Category: * Stars 3.1 – 4.0

#2317: MAMA Instant Bowl Noodles Shrimp (Tom Yum) Flavor Base

#2317: MAMA Instant Bowl Noodles Shrimp (Tom Yum) Flavor Base - Thailand - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s yet another from a reader named Colin from the east coast. He’s always surprised me a little insofar as being able to send me varieties I hadn’t reviewed yet. I mean, this totally would have been one I would’ve passed over as previously reviewed, but I can’t find it anywhere. As far as walking by it at local stores, I’ve done so countless times. Anyways, let’s crack i open and have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2313: Xiao Ban Mian Sesame Oil With Garlic Flavor Thin Noodle

Xiao Ban Mian Sesame Oil With Garlic Flavor Thin Noodle - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - Instant noodles

This looks very interesting. Check out how thin these noodles are! Sesame and garlic are great flavors to marry together as well. So we’ve seen sesame sauce – the tan colored peanutty kind of stuff and today it’s sesame oil – a much lighter fare. Let’s have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2311: Xiao Ban Mian Sesame Sauce Matcha Noodle

Meet The Manufacturer: #2311: Xiao Ban Mian Sesame Sauce Matcha Noodle - The Ramen Rater - Taiwan - instant noodles

Xian Bian Mian is a new line from Howsler Foods. They all use straight noodles and are a bit different from the Mom’s Dry Noodle line. These tall narrow packs have three servings in each. So matcha has become really popular – but what is it? Let’s ask wikipedia: ...see full post

#2310: Pran Mr. Noodles Instant Noodles Beef Flavour

#2310: Pran Mr. Noodles Instant Noodles Beef Flavour - Bangladesh - The Ramen Rater

Here’s one sent to me by Colin – thanks again! So this one is kind of interesting – I’ve reviewed lots of Mr. Noodles in the past, however they’ve been from Canada. I think there’s also a Mr. Noodles in India as well – unsure if they’re related to this Bangladeshi brand though. It seems to me that with so many Mr, Noodles out there (lest we forget Mr. Noodles from Sesame Street as well), there’s bit of confusion. In fact, I get comments quite often actually from the Mr. Noodles customers in Canada asking where to go to contact them. Of course as far as the Canadian ones go, all I can find is a distributor and nothing else. So very sorry, Canadians… ...see full post

#2308: Fantastic Noodles Chicken Chow Mein Flavour

Si#2308: Fantastic Noodles Chicken Chow Mein Flavour - Australia - Instant Noodles - The Ramen Rater

Here’s one sent by a reader named Jen from Australia – thanks again! So chow mein – very curious how this will translate. Indeed I’ve had chow mein that tastes like yakisoba, chow mein that’s just salty and soy, chow mein that’s very bland. But this one looks like it will be chow mein with a small amount of broth and vegetables which sounds odd. But wait – is it odd? As a matter of fact. Australia has it’s own take on Chinese food – here’s a little about it from wikipedia: ...see full post

#2307: Ottogi Ramyon Sabor Pollo

#2307: Ottogi Ramyon Sabor Pollo - Mexico - The Ramen Rater

Here’s another one from Colin – you da man! He got these during a trip to Mexico earlier this year and sent them along. It’s funny; it still kind of boggles my mind how few instant noodles from Mexico I’ve had the chance to try until only recently. I mean, Mexico is pretty darn close. But then again it’s kind of the same way with Canada – I live about an hour and a half from the border and until we went up there a few years back for my birthday, I hadn’t tried much of anything from up there. Anyways, let’s check out this chicken flavored instant ramyun from South Korea for the Mexican marketplace. ...see full post

#2298: Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup (New Recipe)

Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Chile Chicken

Finally, after decades of sticking with the same recipe, Nissin has decided to go with something new. On Cup Noodles’ 45th anniversary here in the USA, they’ve changed it to make it healthier. Some changes are no added MSG and no artificial flavors. Furthermore they’ve lowered the amount of sodium in these cups from the previous versions using potassium chloride.  So, let’s give this Spicy Chile Chicken a try! ...see full post

#2295: Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood Flavor

Here’s another one sent by Colin from the east coast – thanks again! In a review yesterday, I mentioned that I review a couple of varieties daily and that I’m around 60 reviews ahead. Well, today is November 9th, 2016 – the day after the Presidential election. The results of the election are definitely a shock to most people in my community. I live in Washington State – very liberal. In fact during the primary elections, I believe Bernie Sanders got 80+%. I’m hoping that everything calms down and things end up going okay. Rest assured I’ll be reviewing noodles during the Trump administration as well. This is a type of Cup Noodle I’ve not seen in the past – this one is made in China. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#2294: Sapporo Ichiban Tabimen AizuKitakata Gyokai Shoyu Ramen

Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety: ...see full post

#2291: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkummyun Cheese Flavor (Orange Bowl)

Okay so most of your should be familiar with the popular ‘fiore noodle’ challenge. That’s where you take a bowl of Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkummyun (spicy fried chicken flavor) instrant noodles and scarf ‘e,m down in one sitting really quick. If you don’t know about this, just go to YouTube and type in fire noodle challenge – you’ll get a ton of videos. Nobody’s ever challenged me to do this; kind of bummed. Anyways, this is a new variety – I think there will be three of these spin offs, but right now we have cheese. Let’s see is the cheese chills this fiery noodle out or if it still has the burn of burns. ...see full post

#2289: Myojo Shin-Toyama Black Ramen

Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety: ...see full post

#2288: Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yum Goong Flavour

Here’s a rather striking purple cup! This one’s from Nissin Hong Kong – they sent it along with over 50 other varieties for Meet The Manufacturer. Since I only review up to 15 varieties in a row for a Meet The Manufacturer, the rest go into the daily rotation.  I’m curious about whether this will be hot and spicy – let’s find out! ...see full post

#2272: Nissin Demae Iccho Spicy Kimchi Pot Flavour Instant Noodle

Here’s one big bowl of noodles! I like these – they kind of remind me of what we have here in the US – Nissin makes a line called the ‘Souper Bowl’ and it’s big too. OF course, there aren’t any Black Garlic Tonkotsu or Kimchi Pot flavored ones here. I always wish there were, but tthe fact that every country has it’s own flavors is what I really love about reviewing, and since the USA is a country, we’ve got our own. Anyways, Spicy! Kimchi! A friend of mine sent me a jar of kimchi in the mail and I go t it yesterday! Perfect timing! Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#2270: Samyang Foods Fresh Bibimmyun Fried Noodle

The first time I tried bibimmyun a long time ago I really didn’t get it. Spicy, sweet, and worst of all, it was cold. Yep – when I first started reviewing, the thought of cold noodles made me cringe. I found this one recently at HMart and honestly have been holding back on it since I just reviewed a bibimmyun a couple weeks ago – but no more. It’s getting colder outside – rainy too. Bibimmyun is really a dish for the hot summer months when something cool and refreshing really hits the spot. Well, maybe there will be a sun break today even though the forecast is for 10 days straight of rain… Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#2266: Nissin Disney Cuties Instant Noodle Crab Flavour

Here’s one that Janenate from Nissin Thailand sent – thank you! Very sad times in Thailand currently; they’ve lost their King. I’ve read a lot and viewed some documentaries about him and I’m amazed. He was an amazing man – he really did a lot for him people. I look at our elections here at home and just feel a sickness from it. I send my sincere condolences to the people of Thailand and I hope the King’s philosophy continues on. Let’s have a look at this cup from Thailand with some familiar and friendly faces! ...see full post

#2259: Farmer’s Heart Pho Beef Flavor Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup

Let’s start with the brand name of this one – Farmer’s Heart. I think many of you will be surprised that it’s a translation of a brand that’s very well known – Nongshim. Usually Nongshim’s flavors lean towards Korean flavors – logically. But this one’s definitely Vietnamese. I’m really curious about it also because not only are these rice noodles, but they can be made in the microwave. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#2245: Nissin Vietnamese Chicken Coriander Flavour Vermicelli

If you follow my daily reviews, you might have noticed not just a lot, but a lot a lot of Nissin reviews lately. This is because I’ve done a few Meet The Manufacturers and they were kind enough to send more varieties than I review in a Meet The Manufacturer (15 maximum). Nissin Hong Kong sent around 50 different product varieties! That’s what we have today. Let’s check out this chicken flavor vermicelli! ...see full post

#2244: Kang Shi Fu Artificial Spicy Beef Flavour

Here’s yet another one sent by a reader named Colin from back east – thanks again! It’s funny how we don’t have any of these Kang shi Fu variants out west – at least not at any of the stores I’m near to. Spicy beef sounds awesome – it’s a really cloudy and rainy day here in  the Seattle area. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#2243: Nissin Cup Noodles Black Pepper Crab Flavour

Here’s the last of the varieties that Prima Taste sent a while back – thanks! You might be wondering – why would they send a product they don’t make? Well, I asked for anyone who could help to send me noodles – I was down to three or four varieties in my hamper – a bad situation! Well, lots of people sent noodles – even Prima Taste! So let’s check out this one from Hong Kong with a Singaporean taste! ...see full post