The Definitive Source For Instant Noodle Reviews Since 2002
I’m sure you’ve seen the unboxings I’ve done of Zenpop.jp boxes. There’s also Zenmarket who helps source specific items from Japan to buyers abroad. Here, we have ZenPlus – a special market place of companies shipping products from Japan. I was contacted by them and the asked if I’d pick something to show – and it’s pretty neat – a special Ippudo box! You can find them here! Let’s have a look!
Menudo and pozole are very popular varieties – but as ramen? I’ve seen a lot of peopler really into these in the past and now with new packaging, they’re getting sampled all over the west coast and beyond. Check em out – reviews soon!
Konjak noodles are made from a plant which has a neat property of being almost calorie-free. This company makes a slew of different neat varieties in the healthy vein. In this unboxing, I open up two different boxes from the Taiwanese manufacturer – check it out!
Hwew’s another of what I like to call ‘flower pots.’ Interesting design on this one. Let’s give it a try.
Well, look at that. Last time I had this? April 16, 2011! That was review #352. Wow – 4000 reviews later… Let’s try this one out.
It’s time to unbox a Zenpop.jp box – this is a new one. I usually do unboxing of their ramen boxes – which I will still be doing. However, they’re also sending me their new snack boxes which have a noodle variety, and then a ton of candy and snacks. What’s cool is I’ll be not only doing the unboxing, but inline with it will be a taste test with my daughter Mimi. Great as a gift or to hoard for yourself! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Let’s check it out!
So this one might look like a variety simply for the US market but there’s a difference. The nutrition facts are valid for Canada as well. This one get’s the country of origin’s tag on it, although it’s most certainly an export product. It’s been quite a while since I’ve reviewed a South Korean variety I’ve not reviewed. Quite a while! Let’s hit it up and give it a try!
A big thanks for a neat box from James of Lakeside, California. This guy – he sends me boxes from time to time and checks out what I’ve reviewed and rarely is there anything I’ve tried. It’s really interesting what’s available here and what he’s got access to that I’ve never seen here. Have a look!
So I’ve not reviewed this one in a long time. Way back when it was introduced, it had a black background, then changed to cheese colored to lessen confusion. That was back when the import version looked like the original Korean version with the Hangul text. Well, this is the current version for the US market. They’ve changed the recipe for a few of these and so curious about how this one is these days. Let’s find out. Oh – and by the way – this isn’t chicken flavored – it’s based on the spicy sauce you put on Korean BBQ chicken, so calling this chicken flavored is like calling Sweet Baby Ray’s beef flavored – but that explanation would really make for a long title. Ok let’s do this.
Well ladies, this is the end of the line… I don’t have any more of these. This should all things considered be my favorite of the set – in theory. I love tteokbokki and adding noodle to it is a great way to go. Let’s try this last of the trifecta I found.
I was contacted recently by a company called ShanShi, asking if I would sample their product. I never turn down the chance to try something new (it’s what I do) so ofr course I accepted with gratitude. Here’s a little background from them – ‘It is a dish from QinWeiGuan. The Garlic Noodles comes with a very strong garlic taste and is quite spicy. It is an easy and fast way to enjoy garlic without the burden of peeling garlic and getting it ready to eat. About QinWeiGuan QinWeiGuan is a restaurant in Taipei that is established for almost 20 years. Inspiring from different Chinese traditional local cuisine, in addition with years of research and feedback from customers, QinWeiGuan has developed its unique taste that can only be found in our restaurant.’
Check this out! These subscription boxes come straight to your door and have some neat stuff inside! It’s a pretty great thing to get people who are into ramen for the holidays! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles! Here’s the latest unboxing of the March 2023 Umai Crate!
This is another one of these noodle and tteokbokki varieties – with an exceedingly funny name. Mac and cheese flavor huh? Sounds good – let’s hit it up!
Big thanks toa reader named Cian for shooting these over from his trip to Brazil! I dunno, but South American instant noodles make me exceedingly happy. These are sabor frango – chicken flavor. I’m guessing that’s about all they will be, but they’re from Brazil! I don’t get Brazilian varieties incredibly often and when I do they’re really fascinating to me. Instant noodles are quite popular down that way. Well, let’s give them a try!
While at a Korean grocery in Seattle looking for things to make ice cream with, I noticedthis Vegan edition of the Shin cup. So, since I’ve not reviewed it, I got one. Let’s give it a go.
Here’s the second of two Chinese varieties sent by a reader named Cian from a trip to Brazil – thanks again! Curious about this one as the non-spicy one was pretty mellow. I am getting to this one fast because of all the varieties Cian sent, this one got the most banged up. Let’s check it out!
Been wanting to try this one for a while – Ottogi makes some good ones. My favorite has been the Jin Jjamppong – nice smoky seafood flavor. Let’s give this one a try!
Here’s something new from a company that doesn’t roll out new products every day! I emailed them asking for a sample and here it is. A spicy yakisoba? Interesting – and it looks like it gets prepared in the same fashion as their knockout Chow Mein noodle – let’s get to trying this!
Big thank you to James from Lakesida, CA for sending these over! This is the second of two new Nongshim Shin varieties recently released. It’s Vegan friendly which appeals to a broader group as time goes on. I’m very curious – I really like their Vgean varieties quite a bit, but generally not a huge fan of mushrooms. So, let’s give it a try and see how it is.
After over 4400 reviews, finally. It’s happened. A chocolate instant noodle. To make things even more wonderful, it’s from Brazil. Thank to Cian for sending this along – yeah this has been a dream of mine for quite a while. Dessert ramen is a very fascinating thing to me. I’m guessing if you’re reading this, you’re somewhat fascinated as well. So let’s give it a try.
This was an interesting find in the Asian foods section of Fred Meyer on 164th in Lynnwood, Washington. Never heard of this brand; only thing I can think of with this name is Pat Norita who played Mister Miyagi in The Karate Kid. He was also on M*A*S*H a few times. Oh snap – that’s Pat Morita not Norita. Anyways, this sounds interesting and worth a try, so let’s give it a try. Made in China for a distributor in Kentucky.
Found this at a store in Seattle called m2m Mart – an offshoot of HMart. Actually, my wife saw it . It looks really neat and I’m a huge fan of rapokki – instant ramyun with tteokbokki (rice cake tubes) and a spicy sauce. Made in Korea, packaged for the US market. Let’s do it to it!
Here is the second variety from the Galaxy Variety Noodle Box – this one’s spicy! As mentioned in a review posted a few days ago, this is a tie in with LINE, a messaging/social app, and A-Sha. Also, the BT21 characters have something to do with Korean popular music group BTS. With that, let’s cook up some noodles.
Well, here we go. In my group Ramen Junkies, Shin reigns supreme. Just a post someone did showing this pack had over a hundred comments real fast. Of course, I’m curious about this one – there’s also a mushroom tofu Shin Green to try as well.
So thanks to a guy name Cian and his visit to Brazil, I ended up with some fascinating varieties. I’ve enjoyed this brand in the past, so I’ve got an inkling that this should be decent. Anyways, let’s get down to it.
Recently, I reviewed the pack version of this one and the nice folks at Samyang also sent me the cup version! I’m curious what the difference is going to be, if any. This one’s going to take a spin in the microwave. There should be a mukbang as well. Made in South Korea and packaged for US market sale. Let’s get started!
I must admit, I was surprised. I really think if I was at a store and a lady walked up and I held this product and said ‘I have a pink rocket for you,’ I would most likely get slapped pretty hard. Regardless of the terminology here, I have to say that this one sounds incredibly good. I’m a huge fan of rabokki – that’s a combination of ramyun noodles and tteokbokki, which are thin rice cake tubes. This one’s intermixing with a carbonara flavor – that all sounds really quite good! Definitely excited to try this one – we found it in Seattle at a place called M2M Mart. It’s made in South Korea for the US market. Well, let’s give it a try!
First off, thanks to the folks at A-Sha USA for sending these over! There are two different boxes, four varieties in total. I thought I’d go with this box first. So, I live under a rock; I’m not exceedingly hip to things that aren’t noodle related or politics related. God, I’m old. I do know there is a Korean group called BTS that’s quite popular, and a messaging service called LINE. Well, LINE did a collab with BTS and made BT21 characters, and A-Sha collaborated with LINE and made these noodles featuring these characters.
Here’s one that came in a recent box from Exotic Noods! Exotic Noods delivers monthly boxes with instant noodles varieties from around the world. Go check ’em out and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
This looks to be the end of the series of Daebak varieties in this Ramyeon range – really have been impressed overall; nice quality noodle and flavors overall. We arrive now at kimchi. Let’s gibe it a try!
Here’s one I found in an Umai Crate from Japan Crate! They have boxes full of neat Japanese varieties! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles!
This sounds really interesting – so this one has a special tea which comes from Chiayi, Taiwan. In their text, Little Couples mentions the ‘meticulous cultivation of tea leaves’ and that they’re really special. Let’s give it a try!
Quite a few years ago, a reader contacted me and sent a ton of Australian instant noodles – all sorts of cups and packs I’ve never seen nor heard of before at the time. Well, our paths crossed yet again and this time, she sent me a massive hoard of Indonesian varieties – stuff I’ve wanted to review and stuff I’ve never seen before. I’m ultra excited about this – a huge thank you going to Pher Engi from Australia for taking the time and the super kindness – check it out!
So, what do we have here? Well, this is vermicelli, aka bihun. Why is this special? It’s made from corn. I’ve never heard of a corn based noodle before – very curious! Suprama, the company that makes this is the same company that makes Best Wok Mi Goreng, which is on the 2022 edition of the global top ten list. Let see how this stuff tastes and chews!
When I shot the pictures for this one, it was the last of the instant noodles I had on hand for review – until I did 5 unboxing videos yesterday. Should have enough now to get a little way into the 4400s. I’ve had this one before, although it was an incredibly long time ago – back in early 2011. Looks like I liked it. Paldo has had a logo change since then. Let’s check this one out.
It’s time to unbox a Zenpop.jp box – you get seven varieties of instant noodles to try! I would say that almost every time I’ve gotten one of these, I’ve never tried any of them before which is really awesome. Great as a gift or to hoard for yourself! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Let’s check it out!
Found this one at the Uwajimaya in Renton, Washington. Nice to find something like this locally – I’m curious as it kind of looks like it’s going to have a wasabi bump to it but really unsure. Well, let’s check it out.
Nope it’s not ramen so don’t start, but it was on the ramen aisle at local store Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. Let’s check it out!
Here’s an interesting one from Japan found in a Zenpop box – check out zenpop.jp and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
A lot of companies celebrating anniversaries lately. I’ve done a special Definitive Guide on Indomie Mi Goreng, and you can find scads of info in there. Happy birthday, Indomie.
