Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Here it is! Now you can get a big cup of Namja here in the states! I reviewed the South Korean Namja King Cup before, and there are differences between the two. If you’re wondering, Namja means ‘men’s’ or ‘guy’s’ – still wondering if they will make a ramyun for the ladies. Let’s check this new one out.
Here we go with the 32nd edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News! I scour the Internet for articles about ramen and instant noodles and bring them to you! Here are some recent stories you might find interesting!
I got a big envelope int he mail today…
The K Herald is a supplement that goes to certain zip codes in the Los Angeles Times. It came out last Friday! Click here to check out the full article. Thanks to Michelle Y. Cho at K-Herald!
Here’s another one from Scott over at Nissin USA – thanks! These are neat little cups. They’re made in the EU for the European market. Let’s check it out!
A month or so ago I read an article mentioning a new book about instant noodles. Books regarding instant noodles generally fall into a couple categories: recipe books written and published by individuals and recipe books that are mass-produced and published by the millions.
Here’s another one I got at T&T Supermarket up in Canada. I find it interesting; I got three pork varieties there – stewed pork, steamed pork and simmered pork! I asked my wife which one I should have as I couldn’t decide. She told me to simmer down and so here we are. Let’s check it out!
Got a box in the mail from the A-Sha guys in California today – wonder what’s inside…
Just wanted to congratulate Chris Johnson on his success with his Rapid Ramen Cooker – his invention that allows you to cook a standard pack of instant noodles in 3-4 minutes in the microwave with 1/2 the sodium. He was on Shark Tank last week and got himself a great deal! Here’s the interview I conducted with him last December and my rigorous test of The Rapid Ramen Cooker – see the video below!
Here’s another from my friend in Indonesia – thank you! When I translate ‘seribu,’ it says ‘thousand.’ This may be a reference to the Thousand Islands – here’s a Wikipedia excerpt:
Saw some varieties on Amazon recently I’d never heard of before. Thought I’d introduce myself to the seller and see if they had any samples they could send.
Check this out! This is one I got from Mira at Record China news in Japan! Thank you! I’ve been desperately seeking noodles that have Hello Kitty on them. You might be thinking, ‘dude, really?’ Yeah – it’s true. My wife really likes Hello Kitty stuff (her nickname is Kitten after all). Let’s check out this Hello Kitty laden variety that comes with a reusable bowl!
A big box!
These are the new Paldo Namja Ramen King Cups – I’ve reviewed the South Korean ones, but these are the new ones for sale here in the USA. Thanks to Moses over at Paldo America!
After reading ‘The Noodle Narratives,’ I told my friend Matt B. of Port Townsend, WA about it, and he ordered a copy to read. He offered to get me a book, and here it is.
I saw an article about a new book and emailed the company, UC Berkeley Press about getting a review copy and doing a review. Here it is!
Recently I heard about this recipe using Samyang Foods Budalk Bokkumyeon (Hot fried chicken flavor ramyun). I only have one of the bowls so I needed at least onhe more so I could do a regular review as well as try the recipe. I asked a friend at Samyang Foods if they could possibly send some more and I got a yes! Today this box arrived.
Here’s one sent from Japan by Ichiro Yamoto of Yakantei! Thank you! This one was a little tricky to translate – I want to thank Courtnay N. of Canada and Mari S. of Tennessee! Tan tan men is more widely known as dandanmian. It heralds from China and is named after a pole street vendors would use to carry their wares. It’s usually a spicy broth with oil and minced pork affair. After some research, I figured out who the woman on the lid is. She’s part of AKB48 – here’s what Wikipedia says about them:
Here’s another from the trip to Canada my wife took me on for my birthday – thank you, Kit! Pork. Ribs. Let’s do this.
Here we have a Shin Ramyun cup – this one was bought in South Korea and brought back to me by Kristen W. or Arizona – thanks! Let’s check it out!
I read an article recently about Nissin starting to sell instant noodle in Colombia, so I shot an email to my friend Scott over at Nissin Foods USA and asked if I could maybe get some samples. He sent some! Thanks, man! This is pretty much identical to beef Top Ramen, but packaged for the Colombian market. Speaking of Top Ramen, Nissin is having a neat contest (here’s a link). Neat prizes and it’s easy. Anyways, let’s check it out!
Earlier this year, people from Taiwan voiced their displeasure with not being included in the 2013 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. They came in droves, shouting the praises of their beloved varieties. They were equally unhinged by having two varieties listed in my Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list. Two were included there. After all of this outcry and seeing the pride and passion about their noodles, I thought it was a must to do a Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list; these people are easily as interested in noodles as much as I am! This new list encompasses all of the Taiwanese varieties that I’ve reviewed thus far. So, without further ado, I hope you will enjoy The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 edition!
Here’s another one from Joe B. of Nottingham, England – thanks! Sainsbury’s is a chain of supermarkets in the UK that were founded in 1869. They make two lines on instant noodles – the basics and a more premium version. Let’s check it out!
I’m a big baseball fan and today was the last game of the regular season. Just wanted to say let’s go Giants one last time to all my fellow Giants fans out there! Now it gets cold until Spring Training – February 28th, 2014.
Here’s another one from the folks at Record China news in Japan – thank you! My son is a really big fan of Pokemon. He’s got every one’s name, what they evolve into and all Pokemon lore stuffed in that PokeDex brain of his! If any of you reading have kids that like Pokemon, you know of what I speak. Well, I’ve wanted to get some Pokemon noodles for him and this is the first! I know there are more out there and hopefully I’ll find them sooner or later! Let’s check it out!
Here’s something new from Paldo of South Korea – cheese noodle! I am a big fan of cheese! I also like noodles obviously, so this should be a nice pairing. Let’s dig in to some cheesy goodness!
This one was sent by Joe & Gill from the UK! Thanks! Hot and spicy from Britain? Let’s try it!
My friend Scott A. over at Nissin Foods USA asked me to verify my mailing address the other day – I thought ‘hmmm a package?’ Yesterday, the FedEx guy came to the back deck of our apartment and brought me this! What wonders are within? Let’s see!
A package from A-Sha… Hmmm what’s inside?
Ooh what is this? The folks at A-Sha told me this variety is called Hell Spicy Mala and is popular in Taiwan as it is extremely spicy. Sounds like fun!
Got a box today from a reader! What’s inside?
Sweet – I’ve been very curious about this one! Thanks to Robert F. from Hoboken, NJ for sending this along!
Whoa hey what’s this? Here’s another snack made from instant noodles! This one’s from South Korea – let’s check it out!
When I’m ready to relax and have some ‘me time,’ there are two words that immediately enter my mind: leisure meatballs. What’s that? Leisure meatballs? Yes. Spicy chicken flavored ones. Let’s have a look.
Here’s one that my friend Scott A. sent me – thanks again! Been a long time since I’ve had any of the Chukazanmai varieties – fancy shmancy stuff – let’s check this one out!
I recently got a nice box of samples from Duncan T. over at Gemini Food Corp in California. I’d already reviewed them, but I definitely wanted to re-review this one for sure. I last had this in my 97th review – over 1000 reviews ago. Curious about what I’ll think of it these days; it got a low rating at that time and looking at it now makes me think it can’t be that bad! But I guess we’ll see. Let’s check it out!
You might be thinking, ‘hey – didn’t he already review this?’ Nope – I reviewed the Shin Ramyun Black cup from South Korea. This is the one that is manufactured here in the United States in Rancho Cucamonga, California.So what is this ‘Pot-au-feu’ flavor? I consulted Wikipedia and found this:
Another one sent by my friend in Indonesia – thank you! A little translation. So it’s onion chicken flavor – rasa means flavor, bawang is onion and ayam chicken. Mi instan is instant noodle, but rebus? Rebus translated to boiled and here I think refers to the noodles being ‘cooking noodles.’ As I’ve mentioned in the past, what makes a noodle ‘instant’ is the fact that you can put the noodle block and seasonings in a bowl, add boiling water and then cover for a few minutes, stir and eat. Anyways, let’s check out this Indonesian variant.
My pal Moses over at Paldo sent me a message the other day: “I’m sending you something…”
Here’s another I got at T&T Supermarket up in Burnaby, BC. Took a bit of research, but yep – old style shio ramen is what this is. Shio means salt. – but this isn’t a bowl of saltiness. Shio is light and savory stuff! By the way – did you know that salt was a way to pay people in the past? That’s where the term ‘worth your salt’ and the word salary come from! It brings out flavors, but was also used as a way to keep meats for longer when freezers and refrigerators weren’t around. Anyways, let’s check this one out!
I was invited by Brian over at Ramen Adventures to take part in a Google Hangout to discuss the upcoming Grand Tsukemen Fest in Japan. I’ve never had tsukemen before, but I sure a lot of you have. Tsukemen is different from traditional ramen in that you have a bowl with broth and toppings and then a bowl of (usually) cold noodles. It sounds really good to me! Here is a video of the chat which includes an appearance by the reigning Grand Tsukemen champ!
Here’s something new – green barley noodles. I’ve had noodles that were green from a myriad of ingredients before (wonder if someday there’ll be blue?). These are supposed to be for the health conscious. Let’s check ’em out!
I did an interview with a news agency in Japan recently called Record China –
They sent a box of amazing goodies from Japan I’ve been hoping to finbd for a while!
Here’s one my lovely wife got me during a birthday trip to Richmond, BC on my birthday! I really like this packaging; very retro! Let’s check it out!
