Category: * Stars 3.1 – 4.0

Meet The Manufacturer: #1355: Mamee Instant Vermicelli Chicken Flavour

Looks like today is going to be one of the nicest weather-wise yet this year. Here in the northwest, it’s been raining. A lot. We had the wettest March on record last month, which has hindered my exercise. I usually take a mile or two walk everyday, but that’s fallen by the wayside as of late. Definitely have been feeling the effects of not walking… So off I go! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1353: Mamee Instant Noodles Vegetarian Flavour

Today we have a bright green package – vegetarian flavor. It seems most product lines have at least one variety that’s vegetarian. The approximations of what a general ‘vegetable’ tastes like however has differed from brand to brand, from the vile to the exalted tasty treat. This one’s made with the ‘Mi Tarik’ technology at Mamee’s factory. This is where they emulate the technique of hand-pulling noodles with their equipment. Hand pulling noodles is interesting; the chef starts with a long thick roll, doubles it up, flours it, then swings it around a bit. This is repeated, doubling the amount of strands every time until there are a couple hundred noodles. I’ll put a video at the end showing someone doing this. Anyways, let’s give these vegetarian noodles a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1351: Mamee Monster Chicken Flavour Snack Noodles

Mamee Monster is Mamee’s line of snack noodles. I’ve been really wanting to try these for a long time. Snack noodles are noodles that are seasoned and crushed and eaten without any cooking; kind of like potato chips or corn chips. I’ve seen these online quite a few times and always though hey – look it’s a blue monster and it’s instant noodles – rad!! So let’s have a look at this popular Malaysian snack. ...see full post

#1347: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Octopus Ramyun

Today I’m trying something really interesting. This is Paldo’s new spicy octopus ramyun! I thought I couldn’t make this stuff without adding some octopus, but I’d never cooked it before and was a little reserved and slightly nervous. Octopus? Hey, why not! I went to the Korean grocery and picked some up. It was a bit of a surprise how many different kinds of packaged octopus there are. I settled on frozen baby octopus. Let’s see how it turns out! ...see full post

#1346: Oyatsu Baby Star Ramen Round Consomme Mini

Here’s a neat one I got at Fujiya up in Richmond, BC during this year’s birthday trip! This is a snack ramen – basically cooked and dried ramen that’s crunchy and tasty! I really like finding new ones to try as eventually I’m thinking a top ten list of snack ramen noodles will be produced. Anyways, let’s have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1344: Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen

Here’s the second of three varieties of this new ‘Rice Ramen.’ This one is a bit different than the last as it boasts a red miso and uses millet and brown aspects for its noodle. What’s really great about these new products is that they’re Vegan friendly and gluten free – lots of people have asked me about gluten and vegetarian instants and I’m thinking these might be a nice one for those folks to try. Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#1339: Kin-Dee Instant Rice Noodle Pad Thai

Here’s a brand I’ve never tried before. Got it up in Canada last year in July. I’m pretty excited – Friday’s my birthday and we’re headed up to Canada on Saturday to do some noodle hunting! I’ve had quite a few Pad Thai ‘make at home’ dishes before – some that were pretty good and some that tasted absolutely nothing like Pad Thai. Curious how this one will pan out – let’s have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1336: Shirakiku Fresh Chow Mein Noodles With Seasoning

I’m sure you’re gonna say it – this looks familiar. Well, it’s part of a really neat coincidence that happened recently. I reviewed this one by Takamori Kosan of Japan the other day. Well, it was actually made by Sakura Noodle in Los angeles, California for the US market under their name! This one here is also made by Sakura Noodle but under the Shirakiku name. Are they different? Yep! If you look at the ingredients and nutrition facts on eacvh, there are some subtle differences. What’s interesting is that I contacted Takamori Kosan about doing a Meet The Manufacturer with them and they seem quite receptive, so keep an eye out for it coming soon! A day or so later, I was contacted by Sakura Noodle. I looked at their website and noticed this chow mein and asked if perhaps Takamori Kosan had contacted them, but they hadn’t – neat coincidence! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1335: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Hot & Spicy Flavor

Today is a good day for spicy noodles. I just did my big walk of the day – something I’ve not been able to do for a week or so – it’s been raining alot here just north of Seattle. A lot. In fact, there was a weather alert for landslides due to so much rain… Sheesh. Walk was good and now I’ve got the pre-season baseball audio going – Giants vs Royals today. I’m a Giants fan – my wife converted me from being a Mariners fan when we got together as she used to play softball and got quite a few trophies. The first year I started following the Giants was 2010, and lo and behold, they won the world Series! Then again in 2012. I think as long as we win the even years, we’re good to go. Anyways, spicy udon sounds really good today and I think I know just what to add to it – Fresno chilli peppers! They’re playing the game today in Scottsdale, AZ, and a lot of their minor league players get a chance to get a chance to be in the roster. Many of them are from the Fresno, CA AAA team. Let’s check these noodles out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1334: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Mushroom Flavor

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms. I’ve liked them a little more and more over time, but they’re really not something I seek out and enjoy thoroughly. On the other hand, my wife absolutely loves mushroom.s and savors them. She also really likes udon, so I thought I’d make these for her. Let’s open this bag up and see what’s inside. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1333: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Oriental Flavor

I asked my wife to pick today’s variety and she picked this one. I was thinking – what is Oriental flavor? Well, the French version tells us. I tried Google’s auto translate and it thought it was Spanish for ‘nice.’ In French, bonito means bonito. So, what does bonito mean? Simple. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1332: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Chicken Flavor

Here’s the first of the Sakura Noodle Inc. Meet The Manufacturer! I thought I’d start off with chicken. I haven’t been using a lot of chicken lately and it sounded like a nice little departure from the norm lately. Usually I save the chicken varieties for my son to eat when he’s here – chicken noodles are his favorite. Let’s give this one a try! ...see full post

#1331: Indomie Taste Of Asia Mi Kuah Rasa Tom Yum Ala Thailand

I’ve been asked about this special series from Indomie for a long time and finally got my hands on some! Indomie’s Taste Of Asia line has three components: Laksa representing Singapore, Bulgogi representing South Korea, and finally Tom Yum to represent Thailand. I thought since I embark on a new Meet The Manufacturer tomorrow, I’d try something a little different. So Tom Yum is a Thai soup, usually with very strong spiciness and citrus flavors. I’m very curious as to how they’ll do this one. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1328: A-Sha Hello Kitty La Wei (Spicy Flavor)

This one was sent by the folks at A-Sha – thank you very much! I’m always on the lookout for Hello Kitty instant noodles. Why? Well, my wife really likes Hello Kitty. They wanted me to be sure to let people klnow that these cannot be found for sale in the United States – sorry folks – gotta pack your bags and fly to Taiwan! This one’s spicy – which seems a little funny to me. I would think anything Hello Kitty would be very light in flavor and tame for the kids. I think the kids over in Taiwan can handle their spicy stuff! That’s rad! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1326: Mamee Mi Segera SLLRRRP! Perencah Kari Xtra Pedas

Here’s another one sent to me by Annie T. over at MyKuali – thanks again! As I’ve said before, I love curry. There are so many different curries out there – sweet, spicy, slightly bland. Pastes, powders, sauces… It’s pretty enjoyable! I’ve been really enjoying reviewing curries from this region – Malaysia and Singapore – wonderful places that make some awesome curry instants! This one purports to be ‘xtra pedas’ which translates to extra hot. Let’s see if this stuff is really spicy or not. ...see full post

#1325: Koka Noodles Spicy Shrimp Tom Yam Flavour

Here’s another one sent by Charles, a serviceman in Afghanistan – thanks! I’ve seen these cups for a long time online but never have I tried one. It seems KOKA sells their noodles in three places – Singapore, the US and the UK. They have different kinds available in each market too which is logical. Most large noodle manufacturers do this actually; look at the flavors sold here in the US versus the ones by the same company sold in Japan. It’s kind of the ‘when in Rome’ logic and it works for them. Let’s have a look inside this cup by KOKA. ...see full post

#1321: Takamori Fresh Chow Mein Noodles With Seasoning

A co-worker named Joan at my wife’s work recently went to Hawaii and went out of her way to find something I hadn’t tried yet! She looked through the Big List and lo and behold, I hadn’t tried this chow mein! Thank you very much! These are fresh noodles, usually found in the cold section. They’re also a broth free variety. You might be more familiar with them as yakisoba, a noodle dish that can be found at little teriyaki joints all over. Let’s give this a try! ...see full post

#1320: MAMA Instant Noodles Cup Seafood Flavour

My nose is running, my throat is sore and I feel pretty crummy. Sneezing, sore eyes and sore everything – I’ve got a cold and a bad one at that. Not a fun day, that’s for sure – it’s raining and windy outside as well which makes taking our dogs out a real chore, especially when they’re pugs. Pugs don’t like to get wet; they (at least the pugs we have) aren’t very rugged creatures; they like to sleep and be constantly comfortable. ...see full post

#1313: Healtimie Green Barley Noodle Vegetable Soup

Another from a friend in Indonesia – thank you! I’ve reviewed quite a few instant noodles lately that have been less ‘vanilla’ in color. I had some purple ones, another green one from Taiwan and a Japanese variety a week or two ago that had ‘jet black’ broth! This one’s hook is that it has green barley in it. I did a bit of looking around and found some information on green barley/barley grass here. From what it says, it’s good for you, but how does it do in the case of being added to Healtimie noodles? Let’s have a look. ...see full post

#1312: Maruchan ‘I Want To Eat Ramen’ Miso Flavor

I can honestly say that I want to eat ramen. Every day. Well, if not ramen, ramyun, udon, mi goreng, mee and every other kind of instant noodle out there! It’s fun! Sometimes it’s hard to decide which one to review though, and so my wife was kind enough to pick one out of the bin and toss it to me this morning – and this is it. Let’s have a look! Most people here in the US think of Maruchan as making their instant packs and ‘Instant Lunch’ cups, but they make a varied line of products over in Japan with more traditional flavors from the region. But to start things off before any reviewing, today is Valentine’s Day – happy Valentine’s Day to all! My wife Kit and I spent a special day yesterday in Seattle yesterday… ...see full post

#1298: Good Tto Leu Foods Lightning Beef Bone Tteokguk (Rice Cake Soup)

Thanks go to James K. of KoreAm for translation help as well as educating me on this one! Ramen? Nope. Ramyun? Nope. Udon? Nope. This is tteokguk! Tteok is South Korean rice cake. They’re flat and chewy! It’s often served on Lunar New Year and other special holidays. Let’s give it a try – Happy Lunar New Year! ...see full post

#1278: Ottogi Ppushu Ppushu Noodle Snack Bulgogi Flavor

I did an appearance on a show called Cam Fu & Friends which was recorded at Microsoft on January 7th, 2014. Cam the host and I met because of instant noodles a while back. He did instant noodle reviews on The Noodle Freak for a while and then went on hiatus from it, telling folks to come check out my site, a real honor. So we actually met in person the first time the other day. He really was hoping I’d do a review on the show, and so I had to come up with something to review. Well, this one fit the bill; easily prepared during the taping! Further below, you can watch the video! Let’s check this one out. ...see full post