Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
The package says ‘yummy just got yummier.’ I can’t argue with that; I like yummy and more yummy is a paramount concern. Indeed, the proliferation of yummy is something that should be on everyone’s agenda. I mean, who doesn’t like yummy; the term passing through the mouth evokes a feeling of childhood giddiness and reckless abandon for anything else that’s a concern of the day. It’s a pure admission of surrender to the palate.
I’ve tried the pack version of this and it was some of the best I’ve had. I really like that the South Korean companies have now adopted the wider thick noodle in a lot of products. These have a little extra character and are very good. So Jjajang usually begins the word jjajangmyeon – basically a noodle with black bean sauce. Let’s see how the bowl version of this product fares.
Oh hey, ramen bokki! So this is a fusion of two foods: South Korean ramyun and one of the words I would say I’ve seen spelled about a zillion different ways, tteokbokki. Tteokbokki are big chewy tubes made from rice flour and they’re really good. Usually, it’s made with a spicy and sweet sauce, egg, fish cake, etc. Good stuff! So this is that but instead of with the rice tubes, you get the noodles. Let’s check it out!
Here’s one sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. Box From Japan is a monthly subscription service where you can get boxes of neat Japanese instant ramen or boxes of candy and they have other special ones as well! Definitely, give them a look!
Yet another from Javier over at Box From Japan. Box From Japan is a purveyor of monthly subscription boxes – ramen bowls and candy are at the forefront among other neat things – check ’em out! Today it’s a miso ramen – here’s a little something from Wikipedia –
So yesterday, I reviewed the Cup Noodles Tom Yam Seafood. Today, it’s the potato chip with the same flavor! Sounds good to me – I like seafood and seafood potato chips are among those things never seen in the United States. Let’s give ’em a try!
Here’s one that came by way of Zenpop. Zenpop has monthly boxes of instant noodles from Japan you can get as well as a very popular line of Japanese stationary. Here’s what they have to say about this variety:
Another one from the recent KOKA Meet The Manufacturer. A curry from Singapore – can’t say I’ve met one of those I didn’t like. Let’s have a look.
Ahh, Laksa – nothing like it. In fact, there are lots of kinds of laksa; sweet, creamy, curry, fish – every area has their own take on the dish. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about laksa –
Today it’s tonkotsu from Hong Kong. This is part of the series that’s expanded since being in the 2017 top ten list with their black garlic oil tonkotsu. For those of you unfamiliar, here’s a little about tonkotsu ramen from Wikipedia –
Here’s another one sent by Javier over at BoxFromJapan.com. Box From Japan offers subscription boxes of all sorts of neat Japanese things including candy and ramen! Check ’em out!
I thought maybe a whole wheat ramen noodle might pair well with Szechuan flavors. These look really interesting and to be honest, I have a partiality to whole wheat noodles. Let’s have a look!
So Pad Thai might immediately come to mind as that noodle dish with lots of thick peanutty sauce and some meat and veggies popular here in the United States. But you might not know it but pad Thai simply means Thai noodles, and they’re able to be used in anything. Today I’m going to juxtapose them with a Pho broth, broth from Nona Lim. Let’s get started.
I thought it a no-brainer to pick Hakata Ramen to try with the miso. The other I’ll try with it will be the Tokyo Ramen. Anyways: Hakata Ramen. What is it, Wikipedia?
So for this Meet The Manufacturer, things are a little different. Nona Lim makes noodles and broths, so you can mix and match them. First, we’ll start with these Pad See Ew Rice Noodles. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Pad See Ew –
So for this Meet The Manufacturer, things are a little different. Nona Lim makes noodles and broths, so you can mix and match them. First, we’ll start with these Pad See Ew Rice Noodles. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Pad See Ew –
Here we have one that’s changed their packaging a bit to include instructions in English as well as mention of its place on the 2016 top ten.
Here’s another one I found up in Canada in July of 2017. So this one isn’t made in South Korea or the United States – it’s made in China. A lot of Nogshim varieties up in Canada hail from mainland China which I discovered a few years back. I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed a potato pork version that I got up in Canada before that was a Nongshim China product, but I know it didn’t look like this one. Anyways, let’s see how this is – bring on the noodles!
I couldn’t help myself. I thought that for my 2,600th review, maybe an homage to the first video game console I’d ever played was in order. I thought the pixelated graphics could do a nice job and so here we are. So this is a new range for Nissin Cup Noodle Nice. The Cup Noodle Nice look to me a distant cousin of the Cup Noodle Light+ series – they contain non-fried noodles for starters. They have the same fiber as a ton of lettuce, lower calories, etc. If this comes out as good as the Light+ varieties did, then this should be something special. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about Nissin Japan –
I have long recognized this package – except this one has a twist! These have no broth. Here’s a little from Wikipedia about Neoguri –
Well this sounds like a good one! It sounds to be like a chicken shio variety. Shio is one of the classic ramen varieties from Japan. Let’s see a little more about shio from Wikipedia –
Here’s a spicy one from South Korea. Not just spicy but cold, bibimmyun is a favorite in South Korea during the summer months. Usually accompanied by a bright and spicy sauce, bibimmyun brings a strong taste to the table. This variety mentions yulmu. Yulmu (also known as Job’s Tears) is used in order to make yulmu-cha, a tea enjoyed in South Korea.
Here’s one sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. At Box From Japan, you can receive boxes of instant ramen from Japan as well as different subscription boxes like Japanese candy! Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? What’s more, in the two years I’ve been reviewing these, I’ve not ever received one that I’d reviewed before! So what is this Yokosuna all about? Well, I could be wrong, but it looks like Yokozuna is an echelon attained by Japanese sumo wrestlers. The Yokozuna are the best of the best. Let’s check it out!
Found these up in Canada at the Osaka market in Yaohan Centre. So I’ve seen this on instagram a few times and been wondering what the big deal is. Moreover, what is Licca? Here’s something from Wikipedia –
Here’s one from a brand I’ve never tried before. I also must say that I really love exclamatory instant noodle names. Yippee! is probably about the happiest name I’ve come across. It seems that the closer to the end of the alphabet they get, the more interesting they are. Not only that, but someone on YouTube recommends I try them and there is one in my hamper, so I think hey – what better time to try? I got these at a local Indian supermarket in Bellevue, Washington. Let’s check ’em out!
Here’s the second and final product of this Meet The Manufacturer review series of Blount Fine Foods products. So this is one you’ll find in the refrigerated section at the supermarket and looks very fancy. Indeed as I said in the last review, I really like the little cut out on the front as seen above with the steam coming off the bowl.
I’ve reviewed many fresh varieties in the past and this is a new variety from a brand I’ve never reviewed any products from before! What’s more, it’s a company in the United States. I must say that the packaging is rather striking; it’s thick cardboard and the little cut out of the bowl and steam coming out above it is really neat.
This is the third of the rice vermicelli (bihun) varieties that MyKuali has come out with in cups. I was very surprised yesterday – happily so. They now have them at the 99 Ranch store near me – all of their pack range, the rice vermicelli bowls and the cup versions as well. Pretty surprised to see them actually – but it’s a good thing since it seems Malaysian flavors are really making a big punch into the outer world.
Here’s one sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. At Box From Japan, you can receive boxes of instant ramen from Japan as well as different subscription boxes like Japanese candy! Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? What’s more, in the two years I’ve been reviewing these, I’ve not ever received one that I’d reviewed before!
Today we have Song Song Kimchi Ramen. Kimchi varieties out of South Korea are among my favorites. I really like the tangy as well as bright, spicy flavors. Kimchi is interesting; it’s cabbage as well as many other ingredients that is allowed to ferment for an amount of time.
So I haven’t done a review of this company’s products before, however I have had therm in the past. Tao Kae Noi is pretty well known for their crunchy seaweed snacks. They make them in quite a few flavors – my favorite are their tom yum flavored ones – spicy and tasty.This pack comes with a couple pieces of their snack seaweed. Let’s see a little from Wikipedia about Tom Yum Kung –
So this is the last of the three fresh varieties sent to me by Yamachan – thank you again! First off, Yamachan is pretty easily found in the United States – I’ve not only seen their products in Japanese/Asian supermarkets but at higher-end domestic grocery stores. Here’s a little from Wikipedia on Tonkotsu and Shoyu Ramen –
So I have a new contact named Danny at Nongshim Korea – one of the guys from Happy Souper helped me get a hold of him via email – thanks! Danny was kind enough to send along these new Mr. Bibim varieties. They’re dry noodles with a liquid base and kimchi included. Here’s a little about kimchi from wikipedia –
Here’s one sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. At Box From Japan, you can receive boxes of instant ramen from Japan as well as different subscription boxes like Japanese candy! Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? What’s more, in the two years I’ve been reviewing these, I’ve not ever received one that I’d reviewed before! This one has a unique flavor – let’s see a little more from Wikipedia –
So here’s one of the new Nissin Hong Kong straight noodle variants. I had to do a little looking to find what ‘aka tonkotsu’ was. Mainly the ‘aka’ part wasn’t something I’d heard of before. As it turned out, ‘aka’ refers to the spicy cod roe (eggs) in this one. Sounds interesting! Here’s a little about the tonkotsu style of broth from Wikipedia –
Here is a new Cup Noodles variety from Nissin Hong Kong – Laksa! It’s interesting how a lot of flavors of Malaysia and Singapore are making their way further east lately. Many different Laksa varieties exist, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one from Hong Kong before. Here’s a little from Wikipedia about Laksa –
Here’s another left over from the Tat Hui/KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series. Indeed, I’ve been really enjoying their Creamy Soup line. Actually, it’s not just an enjoyment, but a fascination – is it a soup with noodles or a noodles with soup? It’s kind of more the former rather than the latter as it comes with a pack of crushed noodles.
I contacted Yamachan a couple of weeks ago and they had new varieties for me to review! I did a Meet The Manufacturer with them a long time ago and their stuff is really great. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about miso –
