Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
You’re probably wondering ‘whoa what’s with the jump in numbers here?’ Well, I pushed the wrong button. My fancy keyboard is now doing double letters on the i’s and r’s intermittently as well. But here’s a sneak peek and one of a series from these folks – neat stuff!
Here’s another of the new package varieties from Prima Taste – prawn soup. I’ve been saving it for the right time and this be it. Let’s cook!
Here’s another from Pher Engi – thanks! So Vit’s is a very long-lived company in Malaysia and have been making noodle products for ages. This is a dry variety with a shrimp paste and spicy nature. Sounds good to me – let’s give it a try.
Another from S*Mart! When I opened this pack the smell of garlic was real strong – curiosity has me in its grips… Last time I had a crayfish flavor variety from China it was violently spicy… Let’s give it a whirl!
Thanks to James from Lakeside, California for sending this one! Never heard of this brand or range before. What’s interesting too is it’s squid as well – I like squid. Let’s try it out!
This is another new packaging variety from Prima Taste of Singapore. Different package and size – possibly different flavorings? Let’s find out.
Big thank you to Pher Engi for sending this along! Recently, I reviewed a tom yum flavored dry noodle from this range. This one has soup. Sounds good – curious how it will be, so let’s cook it up and find out.
Thank to Pher Engi for sending this one! This one’s a bit confusing to me as in my research of this particular style, the kaw style is made with chicken, however I see a myriad of seafood. No matter – let’s try it out!
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this one! A lot of the packaging is in Thai as well as English so I’m guessing it’s for sale in Thailand? Tricky, this one. I’m really curious about this – she also sent a soup version as well. After a little research, it turns out this is available at 7 Eleven in Thailand, so I was on the right track. Also, Jay Fai is a Michelin starred chef. Let’s give this a try!
I’m still pretty surprised at how much I liked the Tapatio Birria version – I figured I’d try this one, the last they sent (thank you very much!). I’ve got shrimp, so I’m hoping to do this up nice. Let’s give it a go!
Well, I’ve got shrimps and I have varieties that would like shrimps in them so today I’m using shrimps. So there – let’s cook!
Big thanks to James from Lakeside, California for sending this one! He also included a tin of something called krill meat he recommended for seafood varieties, so gonna give that a try. Let’s cook!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “We’re getting a little fancy with this selection! This pack is inspired by a French Marinière, a delicious mussel sauce. The salt broth is a perfect combo of the amazing umami of Japanese scallops, the delicious taste of butter, and perfectly chewy noodles!”
Big thanks to Noodle Journey for this one – thanks again! So jjambbong is a spicy seafood noodle. I’ve been curious about this one and the others in this range… Let’s check it out.
Well, this is the third of three varieties I’m reviewing from Prima Taste – This one’s the regular laksa – not wholegrain. It’s got a new size – smaller than the original. It’ll show up in the US at some point. I tried this back in 2013 and was floored with how good it was. From the noodle to the broth, it sings. Let’s cook!
Here’s the second of the two Vecorn varieties YeeLee sent – thanks again! Just got done soft boiling eggs – let’s give it a try!
Time for something prawny! It’s prawn o’clock! Prawn o’yeah! Let’s prawn it up!
Well, this is the last of the Ayam varieties – laksa. I’ve got a few laksa varieties I’m doing this week, some releasing in order, some getting out sooner than later. When I make laksa (if possible) there are a few things I really like to include when I garnish. You may have noticed my laksa of mung bean sprout recently – well, that’s a must. Fishball, tofu puff, and mint. That’s the quartet I like to have on hand. Of course, egg as well. This one’s showing shrimp as well, so I think I’ll include that in lieu of fish ball. Well, let’s cook some laksa!
Found this recently at S*Mart – shop smart shop S*Mart. I’ve been waiting until I had shrimp. I do, so here we go.
Here’s another of the new size/package Prima Taste LaMian series. This stuff is serious business. I’m hoping we don’t lose power as a massive storm rolls in. There’s been talk of the possibility of tornadoes! I live about an hour’s walk from the Seattle city limits, so that’s rather bizarre. Let’s cook this up as we get excited for a lots of thunderstorms to watch tonight.
I’m a nut for strong shrimp flavors. Plus, I have big shrimp to garnish with. Let’s go!
This one came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! Nope – haven’t reviewed this. I got shrimp! Let’s cook!
The other day I tried the pack version and here’s the bowl. The pack version mentioned it was a gravy version – this one says dry on it. Let’s give it a try.
You might have noticed a different background on the pics lately. So there’s a company that does flooring called Flooret and they had a thing in facebook offering to send free samples. Well, I got some and that’s what these are. I’m going to get a big piece and get it cut which is darker than this one I’ve been using. It’s pretty neat stuff and I’m pretty stoked. Let’s continue on though – this is a chilli crab pack from Singapore – one of the signature dishes of the country. Let’s give it a try!
Another send by James of Lakeside – thanks! This one purports to be a dipping ramen, but it’s confusing as the whole broth thing is confusing. I dunno – but I’ll figure it out.
This is an interesting one from James of Lakeside – thanks agaiun! So it’s made by a Korean company in Vietnam for export but not just for the US but all over the place. Really excited as I get to use a new chili crisp with it. Let’s give it a try!
Ahh curry. I will admit I’ve loved curries of all types since I was a kid. I still do – just last week I made green curry with chicken, onion, and bell pepper. Well, this one has graced the Global Top Ten many times – it’s strong noodle and rich broth always please. This new version is different – instead of a soup paste and premix (coconut powder) sachet, there’s two soup base which are infused with coconut milk. Very curious about this change. Let’s give it a look!
Big thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this along! This is called an MRE – meal ready to eat – well, sort of. You do neet hot water of course, but it’s a heavy plastic bag that’s got a ton of stuff in it, including instant noodles. Let’s take a look.
Today, I’m reviewing a variety that was a favorite of my friend Jamie Burridge who passed on February 16th, 2025. His passing has left a great emptiness which I can’t even really start to explain. He lived in Devon England and we never met in person unfortunately, but we chatted very often. We of course talked noodles (he was a moderator in the Ramen Junkies group), but also about shared interests such as music, science fiction, food, and travel. This was his favorite variety and so I wanted to do a special post in his honor. In the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time at the bottom, I talk more about him. If you knew this great human, you should put a note or even donate to Cancer Research UK on his remembrance page. There is a special episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time at the bottom – one has his favorite music and one does not, so if the one with the music he loved doesn’t work, try the other one. This one’s for you, my friend – may the cosmic rays of Tharg IV drag you forth to the holy daefaeneckf.
Big thank you to James from Lakeside, California for sending! The last one of these I tried was a vegetable mushroom and it was really quite nice – now we have a seafood mushroom. I’m curious if there will also be a sweetness in this one. Well, let’s find out.
Big thanks to James from Lakeside for this one! Jjamppong is a favorite of mine and this sounds like a Nagasaki jjamppong. Let’s cook it up!
Found this at a Dollar Tree store here in Kenmore, Washington. I remember trying out the chicken variety and I don’t think I found it very appealing. We shall see how it goes.
Found this at a local Dollar Tree store here in Kenmore, Washington. This one is fascinating and odd – it says it cooks quickly, however when you see the steeping time you might be a little surprised. Let’s check it out.
Here’s one that came by way of Exotic Noods – thanks! Check out their subscription boxes – this is something you might find in one of them. I know seafood, but here’s info on shiso. I’m intrigued – let’s give it a go.
The huge box of samples from Nissin Singapore as I’m finding out are all collaborations and that’s pretty interesting. This one is with 328 Katomg Laksa, a hawker stall founded in 1998 after a chef spent 6 months tuning and refining her laksa recipe. I love laksa, so I’m really excited to try this one.
A big thanks to Daniel over at www.exoticnoods.com for sending this one! I’ve been wanting to try it and mukbang it up for a while now (mukbang vid at bottom of the page), and here it is. I love tom yum. I’m curious though as the Buldak base has the heat, but it also imparts some sweetness as well. Interesting. I guess the correct route is to give it a try.
Hey look – it’s different! Yep – slightly smaller size and new design. I should note it won’t be in the West for a while. I needed to gather some things to be able to review these – you’ll see what it’s garnished. This has been my absolutely favorite instant noodle products for a very, very long time, I first tried the non-wholegrain version back in 2013 and I remember calling a friend who worked at another company and told them – ‘take notice of this – things are changing.’ Well, they have. With this review I’m also unveiling my new background. I’d been using a woven black plastic placemat for about ten years. It was time to change. This is a flooring plank cut to size and I’m pretty happy with it – you’ll see it more as time goes on. Anyways, on to the cooking – I’m very excited to try these again for the first time in the new package/size. Let us begin.
Well this sounds right up my alley! A rice vermicelli laksa that actually comes with fishball! I’m all over this let’s give it a try!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Let’s hop on over to Nagasaki—well known for their Spirit Boats in summer and for their famous champon! This champon is soupless but features a delicious sauce that combines the rich taste of tonkotsu with the deep umami of seafood like Japan’s famous scallop!”
Another variety that was sent by James of Lakeside, CA. The last of these Hoang Gia varieties I tried was really pretty good. Curious if this is just going to be the same thing with a little bit of heat. Time to find out!
