If you’ve never been to a restaurant that serves genuine ramen, you’re likely to think of ramen as the cheapest of all foods—a brick of instant noodles accompanied by a sodium-rich flavor packet, all for about twenty-five cents. It shouldn’t be too surprising, however, that the most expensive ramen in the world is something completely different.

At the ultra-exclusive Fujimaki Gekijyo restaurant in Tokyo, patrons can feast on the Five-Taste Blend Imperial Noodles. The dish is made with over twenty ingredients, including high quality Chinese stock as well as another, spicier stock inspired by Thai tom yum soup. A bowl of Fujimaki’s exquisite ramen sells for a jaw-dropping $110.

Fujimaki Gekijyo is an omakase (i.e. menu-less), reservation-only restaurant that is only accessible to guest who have already dined at one of owner Shoichi Fujimaki’s less expensive restaurants. American diners will be able to try the expensive ramen when Fujimaki opens a restaurant in Los Angeles in August, 2010.

Tacos are undoubtedly one of the cheaper foods in life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get the Most Expensive treatment. All you have to do is add gold and diamonds and voila—you have the most expensive taco in the world.

In this case, the “gold and diamonds” were actually hunks of filet mignon. Offered by Brentwood Restaurant and Lounge in Los Angeles, this fancy fare was a specialty entrée accompanied by pico de gallo, vegetable rice and black beans. Unfortunately, this expensive taco is not present on Brentwood’s online menu and we can only assume that it is no longer offered.

Brentwood’s filet mignon taco entrée had a price of $38.50. That may not seem like much, but we’re talking about tacos here. If you know of a more expensive taco, though, let us know.

The bluefin tuna is a species in decline. While the Pacific variety isn’t as endangered as the West Atlantic bluefin, it’s quite telling that half of the 600 devices that researchers from Tag-A-Giant attached to Pacific bluefins were returned to the New York-based operation by fishermen seeking the $500 reward for each device. Combine the pressure from fishing with the weather experienced in the region this year and you have a species that may not be around to see 2010.

It certainly doesn’t help that it’s such a tasty fish.

In early 2009, a 282-pound bluefin caught off the northern coast of Oma was sold to a pair of rival restaurateurs who set aside their differences to procure the massive fish for $100,000. In 2001, a 440-pound tuna was sold for the phenomenal price of $220,000.

In 2010, however, the 440-pound tuna’s record was beaten by the sale of a gargantuan 513-pound bluefin. Sold at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market, the most expensive tuna in the world was also purchased by a confederacy of restaurateurs—this time the owners of two sushi restaurants in Japan and the owner of one in Hong Kong.

Part of the reason for these phenomenal prices, of course, is the bluefin’s rarity. While forty-one bluefin tuna were sold at a 2008 auction, only three were sold at the same auction in 2009. The economic crisis, however, may have been a boon for the bluefin population as consumers found the fish too rich for their wallets. In adition, The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas reduced the quota for the 2010 catch to 13,500 tons—around two-thirds of the former quota.

Still, offering a reward for the prize in the fish’s belly might not have been such a good idea after all.

A bluefin tuna fish.

To the rest of us, hot sauce aficionados may seem a little crazy. The hottest of sauces may seem like bottled pain to us, but to them it’s a delectable condiment. Luckily for us, the most expensive hot sauce in the world isn’t one of those.

Cackalacky Spice Sauce is rated fewer than 1,000 units on the Scoville scale, which measures the capsaicin content—or “heat”—of a hot sauce or pepper and tops out at 16,000,000 for pure capsaicin. What it lacks in piquancy, though, it makes up for in flavor. According to the CEO and President of Peppers.com, who hold a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest hot sauce collection, Cackalacky is “the best tasting spice sauce commercially available.” The sauce is flavored with yams, burgundy wine, aged chiles and other spices.

Of course, Cackalacky Spice Sauce alone is only $5.99 for a bottle. In 2005, however, Cackalacky released its Single-Batch Private Reserve Stock. The Private Reserve came in a five-ounce bottle, autographed by Cackalacky’s brand creator and “Ambassador of Good Taste,” Page Skelton. It sold for an eye-popping $98,786.

This isn’t Cacklacky’s first off-the-wall promotion. The company’s website also features recipes for Spiced Barbecue Ice Cream and Spiced Chicken Lollipops.

Gin is made by flavoring pure grain alcohol with juniper berries and other natural flavors. While it hasn’t been as popular in mixed drinks as vodka, gin has made something of a comeback in recent years. It’s no surprise, then, that the most expensive gin bottle in the world was produced in 2008.
Bombay Spirits Co.’s [...]

Chicken is often one of the cheaper meats at the grocery store, but you can still pay a premium price for the poultry if you try hard enough. Bresse chickens, from their namesake area in France, are valued for their gamey flavor and tender flesh while Silkie chickens are valued as show chickens for their [...]

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Nello’s Restaurant
Manhattan’s Nello’s restaurant on the Upper East Side may have hosted the most expensive lunch in the world as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and nine other guests dined in for $52,000.
According to TMZ, the bill for the ten patrons came to $47,221. That includes three bottles of La Tache, two bottles of [...]

A West End stage production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, featuring Anna Friel in Audrey Hepburn’s iconic role, has opened this month and Chambord has crafted the most expensive breakfast in the world to mark the occasion.
Chambord, known for their black raspberry liqueur, has combined the culinary arts and the jeweler’s craft with a croissant embellished [...]

It’s not just the world’s most expensive potato; it’s one of the world’s five most expensive foods. It’s called La Bonnotte and it grows only on the French Isle of Noirmoutier.
The costly tuber owes its price to the fact that it must be harvested by hand and that its growing season lasts a mere ten [...]

Cheese is likely the most popular dairy product in the world, a food that predates written history. In 2004 alone, over 18 million metric tons of cheese were produced worldwide. The world’s most expensive cheese, however, is only produced at one farm and at a very specific time of year.
Unusually, the cheese isn’t made from [...]

Harrods, London’s premier department store, now carries a most luxurious loaf. Britain’s most expensive bread and, if you believe some of the hype surrounding it, the most expensive bread in the world, the Roquefort and Almond sourdough is created with some of the finest ingredients money can buy.
Master baker Paul Hollywood, creator of the bread, [...]

In 2005, a couple named Mike and Liz started a blog about a special french fry they’d found at McDonald’s. The fry, which they had dubbed the Lincoln Fry, featured a near perfect profile of the sixteenth president as seen on the common penny. It was also seen in an “amateur” commercial during that year’s [...]

As the Dow Jones slouches toward 9,000, WinePrices’ has published their Fine Wines 100 Index for April of 2009. The Fine Wines 100 Index “is based on the most actively traded wines at global auctions as compiled by WinePrices.com.” We’ve pulled the top five best performing wines from the list to give you a taste [...]

Some may have you believe that the world’s most expensive mushroom is the white truffle. While that rare fungus is truly expensive, it lacks one important quality—it’s not a freakin’ mushroom. Now that we’ve cleared that up, Japan’s matsutake mushroom can take its place as the most expensive mushroom in the world.
The matsutake, or mattake, [...]

It’s only available at Mélisse in Santa Monica, CA and even then only between October and December. It’s the most expensive macaroni and cheese in the world and it’s a far cry from Velveeta Shells and Cheese.
The decadent dish is just one example of Chef Josiah Citrin’s cuisine, blend of traditional French and modern American [...]

An Indian restaurant in London is celebrating the DVD release of Slumdog Millionaire in its own, special way. It’s called Samundari Khazana—“seafood treasure”—and, at £2,000, it’s the most expensive curry in the world.
Bombay Brassiere has packed this platter full of the most expensive ingredients they could find. Devon crab and white truffle and a half [...]

In its original form, the word “whisky” meant “water of life.” I’m sure some of you readers out there will agree with that sentiment. Luckily for you, there’s quite a variety of different whiskies (or “whiskeys,” if we’re talking about American or Irish liquors). Check out the most expensive whiskies in these popular varieties.

The Most [...]

When the heir of the Persse family estate, including the Nun’s Island Distillery in Galway, Ireland, decided to pursue racehorse training instead of continuing the family business, he probably didn’t realize he was creating what may be the world’s most expensive Irish whiskey—that is, if anyone ever buys it.
According to whisky seller Ken Thomas’ story [...]

Canadian rye whisky doesn’t quite have the prestige of its Scotch cousin, but it still has its moments. One such moment happened at the 2007 Kentucky Derby, when the attending Queen Elizabeth II was presented with the world’s most expensive Canadian whisky.
“Canadian whisky” refers to any whisky that is mashed, distilled and aged at least [...]

Bourbon whiskey, like Champagne, is named after the region from which it comes—Bourbon, Kentucky. Unlike Champagne, however, Bourbon’s production isn’t limited to its home region. While it is still made primarily in Kentucky, Bourbon can be distilled anywhere in the US.
Currently, the most expensive Bourbon is the 16 year old A. H. Hirsch Reserve. This [...]

If anyone ever offered you “ABC” gum in elementary school, then you’ve probably had the distinctly repulsive experience of holding a sopping wet piece of Already Been Chewed bubble gum. Would you believe that the world’s most expensive bubble gum is exactly that?
The expensive chewing gum was part of a minor eBay trend in 2004 [...]

The Tuesday before Lent has come to be known by many names over the years—names such as Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or, as it’s known by most in the US, Mardi Gras. Of course, the holiday’s most important name, as far as we’re concerned, is Pancake Day.
That’s why Opus in the Printworks, a restaurant in [...]

The world’s most expensive cake may look tasty, but was it? If this glitzy wedding cake’s creators are to be believed, no one ever knew.
Unveiled in 2006 at the Luxury Bridal Show on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the expensive cake was created by cake designers Nahid La Patisserie Artistique along with jewelers Mimi So. [...]

Wines made in the Bordeaux region of France have a wide range of quality, from table wine to some of the most expensive wines in the world. Of course, fine wine doesn’t just fall out of the sky—which is where the world’s most expensive grapes come in.

Called Premier Grand Cru—the “best of the first growth”—these [...]

Yubari melons
Have you ever considered melons to be luxury items? Perhaps you should have. After all, a pair of cantaloupes just sold for quite a hefty sum in Japan’s Sapporo City Central Wholesale Markets.
The world’s most expensive cantaloupes are a pair of Yubari melons and were the first auction of the 2008 season. They had [...]