Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#2679: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle

#2679: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle - Malaysia - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

This is the MyKuasli Penang White Curry Noodle variety that comes from Singapore – rather it’s made for Singapore. I don’t believe it’s different except for the packaging, but to be honest, any chance UI have to review another MyKuali pack is worth it to me to do so. It’s just a no-brainer; I love their stuff. So let’s have a look. ...see full post

#2678: Maggi Hot Heads Barbeque Pepper Noodles

#2678: Maggi Hot Heads Barbeque Pepper Noodles - India - The Ramen Raster - instant noodles

Here’s another from the spicy Hot Heads series from Maggi India. From the picture, it certainly looks tasty – although the picture doesn’t show a barbeque pepper but an onion or shallot. Regardless, I would have to say the onion is my favorite vegetable. I could eat onions on anything – Well, maybe not pie. Unless it’s a meat pie. I’m talking a dessert kind of pie – yeah, I wouldn’t prefer onions on that. But who knows. Alright, enough of this – let us have a look! ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Samyang Foods Carbo Buldak Bokkeummyun + More

Unboxing Time: Samyang Foods Carbo Buldak Bokkeummyun + More

Got this big box of fascination and had to wait a whole day before I had the chance to do the video unboxing! This was a serious struggle but that’s what I do for you – you get to see what’s in the boxes I do the videos of at the same time I do! Let’s tear into it! ...see full post

#2677: Nissin Hokkaido Miso Japanese Ramen

#2677: Nissin Hokkaido Miso Japanese Ramen

Sp here’s one I haven’t tried before from a nice premium series by Nissin Singapore. They have a Kyushu Black and a Tokyo Shoyu as well. A couple days ago I tried a different one – Nissin Hong Kong’s Bar Noodle Hokkaido Miso Tonkotsu. A little further west we have this one! So here’s a little refresher on miso ramen from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2771: Nissin U.F.O. Fried Ramen Japanese Sauce Flavour

#2771: Nissin U.F.O. Fried Ramen Japanese Sauce Flavour

Here’s a pretty well known variety from Japan but actually made in Indonesia for Singapore and Malaysia. This one was sent to me by Nissin Singapore (thank you!) and has some big differences when you compare to it’s Japanese cousin – spicy mayonnaise to start with. Let’s unwrap this yakisoba and have a look inside U.F.O.! ...see full post

#2676: Maruchan Bowl Taste Of Asia Tom Yum Ramen Noodle Soup

#2676: Maruchan Bowl Taste Of Asia Tom Yum Ramen Noodle Soup

When I saw this one I was extremely interested. I’ve had tom yum soup many times in Thailand and in Malaysia as well. I’ve reviewed tom yum instant noodle varieties from throughout Southeast Asia – tons of them. I’ve NEVER had one however from the United States. Not only that, this one is a microwavable tom yum. I must admit these are definitely uncharted waters. I’m really hoping this is good. With an open mind and palate, I delve into this bowl. ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Zenpop Ramen + Sweets Mix Pack

Unboxing Time: Zenpop Ramen + Sweets Mix Pack

Was stoked to find another box in the mail – this time a box from Zenpop.jp, a company that sells Japanese themed boxes with all sorts of different things in them. Haven’t seen a rfancy box like this one from them before – also wasn’t sure how they were going to fit a lot of varieties of instant noodles in here like the others contained. Let’s crack it open and look within! ...see full post

#2675: Myojo Hyobanya Kakitama Udon

#2675: Myojo Hyobanya Kakitama Udon - The Ramen Rater - Japan

This one took a lot of digging on Google and trying various translations and I think I have the name right. I think this may have something to do with egg drop soup? I really am unsure; the ones I see that sound like this one is only cooked 3 minutes and mention the calories on them. I’m completely lost. So I pushed out an ask on The Ramen Rater facebook page so we will see what that brings. In the meantime, let’s continue! ...see full post

Special Report: 4x Spicy Fire Noodles Do Not Exist

Special Report: 4x Spicy Fire Noodles Do Not Exist

fter seeing multiple posts and videos and online stores advertising for a 4x version of the popular Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun hot chicken noodle, I felt it required me to make a statement. ...see full post

#2674: KOKA Oriental Instant Noodles The Original Chicken Flavour

#2674: KOKA Oriental Instant Noodles The Original Chicken Flavour

It is truly amazing I still have quite a few KOKA varieties to review! Can’t complain, that is for sure – having my hampers stocked well is a good thing and lets me be at ease about not running out of varieties to try. Today its chicken and I got up at 4 am and cooked some chicken in the oven to go into this one. Let’s have a look. ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 7: Departure And Arrival

Day 1 & 2 *

Well, finally it was the day to depart. I really love Taiwan – all the sights, sounds, smells… But I definitely was really missing my wife and kids. That was the hardest part of the trip. Being a stay at home dad is so rewarding – not seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces was really killing me.I packed everything up and met Kyle to go out for some dim sum. ...see full post

#2673: Nissin Demae Ramen Bar Noodle Hokkaido Miso Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle

日清 出前一丁 #2673: Nissin Demae Ramen Bar Noodle Hokkaido Miso Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle

Here’s yet another of the Demae Ramen Bar Noodle series. These have not failed to impress since the first Straight Noodle Demae Ramen varieties I tried last year. This sounds really good and I like seeing the corn in the above image. One might be surprised, but butter and sweetcorn really go incredibly well with miso ramen. This promises to be bumped up by being a tonkotsu miso – wow I’m definitely curious about this one. Here’s a little about miso as well as tonkotsu from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 6: Of Soup Dumplings And Steamy Seafood

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

Another beautiful day in Taiwan – again, really great weather which I thoroughly enjoyed to no end. Started things off by having some Din Tai Fung. ...see full post

#2672: Wei Lih Roast Beef Stew Noodle

#2672: Wei Lih Roast Beef Stew Noodle - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Woot, woot! This one comes by way of Jay from Taiwan – thank you! This is a meaty one! Big retort pouch inside. These things actually have some heft to them (they weigh a bit). ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 5: Eating Out Of Toilets, Coffee & Pizza

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

So the title for the day’s travelogue is probably a little confusing – so let’s get right to it! ...see full post

#2671: Acecook Mochi-Mochi Yakisoba

#2671: Acecook Mochi-Mochi Yakisoba - Japan - Zenpop - The Ramen Rater

Here’s another interesting one from Zenpop.JP – thanks! So Zenpop is doing monthly boxes of all sorts of things Japan-related including instant ramen of course.  This one looks particularly interesting in that it’s an instant yakisoba made with noodles made from… Mochi? Here’s a little about mochi from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 4: Saturday @ The Food Expo

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 4: Saturday @ The Food Expo

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 4: Saturday @ The Food Expo

Another day at the food show. Changing over from the hot weeather, it cooled down quite a bit. Surprisingly, overcast with a bit of light rain means lower humidity. It was like spring weather here in Washington State and it was very welcome. ...see full post

#2670: Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle

#2670: Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle - China - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I picked this one up on a recent trip to Canada. Ok, so you might be wondering about this one. It’s made in Shanghai, China. Nongshim has factories all over the place and I’ve found that the different factories have slight variances in flavors. In the USA, this product would probably be coming from their Nongshim America factory in California. Hop the border though and most of the products up there come from China. It’s funny because they also have ones from the United States there as well. Anyways, Kimchi time! Let’s check it out. ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 3: Taiwan International Food Expo

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 3: Taiwan International Food Expo

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

So the main reason to come to Taiwan this time around was for the Taiwan International Food Expo. The promoters of the expo invited me to say a few words and present the awards for the top three from my top ten Taiwan list. ...see full post

#2669: KOKA Silk Instant Rice Fettucine Chicken Pho Flavor

#2669: KOKA Silk Instant Rice Fettucine Chicken Pho Flavor

Here’s another left from the Tat Hui Meet The Manufacturer from earlier this year. I’ve had a lot of pho instant varieties over the years and to be honest, I’ve liked only a couple of them, so I’m really hoping this is one I’ll like. ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Travel, Arrival & Exploration

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Travel,. Arrival & Exploration

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Travel,. Arrival & Exploration

Off I Go

On November 14th, 2017, my wife drove me to Seattle International Airport. My main impetus for the trip was to do an awards show at the Taiwan International Food Expo – the first food show I’d ever been invited to. They asked if I’d come and do a little awards ceremony for the top three from The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition list that came out in September. I was definitely all in for doing this for sure – after visiting Taiwan last year I was keen on visiting again. This time was different – it was my first time travelling alone. I was a little pensive about this (I’m legally blind) but I have flown to Taiwan 3 times previously and so thought hey – I can do this. Oh – and a week before I broke my pinky toe. That was really annoying but broken toe be damned – I was going! So I got to the airport around 11pm, went through security, grabbed some drinks and snacks and headed to my gate. Hopped on the plane just after midnight. ...see full post

#2668: Samyang Foods Wasa-Mayo Ramen

#2668: Samyang Foods Wasa-Mayo Ramen

I’ve had this for a little while – just sitting and waiting for me to give it a try. With the prodding of my readers, today is the day. People seem to be really interested in this one! Here’s what Samyang Foods had to say about it – ...see full post

#2667: Nissin Okinawa Soba

#2657: Nissin Okinawa Soba - Zenpop - Japan - The Ramen Rater

This is another one from Zenpop.jp. Zenpop is pretty cool – they have different boxes you can get – Japanese stationery, snacks, ramen… It’s quite a variety. They’re pretty cheap, too. Here’s what they had to say about this variety: ...see full post

Restaurant: #2666: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Shio Tonkotsu – Bellevue, Washington

Restaurant: #2666: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Shio Tonkotsu - Bellevue, Washington

I’ve been asked many, many times to go try restaurant ramen by my readers. Well, Merry Christmas! As Gurney Halleck once said in the novel Dune, “Behold, as a wild ass in the desert, go I forth to my work.” ...see full post

Happy Holidays From The Ramen Rater!

It’s been quite a year! I just wanted to send a big thank you to all my readers, folks who’ve sent in noodles, companies I’ve worked with and for all the help everyone has been on translating and everything else. Every day is such an enjoyable one because of you! From my family to yours, Happy Holidays! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2665: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2665: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor

Today, we say goodbye to the Olagafood Meet The Manufacturer series. Overall, it’s been a fun and tasty experience! I want to thank Davin over at Olagafood again for everything – also want to thank Jonathan at Waroeng Jajanan for supplying garnish and insight into this series! Much appreciated! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2664: Maitri Instant Noodle Vegetarian Soup Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2664: Maitri Instant Noodle Vegetarian Soup Flavor

Here’s another vegetarian one from Maitri – this one being an instant noodle with broth. As I have to remind people, I won’t be coming out with a top ten vegetarian list. I wish I could, but it’s just a point of so much contention I should go a little into it. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2663: Alhami Instant Noodle Soto Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2663: Alhami Instant Noodle Soto Flavor

I reviewed a Maitri Soto variety earlier in this series, and since Jonathan at Waroeng Jajanan gave me some Soto Betawi, I thought I ought to review the non-vegetarian version to take advantage of the niceties therein. Here’s a little about Soto from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2662: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2662: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Curry Flavor

So you’re probably going to say ‘so what gives – this is the second Alhami Chicken Curry one you’re reviewing. Key differences I see from the packaging are the work flavor and the word flavour. To me, this denotes two different markets that these will be in most likely. The second is this one’s shiny back and the other isn’t. Shiny backs are tough to scan as you’ll see below. Well, let’s get to it – it’s chicken curry time! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2661: Maitri Vegetarian Mie Goreng

Meet The Manufacturer: #2661: Maitri Vegetarian Fried Noodles

Maitri is Olagafood’s vegetarian product line. So far, I’ve been pretty impressed; the flavors are quite good and it’s been a lot of fun reviewing them. This one is a vegetarian mie goreng – here’s a little about mie goreng from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2660: Alhami Instant Noodles Chicken Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2650: Alhami Instant Noodles Chicken Curry Flavor

Curry has and always shall be one of my favorite flavors in this universe. Today it’s kari ayam – chicken curry. Let’s have a look and a taste! ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Samples From Yum Yum Thailand

Unboxing Time: Samples From Yum Yum Thailand

A little while back, a fellow from Yum Yum of Thailand contacted me. A friend had done a news story on German television about instant noodles (yes, they love instant noodle in Germany, too!) and he gave them my info to see if they’d like to do something with me. After a while, I’m happy to announce I received a really big box of different varieties! So today on Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater, we’ve got Yum Yum samples. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2659: Alhami Instant Noodle Beef Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2659: Alhami Instant Noodle Beef Flavour - Indonesia - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater

Today, it is beef. Beef is a flavor that’s very prevalent in instant noodle ranges from many countries, save a few. Very curious what this one will be like. Let’s find out! ...see full post

Happy Bithday Miri! Repost: #2330: Ve Wong Little Prince(ss) Brand Snack Noodles Artificial Mexican Pizza Flavor

So I did this review the morning that my daughter Miriam was born one year ago today. Happy Birthday, Miri! I thought I’s repost it with a little update. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2658: Mikka Noodle Snack Barbeque Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2658: Mikka Noodle Snack Barbeque Flavour - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater - Indonesia

Here’s another one of the noodle snack varieties – today it’s a barbeque flavored one. These are pretty neat – you get a long strip of these little packages. Let have a look at this and give the barbeque flavor a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2657: Maitri Vegetarian Extra Hot Mie Goreng

Meet The Manufacturer: #2657: Maitri Vegetarian Extra Hot Fried Noodle - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater - Indonesia

Well hello there – extra hot! I like it spicy that’s for sure. Not a lot of varieties I’ve seen that are extra hot and also vegetarian. At least not having both variables mentioned on the packaging. I think this is interesting. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2656: Mikka Noodle Snack Roasted Corn Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2556: Mikka Noodle Snack Roasted Corn Flavour

Whenever I see the word ‘corn’ on anything Southeast Asia, I always think of when I was at the airport in Penang, Malaysia. There was a little snack stall in there and it mentioned ‘corn in a cup.’ I thought this was the most fantastic thing; what could that possibly be? Our host looked at me like I was high and said plainly ‘it’s corn – in a cup.’ ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2655: Alhami Instant Noodle Prawn Flavour

Meet Ther Manufacturer: #2655: Alhami Instant Noodle Prawn Flavour

I really like prawns – especially the big ones. Mantis prawns are really big – had those in Malaysia. The river prawns in Thailand are spectacular and prepared right they’re just as succulent as can be. I don’t know much about prawns in Indonesia. Let’s ask Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2654: Maitri Vegetarian Hot Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2654: Maitri Vegetarian Hot Curry Flavor - Indonesia - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater

Well, well, well, I do love me some curry. Especially when it mentions that it’s hot! Maitri is the range that Olagafood makes that has all vegetarian-friendly options. Here’s a little about this flavor in Indonesia from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Japan Ramen Box

Unboxing Time: Japan Ramen Box www.japanramenbox.com japanramenbox

What have we here? A new company doing subscription boxes, that’s what!

Japan Ramen Box – Japan

Let’s hans Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater! ...see full post