Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Once in a blue moon I find an instant noodle in my hamper of which I have absolutely NO CLUE WHERE IT CAME FROM. I mean, yeah – I know it’s made in Vietnam and that it’s a chicken curry variant, but I have no idea how it got into my hamper. Where did I get it? Hmmm… Well, it needs to be reviewed so here I am. Let’s check it out!
I’ve reviewed a few of these Hong Kong instant rice noodles in the past, but never looked up the meaning of Ho Fan. I did some research and found this on wikipedia:
Here’s one of the ones sent by Marvin R. of Ft. Worth, TX – thanks again! So he originally asked me about identifying there. They look a lot like another Vietnamese brand, but the info on the back seems to show that it’s definitely not them. I’ve found in general that onion flavor is usually a good bet – but what about satay? Here’s what wikipedia has to say about satay:
I *think* this is the last of the varieties of Shan Shoop out there – I’m sure it’s the last in my hamper. So Bombay Biryani. What’s biryani? Let’s see what wikipedia has to say…
So yesterday we went to the new Asian Food Center on 130th and Aurora southwest of here. Was hoping to find a lot of new varieties I hadn’t tried yet and found a couple – and this is one of them. I haven’t had much luck at all with Baijia products in the past – I think it’s just a taste that doesn’t translate well for me. However, I never met an instant noodle I hadn’t tried before that I didn’t want to. So with that, let’s have a look at this Sichuan Baijia variety.
Back in the day, there used to be a brand that was literally generic; they would have products with a white background and a very stark blocky black text. A can of dog food would simply say dog food. I think they’re long gone, but this is kind of the next best thing to it. No Name is a line by Canadian company Loblaw’s, a grocery store chain. Let’s give No Name a look!
Ahh what do we have here you ask? Well, this is a variety made by the same company that makes MAMA noodles – Thai President Foods. This one however is for the German market. Huhn? Chicken. Let’s check it out!
Everyone (well maybe not everyone) has heard of tom yum, a very tradition Thai soup. If you don’t know about it, here’s something about it from wikipedia:
Another one I got during our trip to Malaysia in October! I’ve heard Cintan was the first instant noodle company in Malaysia. This one looks to be fortified with protein – something I think is pretty cool. Adding some vitamins and protein to instant noodles can help make instants a little more healthy. Let’s check out this curry by Cintan!
This is one you probably won’t find in the United States (I got it up in Canada). It’s made by Nongshim’s Chinese plant in Shaghai. I’ve found that sometimes the same product can taste a little different in different regions. This one’s interesting in that the packaging look is very much like Nongshim Ansungtangmyun, but the characters are very different. Let’s have a look at this Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun!
Here’s one I got a couple weeks ago on my birthday trip to Canada! I’ve had a few varieties by Vedan before but this one sounds really good. Hot beef is always a good bet. I think I’ll try it with some Chinese sausages in the mix! Let’s check out this Vedan Wei Wei A Hot Beef flavor!
This is another of the Gonbuto bowls. Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon has a unique preparation regime which was quite hard to figure out – I figured it out after a lot of research (to be honest, I read the side numbers). Let’s have a look at this Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon bowl!
Last year, I found this Baixiang brand up in Canada and tried the spicy beef variety. I found this one down here in the USA a month or so ago. Let’s check it out!
A while back I reviewed the Myojo Men Black Seafood Tonkotsu. Well, this is the white creamy variety. Tonkotsu is usually made from pork bone broth – pork bones and boiled for quite a while to pull out the flavor, and it gets a milky color. This one’s manufactured in the United States by Myojo, and so pork products are present. Let’s see how this creamy tonkotsu variety stacks up/.
Deshome makes some pretty unique noodles, using ingredients I’ve never thought would go into a noodle. Aloe, bee pollen, and now, camellia oil in a sachet.Fascinating! Let’s have a look at this camellia oil variety from Deshome of Taiwan!
I’ve always heard good things about ginseng for vitality, etcetera. But vitality noodles? Hmm. I’ll admit I know little about ginseng, so here’s what wikipedia has on it:
This is one got last year on my birthday trip to Canada! Really excited that the next trip is coming up very quickly! My wife, son and sister will be coming this time, so it should be a lot of fun. Today’s review is on Myojo Desse Nyumen. So, what’s nyumen? Wikipedia had this to say:
A few weeks ago, I reviewed Uncle Sun White Curry Noodle and noted that it was pretty darn spicy. Today, I’m reviewing the ‘more spicy’ version. If it’s a lot more spicy, it’ll be a really serious one, that’s for sure. Let’s delve into this Uncle Sun White Curry Noodle More Spicy and see if it’s got some serious bite.
Found this one at Uwajimaya, a Japanese grocery store chain up here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m always keen on trying a new yakisoba; I usually enjoy them with a little karashi mayo! So this variety is dashi shoyu flavor. Dashi is used to make broth for traditional Japanese ramen, and shoyu is soy sauce. Let’s have a look at this one from Japanese company Acecook.
Here’s one of the ones sent by Marvin R. of Ft. Worth, TX – thanks again! It’s kind of interesting – these packs looks so similar to another brand. Curious how it’ll be… Let’s check it out!
Here’s one of the ones I got when we went up for my annual birthday trip to Canada! So snack noodles are very popular around the world – Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan have quite a few companies making different varieties. They’re usually basically an uncooked instant with a seasoning to add or are pre-seasoned. Let’s check out this one from Japan – Oyatsu Baby Star!
Last spring, I remember my son and I took a walk to the local Asian grocery when we were living in Edmonds, WA. We were getting something for my wife for Mother’s Day I believe! Anyways, as always I like to take a stroll down the instant noodle aisle (no big shock, right?). I found a few different varieties of these A-One cups and got them. This is a pork flavored one – from Vietnam. Let’s check out what’s inside!
I must admit that in the past I haven’t been entirely fond of noodles with different colors. Not because I dislike the color (actually I find that fascinating), but because they tend to have an off taste to them and just seem kind of ‘gimmicky.’ It’s been about 300 or so reviews since I tried the Aglio Olio variety of this line. Let’s see how this Soy & Vinegar one goes!
Here’s another one that was sent by a kind reader in Sweden – thanks! This is my second or third Swedish instant noodle. It’s been interesting to translate the packaging too. The little dots over the ‘a’ in Räksmak are interesting. I tried it in Google and without the dots got straight flavor, and with them got shrimp flavor. Of course, once I opened the pack I found that the seasoning sachet said ‘prawn flavor,’ so that kind of sealed the deal on correct translation for me. Anyways, let’s have a look at this one!
Here’s the last one sent by Charles, a serviceman in Afghanistan – thanks! It’s really strange to know that since my last KOKA review that I’ve been in Singapore; never did I expect to visit Asia in my lifetime and now I have. Albeit a short visit (out experience of Singapore consisted of running through Changi airport from travelator to travelator and transferring our luggage from carrier to carrier), it was a truly fascinating blur! Anyways, got some fresh beef yesterday and needed to package it up so though I’d do a beef noodle review. Let’s check it out!
Another one sent by a kind reader from Sweden – thank you! I’ve had Yum Yum noodles in the past, but I’ve never seen any instant noodle that was wasabi flavor. I did have a Zaru Soba once that had dipping sauce that had a strong wasabi flavor, but none where wasabi was the only flavor! Yum Yum is a popular brand in northern Europe – I heard recently that people refer to many brands of instant noodles there simply as ‘Yum Yum.’ Wasabi eh? Let’s check it out!
Today I opened up my big hamper of noodles and this one popped into view. To be honest, I don’t know exactly when I got this one – Canada trip I think. Definitely has an interesting name – Korean Salt & Rib Soup. The closest thing I can think of that they might be referring to would be galbitang, which is a South Korean soup with short ribs and made with ox bone broth. Sounds interesting – let’s see what we have here.
I’ve reviewed quite a few instant by this brand. They’re made in Taiwan and they come with four of everything; four noodle blocks, four of each sachet. The Interesting twist with this one is that it doesn’t use broth; it’s a stir noodle! I don’t think I’ve found one of those yet. Let’s check it out!
Here’s something you wouldn’t find in the United States usually! Macaroni and cheese is a common thing here; almost a national dish! But macaroni and chicken and abalone – in a broth? Nope – not something most would even consider. One thing’s for sure: macaroni is almost always accompanied by cheese here. Let’s see what it’s like cheese free!
This is the first bowl of instant noodles I’m having since our California vacation last week and I must say it’s good to be back to reviewing! This is one I picked up while in Canada a while back. Let’s take a look!
Here’s another one we got up in Canada earlier this year during my birthday trip! I wasn’t sure at first if I’d reviewed these; a long time ago I reviewed a series of products by Vina Acecook called King Cook. This is King Chef, so it’s different! I wasn’t sure when I was looking at them up in Canada – glad I went ahead and snagged them. The more noodles, the better. Let’s have a look!
Hey here are some noodle made here in the USA! Interesting – spicy Szechuan… I’m curious how spicy it will be. I’ve had many different takes on Szechuan before – I’m hoping this one is good as usually I don’t tend to like Szechuan variants so much. Actually, I like the ones like this usually more than the ones actually made in China! Let’s see how this one comes out.
As with many instant noodle companies, Nongshim has plants all over the world. Usually, these factories produce flavors that are popular in the countries they are located in, as well as well known favorites. This one is a variety made in China and I found it up in Canada. It seems that many of the ones made in China are available up in Canada, although I’ve never seen them here in the USA – curious. Let’s have a look!
Here’s another one that Annie T. over at MyKuali sent me – thank you very much! This looks interesting; a fusion of Tom Yam and Mee Goreng? Tom Yam is a spicy, citrus infused soup that”s very popular in Southeast Asia, Thailand in particular. Very curious about this one – let”s have a look inside.
Found this in a local grocery store the other day. It’s definitely made of the United States market, but made in Thailand, which seems kind of funny as it’s Singapore Laksa Curry. Any way you slice it, it’s a Singapore Laksa Curry that made for the United States market which is something that truly piqued my interest. What’s different here also is that it uses rice noodles instead of wheat, so it’s gluten free. I’ve only had a Laksa that used rice noodles once before. Let’s have a look at this one.
This is another cold noodle dish. Bonito is a fish that is used to flavor broths quite often in Japanese cuisine. The last Takamori cold noodle variety I had was one of the best I’ve ever had – let’s see how this one fares!
Last year, Taiwanese were unhappy that they didn’t make it on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 Edition, and this year they’re pretty annoyed that they didn’t this year as well. I thought today I ought to review something from Taiwan to at least make them a little happy. I was lucky in that A-Sha was kind enough to get me a neat box set of these and a spicy variety a while back. Instant noodles are kind of like a fine wine to me; you gotta open em at just the right time, and I think today’s the right time for some Taiwanese Hello Kitty noodles! Let’s check em out!
Nissin has factories all over the world – even one in Germany! This is one of the varieties manufactured there. Soba is a type of noodles. Yakisoba is that noodle being fried (there’s yakiudon as well). These cups are really neat – let’s pop it open and look inside!
Maruchan Instant Lunch is one of those products you see everywhere in the United States at grocery stores. Maruchan makes these cups as well as packs of ramen. They’re popular in Mexico as well – people refer to soup a lot of the time as ‘maruchan’ as it has become so popular and intrinsic to daily life. A month or so ago, I saw a post on Instagram. This guy was saying how he could eat these Instant Lunch cups (this flavor in particular) for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. I thought to myself, ‘have I reviewed this one?’ Well as it turns out I had – but it was way back in June of 2011. I’m always on the hunt for instant noodles that cannot be found within the United States – the more exotic the better. This guy’s enthusiasm about this little cup that can be found virtually everywhere here in the USA piqued my curiosity; is it worth another try? So when out grocery shopping, I decided to get one. After two weeks of enjoying varieties from Southeast Asia, I think this should be interesting. Let’s check it out!
I think most people think of wonton soup and think of what they find in Chinese restaurants in the United States. Usually a thin broth, maybe a glass noodle or two and some little dumplings with meat inside. Well, I have a feeling that’s more geared to the American palate. Just look at the picture on the front of this package; whole head-on shrimps well as mushrooms too. Looks really good! Let’s see what this Sau Tao variety is like.
