.5 cups. Even then, I could’ve opted for more water without diluting the flavor. I had a quick sip before tossing in this month’s sanuki udon and some veggies, and it was good! I liked how it wasn’t too fishy, and I’m happy to have so many servings left over.
Sanuki Udon
The cooking instructions for these noodles were to boil them until soft and loosened, so I left them to cook in the udon soup base for a little over two minutes. They were perfectly al dente and perfect for slurping. I definitely got broth all over my laptop, and if that’s not a hallmark of a solid noodle, I don’t know what is.
Bonus Item - Furikake Sesame Lettuce
These little seaweed sesame seeds were so good! I found them to be a great topping for this month’s yakisoba, and I’ll be sure to sprinkle them over other fried noodle dishes down the line. When used in soup, the seaweed coating comes off in the broth, but that isn’t a bad thing. The resealable bag was a nice touch, and the quantity was pretty generous.
Verdict: This month’s Umai Crate was great! My favorite was a tie between the Hakata ramen and the eggplant miso soup. Although I wasn’t too thrilled about the basket clam noodles, I managed to find someone that was. With an average cost of $3.75 per item—with some items containing multiple servings and a bonus item—this box was worth it for me, and my undying love of noodles.
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No, you will receive the May box.
Coupon - Use code MSA3 to save $3 off your first Japan Crate Premium, Doki Doki Crate, Umai Crate, or Kira Kira Crate.
Value Breakdown: This box is $30 a month with free shipping. I received five instant noodle packages, one pack eggplant miso soup, a 6-pack of udon soup base, and a 3-pack of sanuki udon, which come to an average of $3.75 per item.
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What was your favorite bowl from the March Umai Crate? Do you have any go-to add-ins for instant noodles?
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