Okay so now that I’ve been doing a lot of weight loss and walking like a fiend (one might call me a White Walker – Game of Thrones reference, sorry), I’ve been running through shoes like crazy. I really like these $30 pairs I’ve been finding at Walmart up in Canada, but as you can guess, after a week there are holes in them. We went up in search for a new pair for me again (no luck grrr) and and during our time up there we hit Lansdowne Centre, a mall in Richmond. Well, there was a new store (at least I think it’s new but I don’t know how we could have missed it) that has a staggeringly wonderful noodle selection. The place is called Smart N Save and they’ve got some really neat stuff in there, including this one. Let’s check it out.
EDO Pack Spicy Flavour Noodle – Hong Kong
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add noodles and sachet contents to 450ml boiling water. Cook 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dual sachet – powder base on the left and oil on the right (watch the Instant Noodle Recipe Time episode below to see sachet contents).
A dry garnish sachet.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, soft egg, chili flake, black sesame seeds, boiled pork, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles are quite nice – they’re for Hong Kong, they’re non-fried, but they are manufactured in Singapore. My gut tells me these are made by KOKA S’pore. Excellent noodles, and the broth is no slouch either. It has a nice heat level and the flavor is a nice spicy with a kimchi flavor which is tart and tasty. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4895058312801.
This is my list of my all time favorites (compiled up to review #3132). These are the best and most memorable varieties – some you’ll be able to find easily, some you won’t. In the images you see, you’ll see garnished bowls of noodles. Note – reviewing is done BEFORE products have anything externally added by myself, and I follow directions on the package – for better or for worse. I should also note that going forward, the official last day for companies to submit varieties to be considered for the annual top ten will be January 31st. That’s enough – let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition
Video Presentation
A special presentation of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition
#10: Indomie Real Meat Mi Instan Goreng Rendang – Indonesia
The first Indomie variety on the list in years and it’s really amazing. Basically take their Mi Goreng Rendang and include a sachet of real rendang in a retort pouch. This comes after recently hearing that Indomie Rendang is hard to find here in the United States, something I was surprised to hear since it’s such a popular product and such a good one. Original review
#9: Sau Tao Tom Yum Kung Flavour Ramen – Hong Kong
I’ve become enamored and thrilled with the straight ramen noodle varieties in recent years – especially ones from Hong Kong which have been on the last two The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time lists. This is Sau Tao’s first appearance on the list. A Thai flavor is delivered masterfully – broth has a great richness and crispness of tom yum kung – spicy and lemongrass and shrimp notes play together very well. Original review
#8: Mom’s Dry Noodle Dan Dan Noodle – Taiwan
It’s second year on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time, Mom’s Dry Noodles’ Dan Dan Noodle is just wonderful stuff. A broth-free offering with gourmet Taiwanese dry noodles, and myriad sauces that harmonize, salty, spicy, sweet and other flavors masterfully. Flavorful and deep. Original review
#7: Red Chef Green Tom Yum Soup Noodles – Malaysia
Another one returning to The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list, Red Chef’s Green Tom Yum Soup Noodles feature a fried noodle with a great mouthfeel and quantity. They work well with the broth which is like a mashup of tom yum and green curry. The spiciness and flavors are just great – it might seem like a strange gimmicky kind of thing but definitely not. I love the new and this is a new flavor for the instant noodle world. Original review
#6: Prima Taste Singapore Curry Wholegrain La Mian – Singapore
Since a very young age when my mother would cook curried chicken livers over rice, I’ve absolutely loved curry. This one is just mind blowing and has been on the top ten for years and years. The noodles are thick and chewy – and have a rustic kind of feel to them. Marry that to the broth which comes from a large sachet of curry paste and one full of coconut milk powder, you end up with a rich, luxuriant experience you’ll love. I should note they also have a version with non-wholegrain noodles which is also very impressive. Original review
#5: CarJEN Nyonya Curry Laksa – Malaysia
Back again with their rich curry noodle, CarJEN brings something very special to the table in their Nyonya Curry Laksa. You dip the paste seen on the spoon into the broth to flavor it and it has little bits of shrimp in there that really are a nice addition. Sweetness, spiciness, richness from coconut milk powder, and a nice plump noodle makes this so tasty and memorable. Original Review
This is the highest position a Taiwanese variety has achieved in The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time before – congratulations, Taiwan! For a long time, I’ve really enjoyed this style of noodle from Taiwan. It’s wide, with a center line which is thicker, and the sides are thinner – which gives them a very unique and wonderful mouthfeel. I’ve also always thought that these would just sing is in a broth (usually they are presented with a combination of sauces but no broth). The soup is rich with a strong beef flavor and hint of Sichuan peppercorn that do not overwhelm. The nice part is the inclusion of real beef in here. It should be noted that there is a special version of this that comes out during Lunar New Year which includes Wagyu beef – very expensive at a whopping $15USD per serving!, but very tasty as well. Original review
#3: Liangchengmei Biang Biang Men – China
My wife Kit saw this while we were up in Canada and it piqued my curiosity so thought hey let’s give it a try. Noodles are very broad – over an inch. The flavoring is just superb – to use a word I normally don’t, this is yummy. What’s interesting too is that they included meat – at least I thought it was meat – it’s made from soy protein! Unique, delicious, and the highest a Chinese variety has achieved on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time to date. Congratulations! Original review
#2: Red Chef Spicy Sakura Prawn Soup Noodles – Malaysia
Let the prawn-slaught begin! Returning to the #2 spot this year, we have a Red Chef variety that just gives and gives when it comes to sweet and savory prawn flavor. This umami bomb has a nice chewy noodle that is complimented by just the sweetest, strongest prawn broth with an excellent thickness and just the right amount of spiciness. What’s more they include a sachet of crispy onions to put on top that round things out so well. If you want to have a prawn freak out, this is an indispensable tool. Original review
#1: Prima Taste Singapore Wholegrain Laksa La Mian — Singapore
For the fourth year in a row, Prima Taste wins with it’s excellent Wholegrain Laksa. If abandoned on an island with only a life supply of instant noodles, I’d want them to be these, period. Hearty artisan noodles which are thick and of good quantity are combined with a broth which has a strong flavor and richness from coconut milk powder. A flavorful and striking noodle dish. Original review
What’s New
Instant Noodle Recipe Time
In the last year, I’ve decided to start doing videos for each on of my reviews and as of April 3rd, I’ve done 295 episodes. You can watch me cook and garnish everything as I sit at my stove. People have commented ‘why do you sit?’ Well, it’s a lot easier to record the show that way. Why do you wear sunglasses all the time? I’m legally blind and light sensitive. I answer a lot of questions about what I do from reader questions as well as talk about what I’m up to and give opinions and chatter about anything that crosses my mind. The show comes out every single day at 2pm Seattle time. Check out the show here.
The Chocolate Break
What began as something to try once has become a project my wife Kit and I do regularly. The Chocolate Break is where we try chocolate from around the world – and give our opinions on them. I’m proud to announce that www.thechocolatebreak.com is up and has rundowns of every single episode! Check it out and let us know what you think!
Big Changes For Me
Some of you have been noticing I’ve been losing weight – thank you! In fact I’ve been working hard on that. Reviews I do are usually involving me eating maybe 5% of a bowl of noodles, if that. Everything else goes down the drain.
I keep my regime to around 1200~1500 calories a day. I’ve also been doing a lot of walking with my daughter Miriam. With her stroller decked out with lots of lights and a really loud speaker (I usually play a lot of Primus, Herbie Hancock and Tobacco), we walk all over town. My feet hurt, too! If you put together our walking from April 1st and April 2nd, it comes to 21.12 miles (33.989km)! No, that is NOT a typo. My doctor told me I had high cholesterol back in October and I decided to make some changes. I’ll find out how I’ve done later this month and let you guys know how I’ve done so far.
Here’s another one I got up at the new T&T Supermarket up in Richmond BC that’s at Lansdowne Centre. Or is it Lansdowne Mall? Either way, it’s a big T&T inside what used to be a Target store. Oh – and sad parents can rejoice – TOYS R US IS STILL IN CANADA. Also, if you go to the Walmart in Richmond, you will often see Teslas, Ferraris and the odd Buigatti. It’s like a mirror universe. Let’s check this one out!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add noodles to 500mL boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
One of the two noodle bundles.
A dry sachet.
Lots of powder.
A sauce sachet.
Thick stuff!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added fried onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, Dodo fishball, tofu puff, BonCabe Level 15 and coriander. The noodles are really great – nice roundness, good texture. Married to the broth which is thick and luxuriant with a spiciness and really nice little prawny hit to it with a keen sweetness, it works very well. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 087303866847.
Found this at the brand spanking new T&T Supermarket at Lansdowne Centre up in Richmond, BC recently. That place was a zoo the day we visited – so many people! But got out of there with a couple things. Anyways, a straight noodle tom yum sounds just bizarre – and possibly really good! Let’s find out.
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add noodles to 500mL boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
One of the bindles of noodles (2 servings per package).
A dry sachet.
A light powder.
A liquid base sachet.
Tom yummy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added coriander, mung bean sprouts, fried onion, squid flower, and shrimp. Noodles are straight and have a soft approach – and are quite good! The broth is amazing – that sweetness of prawn and that crispness that you get in tom yum – and just the nice as can be level of heat. Extraordinary! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 087303866953.
Here’s the second variety from Nissin Hong Kong’s new Light Cup Noodles line. Spicy is good – let’s give it a try!
Nissin Cup Noodles Light Spicy Seafood Flavour – Hong Kong
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains seafood. To prepare, open lid halfway, add boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion. The noodles are great – really like these ‘light noodles.’ They have a really unique mouthfeel – highly recommended. The broth however while spicy with seafood notes had a bitter aftertaste. The amount of seafood, cabbage and scrambled egg was truly magnificent – good quality too. Just wish it weren’t bitter. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897878860029.
Here’s another potato chip variety from Nissin Hong Kong – thanks again! So they have a series of Cup Noodles showcasing flavors of Singapore and this is one of them. Black Pepper Crab is very popular in Singapore as is Chilli Crab. Here’s a little about Black Pepper Crab from Wikipedia –
Black pepper crab is one of the two most popular[citation needed] ways that crab is served in Singaporean cuisine. It is made with hard-shell crabs, and fried with black pepper. Unlike the other popular chilli crab dish, it is not cooked in a sauce and therefore has a dry consistency. It is becoming very popular to mix the pepper crab with a fresh jackfruit sauce.
Nissin Cup Noodles Black Pepper Crab Flavour Potato Chips – Hong Kong
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, open bag. Place hand in bag and remove one or more chips. Insert chip into mouth and close jaw. Open jaw and close repeatedly. After desired amount of mastication, swallow. Finally, repeat as desired and enjoy!
One of the chips.
Finished (click to enlarge). The chips are of reasonable size. They are crisp but not hard and easily chewed. The flavor is very good – a kind of sweet crab and black pepper flavor. For a snack, these get 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897053640163.
Yep – it’s a bag of potato chips withj Cup Noodles Spicy Seafood seasoning from Hong Kong. I really like these kinds of things – really funny to see this – they did it once in the United States with Chicken Top Ramen Pringles (you didn’t think I missed reviewing that one, did you?) – they also have Cup Noodles chips in Singapore (like these). Anyways, let’s dig in to this bag and have a looksie.
Nissin Cup Noodles Spicy Seafood Flavour Potato Chips – Hong Kong
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish and crustacean. To prepare, open bag. Withdraw one or more potato chips. Add to primary facial opening (i.e. mouth). Finally, masticate, repeat, and enjoy!
One of the chips. Note the ridges.
Finished (click to enlarge). The chips are crisp and a little oily from being fried. The seasoning is definitely a spicy seafood one, and I found this worked well on the chip. For a snack, I give these 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897053640095.
Here’s one that came my way from Nissin Hong Kong – thank you! This looks interesting – a Korean variety from Hong Kong. It seems like Korean varieties are popular throughout southeast Asia – saw quite a few in November 2017 in Taiwan. Anyways, let’s have a look inside and give this Korean spicy one a try!
Nissin Demae Ramen Korean Spicy Flavour Instant Noodle – Hong Kong
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, add noodles and sachet contents to a500ml boiling water and cook 4~5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
A light powder – and lots of it.
The vegetable sachet.
Looks like a lot of spring onion and pepper.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion and hard boiled egg. The noodles are definitely not your standard Demae Ramen – they’re thicker and definitely chewier – more like ramyun. They work very well with the broth, which has a nice spiciness. The bits of vegetable were decent as well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897878000111.
I believe this is the last of the new Straight Noodle/Bar Noodle Demae Ramen range from Nissin Hong Kong – really sad that I’ve tried them all! So let’s look at shoyu and then tonkotsu – Wikipedia if you please –
Shōyu (醤油, “soy sauce”) ramen is the oldest of the four, it has a clear brown broth, based on a chicken and vegetable (or sometimes fish or beef) stock with plenty of soy sauce added resulting in a soup that is tangy, salty, and savory yet still fairly light on the palate. Shōyu ramen usually has curly noodles rather than straight ones, but this is not always the case. It is often adorned with marinated bamboo shoots or menma, green onions, kamaboko(fish cakes), nori (seaweed), boiled eggs, bean sprouts or black pepper; occasionally the soup will also contain chili oil or Chinese spices, and some shops serve sliced beef instead of the usual chāshū.
Tonkotsu (豚骨, “pork bone”; not to be confused with tonkatsu) soup usually has a cloudy white colored broth.It is similar to the Chinese baitang (白湯) and has a thick broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for many hours, which suffuses the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk, melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop).
Alright – let’s begin.
Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Shoyu Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle – Hong Kong
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains pork and chicken. To prepare, add noodles to 450ml boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Frinally, stir and enjoy!
One of the two bundles of noodles.
A dry base sachet.
A fluffy powder.
Ther liquid base sachet.
Thick and interesting.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added chashu pork, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, narutomaki and nanami togarashi. The noodles have that great round shape and perfect chew. The broth is thick and very rich with generous aspects of shoyu and tonkotsu which work so well. Loved it. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897878850044.
Well, finally it was the day to depart. I really love Taiwan – all the sights, sounds, smells… But I definitely was really missing my wife and kids. That was the hardest part of the trip. Being a stay at home dad is so rewarding – not seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces was really killing me.I packed everything up and met Kyle to go out for some dim sum.
Okay, I gotta say this place was awesome. I also have to say that I really need to find a decent dim sum place near me in the states because this just blows everything at home away. The best was the duck – I loved the duck I’ve has in Asia, but Taiwan’s offerings blew away what I’ve tried in Thailand and Malaysia. This was just – there’s no way to describe.
Kyle had to go and deal with business again so I ended up kicking it in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours. Had a chance to catch up with my friend Matt on the phone. I also attempted a walk to the nearest convenience store but my eyes were being a pain. I did see this interesting little sign – no clue what it was trying to tell me, but shortly after I passed it, I walked back to the hotel to enjoy a couple bottles of orange juice.
We then visited this interesting little place – The Miniatures Museum of Taiwan. Tiny little detailed buildings and room and o ther things. It was kind of creepy to be honest. Kind of blew me away that we only spent an hour or so here but some of these things took years to be created.
Time for my last meal in Taipei. We went out to this place – Karen Teppanyaki. So teppan is the name for the surface used to cook and yaki just means fried – as in yakisoba just means fried soba noodles. The food was extremely good – I could have eaten it all day. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time.
Kyle hailed me a cab and we said our goodbyes. Was such a good trip – didn’t have the chance to meet Kyle’s family last time so it was really nice to have the chance this time. To be honest, I was a little worried about the trip back, mainly navigating the airport. I’d done it a year before, but my sister had accompanied me – this time it was legally blind guy in the foreign airport. But it was easy and I was able to get through security and everything easily. There was time to kill and so I was able to hit the Hello Kitty shop and grab my wife something nice. The flight was great – had an aisle seat with a space between me and the guy sitting next to the window so room to stretch out a little bit. I listened to some music, took a few catnaps. Walked around a bit. I did get stuck in the bathroom blowing my nose and then we had the turbulence over southern Japan – that was interesting! Wasn’t too bad. Turned out the guy next to me was coming to the United States from the Philippines. His mother had petitioned for him to become a citizen 15 years ago and finally he was able to move. That’s a long time! Speaking of time, so my flight took off on the 21st at 11:30pm from Taiwan – and arrived on the 21st at around 7pm in the United States. Definitely messed with my head a little – bring on the jet lag!
Well, now it was the moment of truth. I got stopped coming back from Malaysia by the USDA to look through my stuff in 2014 and they took out a bunch of noodles. That sucked. This time, no problem. They’d been asking everyone in front of me ‘did you bring any food items with you?’ but they just asked me ‘where’d you go?’ ‘was it a good trip?’ I think I looked beat and they just sent me onward. ‘Welcome to the United Sates.’ Was good to be home! I did the above video a couple days after I got back. I want to say thank you to the Taiwan International Food Expo for inviting me and Howsler Foods for sponsoring my trip – it was an amazing experience and I can’t stress enough how much fun it is to visit a foreign country. Definitely put it on your bucket list!
Here’s yet another of the Demae Ramen Bar Noodle series. These have not failed to impress since the first Straight Noodle Demae Ramen varieties I tried last year. This sounds really good and I like seeing the corn in the above image. One might be surprised, but butter and sweetcorn really go incredibly well with miso ramen. This promises to be bumped up by being a tonkotsu miso – wow I’m definitely curious about this one. Here’s a little about miso as well as tonkotsu from Wikipedia –
Miso ramen is a relative newcomer, having reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copious miso and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes with tonkotsu or lard – to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup. Miso ramen broth tends to have a robust, tangy flavor, so it stands up to a variety of flavorful toppings: spicy bean paste or tōbanjan (豆瓣醤), butter and corn, leeks, onions, bean sprouts, ground pork, cabbage, sesame seeds, white pepper, and chopped garlic are common. The noodles are typically thick, curly, and slightly chewy.
Tonkotsu (豚骨, “pork bone”; not to be confused with tonkatsu) soup usually has a cloudy white colored broth.It is similar to the Chinese baitang (白湯) and has a thick broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for many hours, which suffuses the broth with a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk, melted butter or gravy (depending on the shop).
Alright, let’s take a look and a slurp!
Nissin Demae Ramen Bar Noodle Hokkaido Miso Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle – Hong Kong
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains chicken and pork. To prepare, add noodles to 450ml boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add in sachet content. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The package contains two serving of everything. Here is one of the bundles of noodles.
A dry base sachet.
A light powder.
A liquid base sachet.
Where the powder is light, this dark liquid looks to be the miso component.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added hard boiled egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, chashu pork, spring onion, and corn. The noodles are just like the others – straight and they suck up the broth and just work so well with it. Chewy but not overly so. The broth was definitely a mix of tonkotsu and miso – and it works. Not red miso for sure. Very satisfying. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897878850075.
Here’s one of the new straight noodle varieties from Nissin – miso. So miso is one of the main varieties of ramen – here’s some info on it from Wikipedia –
Miso ramen is a relative newcomer, having reached national prominence around 1965. This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copious miso and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes with tonkotsu or lard – to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup. Miso ramen broth tends to have a robust, tangy flavor, so it stands up to a variety of flavorful toppings: spicy bean paste or tōbanjan (豆瓣醤), butter and corn, leeks, onions, bean sprouts, ground pork, cabbage, sesame seeds, white pepper, and chopped garlic are common. The noodles are typically thick, curly, and slightly chewy.
Yeah, this is one of those flavors that’s really hit or miss for me. There are quite a few kinds of paste out there and some companies use one over the other. Let’s give this a try and find out if I like it!
Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Miso Flavour Instant Noodle – Hong Kong
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains pork and chicken. To prepare, add one bundle of noodles to 450ml boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
One of the two bundles of noodles (there are two servings per package). I like to call these bindles and have for a long time. It’s just because I like the word. But really, that’s incorrect so I’ll just call them bundles as I should.
The dry soup base.
Light powder.
The liquid base sachet.
A thick paste.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, barbecue pork, spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles are just perfect – just a fantastic chew and quantity. This however is one of those miso varieties I just can’t get with. is it red miso? I dunno but all I can say is that it’s just not my thing. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897878,850068.
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