This Valentine's Day, Enjoy Chocolate Ramen in Tokyo

Japan’s soup scene is not for the faint of heart (or stomach). Adventurous foodies can devour massive bowls of ramen for cash prizes, eat ramen ice cream, and even soak in noodle baths—so it shouldn’t be too surprising that one prominent ramen chain, Menya Musashi, honors Valentine’s Day each February by serving up chocolate noodle soup at select locations.

RocketNews24 reports that the savory-sweet special is available during the first two weeks of the month, and changes slightly every year. To make the soup, Menya Musashi uses a brand of chocolate called Ghana—named after the African country of Ghana, a leading exporter of cocoa—created by Asian candymaker Lotte.

This year’s chocolate-based ramen is called Tsuke Ghana 2017. It's tsukemen-style, meaning the dish comes in two bowls. One is filled with noodles and toppings; another is filled with a dipping broth. In this case, the broth contains more than a bar’s worth of Ghana chocolate—and in addition to greens and chashu pork, the ramen toppings include a piece of chocolate, plus chocolate powder-coated foie gras balls with a chocolate center.

Curious to try Tsuke Ghana 2017 for yourself? Swing by Menya Musashi’s Shinjuku, Hamamatsucho, and Shibaura locations in downtown Tokyo, from now until February 14. Only 20 bowls are available for purchase per day, so if the idea of a chocolate-covered noodle breakfast doesn’t make you queasy, come by early.