Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#2624: Sapporo Ichiban Tokyo Asakusa Yakisoba

#2624: Sapporo Ichiban Tokyo Asakusa Yakisoba - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles ramen

Here’s one that came by way of Zenpop. Zenpop has monthly boxes of instant noodles from Japan you can get as well as a very popular line of Japanese stationary. Here’s what they have to say about this variety: ...see full post

#2623: Samyang Foods Assorted Vegetable Ramen

#2623: Samyang Foods Assorted Vegetable Ramen - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles ramyun

I’ve always loved the beef flavor, spiciness, and thick noodles that define ramyun. I’ve noticed in the past few years a few brands coming out with vegetable flavor ramyun – and they’ve all been pretty good! Looking forward to giving this one a try today! ...see full post

#2622: Acecook Shoyu Wakame Noodles With Sesame

#2622: Acecook Shoyu Wakame Noodles With Sesame - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles - boxfromjapan.com

Here’s yet another great one from Javier over at Box From Japan. Box From Japan offers subscription instant ramen bowls – you can get a box every month! Thank you! So what’s this wakame? Here’s a little from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2621: Maggi Pazzta Cheese Macaroni

#2621: Maggi Pazzta Cheese Macaroni - India - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s one from India we found this summer at an Indian grocery in Pleasanton, California. There are a few different varieties of these with different shapes of noodles. Let’s check out this macaroni style one. ...see full post

#2620: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun Stew

Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun Stew - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

This is the only variety of Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkeummyun series to have a broth. Spicy chicken stew sounds good, and it is – at least the pack version was really good. There are usually some differences between packs and bowls. Mainly, bowls are almost always steeped, so the noodles may come out a little different than being continuously boiled. Also, bowls sometimes have extra ingredient sachets. Let’s give this one a try and check out this super spicy variety! ...see full post

#2619: Liu Quan Authentic Snail Rice Noodle

#2619: Liu Quan Authentic Rice Noodle - 正宗柳州壮品螺蛳粉桶装 - China - The Ramen Rater

First off, special thanks to a reader from Malaysia who helped with translation. This one just says ‘spicy rice noodle’ on the distributor label, but it seems to be a non-spicy variety and it mentions snail. I don’t know if it actually is but hey you never know.But I’m pretty sure this is the regular version and not the spicy I reviewed previously by the same company. Actually after getting some comment from a couple friends in Canada and Taiwan, indeed it is snail! Here’s a little from Wikipedia about this variety – ...see full post

#2618: KOKA Delight Curry Flavor Instant Non-Fried Noodles

#2535: KOKA Delight Curry Flavor Instant Non-Fried Noodles - Singapore - The Ramen Rater

Another one from the recent KOKA Meet The Manufacturer. A curry from Singapore – can’t say I’ve met one of those I didn’t like. Let’s have a look. ...see full post

#2617: Nissin Cup Noodles Laksa Flavour (Shiok! More Laksa!)

#2617: Nissin Cup Noodles Laksa Flavour (Shiok! More Laksa!) - Singapore - The Ramen Rater - instant noodle

Ahh, Laksa – nothing like it. In fact, there are lots of kinds of laksa; sweet, creamy, curry, fish – every area has their own take on the dish. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about laksa – ...see full post

#2616: Gookmul Special Edition Lobster Flavor Potato Instant Noodles

#2616: Gookmul Special Edition Lobster Flavor Potato Instant Noodles - Soiuth Korea - The Ramen Rater

I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this one for a while and thanks to Jay H. for sending it my way from Taiwan, I’ve got one! These are from South Korea, but they’re very popular in Southeast Asia currently and very curious as to why. ...see full post

#2615: Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Spicy Tonkotsu Flavor Instant Noodle

#2615: Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Spicy Tonkotsu Flavor Instant Noodle - Hong Kong The Ramen Rater

Today it’s tonkotsu from Hong Kong. This is part of the series that’s expanded since being in the 2017 top ten list with their black garlic oil tonkotsu.  For those of you unfamiliar, here’s a little about tonkotsu ramen from Wikipedia – ...see full post

The Ramen Rater Appearing At The Taiwan International Food Expo

The Ramen Rater Appearing At The Taiwan International Food Expo

Hey Taiwan! I’m going to be at the Taiwan International Food Expo in Taipei! Check out the video for further details! ...see full post

We Try 7 Kinds Of Hong Kong Potato Chips!

We Try 7 Kinds Of Hong Kong Potato Chips!

So the other day I posted the unboxing of noodle and potato chip samples sent by Nissin Hong Kong (thanks again!). I thought it would be fun to do up a video with the family and try these out one by one. ...see full post

#2614: Samyang Foods Chacharoni

#2614: Samyang Foods Chacharoni - South Korea - The Ramen Rater

Chacharoni is a play on words. Jjajang kind of sounds like ‘cha cha’ and the roni calls to noodles. There are other plays on words in the South Korean industry when it comes to jjajangmyeon. So basically what you have here is a thick noodle with a black bean sauce – also known as jjajang. Here’s a little about jjajangmyeon from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Blount Bowls – Rice & Noodle Bowls From Blount Fine Foods

Unboxing Time: Blount Bowls - Rice & Noodle Bowls From Blount Fine Foods

As you might remember, I recently did a Meety The Manufacturer series of the Blount Bowls – at the time they had a chicken and a coconut chicken variety. Well, they now have rice bowls and asked if I would show them. So here we go! ...see full post

#2613: Nissin Raoh Backfat Rich Shoyu Ramen

#2613: Nissin Raoh Backfat Rich Shoyu Ramen - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s another one sent by Javier over at BoxFromJapan.com. Box From Japan offers subscription boxes of all sorts of neat Japanese things including candy and ramen! Check ’em out! ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Nissin Hong Kong Potato Chips Samples

Today we have a two box unboxing time. The first box has noodles, the second has chips. So I only made one video, and so from the start to about 5 minutes, 30 seconds is the first and from then on is the second. ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Nissin Hong Kong Noodle Samples

Today we have a two box unboxing time. The first box has noodles, the second has chips. So I only made one video, and so from the start to about 5 minutes, 30 seconds is the first and from then on is the second. ...see full post

#2612: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Laksa Rice Noodles + Thai Curry & Lime Broth

NL8: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Laksa Rice Noodles + Thai Curry & Lime Broth

Laksa noodles paired with a curry broth – I can’t really think of anything so well matched. Although I usually think of Laksa a little further south of Thailand in places like Malaysia and Singapore, all the flavors from that area of Southeast Asia play very well together. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#2610: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Whole Wheat Ramen + Spicy Szechuan Broth

Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Whole Wheat Ramen + Spicy Szechuan Broth

I thought maybe a whole wheat ramen noodle might pair well with Szechuan flavors. These look really interesting and to be honest, I have a partiality to whole wheat noodles. Let’s have a look! ...see full post

#2609: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad Thai Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth

Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad Thai Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth

So Pad Thai might immediately come to mind as that noodle dish with lots of thick peanutty sauce and some meat and veggies popular here in the United States. But you might not know it but pad Thai simply means Thai noodles, and they’re able to be used in anything. Today I’m going to juxtapose them with a Pho broth, broth from Nona Lim. Let’s get started. ...see full post

#2608: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Hakata Ramen + Thai Curry & Lime Broth

NL7: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Hakata Ramen + Thai Curry & Lime Broth

I thought it a no-brainer to pick Hakata Ramen to try with the miso. The other I’ll try with it will be the Tokyo Ramen. Anyways: Hakata Ramen. What is it, Wikipedia? ...see full post

#2606: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Spicy Szechuan Broth

Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Spicy Szechuan Broth

So for this Meet The Manufacturer, things are a little different. Nona Lim makes noodles and broths, so you can mix and match them. First, we’ll start with these Pad See Ew Rice Noodles. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Pad See Ew – ...see full post

#2605: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth

Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth

So for this Meet The Manufacturer, things are a little different. Nona Lim makes noodles and broths, so you can mix and match them. First, we’ll start with these Pad See Ew Rice Noodles. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Pad See Ew – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Nona Lim

Nona Lim Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Nona Lim - United States - The Ramen Rater

A great big box of samples! Let’s crack into it and see what Nona Lim has sent!

Product Samples From Nona Lim – United States

Nona Lim Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Nona Lim - United States - The Ramen Rater

A foam cooler. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Nona Lim

Unboxing Time: Send Noods Fast

Today, we have a box from a newcomer to the gift instant noodle world. Send Noods Fast has really fancy little boxes you can get sent to your door, and today we’re cracking one open for your viewing pleasure! ...see full post

#2604: Tseng Noodles Scallion With Sichuan Pepper Flavor (Western Version)

#2604: Tseng Noodles Scallion With Sichuan Pepper Flavor (Western Version) -- Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here we have one that’s changed their packaging a bit to include instructions in English as well as mention of its place on the 2016 top ten. ...see full post

#2603: Paldo Pororo Jjajang Noodle

#2603: Paldo Pororo Jjajang Noodle - South Korea - The Ramen Raster - Instant Noodle

Here’s yet another one I found up in Canada in July of 2017! Found this at HMart after having a really great dim sum lunch with some new friends at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, BC. Okay, so Jjajang is a black bean sauce noodle. But Pororo? Let’s look at Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2602: KOKA Signature Pepper Crab Flavor Instant Noodles

#2602: KOKA Signature Pepper Crab Flavor Instant Noodles - Singapore - The Ramen Rater

Still have some different varieties from KOKA left over from their Meet The Manufacturer! This one is pepper crab – here’s a little about it from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2601: Nongshim KamjaTangMyun Potato Pork Flavor

#2601: Nongshim KamjaTangMyun Potato Pork Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s another one I found up in Canada in July of 2017. So this one isn’t made in South Korea or the United States – it’s made in China. A lot of Nogshim varieties up in Canada hail from mainland China which I discovered a few years back. I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed a potato pork version that I got up in Canada before that was a Nongshim China product, but I know it didn’t look like this one. Anyways, let’s see how this is – bring on the noodles! ...see full post

#2600: Nissin Cup Noodle Nice Rich Pork Shoyu

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

#2600: Nissin Cup Noodle Nice Rich Pork Shoyu - カップヌードルナイス - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles ramen

I couldn’t help myself. I thought that for my 2,600th review, maybe an homage to the first video game console I’d ever played was in order. I thought the pixelated graphics could do a nice job and so here we are. So this is a new range for Nissin Cup Noodle Nice. The Cup Noodle Nice look to me a distant cousin of the Cup Noodle Light+ series – they contain non-fried noodles for starters. They have the same fiber as a ton of lettuce, lower calories, etc. If this comes out as good as the Light+ varieties did, then this should be something special. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about Nissin Japan – ...see full post

#2599: Maggi Cuppa Masala

#2599: Maggi Cuppa Masala - India - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Found this one in California! I’ve been curious about Indian grocery stores lately as each one has had a different variety or two I’ve not reviewed. Honestly, the more reviews I do, the closer I get to doing a top ten India list. A ways to go though! Here’s a little about Maggi instant noodles in India from Wikipedia – ...see full post

The Ramen Rater: How I Review 2.0

The Ramen Rater: How I Review 2.0

Today, I wanted to show you exactly what goes into my reviews from start to finish.

The Ramen Rater: How I Review 2.0

How I Review 2.0 ...see full post

#2598: Myojo Western Style Kitsune Udon

#2598: Myojo Western Style Kitsune Udon - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

This one was sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. Box From Japan is a subscription service and every month, you get 4 great new instant ramen bowls from Japan! Definitely worth a look! This one, of course, is from Japan and is kitsune udon! What’s that? Here’s a little from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2597: Nongshim Neoguri Stir-Fry Noodles Spicy Seafood

#2579: Nongshim Neoguri Stir-Fry Noodles Spicy Seafood - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - neoguri bokkeum

I have long recognized this package – except this one has a twist! These have no broth. Here’s a little from Wikipedia about Neoguri – ...see full post

#2596: Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Salt Chicken Flavour Instant Noodle

#2578: Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Salt Chicken Flavour Instant Noodle - Hong Kong - The Ramen Rater

Well this sounds like a good one! It sounds to be like a chicken shio variety. Shio is one of the classic ramen varieties from Japan. Let’s see a little more about shio from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2595: TableMark Cantonese Shouyu Ramen

#2595: TableMark Cantonese Shouyu Ramen - Japan - The Ramen Rater - Zenpop

Here’s one I got from ZenPop, a company that’s producing ramen boxes in Japan. They have a new box just about every month with 9 different varieties – a pretty impressive amount! ...see full post

#2594: Samyang Foods Yulmu Bibimmyun

#2594: Samyang Foods Yulmu Bibimmyun - South Korea - The Ramen Rater

Here’s a spicy one from South Korea. Not just spicy but cold, bibimmyun is a favorite in South Korea during the summer months. Usually accompanied by a bright and spicy sauce, bibimmyun brings a strong taste to the table. This variety mentions yulmu. Yulmu (also known as Job’s Tears) is used in order to make yulmu-cha, a tea enjoyed in South Korea. ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Japan Crate’s Umai Crate For November 2017

Unboxing Time: Japan Crate's Umai Crate For November 2017

Another day, another box! Today it’s the Umai Crate from Japan Crate.

Unboxing Time: Japan Crate’s Umai Crate For November 2017

Unboxing Time: Japan Crate’s Umai Crate for November 2017 ...see full post

#2593: Indomie Instant Noodles Onion Chicken Flavor (Soup Method)

#2593: Indomie Instant Noodles Onion Chicken Flavor (Soup Method) - Nigeria - The Ramen Rater

Note – so I originally reviewed thios one using the ‘dry’ method. This time after some outcry, I’ll be reviewing it made with the instructions for a soupy noodle. One should note however that the ‘dry’ method is the one that’s listed before the soup version. ...see full post