Category: * Stars 0 – 1.0
#3373: Hikari Miso Harusame Noodle Soup Tonkotsu Taste – Japan
I was perusing the aisle at 99 Ranch Market the other day and saw this hiding towards the bottom shelf. What the heck is this? Well, they’re noodles made from potatoes and green beans with a tonkotsu broth. Not only that, there are three servings and they’re 100 calories each. Sounds like fun – let’s give em a try!
#3356: Nasoya GoBowl Teriyaki Japanese Style Noodles – United States
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.
#3354: Yumei The Lazy Noodle Sichuan Green Pepper Flavor – China
Another one I found at that fascination bastian of things Asia in Canada, Smart’n’Save at the Lansdowne Centre mall in Richmond, BC. This is something new to me – green pepper? Sichuan? Hmm… What’s it all about? Let’s fint out.
#3350: Nissin Miojo Cremoso Costela Barbecue – Brazil
I really like it when readers send me a ton of varieties from somewhere I’ve never been able to get them before. This is one of those! I know there’s lots of cups and other brands out of Brazil to try as well. Brazilian varieties have very savory flavors, centering mostly on meat. This one’s barbecued ribs flavor! Let’s check it out.
#3347: Nona Lim Spicy Miso Ramen Bowl – United States
Here we have the last of the three bowls sent on ice by Nona Lim – thanks again! The first two were pretty good – green curry was great and the dan dan was alright – how will this one be? Let’s give it a spin in the microwave and find out!
#3250: Jinmailang Cup Noodles Chicken & Mushroom Flavor – United States
This is an interesting one. Made in China for the US market. I found this one at a Fred Meyer supermarket here in Lynnwood – the last place I’d expect to see something like this. It’s nice to see stores expanding these kinds of things. Let’s give it a try!
#3241: Acecook Super Cup Okinawa Island Soba – Japan
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 – ‘This super cup contains 1.5 times the normal amount of noodles! Okinawa has a few famous dishes but this one is the most unmistakable for anyone visiting the islands. Yummy chewy noodles in a slightly sweet and spicy dash is perfect for summer.”
#3229: Buitoni Yakisoba Gusto Classico – Italy
One of the very last varieties sent by the Butlers from their trip to Italy – thanks again! Yup – Italian yakisoba! Not something you’d expect, eh? Well here it is and I think we’ll just have to crack it open and take a look – let’s do it!
#3217: Bowlfull Beef Flavour Instant Noodle Soup – Canada
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 –
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition
It’s that time again – time to run down the worst varieties I’ve ever had. That’s no small task either – this list is current as of review #3180. These are the ten worst ones, in my opinion, leaving a lasting negative impression on my taste buds. With that, I again give you what you want.
#3158: Simply Asia Singapore Street Noodles Classic Curry – United States
So near us we have this interesting grocery store called WinCo Foods. Everything’s pretty cheap there and they’ve got a pretty good selection. Last time when we were in the checkout lane, I noticed these sitting on the sideline. I’ve known some pretty serious people when it comes to Singapore street food and the heritage it portends. Not only that, when it comes to curry, I’m very particular. Could this little box hold within a reason for ex-pats and hawkers to stay home and not bother visiting Singapore again or going to work? Guess I’d better find out!
#3133: Myojo Mellow Miso Ramen – Japan
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 -“Mellow and rich miso ramen with noodles which are easy to eat. Great smell of roasted vegetables and special flavor oil will fill your mouth!”
#3129: Acecook Super Cup Pringles Sour Cream & Onion Yakisoba – Japan
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 – ‘To celebrate 50 years in business for the iconic chip brand, and 30 years for Japan’s instant noodle brand Super Cup, they collaborate as Sour Cream & Onion Pringles Yakisoba! A mouthful of soft noodles with the crunch of onion crates a fantastic textural sensation that works to enhance all the punchy flavors.’
#3093: Sichuan Baijia Green Curry Shrimp Flavor Instant Vermicelli – China
Here’s one I found up in Canada – can’t remember where. Green curry is one of my favorite flavors, however not one that I think I’ve ever seen coming out of China. Sichuan Baijia has been coming out with more and more different varieties – and different little cartoon characters on their packaging. Let’s give this one a try and see how it fares.
Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Basil & Clam Flavor – Taiwan
Here we have the second of three varieties from Fu Chung – a basil and clam flavor! Sounds interesting – let’s hit it up!
#2972: Bowlfull Vegetable Flavour Instant Noodle Soup
Oh yeah are you ready? Are you? Man, you’re going to think I’m nuts, but I’m a huge fan of store brand instant noodles. Why? Simple – I love the hunt. I really like to go somewhere and say ‘ah ha – I haven’t tried this one,’ put it in the handbasket and move on. Well a few weeks ago we went to Lansdowne Centre, a neat mall in Richmond, BC. We keep finding different places to visit up there which totally rocks. In the mall, there’s a bunch of store of course. The mall really is kind of a blast from the past – very Canadian and looks like it was built in the 70’s – lots of mirrored things abound. What got us there was that we saw this sign saying ‘Dollarama’ when we’d go up to Richmond every time and I thought ‘hmmm… A Canadian dollar store sounds interesting…’ So we check it out and they had their own store brand. They’re made in China for the chain of Dollarama stores and called Bowlfull. Sounds interesting. Yeah – if it sounds interesting, I’, all in. I don’t care if I like it or not – it’s something new, and that’s what my whole instant noodle journey has been about. Let’s crack open this 25 cent pack of noodles and see how things turn out.
#2930: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Korean Spicy Beef Instant Noodle
Here’s another one I received from a University student in Taiwan – thanks again! She’s working on her Master’s thesis and wanted info from me on a few products and what I thought of them – an honor! Let’s check out this variety with a Korean influence.
#2914: Itomen Shijimi Clam Shoyu Ramen
This is one that was sent by the Itomen distributor in Taiwan – thank you again! Clam shoyu eh? Sounds interesting – let’s give it a try.
#2872: Chongqing Suanlabao Food Co., Ltd. Hot Pot Mala Seasoning & Sesame Oil Package
Hey it’s a self heating hot pot! I got this one at China World on St. Patrick’s Day this year. The weekend before, we drove up to Canada and checked out China World in Richmond, BC. It was amazing – awesome! Got two baskets of noodles. Went tot he front and boom – cash and Canadian debit only. That sucked. So we came back the next weekend! I found about eight different varieties of these hot pots and so here’s the first. I’ve reviewed two others in the past. Let’s open this thing up and see what makes it tick – yeah – it cooks itself!
#2867: Nissin Cup Noodles Sesame Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
Here’s one of the two new flavors of Nissin Foods’ domestic Cup Noodles range from the United States. I’m very curious about this one and the other (Teriyaki Chicken). Let’s crack it open and have a look around!
#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba
Here’s another neat one from Zenpop.JP. Thank you! So Zenpop has all sorts of monthly boxes including ramen boxes. Nine instant ramen in one box for a good price – check ’em out! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This healthy soba is low in sodium and moreover, it contains GABA, which helps lower the blood pressure, reduce the stress, and make you relaxed. Of course, it’s tasty too. Katsuo (bonito) dashi and shrimp adds a delectable flavor to it.’
#2808: Super Super Cup Signature White Curry
I was surprised to find this one in Taiwan – had seen it in images online quite a few times before but yeah – Taiwan! I got this at the Hi-Life store at the Nangang Exhibition Center. I really didn’t think Malaysian food would be popular in Taiwan, but actually I went to PappaRich over there – a chain of Malaysian restaurants. I’m pretty sure nowhere is immune to the White Curry craze! Strong flavors and spicy broth is pretty good anywhere you go. Let’s crack this cup open and look around!
#2799: Maruchan Kitsune Soba
Here’s another neat one from Zenpop.JP. Thank you! So Zenpop has all sorts of monthly boxes including ramen boxes. Nine instant ramen in one box for a good price – check ’em out! Here’s what they had to say about this one –
#2749: Maruchan Bariuma Goboten Udon
I looked around a bit and read that these big things in here are burdock tempura. Should be interesting – if you don’t know about burdock, here’s some info from Wikipedia –
#2728: Vifon Hoang Gia Instant Noodles With Minced Pork
We found this one at a place called Hen Long Market up in Surrey, BC on a trip a few months back. Thanks to my friend Ken for telling me about this place! So this one’s from Vietnam and I don’t often have come across Vietnamese varieties like this one. Usually, I see the same thing again and again and this one is definitely different. Let’s have a look at this minced pork variety!
#2720: Mr. Noodles Pho Noodle Soup Simulated Beef Flavour
Well, here we are. This is one I found at Walmart up in Richmond, BC Canada. I’ve never had a lot of luck finding enjoyment of this brand but always gotten a lot of mail/questions about it. People have asked me many times how they can complain to the company that makes thes. I don’t know exactly why – I think a lot of the time people will store instant noodles and they’ll get banged up or the packs will get opened and after a long time will go bad. But my complaint usually has been that they’ve usually not had very strong flavors and the noodles come out funny when you follow the directions.
#2711: Acecook Hakodate Shio Shrimp Ramen
Found this one at Osaka market up in Richmond, BC. We’ve been going on little day trips to Canada a lot lately and it’s a lot of fun! At this market, we go infrequently enough that they have some neat new stuff every time. They’ve got a special section by the hot food area that has special instant noodles. They’re almost all from Japan and usually on the pricy side. I want to thank Ryuuichirou Arai for helping me with the translation. Here’s a little about shio from Wikipedia –
#2692: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Mushroom Flavor
I could be wrong but I think I might be done with all of the KOKA varieties they sent – wow! So these ones have been a joy to review – a thick soup with bits of noodle – less of a noodle soup, more of a soup with noodles. Let’s have a look!
#2678: Maggi Hot Heads Barbeque Pepper 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!
#2636: Acecook Tonkotsu
Here’s one of those ‘dilemma’ noodles. I don’t know what the heck it is called and the bar code yields absolutely no results which are annoying. Luckily, I do have the resource of my readers and asked on the Facebook page for The Ramen Rater. A few people got they were tonkotsu, which is very helpful, although usually, ones like this are some kind of tonkotsu – like a little more detailed. But people were of the belief this was just their standard tonkotsu. Thanks for the info! Let’s dig in
#2631: Isoyama Shoji 18禁カレーラーメン (Age 18 Restricted La-Men Curry Taste)
First thing, I want to thank Jay H. from Taiwan for sending this 18禁カレーラーメン over to me. He checked out the Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition and thought I should give this a try.
#2579: Just Way Noodles Spicy Hot Sesame Guan-miao Noodles
This variety comes by way of Colin, a reader from Massachusetts – thank you! It was originally said by Oscar Wilde: ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ I have often found this to be true for the most part. Indeed, why would someone want to imitate exactly what you do unless they want to attain something that you did prior? Well, sometimes it just seems like it takes a bit of a spiral from flattery to pure copying.
#2572: Ripe’N’Dry Hokkaido Soy Sauce Ramen
Here’s one I picked up in Taiwan last November. I’d always seen these but never really thought they existed. I’ve seen the design on t-shirts and other things. Ripe and dry sounds like a fart, too! So this one is soy sauce flavor – which would be known as shoyu in Japan. Let’s look up shoyu ramen on Wikipedia –
#2527: Uni-President Unif Tung-I Ramen Noodles Mushroom Flavor
Here’s one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! So I don’t usually get thrilled with instant noodles that are mushroom flavored. Mushroom can be hit or miss and usually I find mushroom to be a little funky. Let’s give it a try with an open mind.
#2519: Guava Story Anchovy Flavor Guava Rice Noodles
Here’s something the guys over at ExoticNoods.com sent over – thanks! Okay – guava noodles? I really enjoy guava juice, but never seen a guava noodle before. Better to tear into this pack and see what’s what.
#2503: Sichuan Guangyou Sweet Potato Instant Noodle Sour-Hot Flavor
Here’s one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks! So this sour-hot sounds interesting. Usually with Chinese varieties, the sour often comes from black vinegar and the spicy from peppers. Let’s see what this one’s like!
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
So today it’s the fifth annual The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. On my other lists, I exclude varieties that no longer are on the market. On this list, everything’s fair game for the bottom ten. As I say in the video presentation, if you like some of these, there’s nothing wrong with you – I just find these detestable personally. These are my least favorite varieties of the over 2400 varieties posted to date. Without gurther ado, the bottom ten.
#2426: Dr. McDougall’s Vegan Pad Thai Noodle Soup
Well it’s been quite a while since I’ve reviewed anything by Dr. McDougall’s. Why? Well, the first one I tried was a disappointment. I saw this one recently and thought maybe I should give them another chance. I am not expecting this will be one I like very much though; the two lines in large print immediately contradict eachother: ‘Pad Thai’ and ‘Noodle Soup.’ This just sounds wrong. But hey – maybe this is really good stuff. Let’s give it a look.
#2406: Sichuan Guangyou Sweet Potato Instant Noodle Braised Spicy Chitterling Flavor
Yet another package sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! Indeed, I’m curious about this one – chitterling flavor. I have an immediate need for wikipedia here: