Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
This should be pretty easy to be found by just about everyone in the United States. Good ol’ Bowl Noodles. They’ve gone through numerous changes over the years insofar as packaging, and this is the latest I’ve seen. It’s got a plastic wrap around it with the labeling. Thanks guys – makes it more difficult for me to scan when things are shrink-wrapped!
New clothes for the classic! Originally, it was a foam bowl with a paper lid in shrinlkwrap. Then, they reformulated for microwave and had a cardboard sleeve. Now, it’s a plastic wrap with the graphics on that. This is classic – ubiquitous with gas stations and little corner shops, many o which are run by Korean Americans. I used to live in a place that had a little grocery/deli mini mart across the way. The fellow there was Korean American and he had these in there, but with a ridiculous markup. I asked him why once. ‘Because that’s my lunch!’
I’ve a couple fascinating varieties from the Shin range by Nongshim which came by way of The Fat Hipster – thanks man! He’s got a YouTube channel where does reviews you should check out. This is one I though was only in the UK but from the labeling it’s distributed throughout Europe – there fore its getting the South Korea stamp as it’s not just for one country but many. Let’s give it 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.
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.
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.
After a couple years, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition. It’s been a sort of tough go lately; so few new Korean varieties have crossed my desk. Usually they’ve all been ultra spicy ones, and while good, they’ve not been ones that are top ten listers. There should be a few new ones to the list for next years list that have yet to be published, though. If you’ve an instant noodle company in South Korea, I’d love to review your products. I used to receive samples from the larger companies quite often, but unfortunately not so much recently. This list is comprised of varieties from South Korea that I’ve reviewed up to my 4,300th review. With that, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition!
This one usually comes out earlier than now, but it’s been rather busy. There’s a couple more lists coming, so stay tuned. These are my favorite varieties I’ve samples thus far. This list is current as of my 4,300th review. Hopefully there will be more great new varieties to try during the next year to add to the list. If you’re a company with some varieties I’ve not tried, please by all means drop me a line! With that, I present The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition.
Here’s another neat and never before seen Shin variety that was sent by The Fat Hipster – Shin Bokkeummyeon. Basically, it’s a dry version of Shin – also looks to be spicy from the packaging. I hope it’s good – let’s find out!
First there was Shin Ramyun, then Shin Black. Now there’s Green and Gold – thanks to James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! He’s been a serial donor of noodles I’ve not tried yet! Very cool – check ’em out!
Well, well, well. I think this one should warrant a mukbang, don’t you? I’m trying to remember the last time I did one, actually. I must say I’m sad to report that this is the first year a top ten list for South Korea has been skipped since I started doing them; I’ve reviewed so few new varieties. Really bummed about that – help! Glad to see a new one here, however this is for the US market and not the Korean version. Hopefully some new ones will cross my desk for 2023 soon. Either way, this is an extra spicy version of Chapaguri, made popular by the film Parasite I believe. Still haven’t seen the film… Being with poor vision, subtitles are a little rough. Definitely would like to see the ramdon scene. But anyhoo, let’s check this new ramdon out.
Lots of people enjoy bowls full of noodles from around the world. They often come with a utensil, and all you need it hot water. For a quick meal, they’re hard to beat insofar as convenience. Some bowls however go above and beyond a utilitarian sense and are truly gourmet. This list is comprised of my favorite bowl varieties from all reviews up to #4120. All scoring is done prior to garnish being added. Do you want me to review something I haven’t? Drop me a line! With that, let’s peruse my top picks on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2022 Edition!
For the longest time, I only thought there was a single variety of Nongshim’s Tonkotsu bowl – the spicy one. Lo and behold, there’s this one with black garlic oil as well. What’s more, I think both exist concurrently. The spicy one has a five star rating from me and is at the top of the USA top ten. Let’s check this new one out!
Back in 1986, a South Korean company called Nongshim 농심 (which translates to Farmer’s Heart), introduced a product called Shin Ramyun. Since then it has been one of the most popular varieties around the world. In this post, I’ll do a deep dive into the product – a tear down of the package and it’s contents, my tips of preparation, and some things you might not know about it. While not my favorite variety I’ve tried, chances are it may be yours. I run a group called Ramen Junkies on Facebook and the topic and focus of the bulk of posts on there surround this product.
Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘He’s gone mad, The Ramen Rater, he has.’ Not in the slightest. No more than usual, at least. I thought I would try something and see what would happen. Making bread is a lot of fun and I’ve never made any kind of really sweet sugary bread before and kimchi ramen would have a tangy and acidic bump to it, right? Well, so here we are. Tons of candy in the house and a bread machine wanting to make ramen bread. Let’s give it a try!
So. If the noodle is fried, an emulsifier is needed to release the oil from the noodle. However, if they’re air dried… Hmmm. Let’s see, then we… wouldn’t? Let’s make this stuff into bread!
This one arrived in an Exotic Noods subscription box – check ’em out and use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
I hear it already – ‘but it’s from Korea!’ Look. Just humor me. Look. Lower left. Made in USA. Unless you visited South Korea and brought some back from Canada (they’re probably from their Chinese factory if so), then you’ve been eating Korean style instant noodles made in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Their factory is a really neat place – first one I ever had the fortune to visit and it was really neat.
Okay so the pack version of this budae jjigae is just all around wonderful. Time for the bowl. Big thanks to Dennis over at Nongshim for shooting this over! Let’s give it a try.
Another expansion of the Soon range. Very curious how this one will be – and I even have some kimchi on hand. I’ve been replacing snacks with kimchi – been enjoyable to say the least! Let’s check this one out.
I’ve long been a fan of the Soon line of products from Nongshim. If asked whether I’d want Shin Ramyun or Soon, I’d hit the Soon. Why? It just has a really nice smooth finish (it sounds like I’m describing a beer but really it does). This time they’ve got a trifecta of new versions – kimchi, a spicy tomato and a miso tofu. Today kimchi is on the menu – let’s check it out.
Last year, I was way behind schedule on everything. This year however, it’s going to be the opposite. Last week, I kind of decided to go nuts on Top Ten Lists. I did more than one. I did up SEVEN OF THEM! So that should make 2021 a little better for everyone. I’m calling to all South Korean noodle companies – send me your stuff! I have been hoping to review more stuff from South Korea but it seems to be harder to come by – at least newer varieties as of late. Drop me a line! This list is current as of review #3,702. let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition.
Well, I thought I had one more of the other brand to do a mukbang of but it turns out I don’t. Hmm.. Well, I do have this one – thanks to The Fat Hipster (check him out n YouTube) – thanks, man!
A lot of things have changed in the last year. I decided it would be a great time to come out with the Top Ten American instant noodles list; it’s November 2nd. Tomorrow is the last day to vote in a crucial election – whichever candidate you support, go exercise your right to vote! The video this year is very different. With the pandemic and my kids home from school doing about 25 Zoom meetings a week, my time has been critically limited. This way however, I’ll be able to bring you more top ten lists I think. This list is comprised of my favorite American varieties out of all the reviews up to #3,636, which count 446 varieties. Let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition!
I was curious about a variety that it turns out has been retired, but happily a few new ones are now in the game – Nongshim sent those over! Thank you very much! Let’s have a look.
Bowls, cups, , trays, packs, and boxes. Well, I haven’t done a list of boxed or tray-style instant noodles – maybe that will come soon. But I think that separating these is important. The experience that a cup is meant for is different than a cup or bowl. Cups are more for a snack on the go, packs for when you’ve got a stove, and bowls are, well, for lunch. Although in the finished shots of these you’ll see them plated here, generally people will be looking at the bowl they came in, possibly using the plastic fork they came with, and tossing everything once they’re done. These are my favorites, current as of review #3545. Let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2020 Edition.
This one was sent by Nongshim America – thanks again! Tonkotsu is a Japanese style ramen, usually a creamy pork rich broth. This one is boasting an added spiciness which sound interesting. Not only that, it’s a microwavable variety. Let’s see how it tastes!
This one is the first I’m reviewing from a ship that Nongshim America was kind enough to send – thank you! I should mention that James from Lakeside California sent one of these – thanks everyone! So from the little word-cloud above the name Soo, I’m guessing perhaps that the word Soo means excellent? I looked it up and it can (as a family name) mean water or shore/riverbank. I’m going to guess water will be the logical one here since these are air-dried noodles and not fried. That has a nice little logic to it, at least in my head. Let’s give them a try.
It’s been quite a while since a new Shin variety came out I think. On the edge of the package it mentions it being ‘Shin Black Class’ but I mean look at the packaging. Clearly, this is Shin White – am I wrong?I’m guessing this is going to be quite different – fried vs non fried noodles are like night and day, and I expect I’m going to like this one to be honest. Let’s find out!
It’s been a long time but got some samples from Nongshim America in the mail yesterday! Thanks!! Really stoked to try some new stuff. Let’s crack it open and see what’s inside!
I’ve honestl been hoping to find this one for a long time – and I finally did up in Richmond, BC at the HMart in Aberdeen Centre. I was getting the stuff to do the Shin Ramen Prison Burrito! Anyways, Gomtang is a horse of a different color in the realm of Korean instant noodle soups. It’s never spicy (although a spicy Gomtang sounds kind of neat). It’s a kind of creamy beef soup – stick to your ribsy and comforty. Good stuff! Let’s give Nongshim’s offering a try!
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
Here’s another one I found over at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. This new O’Taste brand seems to be cropping up a lot lately. It’s interesting as it’s not exactly a Nongshim variety, but it’s Taekyung Food & Processing, and I’m unsure exactly how they fit in with the Nongshim corporate structure. Maybe I should find out.
Found this one up in Canada at Smart N Save as well. It turns out that this brand is actually related to Nongshim. It’s produced by Taekyung Nong San, which is part of the Nongshim company as can be seen on their logo. Interesting! This is a combo of tteokbokki and noodles. Let’s check it out!
So you might be wondering – you haven’t reviewed this popular South Korean variety before? Well, yes and no. I’ve had it quite a few times – South Korean versions as well as ones manufactured in the United States. However this particular version is made for Europe and Oceania, so a different export version. I try to hit every version of everything- especially ones people have lots of access to. This one is generally a nice spicy seafood soup – let’s check it out.
So here’s the second of the POP varieties I’ve seen. This one however is one I found at HMart up in Richmond, BC. Why’s it called Pot Or Pan? Well, you can make it as a broth version and a dry noodle version. Interesting! Let’s check it out!
What a week! So last week I didn’t do a single regular review. I was knee deep editing all sorts of unboxings and episodes of The Chocolate Break. While we were out I found this one. I’ve seen it many times before, but buying 5 packs isn’t something I like to do at all anymore as first they’re expensive and second I end up with three extra packs to give a home to.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen a Nongshim product that’s been in an individual pack I’ve not tried it’s making my head spin. I used to get samples from them all the time, but not in quite a while. I miss them! I found this at a Fred Meyer store in Lynnwood, Washington last night! This looks like an interesting new concept for them – make it wet or dry. The name was a little confusing to me at first – I thought it was just called Pop then looked a little closer and thought Pot Por Pan? Ahhh – Pot OR Pan.. That makes more sense. I think I’m going to try pot today. Let’s check it out!
Found this one up in Canada. Nongshim products in Canada are interesting because unlike in the United States where you can find ones made here as well as from South Korea, Canada also has products that come from the Chinese Nongshim factory. That’s a lot of sources for one brand! Let’s check it out!
It’s January 2019, and so it is time for the first of many Top Ten Lists. I always start the year with the latest South Korean Top ten. This list was compiled as of posting 3,058 unique reviews of instant noodles, 349 of which are South Korean. All varieties are manufactured in South Korea. If you are a company interested in having your products showcased, please drop me a line. Let’s begin!
