Ryuji Holds a Final Tasting at FamilyMart Headquarters: How Much Was Fixed in the Third Collaboration Lineup

Before the tasting session, one of Ryuji's staff members hung an employee ID around their neck and blended into a gathering of employees who are fans, posing as a FamilyMart employee. Ryuji introduced this staff member as a former private detective skilled at going undercover, and indeed no one around them noticed. Ryuji also changed into a FamilyMart uniform to take part in the tasting.

The package photo was also changed. Until now, a photo taken about seven years ago had been used, but after people said it looked "too young," it was replaced with one taken this year.

The first tasting was the onigiri. The person in charge explained that they used tuna as a new filling, aiming for an onigiri unlike any before. Ryuji immediately recognized it as their own tuna rice recipe. Instead of plain white rice, dashi and tuna flakes are cooked together with the rice from the raw stage, and black pepper is added around the rice so it is visible. It is designed to taste good whether or not it is heated.

Ryuji's verdict was, "It's good, but the sesame oil is clashing a bit." While saying it was good even at room temperature, Ryuji felt the issue could be solved by refining the aroma, and suggested either removing the sesame oil and emphasizing the black pepper, or, if oil was to be used, switching to olive oil. In response, versions with and without olive oil were brought out. According to the person in charge, the version without oil has slightly more filling by weight to make up for the missing olive oil. Ryuji decided "maybe it's fine without," and chose the oil-free version because it conveys the concept more clearly.

What Ryuji particularly praised about this onigiri was that the surrounding rice is cooked slightly firm, that there is tuna in every bite, and that the coarsely ground pepper comes through clearly. Ryuji said it was their favorite of all the onigiri released in the collaborations so far, and also mentioned that it uses domestic rice and domestic salt.

The second item was the seared pork ginger-yaki bento, priced at 698 yen. Ryuji emphasized its volume, saying "if you eat the whole thing, you won't be hungry," and revealed that it was a product that went through many retakes.

The person in charge had prepared two versions based on the "Ultimate Ginger Pork" and "Supreme Ginger Pork" that Ryuji had featured in videos. One was modeled on a single slice of loin, and the other used shoulder meat. The shoulder version reproduced the recipe's step of dusting the meat with flour first, and the meat was parboiled once before stir-frying to keep scum from forming. The side of cabbage was seasoned in the style of Ryuji's "Endless Cabbage." The recipe uses a lot of ground sesame, but that would cause the aroma to fade, so the person in charge explained they changed how the sesame was handled.

Of the shoulder version, Ryuji said it was tender, the ginger came through, and it was closer to the ginger pork they put in their own bentos. Ryuji then asked whether the seasoning of the loin version could be matched to the shoulder meat, and the person in charge said they would try to adjust it.

In the end, the loin version was chosen. The loin version is seared after cooking, giving it visual impact. It also has slightly more meat than the shoulder version. One of the deciding factors was the dashi pasta laid under the meat. During the tasting, Ryuji repeatedly reacted, "This pasta is really good." The person in charge explained that a meaty umami was added as a secret ingredient. Ryuji said, "I normally hardly ever eat convenience store food, but this is delicious, so I want to go with this flavor." In the product introduction, Ryuji also pointed out that the pasta isn't just a garnish but is seasoned and chewy, and that ginger has been deliberately placed on top.

The main pasta was a garlic butter chicken pasta, priced at 598 yen. The person in charge introduced it as "the legendary first-try pass." Last year's tomato-based pasta sold well, but since this is the third year, they went with a new menu item. Sliced chicken breast is spread out to cover the surface and give a sense of substantial toppings. Under the pasta is a chicken-stock-based sauce set with gelatin, and on top are a garlic butter sauce made in a separate process and cut pieces of butter.

There was also a version with mushrooms, but Ryuji chose the mushroom-free type that focused on the texture of the chicken, saying "this one is way better." Ryuji found the seasoning just right too, and since their recipe had been refined so well, decided it could go ahead as is.

According to Ryuji, this pasta was the most delicious one they had made recently, so they asked for it to be turned into a product before publishing it in a video, making it an "original" recipe that hasn't been released to the world. Ryuji also noted that there are about eight slices of chicken on top, saying pastas often have few toppings but this one is packed with them. Ryuji also said FamilyMart's pasta already has a good firm bite, and with their seasoning on it, they felt "this is exactly what I was looking for."

For the yakisoba, following the previous Shanghai-style yakisoba, the lineup switched to a salt-flavored yakisoba with green onions. The person in charge had prepared two versions: Version 1 with fish sauce as a secret ingredient, and Version 2 using oyster sauce.

At the first tasting, Ryuji frankly said it "doesn't feel right." It tasted like a typical convenience store salt sauce and lacked punch. Of the version with chicken, Ryuji said "the chicken is so-so," and pointed out that pork would be better. While acknowledging that the other version had more depth of flavor, Ryuji's view that the meat should be pork didn't change.

The lemon also became a topic of discussion. Fresh lemon is included, and it is better to have it for appearance. However, Ryuji said that when microwaved its smell intensifies and isn't a very pleasant aroma, so removing it was an option. It was also suggested that the weight saved could be allocated to other ingredients.

Next came a version that switched to pork in response to the comment that the chicken smelled, and increased the green onions to make up for removing the lemon. Ryuji said it "tastes like my shio yakisoba," and decided it was better to simply enjoy the crunch of the green onions, so they went with Version 2, loaded with green onions. In the product introduction, Ryuji emphasized that it contains a generous mix of green onions and white leeks, and that the onions still give off their aroma even after heating.

As a chilled side dish, a new entry in last year's well-received chicken series was presented, based on Ryuji's "Supreme Chive Sauce Chicken." The focus is on the aroma of sesame oil and garlic chives, with chives added to bring out the fragrance. Cabbage lightly seasoned with salt was laid underneath to add volume.

Ryuji highly praised the sauce and the chive aroma, but pointed out that the thigh meat was too soft. Ryuji's recipe stir-fries raw meat, giving the meat a satisfying heft, and Ryuji guessed that this was probably difficult to achieve in this product, saying they wanted to refine that point a bit more.

The improved version that followed looked different from the start. The person in charge explained that the meat was given a coating to reduce the fat that comes out after cooking, locking in the texture and umami. The surface was also nicely browned. Ryuji said, "The texture of the meat is clearly different," and approved this version, noting that the cabbage and chive sauce also went well together. In the introduction, Ryuji said that making meat that stays tender even when cold is difficult, and recommended it for when you want to add protein and vegetables, as a side to another bento, or as a snack with drinks.

The soup was a jjigae, a spicy chicken-stock base with miso added this time. The ingredients are tofu, cabbage, garlic chives, bean sprouts, and pork. Since Ryuji's recipe finishes with udon, udon was placed at the bottom so it would work as a complete meal on its own. Ryuji responded positively, saying there had never been a soup meant to satisfy a small appetite before, and was surprised that the udon held up even sitting in the soup.

However, the assessment was harsh. The quality of the ingredients was very good, but the soup itself was cheap. The person in charge explained that because it is a soup product, they prioritized making it something you could drink to the last drop. Ryuji understood that intent but suggested it needed a bit more seafood-based dashi. The idea was that if they were using a shiro dashi type base, they could add bonito. Ryuji said that when they make jjigae quickly, they usually use bonito, and mentioned that their sub-channel has a simple jjigae recipe made with only kimchi, bonito dashi, and soy sauce. Ryuji said that moving closer to that would definitely raise the soup's level of completion.

At the tasting after the improvements, Ryuji reacted, "The aroma is like my jjigae," and said they liked it, including the spiciness. In the introduction, Ryuji noted that it is low at 220 kilocalories even with udon, and that the udon is springy and makes it satisfying as a single dish.

Making its first appearance among the side dishes was a pouch-style potato salad. Based on Ryuji's signature "Supreme Potato Salad," it is a potato salad with a strong kick of garlic and pepper. Ryuji said it is great with drinks but a hassle to make, so they had been hoping it would come out in a pouch. It contains diced bacon and sliced onion, and the potatoes are cut into 15 mm cubes to give a nicely mashed feel.

In addition to the standard version, the person in charge had also prepared versions with weaker and stronger garlic. Of the weaker version, Ryuji said it was close to an ordinary potato salad, and that the garlic was too hidden for it to call itself "Supreme." The stronger version certainly had garlic coming through. But Ryuji pointed out that the problem lay elsewhere. The "gluso" (umami seasoning) was strong, and the umami had gone too far. Adding more umami seasoning doesn't make it taste better and better. Ryuji's view was that it would be more "Supreme" to strengthen the aroma and cut back the umami.

A version following this feedback was brought out. It kept the garlic flavor while reducing the umami and sweetness, and made the black pepper even stronger. Ryuji responded, "That's good." Ryuji decided that going all-in with a bold tone as a drinking snack was fine, and accepted this direction, saying, "In both a good and a bad way, this is me."

The frozen food was a peperoncino, released a year later than originally considered. Last year, they had been torn between it and a mentaiko pasta, and the mentaiko was released. The person in charge explained that because the peperoncino had also been finished to a stage close to release, they improved it further this year. By frying the sausage in oil first before combining, they created the cohesive feel of Ryuji's one-pan style. The garlic is added in two stages, some fried at the start and some added later, and roasted garlic oil is mixed in as well.

Ryuji acknowledged that the previous year's version had also been delicious, and was surprised that although it looked almost the same, it tasted completely different. Saying "It's probably the best among frozen ones," and remarking on how much better it had gotten in a year, Ryuji passed it as is with nothing to fix. In the introduction, Ryuji explained that frozen peperoncino pastas often lose their garlic, but this one keeps it firmly, adding that the garlic is quite strong so you should be careful when you eat it. Ryuji also said they had rarely found frozen pasta tasty, but this one was truly delicious.

The last item was the steamed bun "Toro-tama Gyu-suki Man" (creamy egg beef sukiyaki bun). Because Ryuji had praised an earlier "Gyu-suki Man" in a video, it was remade using an egg sauce and drawing on Ryuji's sukiyaki videos. The first prototype followed the "Supreme Sukiyaki" by using red wine in the warishita sauce.

Ryuji said the generous amount of egg sauce was good, and the red wine aroma was nice. On the other hand, Ryuji pointed out that it lacked sweetness and that the sukiyaki character might be fading. Ryuji said the concept was very good, so raising the proportion of sugar and soy sauce would probably bring out its distinctiveness.

Next came a version that followed the recipe for the "Masterpiece Sukiyaki" from Ryuji's video, seasoned only with sugar and soy sauce. Ryuji praised it as "simple and really good." According to the person in charge, the panko that had previously been added to absorb oil was removed this time to keep it from getting soggy. Ryuji said the earlier version had also been really good, but this was on a different level. In the introduction, Ryuji explained that they focused on sukiyaki-like seasoning rather than the typical overly sweet flavor, concluded that the classic approach is the best, and arrived at the "Masterpiece Sukiyaki." Ryuji also praised the manufacturer, Imuraya, saying, "I hate to admit it, but they're amazing."

After the product introductions, footage of the employee tasting session was shown. The disguised staff member went unnoticed to the end, and the employees finished one item after another. There were compliments for the potato salad with its pepper and garlic kick, and for the beef flavor of the sukiyaki bun. Ryuji then burst in and revealed that the staff member was an undercover former detective. Ryuji said that all the products are seasoned to go well with alcohol, but was grateful that people still ate them so heartily. Ryuji said it was the first time they had done a prank as part of a sponsored project.

In the wrap-up, Ryuji said none of the products had been made half-heartedly and that everything was made in earnest. Ryuji rated this collaboration as probably the highest quality yet, saying that while past ones had also been high quality, this one was about 1.5 times better. Ryuji then acknowledged that, as someone who eats convenience store food and criticizes it, they would probably get a lot of criticism, but said that anyone who tries the products should be able to tell how good they are, and asked viewers to write their impressions in the comments after the October 27 release.