Our fearless foodie correspondent Kuzo is traveling the world and tasting everything he can like the cafeteria food of Chernobyl, Melt-Proof Popsicles in China, and Gasoline Clams in North Korea.

However, Kuzo’s greatest challenge may in fact lie in his home country of Japan at a ramen restaurant in Hiroshima which is said to serve a ramen so disgusting it’s completely inedible.  Even the staff serving it is said to gag merely at its malevolently malodorous stench – all for the low, low price of 1,800 yen!

Could he finish his lunch without loosing it? The following is his report.

Smells Like Garbage Rotting in a Gutter
The maker of this concoction is a little place called Kumagori.  There they call it Ramen That’s too Disgusting to Eat, but you couldn’t find it on the menu.  Only those who know of its existence may order it.

The Staff Get Sick at its Smell
I made a reservation to eat the Ramen That’s too Disgusting to Eat ahead of time.  When I arrived I had to wait ten minutes while they prepared a separate eating area in the back of the building. I was not able to sit with the other customers so as not to “disgust them with the smell.” I took my seat and my server brought out the rumored dish with his face firmly locked in a grimace.

Win a Free Bowl of Ramen
So you’re probably wondering why they would even serve this rancid smelling crap or why anyone would eat something that looked like a homeless man puked it up.

If you can eat this ramen made with tofu, okra, and a whole mackerel along with its side of pig ear and foot in under 6 minutes and 30 seconds, then you are entitled to one free bowl of regular tasty ramen within a month.  Even if you can’t do it in time but you clean your plate, they will waive the cost of the ramen.  Failure to do either will result in you paying the bill in full.

Sip the Ramen, Feel the Nausea
As I raised the bowl to my mouth for a sip, the aroma of a sanitation worker’s boot filled my nose.  Words fail to explain the taste of this soup, but my immediate though was “this is some horrible sh*t!”  The worst part was that the sewage like soup had permeated to the core of each noodle robbing me of even that momentary normal taste sensation.

Verdict
No doubt about it, this ramen was disgusting.  However, it was not too disgusting to eat as its name would have you think. I was able to clean my plates.

If you want to try and beat the six and a half minute limit there are two points you should note. First save the mackerel until the end. It has a lot of tiny bones which if mixed into the soup makes it even more extremely difficult to eat.  Second don’t eat the pork last because it will make you more nauseous.  Eat all the soup first, then the pig foot and ear, finishing it all up with the mackerel.

Plenty of Love for Food and People
The most important thing to remember is that this restaurant severed this noxious dish only because I specifically requested it.  This establishment is otherwise known about the area as a maker of highly delicious ramen.

Also, although this ramen tasted like a dead elephant’s ass, it was made with the strictest adherence to the safety and health of the customer.

Store Information
Ramen Kumagori
3-10-2 Otemachi, Nakaku, Hiroshima city, Hiroshima
Hours: 11:30 – 15:00 / 17:00 – 24:00 Mon – Sat
*You need a reservation to order the Ramen That’s too Disgusting to Eat
Kumagori Official Website (Japanese)

▼ There is a lot of this strange spongy gel-like ingredient on the top.

 

▼ The main ingredient is the mackerel but the noodles are completely unappetizing.

 

▼ The rancid smelling soup and noodles formed a harmony of nausea

 

▼ This mysterious gel really amps up the disgust.

 

▼ Compared to the soup, these pig parts were not so bad.

 

▼ Clean plate club! No seconds please! Gah!

[ Read in Japanese ]