Daring Taiwanese restaurant turns deep-sea scavengers into 'lobster-like' ramen delight

During an interview with Taiwan News, the man revealed his "dream ingredient" for making "creamy chicken broth ramen with giant isopods." The restaurant owner, a frequent visitor to Japanese aquariums, confessed his fascination with these "very charming" gigantic isopods."

Isopods are deep-sea crustaceans inhabiting depths ranging from approximately 558 to a staggering 7018 feet. As carnivorous scavengers, they feed on organisms that fall to the ocean floor.

These creatures are hunted on Taiwan's Pratas Island. Their innards are taken out while the remaining meat in the shell is steamed. The restaurant suggests that its taste is akin to lobster or crab. The isopod's exoskeleton serves as a decorative element in the entire dish, which closely resembles fresh seafood and doesn't emit any unpleasant smell, as per the restaurant's comment.

This dish boasting a distinct ingredient is limitedly available on the menu and can only be ordered by regular customers in advance.

Its success, however, remains uncertain due to numerous negative comments appearing under the restaurant's post.

Please, can you release them? They need a year to grow... Must we eat everything? Can't we pay attention to marine ecology? - lamented one internet user.

Amid the backlash, some humorously predicted a surge in celebrity patrons to the restaurant.

This one really looks like an alien - Michael Ng jested.

It resembles an alien's phallus - Carmen Cheung humorously pointed out.

Others inquiried if the restaurant owner had tasted an isopod himself and whether he planned to put everything he finds "charming" on the menu.

The isopod ramen costs "only" around 48 USD