Dessert noodles designed to be enjoyed with coffee.

Strawberry shortcake might sound like a very Western type of dessert, but here in Japan they’ve adopted it as their own. Not only has it become the national Christmas cake, but with the red-and-white hues being considered good luck, it’s also a popular choice for anniversary celebrations. Now, with Myojo Foods, maker of the Ippei-chan brand of instant yakisoba, celebrating its 30th birthday, it’s decided to mark the occasion with…shortcake-flavoured noodles.

▼ The product goes by the full name: “Myojo Ippei-chan Night Shop Yakisoba Shortcake Flavour“.

This crazy-sounding flavour was initially released in the Christmas of 2016, so with nearly a decade passing since, some people may have forgotten about the taste. However, one person who hasn’t forgotten is our reporter P.K. Sanjun, who, when he tried the product nine years ago, reacted like this.

That’s right — P.K. gave these noodles two big thumbs’ down, and nine out of the nine reporters who tasted it in the office described it as “bad”. Myojo, on the other hand, describes the product on its website as having received a “great response” from the public, which, reading between the lines, makes us think they know it’s a controversial product that generates a buzz, but not necessarily a good one.

P.K. and the team can think of many better ways to celebrate a birthday than with shortcake-flavoured yakisoba, but Myojo is excited for it, saying:

“We’ve made this flavour even sweeter than before, really leaning into the dessert theme.
The noodles have a soft, spongy texture reminiscent of actual sponge cake, and we’ve even added a cake-like aroma. It’s topped with a sauce that mimics the whipped cream of a shortcake, along with a pink, gooey strawberry sauce that’s delightfully sweet and tangy. For toppings, we’ve included generous chunks of diced strawberries (processed) and pink fiantine (baked crepe pieces), giving it a vibrant and cute appearance. This sweet flavor pairs perfectly with coffee too. This is Ippei-chan’s serious take on shortcake flavour. It might sound strange, but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!”

P.K. thought the noodles were sweet enough already, so he was shocked to hear they’d dialled up the sweetness even further for this new release.

▼ The first release was plenty sweet.

Still, when P.K. tried the noodles, he did have his savoury taste buds turned up, as his mind couldn’t get past the fact that he was eating yakisoba. With the company now leaning into the sweets theme, P.K. thinks it might have a better chance of success if customers approach the product as a sweet to be enjoyed with coffee, rather than a meal of noodles.

▼ But then again, the chain’s sweet chocolate noodles, released for Valentine’s Day in 2016, were pretty awful.

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, P.K. hope there won’t be a double-whammy with shortcake and chocolate in the noodles section of his local supermarket. According to Myojo, only the Shortcake will be returning for now, so try it if you dare when it’s released for a limited time at stores around Japan, at a suggested retail price of 245 yen (US$1.59) from 17 February.

Related: Myojo Foods
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