Category: * Stars 4.1 – 5.0

#2977: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Braised Pork Noodle

#2977: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Braised Pork Noodle

Here’s one of the very last varieties I found in Taiwan during my last visit in November, 2017. Big thanks to Kyle K. for help translating this one! So braised meats from Taiwan are some of the most amazing flavors – anywhere. I’m telling you – find a Taiwanese restaurant and get some braised pork – it’ll blow your freaking mind. Alright – let’s crack this bowl open and get this going. ...see full post

#2974: Itomen Bansyu Ramen

#2974: Itomen Bansyu Ramen

Here’s another one I got from a box I wasn’t expecting a while back. This is part of that box which was sent by the Itomen distributor in Taiwan – thank you again! Not sure how they got a hold of my address, but they did and sent me noodles so that’s pretty nice of them. This variety is Bansyu Ramen which they explain as, “Soy sauce and Salt from Banyu. Bansyu is famous for its soy sauce and Salt in Japan since 17th century).” Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#2973: MAMA Oriental Kitchen Shrimp Stir Fried Tomyum Sauce Noodle

#2973: MAMA Oriental Kitchen Shrimp Stir Fried Tomyum Sauce Noodle

Here’s a new variety sent by the nice folks over at Thai Foods in Thailand – thank you! I’m really excited – my son Miles and I haven’t done a spicy noodle challenge with anything from Thailand thus far and I think this might be the one we’ll try. For those of you who haven’t tried before, tom yum is a spicy, citrussy and tasty flavor from Thailand usually in a soup form, but here is a dry noodle. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#2947: Kiki Sichuan Beef Noodles Soup (台湾KIKI 牛肉面)

#2947: Kiki Sichuan Beef Noodles Soup (台湾KIKI 牛肉面)

Alright – to start off, wow. This is huge. This box screams fancy, that’s for sure. I’ve had a few of Kiki’s dry noodle varieties, but recently this and a Mapo Tofu variety came out as well (which of course I’ll be reviewing soon). Beef Noodle Soup is exceedingly popular in Taiwan – here’s a little about it from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2944: Myojo Japanese Style Noodles Pork Flavor (Gyokai Tonkotsu)

#2978: Myojo Japanese Style Noodles Pork Flavor (Gyokai Tonkotsu)

I thought it would be cool since I got a set of those Egglettes things to make soft boiled eggs and I also have chashu and all my veg to make something from the cold case. I’ve been eyeballing these Myojo refrigerated varieties for quite some time now and thought hey – let’s get one and cook it up! So, that’s what I’m doing and here we go! ...see full post

#2931: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Creamy Chicken Flavor (New Packaging)

#2931: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Creamy Chicken Flavor (New Packaging)

Yesterday, I needed a new pair of pants. I’m not into ultra fashionable stuff – like paying $100 for jeans, so we went to Walmart. Walmart is an interesting place – you’ll see some interesting people there – especially at the one in Lynnwood, Washington. When we got out of the car, there was the sound of some guy at the other side of the parking lot screaming obscenities at someone or some thing – unsure. But that was entertaining. In the store, we g ot to see a lady with a very small dog barking at everyone and every thing ( apparently, if you have an ’emotional support’ dog you can bring it with you, but this dog needed emotional support and was definitely not providing it for anyone). I did get some new pants, and they were extremely cheap. $16 for pants. It’s been a while since we’ve been to Walmart so I thought a trip down the domestic instant noodle aisle might be in order. Surprisingly, they had a very small amount of them, however they did have this pack. Creamy Chicken has been one of my absolute favorites for a very,  very long time. I am curious to see whether or not they’ve changed the recipe as that seems to be a popular thing to do in the US instant noodle market right now. Let’s crack open this new package design and give it a try! ...see full post

#2927: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Dynasty Beef Tendon Instant Noodle

#2927: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Dynasty Beef Tendon Instant Noodle

Here’s one of the six varieties sent by a Taiwanese university student. She asked if I could review a specific set of varieties as special research for her master’s thesis and I said absolutely. I’m not sure about this variety – insofar what Dynasty Beef is. I did some looking, but it seems that the word dynasty kind of takes precedent in search results and so that’s not very helpful. Anyways, let’s have a look at this fancy one from Taiwan. ...see full post

#2924: Samyang Foods Samyang Ramen Spicy Flavor

#2924: Samyang Foods Samyang Ramen Spicy Flavor

Spicy is definitely something that Samyang Foods is known for what with their ubiquitous Buldak Bokkeummyun spicy stir noodle line. This however, should also get some due attention. This is the spicy version of their first-ever product, and indeed the first ramyun to be produced in South Korea. What has come as bit of a surprise lately is that this is not a beef variety – it’s ham. Wait, what?! Ham? Yep. I thought beef was the focal point of this one, but from a TV spot Samyang Foods did, it’s pretty evident that it isn’t. Learn something new all the time. Well, let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#2911: New Touch Classic Shouyu Ramen

#2911: New Touch Classic Shouyu Ramen

Here’s another neat one from Zenpop.JP. Thank you! So Zenpop has all sorts of monthly boxes including ramen boxes. Nine instant ramen in one box for a good price – check ’em out! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Simple, classic shouyu ramen will never be boring. Flavorful vegetables, roasted garlic, and black pepper boost the savory taste of shouyu based chicken soup. The toppings include chopped roasted pork, shrimps, scrambled eggs and green onions.’ ...see full post

#2909: Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup – United States

#2995: Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup - United States

When the Very Veggie line came out, my first thought was that it would just be varieties for Vegans and Vegetarians. Surprisingly, there was no option for this crowd. Well, it seems that that has changed! This one was sent to me by Robert Z. from Kentucky – thanks man – go check out his cooking blog www.dadbert.com! He found this at a local grocery store – nothing about this and the other new Cup Noodles he found and sent on their site or mentioned on Instagram. This has led me to think that perhaps he’s in what’s called a ‘test market.’ In some areas, a product will be introduced to meter how it’s received by the public – if it sells really well, it’ll go nationwide. If not, it might be pulled. Let’s pop the lid and look under the hood. ...see full post

#2871: Island Foods Chiba · Matsudo Tsukemen (Dipping noodles) – Chuka Soba Tomita

#2871: Island Foods Chiba · Matsudo Tsukemen (Dipping noodles) - Chuka Soba Tomita

Here’s one sent to me by Ippin, a purveyor of lots of different Japanese products. This is definitely a fancy variety from a set of Kanto region varieties based on popular ramen shops. Not a lot of boxes come across my desk so this should be interesting! Here’s what the Ippin website had to say about this variety: ...see full post

#2870: Little Cook Tomato Beef Noodles

#2870: Little Cook Tomato Beef Noodles

I received this as a gift from a representative of the Little Cook brand in Taipei, Taiwan at the Taiwan International Food Expo! Thank you very much! She also accepted the third place award from The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition – Little Cook Green Curry –  at the awards show. I’ve been waiting for the right time to have this one! Let’s take a look! ...see full post