Find out how to use the machines, and more importantly, where to find them.
Back in 2013, 7-Eleven Japan revolutionised the convenience store scene by equipping its stores with coffee machines so customers could make their own individual cups of freshly brewed coffee. Then, in 2022, the chain upped its game even further with smoothie machines that became a runaway hit, and now there’s a new machine causing a stir with customers: the self-service ramen machine.
Introduced last October, the new “Steama” cooking machines, produced by Japanese tech company SoftBank, can make five different types of noodle dishes, and they can only be found at 41 branches, all in Saitama Prefecture.
▼ This screenshot from the official site introduces the 7-Eleven noodles as “Dekitate Men”, which means “Freshly Made Noodles”.
Saitama isn’t too far from Tokyo, so we headed out to the branch near Asaka Station in Asaka City, which takes just 27 minutes from Shinjuku Station by train.
▼ The branch is a 10-minute walk from Asaka Station.
As soon as you enter the store, you’ll spot the unusual-looking machine, which catches the eye with its jet-black appearance.
Like 7-Eleven’s smoothies, the noodles need to be retrieved from the freezer section of the store, so we headed over there and selected the Rich Pork Bone and Seafood Ramen for 880 yen (US$5.60).
▼Other options include udon and soba.
Taking our noodles to the cashier to complete our purchase, the staff asked if this was our first time using the machine, and when we told them it was, they kindly explained the process.
First, they told us to press the start button on the machine, which gets the machine to warm up. After about a minute, we were prompted to scan the QR code on the side of the product with the QR code-reading camera.
If you’ve used one of the chain’s smoothie machines before, operating the noodle machine will be a cinch as it’s the same process. After scanning the QR code, the door lock will be released, so you can open it up and pop your noodles in the recess on the tray inside.
▼ Keep the protective film lid on.
After closing the door, the process begins, with a nozzle punching its way through the middle of the film. Then, you’ll see hot steam escaping from the lid as the machine thaws and warms the frozen broth and noodles.
You’ll receive a sticker, which isn’t a cute stationery souvenir but an item with which to cover the hole in the film before taking it home.
▼ We couldn’t wait to try these at home so we stopped by a nearby park to taste our 7-Eleven ramen.
Reading the labels on the outside of our meal, we discovered that these noodles had been created in conjunction with Chuka Soba Tomita, an award-winning ramen restaurant based in Chiba Prefecture.
This raised our expectations for the freshly made convenience store noodles, and our expectations rose even further when we peeled off the lid to find that the ramen had been evenly heated all the way through.
Though the nozzle only pierced the centre, it did an impressive job of heating the entire meal, right to the edges of the bowl.
Dipping our spoon in for a taste, the rich pork bone broth displayed subtle hints of seafood flavour, and it even contained yuzu peel for extra aroma, making it seem like a restaurant-quality dish.
Next up, we tried the noodles, which had the undeniable texture of heated-up frozen noodles. Still, for a convenience store meal, we couldn’t complain as they were satisfyingly thick and chewy.
The most impressive ingredient was the char siu pork, which was huge, and so tender you could tear it apart with chopsticks. The taste and size of it helped to completely overturn any preconceived notions we had of frozen ramen.
In the ever-evolving world of frozen foods, being able to whip up a bowl of noodles in a machine represents another significant leap forward for 7-Eleven. While other convenience stores have introduced their own coffee machines, the ramen machine will be a hard one to replicate.
In fact, it seems that even 7-Eleven is finding a full-scale rollout to be a challenge, because even after six months since its introduction in Saitama, the ramen machine is yet to expand to other prefectures. It’s a fun new convenience store experience that ramen lovers should definitely try, and the full list of participating stores can be found at the link below.
Store information
Seven-Eleven Asaka Saiwaicho 1-chome Store / セブンイレブン 朝霞幸町1丁目店
Address: Saitama-ken, Asaka-shi, Saiwaicho 1-4-1
埼玉県朝霞市幸町1-4-1
Open 24 hours
Related: 7-Eleven Japan
Photos ©SoraNews24
Screenshot: 7-Eleven Japan
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