Category: * Stars 4.1 – 5.0

#3328: Chef Nic’s Noodles Hot And Spicy – Taiwan

#3265: Chef Nic's Noodles Hot And Spicy - Taiwan

I’ve seen these recently at our local 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds, Washington. They’re on the more expensive end – closer to $6USD which is pretty steep, but I wanted to do a Spicy Noodle Mukbang video, was in the mood for something new from Taiwan… This just smacked of something interesting to try. Not only that, it was in a box. I swear, although more expensive, little boxes that are fancy with instant noodles in them are pretty dang cool. ...see full post

#3327: Ramen Hero Spicy Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen – United States

#3254: Ramen Hero Spicy Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen - United States

I’ve gone to a couple ramen restaurants and hotten something mentioning spicy. Well, it hasn’t impressed me in flavor or spiciness in the past and been, well, bitter. I’m really curious about this one, though. Ramen Hero is based in the Bay Area and serves a few surrounding states at the time of this post – check their site for current service area. You pick your ramen, pay, and they’ll overnight you a set of ingredients to make a bowl of ramen at home – including garnish! Not bad. Let’s give this one a try – they send four and since they’re perishable, I’m going to do them over the next couple days. ...see full post

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor – Taiwan

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor - Taiwan

Over 3000 reviews ago, I tried this, so it’s getting a fresh new review. 3000 reviews – holy cow. This was review #274 – before I’d been to Taiwan, before I really knew about varieties like this. Remarkably, I cooked it correctly due to the decent cooking instructions. But this is a diamond in the rough; one of the very few varieties exported to the United States from Taiwan that are cooked in this unique manner. You might be thinking ‘unique manner?’ Well, this is to be enjoyed as a dry noodle AND a separate soup.In the mood for something interesting? Let’s do this. ...see full post

#3318: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio – Japan

#3399: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio - Japan

I’ve known about this one for a while, but I was finally able to score some – and what better time to roll it out than for Halloween! I’m hpoing it’s good – I mean, when you look at this, your first thought (at least mine) is gimmick – but then again what we find inside looks fascinating – blue noodles! Let’s take a look and see how it tastes! ...see full post

#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu 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 – ‘This is called geikikara’ (extremely hot); however, it’s not as hot as it thinks it is. We bet you will like this even if you are not a big fan of spiciness. The rich tonkotsu soup contains delicious ma-yu (burnt sesame oil and garlic), and it creates an irresistable smell for your appetite. The unique octagonal form of the box is to let it stand out from other noodles.’ ...see full post

#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!

I found some info online about this one and had to use Google translation –

● Miso-tonkotsu ramen where you can feel the taste in the hotness, which is made by adding the spicy taste with the chili pepper and soya bean paste to the pork broth, and the richness with the miso and the flower bud.  ● The soup is based on a hot pepper base with chili pepper and comes out with 2 kinds of rice miso and neri sesame seeds, and it has an exquisite and deep taste with the addition of the flavor of fish and the smell of florets.  ● Excellent compatibility with soup and straight non-fried noodles.  ● For hot taste, I blended several spices and seasonings, and I was particular about not only the hotness but also the quality of hotness.  -It is a tonkotsu ramen that is unbearable for those who really like hot things.  ● Please note that this is a very hard ramen. ...see full post

#3307: O’Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT – South Korea

#3307: O'Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT - South Korea

Here’s another one I found over at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. This new O’Taste brand seems to be cropping up a lot lately. It’s interesting as it’s not exactly a Nongshim variety, but it’s Taekyung Food & Processing, and I’m unsure exactly how they fit in with the Nongshim corporate structure. Maybe I should find out. ...see full post

#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba – Japan

#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba - Japan

Here’s one from an Umai Crate – a subscription box from Japan. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount if you’d like to get one! Here’s what they have to say about it – ‘There’s a saying in Japan that long noodles are good luck for a long life! These soba (buckwheat) noodles are extra long for that reason! They also come with tasty crispy tempura balls, seaweed and crunchy shrimp.’ ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

This is the seventh year of the Top Ten Taiwan Instant Noodles list! Every year, I’m truly amazed at the innovation and unique varieties coming from the beautiful island of Taiwan. If you haven’t had the experience of visiting, you really should – the food, the culture – it truly has been a life changing experience for me. Growing up, all I knew of Taiwan was labels on products that simply said ‘made in Taiwan’ – but it so much more. One aspect is the noodle, and they’re really unique and delicious. This is a list of my favorite out of the reviews I’ve done up to number 3,284. Many images you will see have garnish, however only the base product before any is added is what’s reviewed, as in all of my reviews. I hope you enjoy this year’s list and consider trying some of these great varieties if you’ve not tried before – they’re really great! With that, here’s the Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition. ...see full post

#3278: Uni-President Imperial Big Meal Beef Flavor – Taiwan

#3278: Uni-President Imperial Big Meal Beef Flavor - Taiwan

This is a big and somewhat heavy bowl from Taiwan. I’ve reviewed the version not made for export (this one usually goes to Hong Kong). What was funny about this one is that I found it up in Canada at a store in Aberdeen Centre – defintely not where this belongs. It’s full of beef and import restrictions would bar it from Canada. What a nice surprise! Let’s check out this one with Australian and New Zealand beef! ...see full post

#3270: Fitmee Konjac Chicken Soto – Indonesia

#3270: Fitmee Konjac Chicken Soto - Indonesia

The second of the Fitmee varieties sent by Empire International – thanks again! I sampled the first a couple days ago and was very impressed – it was a kind of buldak dry version that was pretty good and only 150 calories! This one has a soto flavor and is – get this – only 60 calories! What’s soto? Here’s some info from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#3269: Vite Ramen Vegan Mushroom Shio Instant Noodle Soup – United States

#3269: Vite Ramen Vegan Mushroom Shio Instant Noodle Soup - United States

The third of the Vite Ramen offerings. The first time around when I sampled the prototypes, this was my favorite – curious how I’ll like it this time around as full fledged version 1.0! I should mention that I hear that there will be an updated version coming soon – 1.1? 2.0? Not sure but definitely will be giving the three another go when they update them. Let’s get started. ...see full post

#3265: Mom’s Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry – Taiwan

#3328: Mom's Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry - Taiwan

One of my favorite styles of curry would have to be green curry. It’s very different from the others – a kind of crisp and savory flavor rolled into one. This is really exciting to try – curry from Taiwan in collaboration with a company from Thailand. Very curious. Been waiting a couple weeks to hit this up, so let’s go! ...see full post