Thought ramen noodles were just for poor millennial students who can’t afford a decent meal? Think again! Tot Aw are revolutionising the wedding and birthday cake industry using their favourite brand of instant ramen noodles, Mi Goreng.
To be honest, I never got the obsession with instant ramen noodles. They’re okay if you’re in a pinch or something but are they anything more than that? So forgive me if I’m not this new trend’s biggest hype man.
Although, I admit, the creations are pretty cool looking.
Looks good enough to smush in your partner’s face! (Why do people do that at weddings?)
If you take a look through their Instagram you’ll see that Tot Aw, which stands for Totally Awesome, started out making ramen donuts. However, once they began to branch out into the cake world they really hit their stride.
The inspiration for these… unique… cakes came from humble beginnings. Indonesian parents sometimes pack Indomie noodles for their kids. Because the noodles conform to the shape of the lunchboxes, they tend to end up looking like little cakes. Cute.
And thus, a trend was born.
Dem flavours tho?
Now don’t be thinking that these are some hybrid chocolate-chicken ramen monstrosity. They’re good old traditional ramen flavours.
Speaking to the Jakarta Post, Erwin, the cafe’s co-owner, explained some of their flavours, “The first [topping] is taken from our spicy rice menu, such as shredded chicken, salted cuttlefish and meatballs. The second topping is beef cornet and melted cheese.”
It sounds more like a mid-week meal than a cake. And they are meals, apparently these things can feed about eight to ten guests.
What if you don’t like salted cuttlefish though? Don’t worry! Erwin’s got you covered, ‘We plan to make more Indonesian-flavored toppings such as chicken gulai [curry stew], opor [coconut milk stew] and rendang [beef simmered in coconut and spices]… we also have a noodle menu with cheese and chocolate toppings. So it’s really about food that is rarely found out there.’
Okay, forget what I said about them not being hybrid monstrosities, they’ve thrown chocolate in there.
In the future they’re looking to expand into the untapped ramen dessert market. Y’know, because people have been just screaming for some sweet noodly zerts.
If that wasn’t out there enough, KFC and Pizza Hut are teaming up to create their own food monster. Ah, capitalism, what will you dream up next?
Featured image credit: tot.aw Instagram
