Tag: the ramen rater
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time

So after sampling so many varieties of instant noodles over the years, of course there have been some that I didn’t like. There also were some that are so memorable for how awful they were. After people asked what my least favorites were a few times, I thought I should just make a list of them. I should point out that these are on the list because I couldn’t stand them. I’m pretty sure they are all still in production, and the only reason they would be is that people somewhere find them enjoyable. So who knows – you might have a completely different opinion on these than me, but I found them to be absolutely the worst of the worst. With that, here’s The Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time, 2013 Edition.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1081: Deshome Aloe Noodle Sesame Sauce

So we are at the end of the Deshome Meet The Manufacturer. Let’s have a look at their aloe noodles with sesame sauce.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1080: Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Basil Sauce & Sesame Sauce

Well, we’re down to the last two Deshome varieties. Let’s check ’em out.

The stickers from the back of the packaging.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1079: Deshome Aloe Noodle Vegetable Sauce

Today it’s aloe noodles with vegetable sauce – no sesame sauce in this one! Let’s give it a try.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1078: Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Spicy Soybean Sauce & Sesame Sauce

Here’s another flavor variant of the four-types noodle pack. Let’s check it out!

Meet The Manufacturer: #1077: Deshome Aloe Noodle Red Onion & Sesame Sauce

Here’s another one of the aloe varieties from Deshome – this time it’s sesame and red onion. Let’s check it out!

Here’s the sticker from the back of the package.

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Vegetarian.

The noodle blocks. Purplish is made with purple sweet potato and the other is just aloe.

The sesame sauce packet.

Again, a earthy color and nice aroma.

The red onion packet.

Red onion in an oil base.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a fried egg and some Vidalia onion and ham sauteed in a little soy sauce. The noodles are again really good – nice and wide and perfect texture as well as chew. The flavoring was nice and hearty with a strong sesame and nice red onion notes. This was great – 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 4716873921224.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1076: Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodles Vegetable & Sesame Sauce

Another one with four kinds of noodles. Let’s delve into this one.

Stickers from the back of the package.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1075: Deshome Aloe Noodle With Basil Sauce

Today it’s back to the aloe noodles. Basil? Never has basil in noodles except for pho! Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1074: Deshome Pollen Noodles Sesame Sauce & Soy Sauce

Today I’ll be reviewing pollen noodles. Pollen contains carbohydrates and protein. Sounds interesting – let check these unique noodles out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1073: Deshome Black Eyed Bean Noodle Red Onion Sauce & Sesame Sauce

Today we have something really interesting here. I often hear and see people raving about how many seasoning packets come with a pack of noodles – heck, I usually find that to be of great enjoyment. This one’s a little different – there are four different types of noodles! Let’s have a look.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1072: Deshome Aloe Noodle With Spicy Soybean Sauce

So here’s the first of many reviews I’ll be doing of products from Deshome of Taiwan! These are very unique – naturally sun-dried as well as containing aloe! Definitely different! Let’s check ’em out!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Deshome

A box of samples from Deshome!

All sorts of different kinds of noodles and different flavors.
Meet The Manufacturer: Deshome Interview

Interview * Product Samples From Deshome * Deshome Aloe Noodle With Spicy Soybean Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Bean Noodle Red Onion Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Pollen Noodles Sesame Sauce & Soy Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle With Basil Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodles Vegetable & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Red Onion & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Spicy Soybean Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Vegetable Sauce * Deshome Black Eyed Beans Noodle Basil Sauce & Sesame Sauce * Deshome Aloe Noodle Sesame Sauce
Gol Bim Men Recipe – Paldo Bibim Men with Bai-Top Shell

Today, I’m trying a new recipe sent to me by the folks at Paldo! Summer is right around the corner and this cold noodle dish is great to enjoy during the warmer months of the year. It was first introduced on a South Korean TV show on the KBS network called ‘Happy Together’ (click here to see the video). It uses some ingredients I’ve never heard of before, but I’m sure the folks in South Korea are very familiar with them – Cho Gochujang and Bai-Top Shell. Cho Gochujang is a gochujang infused with vinegar. But what’s bai-top you ask? Sea snails! Never had snails from the sea or otherwise before. Thank you to Moses over at Paldo America for sending me everything to make this! Always excited to try something new.
#1058: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Mandarin Noodle – Original Sauce

Here’s the last of the varieties that A-Sha sent. This has been a really interesting Meet The Manufacturer – I’ve immersed myself in Taiwan documentaries and listening to music from Taiwan and checking out the architecture. I really never knew anything to speak of about Taiwan, but I must say it looks like an amazing place! Today, I’ll try the original flavor – A-Sha told me it’s their most popular.
#1057: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Hakka Noodle – Spicy Sesame Oil Sauce

The A-Sha Meet The Manufacturer is winding down here is the next to last of the varieties I’ll be reviewing. Spicy and sesame – two words I like! Let’s check it out.
#1056: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Mandarin Noodle – Onion Oil Sauce

As most of you have probably noticed, I like onions. I usually pick sweet onion since it tends to smell up the freezer a bit less as I get a ton of them, prep them, then put them in a freezer bag. One time I got some at a grocery that were simply called brown onions, and they stunk up the entire fridge! Looking forward to this one by A-Sha – onion oil flavor!
#1055: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle QQ Thin Noodle – BBQ Sauce

Today we’ve got the thinnest noodles I think I’ve seen in a pack. I was curious about the whole QQ thing so I looked it up and found this on Quora:
#1054: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha No. 10 – Mandarin Noodle – Black Pepper Sauce

When I first opened the box of samples from A-Sha, I was immediately curious about this one. Big, blocky red type on a stark white background. I’ve been told this black pepper flavor is tradition of a dish served at ‘Night Markets’ in Taiwan. A steak with a black pepper sauce and an egg on the side – a very nostalgic Taiwanese classic (here’s what it looks like). Let’s have a look.
#1053: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Tainan Noodle – Sesame Sauce

I was sitting in the car for a while yesterday and I turned on a streaming radio app I have on my phone. I searched for noodles and found a story about the popularity of cold sesame noodles in the ’60s there and a guy named Shorty Tang whose restaurant was quite popular. Anyways, here’s the radio broadcast.
Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Foods International Interview

Interview * Samples From A-sha Foods * A-Sha Dry Noodle Hakka Noodle – Chili Sauce * A-Sha Dry Noodle Tainan Noodle – Sesame Sauce * A-Sha No. 10 – Mandarin Noodle – Black Pepper Sauce * A-Sha Dry Noodle QQ Thin Noodle – BBQ Sauce * A-Sha Dry Noodle Mandarin Noodle – Onion Oil Sauce * A-Sha Dry Noodle Hakka Noodle – Spicy Sesame Oil Sauce * A-Sha Dry Noodle Mandarin Noodle – Original Sauce
The Ramen Rater Noodle News #28

Here we go with the 28th edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News! I scour the Internet for articles about ramen and instant noodles and bring them to you! Here are some recent stories you might find interesting!
A Message To The People Of Taiwan From The Ramen Rater

In the last week, I’ve had a lot of traffic from upset Taiwanese that none of their country’s beloved instant noodles made the list. I saw videos like this one and then this angry one. I felt a video message would be appropriate, and here it is.
#1047: New Touch Yakisoba Noodle

Another one from my March birthday trip to Canada. I tried to translate this one but no luck – the name I got from the distributor’s sticker, so if anyone knows for sure this is the wrong name, please let me know. Let’s check it out!
#1046: Myojo Stir Fry Noodles Japanese Style Noodles With Sauce

Found this one at Uwajimaya in Bellevue and thought it was worth a try. I do like Worcestershire sauce!
#1045: Nissin Chow Mein Chicken Flavor Chow Mein Noodles

This is one you can probably find quite easily in a grocery store here in the United States. Let’s have a look.
#1044: Nongshim Shin Ramyun Noodle Spicy Mushroom Flavour

Another from my trip to Canada for my birthday. Wow – what a past two days here! The Top Ten 2013 list came out to a clamor of Taiwanese disapproval – Taiwan didn’t make the list. But, hopefully out of it all I’ll get contacted by one of the companies in Taiwan, but so far nothing. On to other things though – that being this interesting bowl by Nongshim. This one’s made in Shanghai, China. Let’s check it out.
Top Ten List: The Past Two Days Have Been Amazing!

So these last two days have been crazy – so many people from Taiwan just coming in droves to the site and declaring their passion for the instant noodles of their country! You should be proud of yourselves; I’m never going to look at Taiwanese noodles the same again, that’s for sure! I’m sure I’ll be reviewing more very soon so keep your eyes on The Ramen Rater!
A Special Message To Recent Taiwanese Visitors

In the last 24 hours, thousands of people of Taiwan have been coming to The Ramen Rater. I see your displeasure that Taiwan didn’t make the 2013 Edition of the Top Ten Instant Noodles list. I see the pride you have in your instant noodle brands and varieties as well! Any country that has folks like you who feel so strongly deserves attention! That being said, I would be very interested to hear from any and all Taiwanese instant noodle companies that might be willing to send samples of the non-export products that you produce. I do a special ‘Meet The Manufacturer’ spotlight which includes doing an interview with the company and then a series of up to 15 reviews of your products. This gives people a good look at what you make. All I’ve ever tried are the Taiwanese variants available in the United States, but I’m sure there are many I do not have access to here that are quite good as well. I also invite instant noodle companies to this from all countries – represented and not represented on the list. I’ve seen a lot of stories in the Taiwanese news – if anyone from any of these agencies would like to arrange an interview via Skype, please let me know. Please contact me – thank you, and thank you all for visiting The Ramen Rater.
The Ramen Rater Movie: Almost Two Hours Of Instant Noodles
If you watch this from beginning to end, not only proven yourself a true fan of the instant noodle, but also seen pretty much every single instant noodle review and re-review I’ve ever done. Clocking in at an hour and forty-nine minutes, this is pretty heavy duty. Enjoy!
#1043: Chewy Rice Vermicelli Satay Chicken Flavour
#1042: Nongshim Potato Pork Ramyun

Another one I got while in Canada for my birthday. I’m sure many folks will immediately ask ‘where did you get this’ and ‘where can I get it,’ and I’ll just say I’ve only seen this in Canada. See, they get stuff in the Vancouver area from not only the Nongshim plant here in the states but the one in Shanghai, China. Got a couple more coming down the pipe of reviews soon that hail from China. Let’s check this out!
#1041: Ko-Lee Instant Noodles Super Chow Mein Flavour

One of the last that Joe & Gil from the UK sent a while back – thanks again! I like chow mein, but what’s ‘super’ chow mein? Let’s see!
#1040: Western Family Instant Noodles Vegetable Flavour
#1039: Maruchan Bowl Hot & Spicy Shrimp Flavor Ramen Noodles With Vegetables

Here’s the last of the three product samples sent by the nice folks at Maruchan – thanks again! Spicy shrimp sounds good – let’s check it out.
#1038: Itomen Chanponmen

Here’s one that the folks from God Of Patena sent – thanks! Very little English on here – searched and translated via UPC code and kept coming up with ‘chanpon’ over and over so I’m calling it that. Also found it called ‘champon’ too, but more often than not it was ‘chanpon.’ Most things show it as a seafood broth, but as you can see on the package, it looks like ham or smoked pork. I also saw mention that this was a borrowed noodle soup from Chinese culture; like jjamppong perhaps? Let’s check it out!
#1037: emart Dare You Habanero Jjamppong

Time for some extremely spicy noodles! This is another one from eMart, makers of Dare You Habanero Ramyun. Dare You weighs in at 5,930SHU (Scoville Heat Units) – the hottest I’ve had thus far. This one’s 3,960SHU – not as fiery hot, but definitely not to be trifled with! Jjampong is a seafood soup. You ready?
#1036: Golden Wheat Korean Style Shrimp Noodle Soup

Another one from my Canada trip! Needed something I could make quickly today so thought this would do the trick. Let’s check it out!
#1035: Wei Lih Spicy Sichuan Flavor Steam Instant Noodle

Here’s another one found in Canada on my birthday trip there. I’ve had Sichuan flavors before and not a big fan, but I’ve been pretty happy with Wei Lih’s products in the past – looks interesting! Let’s check it out.











