Ryuji Re-Reviews Lawson Products With No Holding Back: Charcoal-Grilled Series Wins Raves, Microwave Gyoza Gets a C

The project traces back to the previous episode. Last time, Ryuji gave other products high ratings such as S, but gave only the harami product a C, flatly declaring, "It's not good." In the video, this product is referred to as "pork harami." Ryuji had assumed the rating would be quietly buried, but when they actually went to Lawson, there was a POP sign under the harami shelf with their face and a "C rating" on it.

At first, Ryuji felt, "Why would they do such negative promotion?" But seeing the company display their rating without hiding anything, they thought, "Lawson really is crazy," and ended up with a favorable impression. Ryuji says they feel that post went viral, too. This time, too, 10 products would get POP signs, and after confirming with Lawson that it was fine to pick C-rated products, the review began. Ryuji prepared a can of 8% ABV alcohol and squared up: "Bring it on, Lawson."

First up were four items from the "Charcoal-Scented!" series, which is focused on drinking snacks. Each costs 268 yen including tax; you open the bag slightly and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

On the first item, "Grilled Chicken Harami," Ryuji exclaimed, "You seriously brought something incredible." It had a charcoal aroma on par with the charcoal-grilled food they'd eaten last time, and since it's harami, a bit of fat remains and there's a crunchy texture too. "No offense, but it doesn't feel like convenience store food," Ryuji said, giving it an SS. Laughing at themselves for handing out the top rating right off the bat — "I'm going way too hard from the start" — Ryuji added, "I want to go buy some right now" and "This is pretty revolutionary."

The "Grilled Furisode" was described as extremely tender, with the skin left on so that fat bursts out the moment you bite into it. Ryuji said that eating only greasy food makes them gain weight, so this is exactly the kind of snack they'd been looking for. They simply prefer the crunchiness of the harami personally, they said, and the seasoning and charcoal aroma were perfect.

For the "Gizzard Yakitori," Ryuji had high hopes, noting that charcoal-grilled gizzard isn't something you see often. According to Lawson, no charcoal flavoring is used at all; the gizzards are actually grilled over binchotan charcoal. Ryuji praised it for having no gamey smell whatsoever and gave it an SS, going so far as to say, "Rather than going to some random yakitori place, I'd want to eat this."

With the "Grilled Chicken Liver," Ryuji's impression was less that there was no gamey smell at all and more that it was skillfully masked by the charcoal. It came across not as a bad smell but as "the aroma of liver," and Ryuji gave it an S+, saying, "There's absolutely nothing to complain about." Surprised that a convenience store could make liver this good, they said that if it were served as-is at a yakitori restaurant, they'd say, "This is really good."

Next was an unreleased frozen ramen, "Super-Tasty Soup! Extra-Rich Tonkotsu Ramen." A cup ramen with the same name is already on the market. The preparation method is to add 200 cc of water to the frozen contents and heat it uncovered in a 600W microwave, which surprised Ryuji: "Was this a thing before?" "That's new technology."

The finished soup was thick and sludgy, and Ryuji rated it as "hard to believe it's frozen." The noodles, however, felt a bit soft. Having rated the cup noodle version highly, Ryuji wondered whether microwave cooking makes the noodles turn out with this kind of texture. Expecting that if the technology advances and the noodles get snappier, it would become "something crazy," Ryuji gave it a B. They explained that people who like it will definitely love it and they'd recommend it to such people, but personally they wanted more bite to the noodles.

"Super-Tasty Sauce! Aburasoba With Savory Spicy Oil," from the same "Super-Tasty" series, is also an unreleased product. The noodle portion is 313g, and it heats for 6 minutes 30 seconds. On the first bite, Ryuji reacted, "Huh, this is better than the old one." According to Lawson, the sauce was designed with a lot of attention to concentration and depth of flavor compared to the previous version.

Ryuji said it was still good with the spicy oil added, the noodles were nicely thick, and the texture held up well. Since the flavor is strong, they said it would likely pair well with toppings too, and gave it an S+. At 297 yen, Ryuji suggested a combination: you could gather things like the chashu trimmings sold at Lawson and pile them on yourself.

While waiting for the aburasoba to heat, Ryuji talked passionately about "Mimiga." The convenience store closest to their home has always been a Lawson, and when it comes to snack items, they've "naturally eaten them all." Ryuji loves mimiga enough to still buy it today, noting that its distinguishing feature is its lemon flavor.

Ryuji's recommended way to eat it is dipped in mayonnaise mixed with shichimi. The reasoning is that ears have no fat, so adding a bit of oil makes them taste better. Calling this method "definitely the best," Ryuji gave it an SS.

The "Smoked Tongue," reportedly No. 1 in the processed meat category, struck Ryuji as having the same seasoning as the mimiga. Personally they're on team mimiga, but if you want a meatier feel, smoked tongue is the way to go. Surprised by the price of 135 yen including tax, Ryuji said it makes good use of pork tongue, a relatively inexpensive cut, and is probably the fruit of corporate effort.

As for the "Pastrami Beef," Ryuji rated it the best in terms of flavor alone. Their way of eating it is with mayonnaise and Tabasco, which "goes insanely well." Ryuji explained that pastrami beef should use one of the leaner cuts of beef, so adding a little richness with mayonnaise transforms it. Since it's also the cut used in sandwiches and is suited to being put between bread, Ryuji gave it an SS.

The frozen "Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Skin Yakitori (Yuzu Kosho)" uses yuzu kosho from Kyushu. Ryuji had high expectations, saying Kyushu yuzu kosho tastes completely different. On tasting it, the heat remained even after cooking, and Ryuji said they could see why it touts being from Kyushu.

Another person present isn't much of a fan of chicken skin and had a lukewarm reaction. Ryuji acknowledged that since they themselves like skin, opinions would probably be split. Even so, saying "products that divide opinion are masterpieces," Ryuji gave it an S. Lawson added that they'd like people to try the four varieties of the charcoal-grilled series first.

The renewed version of the harami that Ryuji had given a C last time appeared, and Ryuji reacted, "Ah, here it comes." It's reportedly scheduled for release on July 14. Before even eating it, Ryuji said frankly, "I probably won't like it," and once again laid out why they'd judged it a failure last time.

According to Ryuji, the problems last time were the strong smell, the price, and seasoning that didn't suit it. Ryuji remembers advising that since the smell comes from the ingredient itself, it would be better to mask it with strong flavors. Based on the knowledge gained from being involved in developing many products, Ryuji thought that would be difficult to fix.

Lawson explained that they had also made the meat cuts slightly larger to make it more satisfying. The price is 354 yen. After eating it, Ryuji repeated, "It's way better than last time," and said they felt the seasoning was the best it could be. However, a slight aroma of the harami itself remained, and many people might not like it from the first bite.

The rating was B, one step up from last time. Ryuji said they wanted to give credit for the glimpse of corporate effort, but that for someone eating it for the first time, it would probably be around a B or B+. They also said it would still be tough for people sensitive to smells. On the other hand, saying it would be impressive if they could make this taste good, Ryuji told them to aim for an A next time if they improve it again, describing this round as having "landed a counterpunch."

Along the way, a whisky said to be sold exclusively at Lawson also made an appearance. Ryuji tried it as a highball and on the rocks, saying they don't care for whiskies with overpowering aromas, but this one was well-balanced. Another whisky that came out later had a sweet aroma, and Ryuji said they liked that one more and found it easier to drink.

"Chewy Fresh Pasta" is a Nisshin Seifun Welna product, and before even eating it, Ryuji predicted, "This is probably good." It's designed to be eaten straight from the container. The "Aromatic Bolognese" had chewy noodles of the type that don't get soggy over time, which Ryuji said makes it good for snacking with drinks. The meat sauce was rich and you could taste the meat, and Ryuji said it seemed to push the potential of today's frozen pasta close to its limit.

Ryuji admits to being "picky" about carbonara, but noted that the "Rich Carbonara" contains thick-cut bacon. It had a richness like it was made with fresh cream, and Ryuji said that even making it themselves, it wouldn't taste like this — they couldn't make it at home. Ryuji also praised it for reproducing the chewiness of fresh pasta, rather than boiled dried pasta, in a frozen product. The ratings were SS for the carbonara and S for the Bolognese. The Bolognese is also tasty, but the carbonara pairs better with the noodles. Ryuji said it feels like it was developed together with Nisshin, and that the developers' hard work "comes through in the taste."

Regarding the "Thick-Cut! Luxurious Demi-Glace Hamburg Steak," Ryuji said before even eating it, "It probably can't beat that place." They didn't name it specifically. Having eaten hamburg steaks from various places, Ryuji said there's a strong competitor and they can't help comparing. Drawing on a taste comparison they did about two years ago, Ryuji prefaced that its rating within Lawson differs from its rating in the industry as a whole.

After actually eating it, Ryuji judged, "It's not winning." That said, it has definitely gotten better than before. What bothered them was that they wanted a bit more of that juicy burst when you bite into it. Ryuji felt this hamburg steak was "the best home-cooked hamburg steak" — something they could make themselves, though it takes effort. Ryuji also admitted that at 500 yen, it's a premium item for a convenience store, so the bar is higher in their mind. The rating was B+, and Ryuji asked viewers to take it as "a B+ full of expectations."

The "Grilled Squid Snack," 356 yen including tax, was praised for its strong squid aroma and satisfying chewiness. Ryuji had the staff bring mayonnaise, mixed in ichimi, and dipped it. They've been eating it this way for a long time. Laughing that they've become something of a mayo fiend, Ryuji said it's a crowd-pleaser to buy one when drinking with others, so it's something they often buy when using convenience store snacks. The rating was A+, prefaced by noting that they've been buying it for a while and are familiar with it, but with mayo and ichimi it becomes an S.

The unreleased frozen "Garlic Mazesoba" costs 322 yen. It contains garlic chips for texture. Ryuji had high expectations, saying Nisshin's aburasoba is good. The amount of garlic is "maxed out," and the flavor is strong and salty and tasty. Even so, Ryuji tilted their head, feeling something was missing, and guessed it was the punch of raw garlic.

When staff chopped up some raw garlic and brought it over, Ryuji put it on, ate it, and got excited: "This is it." They said, "Just serve this in a restaurant," and encouraged the developer to try it too. The suggestion was made with the understanding that raw garlic can't be put into a frozen product. The rating was A as-is, and SS with raw garlic added. Since garlic isn't expensive and there's a good chance people have some at home, Ryuji recommended trying the little extra once, saying, "It transforms, seriously."

The second half featured a run of garlic-based products, and Ryuji switched to highballs, saying they'd had so much to drink they might get drunk. On "Easy in the Microwave! Garlic Pan-Fried Gyoza," Ryuji prefaced that they tend to rate pan-fried gyoza that doesn't get crispy in the microwave on the low side. Then they stated plainly, "It's not good at all."

Ryuji explained that this wasn't a matter of cutting corners but the limits of microwave cooking. Specifically, the part where the wrapper is sealed stays hard. With pan-fried gyoza, there's a step where you add water and steam them after frying, so this hardness normally wouldn't occur. Ryuji said they understood what was being attempted, but judged that the spec of this gyoza wasn't great to begin with, and that if it's going to be a microwave product, it would be better as a different kind of product. The rating was C. Apologizing — "Sorry for being harsh" — Ryuji stressed the difficulty of making pan-fried gyoza in a microwave: "If you could make good gyoza with this, there'd be world peace."

"Large Bibimbap Fried Rice" is 380g, considerably more than the single-serving version. It contains barley, and the further down you eat, the more the flavor seems to soak in. Ryuji likes regular fried rice too, but said this one is sweet and spicy and easy to pair with drinks. They described it as an everyday product they'd want to keep in the freezer and eat to close out a night of drinking.

"Pork Ginger" costs 387 yen and consists almost entirely of meat. Ryuji acknowledged the effort but said it couldn't shake its chilled-food feel. Ryuji guessed that the meat was marinated to make it tender, and Lawson confirmed this. The flavor was quite sweet — the sweetness of the ginger pork in a bento box. Compared to their own ginger pork, Ryuji said they prefer more ginger and a more pronounced soy sauce flavor.

Ryuji also pointed out that the texture when you bite into it is more like ham than meat. Reasoning that the seasoning liquid soaks into the meat during the preservation and tenderizing process, making it seem like processed meat, Ryuji showed understanding that this is somewhat unavoidable. Still, Ryuji said this is the rating it gets on taste and gave it a C+.

Meanwhile, "Niku-Dofu," reportedly No. 1 in sales among side dishes, got an A. The tofu was well-soaked with flavor; getting it to soak in this much at home would take hours. Ryuji said being able to eat it after a few minutes of heating is what makes Lawson worth using. There was a slight meaty smell, but the beef fat came through and the dashi flavor was good, and it was tastier than Ryuji expected.

Last was the frozen "Grilled Yagen Cartilage." The cartilage had plenty of meat attached, with a sesame oil, Korean-style aroma. Ryuji acknowledged it was tasty, but the impact of the charcoal-grilled series from the beginning had been so strong that they repeatedly said, "I want to eat this charcoal-grilled." The rating was A. The meat quality is good and the product itself is good, but these days just a sesame oil aroma is getting harder to be satisfied with, so Ryuji said the seasoning could be changed a bit. As an example, they suggested the yuzu kosho from earlier would probably suit it, adding that since the charcoal-grilled series offers four flavors, it should be doable.

That day, Ryuji ate about 18 to 20 items and selected 10 of them. However, since announcing them all wouldn't be fun, Ryuji asked viewers to check the POP signs at their local Lawson and see for themselves, "So these are the ones Ryuji picked." Ryuji said the ratings they gave along the way were all sincere, laughing that the parts where they said terrible things may have been cut. They explained that the 10 picks, good and bad alike, are products they want people to actually try.

To wrap up, Ryuji said that overall, they felt today's convenience store food is good. They then called on anyone wondering, "Does Ryuji really know what tastes good?" to try the products they rated and share their thoughts in the comments.