
This one was sent by Anders and Ji-Min from South Korea! Thanks again! So here’s Paldo’s new extreme foray into the uber spicy class of instant ramyun. I really enjoy seeing these – especially how neat the packaging looks.
Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002

This one was sent by Anders and Ji-Min from South Korea! Thanks again! So here’s Paldo’s new extreme foray into the uber spicy class of instant ramyun. I really enjoy seeing these – especially how neat the packaging looks.

This pepper duck variety was sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! It really took me a long time to warm up to duck. I think honestly the reason being was the fact that I never had the real thing until I went to Asia. Indeed, I’ve had duck in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan and it’s definitely been a highlight of those trips. It’s got a strong flavor which is definitely one a lot of people might not be familiar with (like myself in the past). I would say that the best term for it is rich.
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Here’s one that Colin from Massachusetts sent – thanks again! So this one looks a lot like the Hong Kong versions, however this is the Chinese version. Here’s a little about XO Sauce and what it is from Wikipedia –

This is one that Kamran R. of Ramen Regret Rater sent me from Australia – thanks! I believe this is the first variety I will review from Nissin Indonesia. Looks like it will be spicy – rasa pedas means ‘spicy flavor,’ and it has a big angry pepper in the picture on the front of the package. Indeed, Indonesia has a lot of spicy instant noodles on the market – and for the most part I’ve enjoyed them very much.

There are some varieties that I hear people raving out about a lot and I start thinking ‘I should re-review this one.’ Well, today’s the day. I even have a little story about these which is sort of funny.

Way, way, way back, I had one of these packs. I bought it at a local Asian grocery and never reviewed it. That was 15 years back and it has been haunting me ever since.

Today we have something I find interesting. I’ve heard before about the popularity of ‘Singapore Noodles’ in Britain, and that they’re not actually from Singapore. Here’s a little about that from Wikipedia –

Today we have a rice noodle variety. Pho is a noodle soup that hails originally from Vietnam – here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –

Purple – the color of royalty. It’s also the color of eggplants, grape candy and Barney the dinosaur. But these are purple noodles. So how do they get this hue? These noodles have Anthocyanins in them. Indeed, I needed to turn to Wikipedia to learn more –

Most people don’t know, but I’ve been to Singapore. It was in 2014 – and it was a very short visit.

I looked upon all the samples sent by Tat Hui for this Meet The Manufacturer. Indeed, it occurred to me to go right for the curry, the laksa… But I thought to begin with, I would go right for the standard.

Here’s one left over from the Meet The Manufacturer I did with Nissin Mexico a little while ago. These are very cool – they have little packets of hot sauce in them! Indeed, I think these should be available in the United States as well. I think they’d do really well! Indeed, who wouldn’t like the Cup Noodles here to come with a little packet of hot sauce? I know I would.

Here’s another one I found during a November 2016 trip to Taiwan. I found this one at Carrefour in Taipei at the Miramar Entertainment Center. So one thing I found while there was that almost everything (unless you go to a Family Mart of a 7-Eleven) comes in a multi pack. I really didn’t want to get any of those – they take up extra space in luggage and a lot of the time they were really big multi packs. This one’s from Vietnam and looks to be a shrimp variant.

This was sent to me by Ippin, a purveyor of wonderful Japanese items! Thank you again!
Here’s something a little different. So Nissin has a series of Cup Noodles with flavors from around Southeast Asia. Laksa from Singapore, Tom Yum from Thailand and here we have Mie Goreng from Indonesia. I’m very curious how this on will be. Indeed, it looks interesting enough and a decently sized cup. If you don’t know about Mie Goreng, you should! Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the dish:

Okay first off, this isn’t a noodle review and I know, I know… But this one looks exactly like the other ones they sell that are noodles. FF (Fashion Foods) has these little bowls with lids everywhere, and usually they’re either a wheat instant noodle or instant vermicelli. I looked at it, didn’t recognize it, and popped it in my basket thinking I’ve just found a rice noodle version of their stuff I hadn’t tried previously. Well, this is a broth with rice. I only realized this until I had done the picture of the side panels.

Here’s a bowl we found a little while back at Uwajimaya. So udon is definitely different from instant noodles – it’s a lot thicker. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Went to Uwajimaya, a local Japanese grocery store chain in the northwest the other day. So I found that you can get chashu pork there – it’s really nice for Japanese instants since I can slap one on top! Indeed what I do is get a few packs of it from the deli and then bag them individually and throw them in the freezer – it’s pricy stuff, but done this way it really stretches it a long way. So $15 or pork will yield me about 18-20 slices and since it’s frozen, it’ll last nicely until I’ve done that many Japanese reviews.

Well lookie here – another one from Colin – thanks again! This one’s a cheesy version of the ever popular Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun. This is what people use to do the famous ‘fire noodle challenge’ – although this is the cheesy version. This stuff is hot – real hot. The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodle Of All Time list kinda hot. Let’s take a look.

Another one sent by Colin. I haven’t had any of this brand in quite some time! I should also say I’ve not had an onion flavor instant in quite a while too. Very curious about this one – let’s have a look! NOTE – I just was looking for info on this one and as it turned out, I reviewed it in 2010! It was review #99. I’ll still slap a new number on this one though. What’s funny is if you look at the packaging on it from back then, it says ‘New.’ It still says new! I’m sorry, but this isNOT new.

There were a few left over from the Nissin Mexico Meet The Manufacturer and here’s one of them. This one’s a spicy shrimp cup. Let’s check it out!

Here’s one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! You might be thinking ‘man, this guy reviews a LOT of these Hong Kong CUP Noodles!’ Well, yeah I was sent 57 different varieties form Nissin Hong Kong last year so yeah – lots of them! But this one is actually from Nissin China. The packaging is similar, but different. Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia about Nissin’s footprint:

I reviewed this probably over 1000 reviews or more ago, but I noticed on this one it says it’s got a new formula. So bihun is rice vermicelli. But baso sapi – what’s that? Wikipedia, if you please:

Here’s one I recently received by way of a reader named Colin from Arlington, Massachusetts – thanks again! So you might find these in either a refrigerated or non-refrigerated area at a grocery store. Indeed, I’ve always found this to be a bit of an oddity; why would it be in both places? Well first off, it doesn’t require refrigeration. However, sometimes this style of noodle is called ‘fresh noodles’ and so when you couple that with a refrigerated section, it gives it a little more premium feel. Anyways, here’s a little about udon from Wikipedia:

Today, we bid a fond farewell to Mama Pat’s Foods as the Meet The Manufacturer will be ending. Chef Ron informed me though that there will be cups and new flavors coming, so we’ll just say until next time. So chicken fajitas – here’ Wikipedia on the fajita:

Today, it’s lamb stew! So I really never have had lamb stew, nor really cooked lamb very often. I thought though I ought to at least make an attempt, and so today I’m going to sous vide up some lamb to go along with the noodles. But as for stew, let’s see what wikipedia has to say:

One of the first things I learned about Mama Pat’s foods was when I saw a video of Chef Ron making gumbo at a store demo. He used big bags of shrimp, tons of crab and other really great ingredients. He didn’t hold back and definitely went for the gusto. I’m a fan of seafood but haven’t had a lot of seafood from the USA as of late since it’s usually found slathered in white sauces or copious amounts of butter. I definitely got spoiled in Malaysia and Thailand trying all that seafood from there – amazing stuff! Gumbo however is something different. It’s full of seafood and has a nice strong taste – something I really like. I have high hopes for this one; it sounds good, but will it be? Let’s give this seafood gumbo a look!

To kick off this Meet The Manufacturer, I thought I’d start with a flavor that just about every instant noodle company makes. Chicken. Indeed, it’s a kind of universal flavor – one that everyone can identify with. Well, unless your vegetarian. This is a very unique instant noodle insofar as it comes with a free drink – something I’ve never seen before in my well over 2,000 reviews thus far. So let’s check out Mama Pat’s Chicken Taco!

Here’s one of the waning few left sent by Nissin Hong Kong for their Meet The Manufacturer. Last year was the 45th anniversary of the Cup Noodle! Let’s see what wikipedia has to say about their history:

Here’s another one I found at a local Indian grocery. So this was in with the instant noodles. They have tall cylindrical wire cage-like things that hold instant noodles there. Kind of weird; I’ve seen many Indian groceries have instant noodles this way. Pazzta! Let’s check it out.

This one came by way of Kamran R, from Australia – thanks again! He went with hie family on vacation to Bali. I read about these a while back and definitely have been wanting to try them. I mean c’mon – pizza cheese flavor mi goreng? Here’s a translation about the My Noodlez line of products –

Wait a second – this looks familiar. So there are two versions of the Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkummyun cheese flavor bowls. Indeed there are two versions of the packs as well. Here’s the orange version I reviewed – #2291. What’s the difference? I’m going to guess that they came out with the black one first and people mistook it for the regular version and were annoyed. Kind of makes sense since the black one definitely looks like the standard Buldak Bokkummyun bowl. Well, except for the chicken with the cheese. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the original variety:

Well hello there! Indeed, I rarely have the chance to get instant noodles from Fiji. This is only the second time ever that I’ve had any. Actually, I think the last time was about five years ago when a reader sent a couple varieties. I don’t know a lot about Fiji, so thought I’d consult wikipedia and share some info here:

So here’s yet another variety from Nissin Foods Hong Kong. Indeed, they sent a massive amount of varieties for Meet The Manufacturer! This one’s a rice vermicelli for the health conscious. Here’s a little info about rice vermicelli from wikipedia:

I was at the store the other day and looking in the ethnic section. As it turns out, they’ve got a Kosher section and lo and behold, I find something I’ve not reviewed before. Indeed, there are a lot of Kosher instant noodles out there. So, what makes something Kosher? Here’s some info from wikipedia:

This one is a left over from the Nissin Foods Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer – thanks again for sending so many! So lately I’ve noticed quite a few of the Demae Iccho varieties in local stores around where I live. I’ve also found them in the past in Canada including this one. What’s the difference? Well, it all comes down to meat.

Well hello there! Indeed, I rarely have the chance to get instant noodles from Fiji. This is only the second time ever that I’ve had any. Actually, I think the last time was about five years ago when a reader sent a couple varieties. I don’t know a lot about Fiji, so thought I’d consult wikipedia and share some info here:

Okay so here’s another one of the new recipe Cup Noodles from Nissin Foods USA – thanks again for sending ’em over! I did a kind of experiment a while back – one that ended pretty well. See, on Instagram I often see people enjoying their instant noodles alongside a beer as well as some form of Chee-Tos, whether they be regular, Flamin’ Hot or Flamin’ Hot Limon. What’s kind of funny about it is that it sort of makes sense. See, Chee-Tos kind of have the same effect on instant noodles as tempura. Weird but true – they’re crunchy but also work well in broth. It’s alright if you think I’m crazy, but I do find this somewhat poetic. Let’s check it out.

So here’s something new I found at HMart. This is going to be battle for me, however you might wonder why. Well, much of the package is shiny gold colored. Unfortunately, shiny gold and silver packages are evil. I mean, not really, but really at the same time. Indeed they look nice, but they add a bit of an issue to my process. Indeed, scanning gold or silver foil packs presents a real problem. No matter what, there are wrinkles in the packaging, and ones I usually can use Photoshop to get rid of. However, these wrinkles when in a shiny foil wreak havoc with the scanner and the images come out extremely light and dark in spots. Anyway, just a little behind the scenes on what I do when putting out a post.

I believe this is the last of the Disney themes products I have from Nissin Thailand. Winnie the Pooh apparently is popular in Thailand! Today, it’s chicken and corn, two flavors that sound good together and indeed usually are,. Let’s give this one a look!

Today we have a variety I found locally. Specifically,I got them at Asian Food Center on 130th & Aurora in Seattle. In any event, this store is actually kind of new and pretty awesome. What’s more, we got to see a shoplifter try to escape a security guard and slink out of her coat and backpack to make a getaway! Exciting, yes – but stupid. I don’t understand why people go and do this. Understandably, many people are poor, but this kind of action will result in more problems. In fact, stealing drives up prices for everyone. Hence, let’s crack open this Liu Quan bowl and see it’s innards!