Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
I thought it was a good time to do a post with a product from Hong Kong. As it turns out, Apple Daily has closed it’s doors. What’s Apple Daily? It was a pro-Democracy newpaper that I worked with a couple of times regarding my top ten lists and ramen in general. Really nice people and it’s sad to see that they’ve been put down by the mainland Chinese government. Makes me sad. So, I’m going to d something with some noodles from Hong Kong today.
They did a big reset at the local Safeway. They redid their produce section which was kinda nice. The also really updated their Asian foods section. Lots of instant noodles there! Then, there’s this. These are $4.99 each. The only reason I got one is because we love this brand’s Korean BBQ sauce. I’m guessing there’s a good chance this will be pretty good. Let’s chek it out and see if it warrants this price tag.
After one very turbulent year, The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time is back. My mother died, we had an auto accident, the kids missed in-person schooling, and of course the pandemic. It’s been a really rough go but we’re back. Vaccines are rolling out everywhere and hopefully we can all get back together someday son. One thing I’ve found inspiration and enjoyment from during these times is a book I’d been hoping to find was sent to me by a noodle company exec called Momofuku Ando Speaks. It’s a book of quotes (kind of like the Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition if you’re a Star Trek fan) by the inventor of the instant noodle. I’ve been reading one on my show Instant Noodle Recipe Time every day – a lot of fun and a very interesting perspective. Little things like that have been really important as of late. Today, I’m proud to announce the show hits its 1000th episode!
It’s been years and years since I had this so it’s getting a fresh new number . If you haven’t tried this range of varieties (there’s a ton of flavors) then you’re missing out. Let’s check this one out.
I reviewed almost all the Demae Ramen – at least I thought. I used to get them on walks about ten years ago and then I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Nissin HK and they sent over 50 different varieties. Then this one comes in an Exotic Noods box (use coupon code RAMENRATER15) and there’s a new one to do. Let’s kick the tires!
This one arrived in an Exotic Noods subscription box – check ’em out and use coupon code RAMENRATER15 for 15% off your order!
Hey this sounds great – spicy seafood! I’m in; let’s give it a try!
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains scallop. To prepare, boil noodle for 4 minutes in 500ml water. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Was going through the box of remaining Sau Tao varieties and found this one last night. The others (shallot and chili) were both really great so curious that original means – maybe soy sauce? Let’s find out!
Today we’ve got another variety from Hong Kong’s Sau Tao. This one pairs the super tasty Tom Yum Kung with their Instant Noodle King noodles – which are really good. Let’s take a look.
I got the chance to try the range of Mr. Lee’s products when they were only available in the UK. Now, they also are making them here! This one’s got freeze dried beef and vegetables, plus it’s gluten free. Time to see if this one’s the same as what I’ve tried from the UK!
I’m really not a mushroom fan, so I thought I’d see how much I disliked the variety. It’s pretty rare there’s a mushroom instant that I actually like, but it has happened… Let’s check this one out!
I had this one a while back but the packaging was a little different, so this one gets a new review. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the laksa and ton yum kung flavor profiles coming from Sau Tao – so much that they’ve been on the Top Ten for 2 years now. What’s more is they pair them with a myriad of noodle varieties. Let’s do up some laksa!
Time for more lobster from Sau Tao! This is one of the many varieties that came to my door a couple of months ago on a pallet. Yes, a pallet. Four hundred pounds of noodles. That’s a lot! Let’s crack it open and have a look.
Still have a ton of these varieties of Sau Tao noodles. This one features a huge pack of noodles with two blocks. Made in a process that includes soda water which causes the noodles to end up quite large. Let’s check ’em out!
As promised yesterday, here’s another one we found up in Canada at Smart’n’Save at the Lansdowne Centre mall. My daughter Mimi asks every once in a while these days ‘can we go to the Hello Kitty store, Papa’ and Miles immediately says ‘no Mimi, Canada is closed.’ Pretty sad. Man, I hope they come up with a vaccine for COVID-19 soon! I miss the wonders of the land to the north…
I like how the characters have wheels! This is another one of the ‘trolley noodle’ varieties – still unsure what kind of trolley they’re referring to. Let’s give it a try.
Decided to start off the week with a couple Sau Tao varieties today (you should be seeing the second one tomorrow). They sent a ton for a Meet The Manufacturer series (okay, not a literal ton – just 400lbs of samples). Let’s check out their QQ Rice Vermicelli!
You might be saying ‘gosh, you’re reviewing a lot of Sau Tao stuff!’ Well, yes I am – as I have a lot of different varieties in a couple boxes in our bedroom currently. I’m trying to review things that are big to shrink things down so they’ll fit in the hampers.
Recently, I finished a Meet The Manufacturer series with Sau Tao. They shipped a whole pallet of samples of a myriad of different styles and varieties. A PALLET! Well, the upshot is that I still have so many different styles and varieties to review! Here is one of them.
This one is new around these parts but it’s from somewhere completely different. The giveaway here is the omission of the letter u. There’s more though. This one’s made for the United States. It’s not because it has a UPC code vs a 13 digit EAN, though.
Here’s another one from Sau Tao – a trolley noodle! I’m so curious about these… I want to go on a trolley and have noodles; it sounds enjoyable! Let’s give these a try!
Yeah I know – just did a Meet The Manufacturer series with Sau Tao. But they send a ton of different varieties and they’re taking up room in the bedroom so Going to be fitting a couple in every few days until I’ve gone through all of those too I think. It’s spicy time – let’s give these a try!
Two things about this one. First, this was got on our last trip to Canada which seems like forever ago. We used to visit the wonder of the north about once a month but now the borders are shut tight. Plus, this was one of the very few varieties I got up there that the border agents didn’t confiscate. They confiscated varieties that are now even sold here so that was kind of silly but oh well.
We come today to the last of this series for now. It’s crazy though – I have so many more varieties I still need to get to that I think I’ll be switching back and forth with them for a bit o time honestly. This one’s hot and sour – let’s give it a try.
Still just surprised with all the different varieties. Here’s a nice wide-style noodle from Hong Kong – Let’s cook some up!
There are so many varieties these folks make and I’m glad because this has been one of the most varied Meet The Manufacturer series yet. This is a flavor however I could revisit with a different noodle pairing repeatedly with enjoyment, as well as their Tom Yum Kung. Laksa is a tasty thing! Let’s make this one and see how this pairing goes as we march towards review 4000.
I’m still just amazed how many different styles of noodles this company has – they sent so many! This is a unique pack, too. Ten packs, ten sachets. Shall we give it a try?
First things first – this is big. The noodle blocks are physically really big. I’ll let you watch the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time below so you can understand more fully. But E-Fu – let’s look on Wikipedia for more info –
Time for something porky! I’m curious how this will be – guessing less like a tonkotsu, more like a stewed pork kind of flavor? Guess we shall find out!
Tis time for beef on the trolley! I never found out anything really as per why these are called trolley noodles, but hopefully will at some point. Let’s give them a try.
I’ve had a lot of Taiwanese dry noodles in my day, but never any hailing from Hong Kong as far as I can remember. Maybe, but I don’t think so. These noodles are without a broth – they’re from simple ingredients, too. You boil, drain, add in some ingredients, stir and eat. These are also considered mix noodles. Let’s mix it up and see what we get!
QQ is an interesting term when it comes to noodles. Michelin defines it as “QQ is the bounciness associated with fresh handmade fishballs, glutinous rice balls, and certain types of noodles. The term originated from Taiwan, where Q sounds similar to the local word for “chewy”, but it’s evolved to mean a little more than that.”
Okay, I know what rice vermicelli is, but I’m unsure about Xiao Qiao. Let’s ask Wikipedia –
I thought it would be a good plan to look up Jiangnan cuisine in order to impart a little more info about this variety aside from the XO Sauce reference – if you’re interested in that, look at yesterday’s review – but I found that Shanghai is in Jiangnan and got a list of notable seafood dishes from there you might find interesting and truly wonderful from Wikipedia –
Hey this sounds neat – but what are Trolley Noodles anyways? All I can surmise after doing some research is that Trolley Noodles are akin to cart noodles. Basically, hawker style. Let’s open this laksa flavor variety up and take a look!
To start things off, I grabbed something randomly ou of the massive pile of samples I have here. These are ho fan rice noodles – thin and flat. Wikipedia had this to say –
I’ve had the pleasure of working with quite a few companies on these Meet The Manufacturer series over the years. This was a very unique experience – I’ve tried many products from the company in the past but never had access to such a wide range. They send an enormous 400 pound pallet of their products! This is an interview that I conducted with Sun Shun Fuk, makers of the Sau Tao range of products.
These are made in Hong Kong for the US market. I found a myriad of cup varieties at 99 Ranch Market recently. These also are complimented by a full line of pack versions, but I’ve reviewed most of those over time from varieties sent by a reader back east.
Here’s one of a bunch that I found at a 99 Ranch Market near me. I have seen quite a few articles with folks saying that the correct name is Ranch 99 Market. This is incorrect. The store is called 99 Ranch Market. People will debate anything even though they are incorrect, shown data proving they’r incorrect, and just stupid. But year. Let’s look at this one.
Yet another one of these cups! I think I actually have two more. It’s tough doing a series honestly; but it’s just something I have to do. Let’s see how this shrimp variety does.
