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Taipei restaurant introduces ramen dish topped with giant isopod

 

 

Michelle De Pacina

Tue, May 23, 2023 at 1:50 PM CDT

 

 

 

A restaurant in Taiwan is serving a ramen dish topped with a giant isopod.

The owner of The Ramen Boy restaurant located at the Liaoning Street Night Market in Taipei shared detailed images on Facebook and Instagram of the unique ramen dish.

The owner announced that he has finally obtained the “dream ingredient” to create the “giant isopod with creamy chicken broth ramen,” according to Taiwan News. He described the species as “very cute” and said he often admired the giant isopods in aquariums while visiting Japan.

The giant isopods, which are deep-sea crustaceans, are carnivorous scavengers that feed on marine organisms that sink to the ocean floor. The solitary creatures reportedly inhabit depths ranging from 170 to 2,140 meters.

 

In the social media posts, the restaurant displayed how the dish is made through a series of photos.

To prepare the ramen dish, the stomach viscera of the creatures caught from Dongsha Island is removed. The remaining meat in the shell is then steamed. According to the restaurant, the isopod’s white meat tastes similar to lobster and crab, while its yellow glands taste like sweet crab paste.

 

The giant isopod is reportedly made with Yusuke chicken bouillon soup and the shell of the crustacean is only used for decoration.

The limited ramen dish is priced at 1,480 New Taiwan dollars (approximately $48) and is only available to regular customers.