#2502: Indomie Instant Noodles Onion Chicken Flavor

#2502: Indomie Instant Noodles Onion Chicken Flavor

Here’s one sent by Chef Ron from Mama Pat’s Foods – thank you! So I’ve reviewed a LOT of Indomie in the past, yet it’s hard to come by new varieties to try. Luckily, here’s the first of hopefully more from Indomie’s product line from Nigeria! As far as continents go, Africa has been just the toughest for me to get varieties from. Here’s a little about Indomie from Wikipedia – ...see full post

A Spicy Package From India

A Spicy Package From India

My wife Kit was kind enough to get me a pack of noodles I’d heard about being ultra spicy! Let’s look inside! ...see full post

#2501: Happy Cook Toona Paste Noodle

#2501: Happy Cook Toona Paste Noodle - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodle

This is one I brought back with me from Taiwan! Happy Cook is a brand that one of the factories in Taichung makes. ...see full post

#2500: The Ramen Rater Select Supreme Creamy Tom Yum Noodle

TO EVERYONE ASKING ABOUT THIS ONE – THIS PRODUCT WON’T BE COMING OUT. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT. SOMEDAY I’LL COME OUT WITH MY OWN INSTANT NOODLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. ...see full post

#2499: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Chicken Flavor

#2499: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Chicken Flavor - Singapore - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s one left over from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer. These soups are interesting; instead of noodles with soup it’s more like soup with noodles! Let’s have a look at this creamy soup! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition

Now for the third year, I’m coming out with the latest Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles list. Rice noodles have some benefits as opposed to their fried wheat counterparts. First, they’re virtually fat-free. Also, they’re not fried. Rice noodles are gluten-free by nature, although the ingredients in the sachets that come with these varieties might not be. People ask me for a gluten-free list often, but that would be rather difficult as I’d have to pore over every ingredient list on every review to do this. Well, let’s have a look at these great rice noodle varieties – the best instant rice noodles varieties of the almost 2,500 reviews to date! ...see full post

The Noodle World Sampler From Zenpop Japan

The Noodle World Sampler From Zenpop Japan - The Ramen Rater ramen instant noodles

Was contacted a few weeks ago by Zenpop, a company thjat specializes in neat boxes of products from Japan! They informed me they wanted me to check out their ramen box and I was alright with that of course! They also have other kinds of boxes available – check them out here! Let’s crack this one open and see what’s inside – this month it’s the ‘Noodle World Pack!’ ...see full post

The July Box From Japan

The July Box From Japan - Japan - The Ramen Rater - samples - donations - instant ramen noodles

Every month, Box From Japan offers instant ramen subscriptions as well as candy and other special subscriptions! This is the July box. Thus far, I’ve never gotten a repeat, nor one I’d reviewed previously! Let’s have a look. ...see full post

Bokkeum Neoguri & Mr. Bibim Samples From Nongshim South Korea

Bokkeum Neoguri & Mr. Bibim Samples From Nongshim South Korea - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - ramyun

A fellow reviewer from Happy Souper posted about these new Nonshim varieties and gave me the contact info for Nongshim Korea – I lost touch with my contact a while back. These were kindly sent by Danny – thank you very much! Let’s have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2498: Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy Beef Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2498: Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy Beef Flavour - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here is where we part ways with Nissin Germany – this is the fifteenth review of Meet The Manufacturer. It’s been a lot of fun trying these European takes on instant noodles! Let’s give this final variety – spicy beef – a try. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2497: Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy

Meet The Manufacturer: #2497: Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Spicy! I like spicy things; it’s pretty obvious I think. This Cup Noodles purports to be spicy and I’m hoping it is! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2496: Nissin Soba Gebratene Nudeln Thai

Meet The Manufacturer: #2496: Nissin Soba Gebratene Nudeln Thai

Here’s the last of the Soba varieties I’ve got here. I’m very curious about Thai; is it tom yum? Is it full of basil? This Soba is short for yakisoba – a little on yakisoba from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2495: Nissin Cup Noodles Huhn (Chicken)

Meet The Manufacturer: #2495: Nissin Cup Noodles Huhn (Chicken) - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Well, there’s always going to be a chicken variety. Here it is! I really don’t know how else to introduce it or what else to say! Here’s a little something about the history of Cup Noodles from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2494: Nissin Demae Ramen Korean Kimchi Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2494: Nissin Demae Ramen Korean Kimchi Flavour - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I think it only makes sense for cabbage to have some kind of standing in Germany. I mean, sauerkraut is pickled cabbage after all. Never tried kimchi before? Here’s a little information from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2493: Nissin Cup Noodles Curry

Meet The Manufacturer: #2493: Nissin Cup Noodles Curry - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles kerrie

Ahhh curry! I love curry from everywhere in the world. Indeed, I’ve not met a curry I’ve disliked to be honest. I do like some more than others of course. A German curry… Fascinating! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2492: Nissin Smack Chili

Meet The Manufacturer: #2492: Nissin Smack Chili - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Many, many years ago, there was a company that made an instant noodle called Smack here in the United States. This is completely unrelated – although great to know the name still is around and in a new form! This one’s supposed to be spicy – let’s find out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2491: Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Yakitori Chicken

Meet The Manufacturer: #2491: Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Yakitori Chicken - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s another new variety of the Soba line – yakitori chicken. Here’s a little something about yakitori from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2490: Nissin Demae Ramen Garlic Chicken Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2490: Nissin Demae Ramen Garlic Chicken Flavour - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I’ve started noticing a theme to these Demae Ramen varieties form Germany. For the Thai Tom Yum one, there was Thai lettering in the background. This looks to be Vietnamese, so I’m guessing it’s styled after pho or something like that. I definitely like chicken and garlic is a favorite of mine. Let’s give this one a look – garlic chicken sounds very good today! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2489: Nissin Cup Noodles Ente (Duck)

Meet The Manufacturer: #2489: Nissin Cup Noodles Ente (Duck) - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

For years, I’d avoid duck flavor instant noodles. I always thought that they tasted kind of funny – until I actually ate duck. Duck is to me like curry – something really great and above everything else. Indeed, I consider duck to be a kind of exalted food. I’ve had it in Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan – but never European style. Very curious if there will be a difference… Let’s find out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2488: Nissin Demae Ramen Thai Tom Yum

Meet The Manufacturer: #2488: Nissin Demae Ramen Thai Tom Yum - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

This isn’t something I expected – a Thai Tom Yum from a German company? Yep! This makes me incredibly curious; will it taste like tom yum? Here’s a little about tom yum from Wikipedia if you’ve never tried – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2487: Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Sukiyaki Beef

Meet The Manufacturer: #2487: Nissin Soba Nudeln Mit Yakisoba Sauce Sukiyaki Beef - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I’m really stoked – Nissin Germany sent a few new Soba varieties! I like these – not only are they really good, they have neat plastic cups with draining lids. But Sukiyaki Beef – let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about sukiyaki – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2486: Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy

Meet The Manufacturer: #2486: Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

There’s always a spicy. There has to be! Spicy tasting things are popular around the world. But have you ever wondered why? Here’s some info from Wikipedia on spiciness – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2485: Nissin Cup Noodles Shrimps

Meet The Manufacturer: #2485: Nissin Cup Noodles Shrimps - Germany - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Here’s one of the Cup Noodles varieties by Nissin Germany – shrimps! My friend Raffael of Happy Souper said that German Nissin products reflect German tastes. Here’s a little about the Nissin Cup Noodle and it’s history from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2484: Nissin Demae Ramen Tokyo Soy Sauce

Meet The Manufacturer: #2484: Nissin Demae Ramen Tokyo Soy Sauce - The Ramen Rater - Germany - instant noodles

The first variety for this Meet The Manufacturer is Tokyo Soy Sauce. Soy sauce ramen is known in Japan as ‘shoyu.’ Here is some information about shoyu ramen and the other four main varieties of Japan from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Nissin Germany

This box just didn’t want to seem to show up – but it did, thankfully! Let’s see what’s inside! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Nissin Foods GmbH

#2483: Paldo Bul Jjamppong Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup

#2483: Paldo Bul Jjamppong - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles - ramyun - spicy seafood

I’m pretty sure I found this one at HMart a few months back but to be honest I can’t remember. This one is a fancy variety of jjamppong. Here’s a little something from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2482: TTL Chicken Noodles With Chinese Shaoxing Wine

#2482: TTL Chicken Noodles With Chinese Shaoxing Wine - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater

This is one I was sent by Daniel of Exotic Noods, a subscription service specializing in instant noodles. I should note that this was something special he put in after a recent trip to Taiwan – thanks again! So these are manufactured by Wei Lih for TTL. TTL stands for Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor. Tobacco and liquor – what?! Indeed, this is a boozy noodle. It contains rice wine, something apparently that goes well in noodles and cooking. Ireviewed the bowl version of this a few weeks back. ...see full post

#2481: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun Cup

#2481: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun Cup - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - fire noodle challenge

Recently, I did a Definitive Guide To Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun series. However, the cup was just mentioned and not one that I have tried. Indeed, there are two I’ve not reviewed of the series – the curry version and the 2x spicy bowl (although I scarf one down in the video). ...see full post

Vietnamese Crab Noodles Donated By A Reader

Vietnamese Crab Noodles Donated By A Reader - Ther Ramen Rater - instant noodles - donations - samples

I got an email a couple weeks ago from Kimmy N. or Connecticut asking if I’d tried Binh Tay Crab noodles. I haven’t, and she offered to send some! ...see full post

#2480: Acecook Pork Wantan Men

#2480: Acecook Pork Wantan Men - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles - ニュースリリース ワンタンメンどんぶり タンメン味

Here’s one from Javier over at www.BoxFromJapan.com – thank you! So Box From Japan is a subscription service – every month, you can get a different four bowls of instant ramen from Japan – pretty awesome!  This one’s wantan men – let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about this variety – ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition

So today it’s the fifth annual The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. On my other lists, I exclude varieties that no longer are on the market. On this list, everything’s fair game for the bottom ten. As I say in the video presentation, if you like some of these, there’s nothing wrong with you – I just find these detestable personally. These are my least favorite varieties of the over 2400 varieties posted to date. Without gurther ado, the bottom ten. ...see full post

New Product Samples From Nissin Hong Kong

New Product Samples From Nissin Hong Kong - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles - demae ramen - cup noodles

Two boxes arrived taped together from Nissin Hong Kong! Awesome! What could be inside? Let’s have a look! ...see full post

Product Samples From Yamachan (Take 2)

Product Samples From Yamachan (Take 2) - United States - San Jose - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I got a box the other day with refrigerated samples that t had thawed. Yamachan decided to send another box – this time with overnight shipping to make sure everything stayed cold. ...see full post

Samples From Saraga – Columbus, OH

Samples From Saraga - Columbus, OH

So a reader sent me an image of the 2016 Toip Ten list image that was at a grocery store in Columbus, OH called Saraga. They hadn’t asked to use it and so I got on their case a bit, although asked if we could work together. As a kind gesture, they sent some Korean noodles! ...see full post

New Samples From Yamachan (Take 1)

New Samples From Yamachan (Take 1) - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

Yamachan let me know about some new varieties! They sent some on ice – let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

Re-Review: Paldo Bulnak Bokkeummyun Pan Stirfried Noodle

Re-Review: Paldo Bulnak Bokkeummyun Pan Stirfried Noodle - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles - octopus - spiciest

Okay, okay. After being bombarded with people disagreeing with the odrer of the ranking on my The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles list, I thought I’d give this one another go-round. ...see full post

#2479: Mi E-Zee Instant Noodles Perisa Ayam Chicken Flavour

#2479: Mi E-Zee Instant Noodles Perisa Ayam Chicken Flavour - Malaysia - The Ramen Rater - CarJEN

Time for chicken! I would have sworn I’d reviewed this one before, but apparently not. If I had, it wasn’t this new package version at least. CarJEN has changed their recipes in the past and so it’s reasonable to think that this one could be a new taste. Well, let’s have a look at this chicken variety by Malaysian company CarJEN. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2478: Kiki Noodles Scallion Oil & Soy Sauce Flavor Noodle

Meet The Manufacturer: #2478: Kiki Noodles Scallion Oil & Soy Sauce Flavor Noodle - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - KiKi蔥油拌麵

Today we have the second of the Kiki Noodles products – the scallion oil and soy sauce. Definitely a lighter and more mild taste than a Sichuan peppercorn. These noodles come from Tainan in the south of Taiwan. Here’s some background on the city from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2477: Kiki Noodles Sichuan Spices Flavor Noodle

Meet The Manufacturer: #2477: Kiki Noodles Sichuan Spices Flavor Noodle - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - KiKi椒麻拌麵

Kiki has two products – this one and a scallion oil variety. Sichuan spicy – that’s an interesting kind of peppery taste. Here’s a little about the pepper from Wikipedia – ...see full post