
I’m so curious how this is going to go. Most of the Nissin Mexico varieties tend to have a local spin as far as flavor goes. Will this one? I don’t know.
Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002

I’m so curious how this is going to go. Most of the Nissin Mexico varieties tend to have a local spin as far as flavor goes. Will this one? I don’t know.

I was visiting a prominent spot in the local Safeway supermarket which I walk to almost daily. That area would be the endcap where the mung bean sprouts are located. I noticed this and another bowl I hadn’t really noticed before sitting there and though what the heck I’ll give it a try.

Hey look – another one found at the Real Canadian Superstore up in Richmond, BC! It’s been over a month since we visited our wonderful northern neighbors. I really like Canada. It’s like a totally different country! Hoping next time we go we leave early enough to go to some shopping then head over to Stanley park. That place is neat – a beautiful park in Vancouver. Anyways, yeah – I like Canada! Let’s give this beefy beff a try.

After years of searching, here we are. Where are we and what is this? This is a pack of instant noodles that is only for inmates in correctional facilities – prisons. I found them on eBay and asked fans on the Facebook page if they would be interested in purchasing them (it was a pack of 24 and I only needed a couple) and send me a couple. A fellow named Nick Bizarro was kind enough to take up the task, and thanks to him, here we are.

Almost 3000 reviews ago I gave this one a try. It looks as though I really liked it. It’s been such a long time it’s getting a new number- mainly because I’m going to guess that sourcing has changed at least soewhat and also the cup is different; it used to be a foam bowl.

This is a big and somewhat heavy bowl from Taiwan. I’ve reviewed the version not made for export (this one usually goes to Hong Kong). What was funny about this one is that I found it up in Canada at a store in Aberdeen Centre – defintely not where this belongs. It’s full of beef and import restrictions would bar it from Canada. What a nice surprise! Let’s check out this one with Australian and New Zealand beef!

A huge thanks to MLats for shooting this over! Love it when readers come through with varieties I’ve never gotten the chance to try and really want to.

Found this at Dollarama, a dollar store up in Canada. A cup of beef. See the little microwave icon on the lower right? We don’t have a microwave currently. Our old one was 20 years old, give or take a year and I though ‘hey – we should get a new one.’ It seemed to be cooking things inconsistently so we went and ordered a new one. It was all screwed up so we returned it last night. Found another one which was really neat! Got it home, lugged it in, opened it up to see this –

Another one from my trips to Chin World up in Richmond, BC. Remember kids, if you’re coming from the states, bring your Canadian cash because they’re not going to take your cards or exchange your greenbacks for ya! Really interested in how this one’s going to be – last one I tried wasn’t too shabby from this brand so let’s take a look!

I reviewed the red boxed version previously – and it blew my mind. This one has ultra fancy Australian Wagyu beef in the mix! Yeah! One thing you should note though, you’re going to pay for it. This is super premium stuff and goes for 499$NTD (that’s $15USD). On top of that, this is only out during the holiday season, so Lunar New Year. Maybe Mid Autumn Festival too? I’ll say one thing, if it’s that much better than the other version, it’s going to be existential. Let’s check it out!

So here’s the second of the POP varieties I’ve seen. This one however is one I found at HMart up in Richmond, BC. Why’s it called Pot Or Pan? Well, you can make it as a broth version and a dry noodle version. Interesting! Let’s check it out!

This one’s very interesting. This is from Taiwan but for the Hong Kong Market. Found it up in Canada at Aberdeen Centre at a little gift shop full of Hello Kitty and other stuffed animals in the back – it’s near the food court.

I’ve reviewed this in the past, but this one has new packaging and so gets a new number. I dunno – could have a new recipe too. Many companies are making subtle below the radar changes on their domestic product lines including lowering sodium. It’s kind of funny; people complain about the amount of sodium in instant noodles, but when presented a lower sodium product that exclaims the feature, they’ll shy away with thoughts of blandness. It just goes to show people are kind of conflicted. Okay, not kind of.

This one was found up in Richmond, BC at the SuperStore. What’s funny about this one? Well, it shows chopsticks on the cup and has a fork inside. I’ve been given a ration of insults and criticism for using a fork. I really don’t understand why; I mean, here’s an Asian variety with a fork. I think it’s common for Westerners to immediately go to ‘Asian people use chopsticks and if you use them wrong you suck’ kind of thing. My logic is that if I’m in Asia, I’ll use a pair of chopsticks. In Thailamd they use a fork to push food onto a spoon and then eat it, so I did that while there. It really doesn’t matter what tool you decide to use, it’s about eating a meal, right?

Here’s one I found up in Canada at Aberdeen Centre in a shop that was rife with Hello Kitty plushies and exotic candies and snacks next to the food court – I want to say it was called something like Paint Box or Art Box. This one was a nice surprise as it’s been tough to find Doll Brand varieties other than their export pack versions around here. I reall would love to do a Meet The Manufacturer series with Doll, so if you’re listening, please contact me! Let’s check out this Beef & Satay variety from Hong Kong!

Here’s one of the last ones sent by a Taiwanese university student who has probably graduated by now – thanks again and good luck! This is a really big box – let’s check it out!

Here’s a fancy new one from Taiwan! Lots of brands with boxed versions these days. You might see my logo on this one – Mom’s Dry Noodle has been on the top ten Taiwan as well as my annual top ten for the last two years! I will say I haven’t tried this one until today though, but given their track record, I’ll bet it’s good stuff! Let’s find out!

Okay so this one is interesting to me. First, I thought the name Cup Noodles was a Nissin thing? But then I thought Jinmailang was owned by Nissin, but then not anymore? I should note Jinmailang is most definitely a Chinese company, but it’s pretty obvious from the labeling that this is specifically for the United States. Interesting. Also, the nutrition facts seem a little interesting to me. It’s a pretty big cup – is everything actually doubled in reality? Unsure. Either way, I found this at Fred Meyer, a chain of grocery stores in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho. Was surprised to see this brand there! Anyways, I’ve found a couple varieties there recently I’ve not seen elsewhere. Curious. Let’s check this one out!

This is my list of my all time favorites (compiled up to review #3132). These are the best and most memorable varieties – some you’ll be able to find easily, some you won’t. In the images you see, you’ll see garnished bowls of noodles. Note – reviewing is done BEFORE products have anything externally added by myself, and I follow directions on the package – for better or for worse. I should also note that going forward, the official last day for companies to submit varieties to be considered for the annual top ten will be January 31st. That’s enough – let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition!

The second in the trifecta of Suimin Origins varieties I’ll be trying is Beef Massaman. If you’re unfamiliar with the flavor, here’s a little snippet from Wikipedia –

Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one –

Today, we’ve got a nice one from Taiwan’s Wu-Mu. This is a newer variety that uses wide gauge noodles for a soup – something I find really interesting and not done nearly enough. Although these noodles are absolutely excellent in a dry noodle (without broth) setting, I think in soup they really excel too. Let’s see how these end up!

Here’s yet another box from Taiwan – they’re getting more popular these days for companies who want to roll out a premium variety. I like boxes; they look fancy and usually mean meats will be at play. Here’s a little about Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup from Wikipedia –

Here’s one we found up in Richmond, BC at China World. That was a tough store. Mainly it was because we went there and got a ton of noodles and then find out they only accept cash. That sucked. So we ended up coming back! Let’s look at this one!

Found this one up in Canada. Nongshim products in Canada are interesting because unlike in the United States where you can find ones made here as well as from South Korea, Canada also has products that come from the Chinese Nongshim factory. That’s a lot of sources for one brand! Let’s check it out!

Here’s one I found up in Richmond, BC Canada at The Real Canadian SuperStore. They had a ton of interesting stuff in there not only in their ethnic section, but their domestic section. Let’s take a look.

Here’s one sent by a reader who found it in the Philippines – thanks! Definitely looks different from the ones found in Taiwan. Export version! Let’s check it out!

I was really interested when I heard Mom’s Dry Noodle was coming out with a boxed version of beef noodle soup. I’ve been following their opening of their own restaurants and the food looks really great! Curious to see how it tastes, but today we’re just having a look at what it looks like. Let’s crack it open!

Here’s one sent by the folks from HALAL Food Blog – they’re from Singapore and got it during a trip to Uzbekistan! Definitely a well-traveled pack of noodles! Let’s dig in!

Here’s the last of the Uni-President varieties my wife spotted a few months ago at Foody World up in Richmond, NC! They were $1.50 apiece which seemed very good. Really like the graphic on this one – looks really neat. Let’s crack into this one and give it a go!

Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Have you ever tried Mexican Tacos flavored ramen? The toasty flavor of corn expresses the tortillas, and the mildly spicy and sour soup and the ingredients like minced beef and onion make it a bright and vibrant Mexican-Japanese style lunch.’

Here’s one I found at the new T&T Supermarket in Lansdowne Center up in Richmond, BC. A Shin Black bowl! I knew they must exist; I mean, there’s generally a pack, cup and bowl for everything that comes out of South Korea. Well, here it is. What’s interesting is that this isn’t available in the United States, and up in Canada it’s not a product of the Nongshim China factory, which most bowls up there seem to be.

It is with great thanks and a week of interesting flavors that we bid adieu to the last of the varieties from TTL. This is the packaged version of the pickled vegetable beef variety. I really wasn’t sure how all these liquor-infused varieties would go, but they’ve been really quite impressive. Let’s check out this final variety.

Here we have another variety with the hua diao cooking wine. Curious what the pickled vegetables are – guessing mustard stem would be one of them. Time to check out another unique variety from Taiwan!

I and my family got the flu – well, unsure if it was the flu but it was definitely a pretty mean cold. Yeah – I got it then my wife, then out kids – and two small children with the sick while you have it is a daunting situation. But we needed to get some things at the store so we all went and I ran in. I got the sick first so was getting to the point of starting to get over it while everyone else was knee deep in it. I thought hey – I’ll look at the noodle aisle. I always look at the noodle aisle. Lo and behold, they had this at Safeway. What?! Yep! something new to review at Safeway. Not the norm! So let’s see what the heck we have here and how it pans out.

This one comes by way of a reader from Taiwan who visited t he Philippines and saw this and a spicy version there. This is most definitely an export version. First, lots of English text. Now, you’ll never see this in the United States as it does contain beef. Casn’t go wrong with braised beef – well, I guess you could if it’s bad, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case here. Let’s find out!

First, thanks to Robert Z for sending this along! Check out his amazing www.dadbert.com blog!! II mean wow – I’ve been wanting to try these for a while now and figured I would probably never get one. So yeah – it’s in here – real meat! Rendang is also one of my favorite things in the known universe. Here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –

Here’s one we found at China World in Richmond, BC. The name definitely didn’t translate all that great. I think acid probably will be closer to something like tangy. I mean, acid and beef? Perhaps it could be referring to a process of cooking beef that uses something acidic? Either way I’m fascinated. Let’s see what happens when we open it and cook it!

We found this one up at Foodyworld in Richmond, BC. They were on a great sale – 2 for $3CAD! Not bad at all! I have to say I love this packaging’s graphic. The food is all sharp and colorful and contrasts so well with the background. Very old school Chinese! Sorry about the lack of pictures of what’s inside the sachets – woke up late and so rushing to get just this one done! Let’s have a look!

Found this one recently up in Canada at a T&T Supermarket. There’s a few of them in Richmond, BC – they’re all pretty big. The one we went to was connected to an Olympic skating oval which was kind of interesting. What was kind of hard at this as is with many stores I’ve been to is that I would’ve been able to get more varieties, however they were in multi-packs instead of singles. I’m only going to review one item, so not into spending ten bucks on a multi-pack of noodles. Anyhoo, let’s check this one from China out!