Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Here’s one I found at the new T&T Supermarket in Lansdowne Center up in Richmond, BC. A Shin Black bowl! I knew they must exist; I mean, there’s generally a pack, cup and bowl for everything that comes out of South Korea. Well, here it is. What’s interesting is that this isn’t available in the United States, and up in Canada it’s not a product of the Nongshim China factory, which most bowls up there seem to be.
Kicking off Top Ten List season, I bring you the South Korean Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time for 2018. I looked at how many varieties from South Korea I’ve reviewed to date and got 326 so far. South Korean varieties continue to evolve and innovate in different ways in order to satisfy the changing needs and tastes of the consumer – definitely keeps things interesting. As always, I ask any companies, whether in South Korea or elsewhere – that would like me to review their products to send me an email! I am happy to talk to you! Without further delay, let’s have a look at the Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles list for 2018 – the best South Korean varieties available out of the over 360 South Korean varieties from the over 2,500 varieties of instant noodles I’ve reviewed thus far.
So for a long time, I’ve wanted to review the South Korean version of Shin Ramyun Black, and I know lots of people have wanted me to. Here in the United States, we have Nongshim America (NSA) in Rancho Cucamonga. Anywhere you find Shin Ramyun Black in the United States, it originates in California. However, Nonshim Korea (NSK) is its origin. You can thank Anders and his girlfriend Ji-Min from South Korea for sending this along! Thanks again! Here’s a little something about the Shin from Wikipedia –
We were out doing grocery shopping and thought ‘hey there’s that Red Robin over there – wonder if they have those Red Ramen Burgers.’ Well, after a quick phone call to make sure they did, we swooped in to give them a try.
It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed Nongshim Shin Black – and it’s gotten a packaging facelift. This is made here in the USA in Rancho Cucamonga, California! This is the ‘flagship’ of their new line of ‘Black Class Noodle Soup’ varieties. This one’s got neww clothes – but is it still the same underneath? Let’s have a look at this dressed up pack of Nongshim Shin Black noodles!
You might be thinking, ‘hey – didn’t he already review this?’ Nope – I reviewed the Shin Ramyun Black cup from South Korea. This is the one that is manufactured here in the United States in Rancho Cucamonga, California.So what is this ‘Pot-au-feu’ flavor? I consulted Wikipedia and found this:
Recently, I came up with the ramyun slider. I thought since I’ve got some Shin Black on hand, why not a full-fledged ramyun burger? This recipe came out great and really wasn’t that hard to do.
When we got home from the hospital yesterday, I called the apartment office to see if there were any packages – they said there was one. A mailer from Nongshim America – what’s inside?
Cups were the second instant noodle innovation that really took the world by storm. Nissin founder Momofuku Ando of Japan decided that a cup would be a really handy way to have instant noodles on the go. His creation came to the market in 1971. Forty-two years later, the instant noodle landscape is filled with many different cup designs and contents – some all inclusive only needing hot water,m and some requiring a little more with packets – and some even with forks! Of all the varieties I’ve tried to date, here are my favorite ten.
It’s been over a year since the last Top Ten List came out and it’s time for a new one. You’ll see some from the old list and some new ones! With that, Welcome to the new Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time – 2013 Edition!
Thought I’d try this one again – it’s pretty sad – I have nothing new to review! Looking forward to some new varieties coming soon though hopefully! A couple from the UK have informed me that they’re sending a treasure trove of interesting varieties! Can’t wait! In the meantime, here’s the elusive Cucharealo – haven’t seen it for sale anywhere yet. Good stuff! Here’s the original review here.
I have fallen ill with some kind of head cold it seems and I thought something spicy would be good. My lovely wife Kit was kind enough make me some noodles for breakfast – she’s so good to me! Thought I’d have these – they’re available in the US now, but this is a Re-Review of the pack that is sold in Korea. The version sold in the US will be being reviewed soon! Here’s the link to the original review I did during Paldo’s Meet The Manufacturer.
Of the re-reviews I’ve done recently, I would say this is one of the most recent. Here’s the link for it’s first review, #858. Cakalang is also known as Skipjack tuna.
You’re probably wonder ‘gee, he sure reviews that Jinjja Jinjja quite a lot – what gives?’ Well, they sent me a lot of it and since I really like it, I want to enjoy it before it expires. Well, actually it expired in September, but I’m just about out of it. Here’s the last full review of it.
I reviewed this one a little while back – was review #787. Use this link to see everything about it. By the way, emart has informed me that they have a new product that just launched – should be here soon! Can’t wait to review it!
Here’s another one we picked up over at KS Mart in Lynnwood, WA the other day on our regular kimchi supply run. How fitting – kimchi noodle! Let’s hit it!
I’d thought I’d had everyone’s bowl noodles by now but lo and behold, a shrimp flavor by Paldo. So let’s give it a try!
Here’s one of the last couple packs that my friend from Jakarta, Indonesia sent. ABC is well known for their sweet soy sauce. This looks really interesting though – spicy and tomato! Let’s try it.
More mushroom noodles. They certainly looks nice from the pictures on the package – hao hao about we give ’em a try? Ugh…
So today I have two mushroom flavored instant noodles I’ll be doing. First off will be this Unif/Tung-I mushroom pack. What’s interesting about this one is that Unif Tung-I is usually from Taiwan, but this one’s from Vietnam. Anyways, let’s try this one and see how it is.
If you’re new to The Ramen Rater’s Show Your Noodles, you can email me a picture of some noodles you’ve made, include your name and location and I’ll post it on the Show Your Noodles roundup! Fancy or functional, it doesn’t matter. I mean, you could do literally anything you want with some instant noodles – use your imagination! Want to be part of the next Show Your Noodles? Just email me at hans@theramenrater.com. Let me know you first name, last initial, and city/state or country! My wife does the judging – here we go!
This is the last of the samples I got from Yamachan Ramen! Must admit I’m sad to see them go! Very tasty fare and it’s been a lot of fun! This one’s shoyu. Let’s give it a try.
Here’s something different. Sara Udon means plate noodles – what you have is a crispy noodle that is thin. You put them on the plate and crush gently, then add the sauce and during the meal, the noodles go from crisp to soft. It’s a texture sensation! Well, let’s check it out!
Tonkotsu-Shoyu… This one looks really interesting!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge).
So Lifehacker came out with an article about The Ramen Rater a couple weeks ago and I noticed something about Yamachan Ramen in the comments on it. I contacted them and they were very interested in doing a Meet The Manufacturer. Very shortly, I received this box in the mail…
Welcome one and all to another Meet The Manufacturer! This time it’s San Jose, CA based Yamachan Ramen!They make fresh ramen products – here’s the interview I did with them.
So yesterday I tried the mild miso and today I’m hitting up the rich. This one says it’s ‘Sapporo miso’ – curious to see what its like.
Here’s another one of the fresh ramen samples from Yamachan. I’ve not been a big fan of miso in the past, but I’m open to this – looks fancy.
This is something a little different. This is two servings of fresh ramen in a pack. They’re made in San Jose and this looks to be something gourmet. Let’s check it out!
Been a while, but here we go with the 19th edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News!
I search the ‘net for interesting news and view on instant noodles and beyond. Oldest articles start at the top. Here you go!
Here’s one of the last couple of packs sent by my friend from Jakarta, Indonesia. Thanks again – these have been a real treat to review! This one’s one of SuperMi’s well-know fusions. Goreng and Ayam Bawang; a sdry noodle with a flavor of a soup noodle! Pretty cool. Ready to eat!
Decided to do up a video of the nice Golden Pot that was sent to me by Mr. Shin, President of Nongshim Holdings – very kind thank you! Thought it fitting to try it out with some Shin Ramyun Black. Check out the video!
Here’s the last of the instant noodles my sister brought me from Canada earlier this year. Big ol’ seafood cup – let’s give it a go.
While at the KS Mart in Lynnwood, Washington, I saw this and had to give it a try. Wasn’t sure what (if any) noodles would be within, although I know one thing: topokki (or ttebokki) are really neat – they’re like enormous noodle chunks. Korean food is awesome stuff. Here’s what Wikipedia says about how it arrived in its current form:
So here’s the last of the top Ramen Short Cuts varieties that Nissin Foods USA sent me. Thanks again! Lime chili flavor eh? Sounds interesting. Its kind of funny; I got an email from someone at a company called Citrojugo the other day. Citrojugo is a company in Mexico that makes lime juice. I think they saw one of my reviews mentioned ‘jeruk nipis,’ which is ‘lime juice’ in Indonesian. Well, Citrojugo was curious if my company would be interested in it for my products. I told them that I only review products related to instant noodles, but that I could probably try their stuff and work it into a review of another product, such as marinated chicken with their lime juice. Well, they immediately dispatched a liter of clarified preserved lime juice. Serious stuff! I open it up and stuck my nose in the Nalgene containment vessel and got a real nosefull of powerful lime! I’ll be mentioning more about their stuff in upcoming reviews – haven’t marinated chicken with it yet but will be soon and it should be quite amazing!
Realized I haven’t reviewed the new version of the Shin Bowl. A lot of people have asked if I noted any difference from the old version (non-microwaveable) and the new one. Well, I guess we shall see!
This one was sent by a friend in Jakarta, Indonesia – thank you! What a day – so around 11am, people started flooding into the site! LifeHacker ran a story about The Ramen Rater and literally thousand of people have checked out the blog. Well, here’s one from Indonesia – Soto Koya Pedass. Pedas means spicy, so I guess Pedass means really spicy or it could be a nod to Turturro in The Big Lebowski. I have a feeling it just means really spicy. I’ve seen this kind of thing before – extra letters = extra emphasis, at least in Indonesian. Well, let’s dig in to this one!
Here’s one from Thailand – Sunlee. Rice noodles eh… Alright, let’s give it a try.
Got this one at Uweajimaya in Beaverton, OR on our summer vacation. Kind of looks like Jiffy Pop, doesn’t it? So you’re supposed to dump in stuff and cook it on the stove in this foil container. I’m going to use a pot. Thought I should check out Wikipedia about this variety:
Something tells me this will taste just like chicken! Let’s see!
Here’s a closeup of the little red thing on the package – looks like a laughing flame demon of sorts.
