Tag Archives: hello kitty

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 6: Of Soup Dumplings And Steamy Seafood

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

Another beautiful day in Taiwan – again, really great weather which I thoroughly enjoyed to no end. Started things off by having some Din Tai Fung.

So we went to the Din Tai Fung in the Taipei 101 Mall. Was a cloudy day and as you can see, the 101 was socked in pretty well. It’s kind of hard to understand how tall that building is until you stand next to it. Long story short, it’s really, really, really tall. So yeah we have a Din Tai Fung near where I live but I definitely think it pales in comparison to the one here in Taipei.

So my Kyle had some business to attend to as did I. Back to the hotel for a bit to chill. My business involved getting my suitcase all ready for the voyage home tomorrow. I’d been kind of packing and repacking the whole time so as to not have a lot of stuff to do at the last minute. Later, it was time for dinner with Kyle and his family. This is a clip of the elevator at the hotel – I really liked how it was very talkative. I forgot to get some audio outside the elevator where I was on the 6th floor – they had this exceedingly sleepy and mellow music playing all the time. It’s these little things I find so enjoyable about Taiwan.

I went to dinner with Kyle and his wife and son at a restaurant called Seafood Steampo. To be honest, he’d mentioned steamed seafood and I thought bland at first. This wasn’t bland. This was amazingly good and definitely there should be places like this everywhere.

After dinner, we hit Carrefour for a final search for a particular Korean variety I’d seen last trip and been looking for this trip. No dice. Can’t complain though – I did bring home 45 new varieties!

While I didn’t find the noodles, I found this and was able to bring home a couple packs for my wife who is the consummate Hello Kitty fan. Went back to the hotel and passed out.

Hong Kong Donations From Prima Taste 2

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When I asked for people to send donations recently, Prima Taste offered to pool their resources around the world and help me out! Here’s some sent from Hong Kong- a second box of the same samples. Two of each helps with reviewing – makes things a lot easier – plus a better chance of making it through customs!

Again, well packed!

Groovy (click to enlarge)!! Again, I’ve not reviewed any of these – thank you so much!

Something Odd: Heinz Hello Kitty Pasta Shapes In Tomato Sauce

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This year on my birthday trip to Richmond, BC to look for instant noodles, my wife Kit found this can of Hello Kitty pasta. She said she was hungry earlier and I said ‘hey what about that Hello Kitty canned stuff?’ She agreed and here it is! It’s not an instant noodle by any stretch of the imagination, but it was interesting enough that I thought maybe it should get a post on here. So here we go!

Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains milk products and liquid sugar! To prepare, empty into saucepan and stir while heating. Alternately, you can empty the can into a microwave safe bowl and cover loosely (with a paper towel). Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring once midway through heating.

A side view (click image to enlarge) – using the Hello Kitty bowl that came with a Hello Kitty instant noodle I got a while back.

Finished (click image to enlarge). The pasta was soft and came in different shapes – bows, apples, flowers, Hello Kitty and Hello Kitty heads. They had a faint hint of grittiness from the whole grain aspect, but were generally good. The tomato sauce harkens back to the flavors I enjoyed in my childhood and what my sister used to refer to as my ‘red food.’ Pretty good! RAN bar code 057000133290.

Heinz Hello Kitty Pasta Shapes in Tomato Sauce (205g)

Wait… What?

#1369: A-Sha Hello Kitty Za Jiang (Soy Bean Sauce)

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Last year, Taiwanese were unhappy that they didn’t make it on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 Edition, and this year they’re pretty annoyed that they didn’t this year as well. I thought today I ought to review something from Taiwan to at least make them a little happy. I was lucky in that A-Sha was kind enough to get me a neat box set of these and a spicy variety a while back. Instant noodles are kind of like a fine wine to me; you gotta open em at just the right time, and I think today’s the right time for some Taiwanese Hello Kitty noodles! Let’s check em out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Not sure whether it contains meat or not. To prepare, add noodles to boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain. Stir in contents of liquid sachet and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The sauce sachet.

Has a soy scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added carrot, sweet onion and green onion. The noodles have an excellent chewiness. They’re wide and thick; definitely not your usual instant noodle. Then again, these are commonly called ‘cooking noodles.’ You have to boil them – not going to work well if steeped. The flavor is light and with a rich soy taste. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4715635851076.

Last year, I put out this video in response to the Taiwanese dismay over 2013 list. I’ve lost some weight since then!

#1328: A-Sha Hello Kitty La Wei (Spicy Flavor)

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This one was sent by the folks at A-Sha – thank you very much! I’m always on the lookout for Hello Kitty instant noodles. Why? Well, my wife really likes Hello Kitty. They wanted me to be sure to let people klnow that these cannot be found for sale in the United States – sorry folks – gotta pack your bags and fly to Taiwan! This one’s spicy – which seems a little funny to me. I would think anything Hello Kitty would be very light in flavor and tame for the kids. I think the kids over in Taiwan can handle their spicy stuff! That’s rad! Let’s check it out!

The noodle block. Very wide noodles – they actually make wider ones known as Hakka noodles. These noodles have scant few ingredients – salt, floue and water usually.

The spicy sauce sachet. Much like the noodles, the sauces usually contain maybe 3 or 4 ingredients.

Has an interesting soy and spicy scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added Nappa cabbage, shrimp and Fresno chilli pepper. The noodles in this one are great. They’ve got such a nice texture and chewiness. They’re not just broad, they’re thick. The flavor is slightly sweet, soy and spicy. The spiciness is pretty decent – Hello Kitty’s on fire! 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4715635851052.

Here’s a video outlining big things that have happened for A-Sha in the United States with their distributor in California. I hear they’re expanding again! Wow!

Awesome Gift From A-Sha Dry Noodle! Hello Kitty!

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I saw this neat thing on A-Sha Taiwan’s website and thought hmmm… Wonder if they can find me one…

Whoa!

Wow! Twenty packs of A-Sha Hello Kitty noodles! Thanks! Want to get your own? Well, I hate to say it but you’ll have to travel to Taiwan and get some there – not for sale in the USA. Big thanks to Hann-wei, Young, and everyone at A-Sha for this very kind gift! Will review them soon!

#1217: Doll Hello Kitty Dim Sum Noodle Japanese Curry Flavour

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Here’s one that was sent by Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thanks! I always try to source Hello Kitty and Pokemon related instants as my wife likes Hello Kitty and my son’s a Pokemaniac. Let’s check this one out!

Here are the side panels (click image to enlarge). To make it, add boiling water up to the line and let it sit a couple minutes.

Here’s the lid (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

A prize! Here’s the front and back of what looks to be a little playing card.

The powder soup base sachet.

Has a nice curry scent.

The solid ingredients sachet.

Little bits of vegetable and Hello Kitty kamaboko!

Finished (click image to enlarge). The noodles are your typical cup noodles. They are thin and flat. They have a very light chew to them. The broth is a nice and rich Japanese curry – very nice. The veggies hydrated well. The kamaboko? Well, just like all hydrated kamaboko, they’re slightly rubbery and more of an add texture than something with much flavor. The added bonus of being able to chew up Hello Kitty’s head is quite nice. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 6900082020276.

Here’s a TV spot for a Hello Kitty menagerie of sorts.

Package From Hong Kong!

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Got a package the other day from reader Abbie C. of Hong Kong! She offered to see if she could send a couple things I’ve been looking for: Hello Kitty and Pokemon branded noodle products. As I’ve said before, my wife likes Hello Kitty and my son is aPokefanatic!

Very well packed, I must say!

Wow, cool! She sent a couple of Doll brand Hello Kitty Curry Cups! No Pokemon found though, but she sent my son an Ultraman mini-cup noodle! Ooh – cheese curry too – that’s something I’ve really wanted to try! Thank you very much Abbie! Stickers will be coming your way!

#1190: Sanrio Hello Kitty Hakata Shoyutonkotsu Ramen

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Check this out! This is one I got from Mira at Record China news in Japan! Thank you! I’ve been desperately seeking noodles that have Hello Kitty on them. You might be thinking, ‘dude, really?’ Yeah – it’s true. My wife really likes Hello Kitty stuff (her nickname is Kitten after all). Let’s check out this Hello Kitty laden variety that comes with a reusable bowl!

Here’s the bottom of the packaging (click image to enlarge).

Here’s the bowl!

I’m not exactly sure what this is saying – anybody? It was in the bottom of the bowl.

The noodles.

Liquid base sachet.

Has a rich soy and pork scent.

The garnish sachet.

Sesame seeds and other bits.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a little sauteed pork. The noodles are thinner than many ramen noodles I’ve had and they’re rounded. They have a delightful firmness and backbone to them. I wouldn’t call them premium, but more an aspiration to premium. Either way you call them, they’re quite good. The broth is nice – good sweetness and soy with a rich pork flavor. The little bits of seeds and other bits are a nice little topping. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 4986698000064.

[AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B00CFPRIBW”]You can’t get this noodles and bowl product here in the USA, but they have tons of Hello Kitty stuff that you can get.[/AMAZONPRODUCTS]

A little documentary about Hello Kitty.

A Wonderful Package From Record China News Of Japan!!!

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I did an interview with a news agency in Japan recently called Record China –

September 3, 2013 – Record China – 米国のラーメン通、日・中・韓の即席麺を斬る＜前編＞「欧米人には韓国のものがイチバン」 – Japan Part 1 – Link
September 3, 2013 – Record China – 米国のラーメン通、日・中・韓の即席麺を斬る＜前編＞「欧米人には韓国のものがイチバン」 – Japan Part 2 – Link

They sent a box of amazing goodies from Japan I’ve been hoping to finbd for a while!

Whoa what’s all in here? Let’s have a looksie…

Here’s a couple of books I will be reviewing soon! They’re by tontantin. Never heard of him? He’s done way more instant noodle reviews than me – 5,170 so far! We have completely different backgrounds – sometimes our scores are the same, sometimes not. Really happy to get these!

Cup Noodle Curry – with a Gundam model kit? Yessirree! Robotic battle suits and curry noodles – can’t beat that combo!

I have been hunting high and low for anything Hello Kitty for my wife Kit for a long time – and this bowl has an added bonus!

You get a bowl to keep when you’re done with your noodles!

My son is a Pokemon fanatic. Here’s a noodle cup that has little pieces of kamaboko that look like pikachu! No joke! This will be fascinating to review!

Finally, a little bowl that has pokemon on it – known as ‘Pocket Monsters’ in Japan. Thank you to Mira and everyone at Record Japan!!