Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

Meet The Manufacturer: More Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong

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A little story. So a few weeks back, Nissin HK sent a package which got lost by the shipping company for some reason. I ended up getting a different package – an envelope that wasn’t supposed to come to me but addressed to me (weird). Well, Nissin HK was kind enough to send another package (which was the first Special Items From Hong Kong post). After quite a while, lo and behold the original package arrives! Apparently it ended up in Alabama. No clue how – but they tracked it down and got it back from whoever received it and sent it my way. So here it is – check it out – and thank you very much to Nissin HK!!! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2079: Nissin Nupasta Carbonara Flavour Instant Noodle

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Well this looks interesting – Italian inspired pasta in a take out box style package. Reminds me of the Cup Noodles Pasta Style from Japan a reviewed before – at least in color scheme and design on the package. It looks like it stops there though! Let’s see what we’ve got here! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2078: Nissin Demae Iccho Curry Beef Flavour Instant Noodle

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If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, two things you’ll probably have realized – I like curry and I like beef. I don’t think I’ve tried a curry instant from outside of South Korea before and this one looks pretty neat. This is the first cup version of the Demae Iccho line I’ve ever gotten my hands on! Let’s have a look inside! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2077: Nissin Cup Noodles Big Spicy Seafood Flavour

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Today I think we’ll take a look at this bigger Cup Noodles. Spicy seafood sounds tasty to me! What’s also interesting about this one is that it can be microwaved, although my microwave is 1100W so unsure how to try it at 800W. It has different power levels, 1-12 (which seems kind of illogical since I wuld think they’d number 1-11). Boiling water time! Let’s go! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2076: Nissin Demae Iccho Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Flavour

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After getting a box with over 40 new varieties I’ve not yet reviewed and only 15 that will be in this Meet The Manufacturer, I wasn’t sure which to try first. So this one was looking up at me and I thought okay – let’s give you a try. Alright – let’s open it up and check it out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Nissin Hong Kong

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So I’ve been chatting with the DHL guy lately – especially since he’s been coming by quite often. Today he brought a huge box from Nissin HK! I often give him extra noodles – I’ve got so many at this point it’s kind of overwhelming! This batch though is all ones I’ve never reviewed and only one of each! Let’s open it up! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Nissin Hong Kong

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Interview With Nissin Hong Kong * Product Samples From Nissin Hong Kong * Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong * More Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong * Nissin Demae Iccho Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Big Spicy Seafood Flavour * Nissin Demae Iccho Curry Beef Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Nupasta Carbonara Flavour Instant Noodle * Fuku Non-Fried Superior Soup Noodle * Nissin Cup Mifun Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Pork Chowder Flavour * Nissin Taisho Fried Noodle Sesame Paste Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Kyushu Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle * Fuku Superior Soup Instant Rice Vermicelli * Nissin Demae Ramen Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Mie Goreng Indonesia Stir Noodle Original Flavour * Nissin Demae Iccho Beef Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Cup Noodles Big Seafood Curry Flavour * Nissin Nupasta Salmon In White Sauce Flavor Instant Noodle ...see full post

#2075: Mi Sedaap Mi Segera Mi Goreng Ayam Krispi

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Time for some mi goreng! So this is another one I found at the Uwajimaya in Renton, WA by where my son goes to Pokemon League. Today’s a weird day; the local power company has been going from apartment building to apartment building and repairing these big green power boxes outside. I’m guessing that the power could go out at any minute! I guess We’ll see – let’s get started! ...see full post

#2073: Great Value Spicy Ramen Noodles

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Awesome. Spicy instant noodles my sister got me for my birthday – from Walmart in Canada! Thank you again! So far these have been pretty good – the beef one tasted like beef and the chicken tasted like chicken. The operative word here is tasted; so many Canadian varieties don’t have a lot of flavor to them. However I should note these are manufactured in the United States. Not a slam on Canada though – I really like Canada! Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#2072: Maruchan Bowl Taste Of Asia Beef Flavor Sukiyaki Ramen

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Hey look at this! So every two weeks, my wife and I bring my son Andy down to Renton, Washington to go to Pokemon League. Yeah – there’s such a thing! Kids (and some adults) play the Pokemon card game. Well, my wife and I don’t play Pokemon so we have time to look around and stroll. As it happens, there’s a Uwajimaya nearby which is awesome. The first time we went I found two big bagfulls of noodles! What was a surprise was finding a LOT of Maruchan products I’d not seen before. There are a couple new Instant Lunch cups (sriracha which I reviewed previously as well as a cihpotle chicken) and these Taste of Asia products in the Bowl line. Let’s check out this sukiyaki variety! ...see full post

#2068: Maggi Fusian Special Edition Ow… Ow… Spicy Cow Flavour Mi Goreng

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First off, I must thank Jen from Australia for sending this real gem of an instant noodle. I mean come on – I think anyone reading the name of this variety definitely should thank her. Ow… Ow… Spicy Cow – I mean that’s awesome. This one is made in Malaysia, however it’s for the Australia/New Zealand market. Without further ado, let’s crack it open and get punished by the spicy cow. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2016 Edition

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Instant noodles sold in bowls are very popular as they provide a certain convenience to those ‘on the go.’ They’re great to pack in a bag for a trip or for the office at lunch. These are the best of the best that I’ve tried out of my over 2,060+ reviews to date. With that, open lid halfway, pour in some boiling water, stir – and enjoy! ...see full post

Washoku Explorer Kit: #2066: Marutai Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen

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Okay so a few weeks ago I got a neat box in the mail. It contained the Washoku Explorer Tonkotsu Ramen kit. The idea is that you can get a nice kit with all the things you need to experience a great bowl of Japanese ramen at home – even the bowl! You can visit Washoku Explorer here. They have all sorts of other Japanese kits – really fascinating and a neat idea! The Tonkotsu Ramen kit includes this Marutai Hakata Tonkotsu ramen (2 packs with 2 servings each) and well as some special garnishes/add-ons I’ll show you below. Let’s check it out and give it a try! ...see full post

#2065: Four Seas Kung Tak Lam Vegetarian Noodle (Mushroom)

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I had a bit of trouble figuring out what this variety was called – until I scanned the back of the package and noticed it on the top left corner. This is one that I received from Apple Daily of Hong Kong for a special news feature. Kung Tak Lam is a popular vegetarian restaurant in Hong Kong. Let’s crack it open and give it a try! ...see full post

#2062: Ottogi Ramyon Sabor Mariscos

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Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader from back east – thank you! He went to Mexico recently and sent me a ton of varieties that he found there. You’d think with Mexico being next door I’d be able to find more varieties, but actually it’s been really hard. This one’s made in South Korea for the Mexican market. Instant noodle are hugely popular in Mexico, and with spicy flavors coming out of South Korea, it’s a pretty good fit. Let’s have a look! ...see full post

#2061: Kamfen Dried-mix Noodles Scallop Seafood Flavoured

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Here’s one I picked up at 99 Ranch Market a couple months ago. I have a couple brands that I have as ‘reserves’ – if I run low on instant noodles, I know certain stores have always had certain varieties and I can get them at any time. This is one of them. At that point I was running low (although now I’m not). Let’s crack this tray open and give it a try! ...see full post

#2060: Nissin Cup Noodle Light Plus Cheese Fondue

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During the Nissin Japan Meet The Manufacturer, I reviewed 15 varieties. Well, Daisuke-san from Nissin Japan sent many more – amazing varieties that I get to put into the regular rotation and share with you now! Thank you again, Daisuke-san! This is one of the new new Cup Noodle Light varieties – let’s take a look! By the way – he mentioned that just recently, Cup Noodle(s) has been enjoyed over 40 BILLION times since the 1970s! Wow! ...see full post

#2055: Nissin Tokyo Tokunou Gyokai Tonkotsu

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Here’s one from the Box From Japan box from March! BoxFromJapan.com is a monthly subscription service – you get 4 neat and very unique bowls of ramen sent from Japan along with a few chopsticks and a little letter! Really awesome – I’ve not gotten any that I’ve reviewed before at this point which is really quite amazing! Anyways, check them out! Today’s variety looks really great – here’s what Box From Japan has to say about it: ...see full post

#2053: Maruchan Instant Lunch Sriracha Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

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Here’s something new – found this at the Uwajimaya in Renton, Washington. It’s funny; we go a little out of our normal sphere of shopping and boom – all sorts of new things! Actually, found quite a few new Maruchan varieties – a Chipotle Instant Lunch as well as three new Bowl varieties – Miso, Sukiyaki and Tonkotsu! Those will be coming up for review soon. Until them, let’s check out this neat little cup. ...see full post

#2052: Indomie Pop Mie Mi Instan Cup Rasa Ayam

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A couple weeks ago, we took my son Andy to a special Pokemon card event south of here in Renton, Washington. We had some time to kill as he was battling other kids (he won all three battles – a sweep!), and we ended up noticing there was a Uwajimaya very closeby. I’d never been to this one, so we walked over. I was floored – ended up with a couple bagfuls of instant noodles I’d never seen around before which was really great! Anyways, this is one of them. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#2051: Master Kong Artificial Pork Ribs Flavor Instant Noodle

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Here’s another one sent to my by Colin from the eastern USA – thanks again! So these have always been interesting; they have the little chef guy much like Kang Shi Fu (Master Kong), but often the bar code search will come up with Kailo brand. This morning, I called the number on the back and they gave me another number, and they gave me an email address. I emailed the address I was given and will get the info on what brand this is exactly when they reply – and hopefully they do. Prok ribs – let’s do this! ...see full post

#2049: Ottogi Ramyon Sabor a Res

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Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader from back east – thank you! He went to Mexico recently and sent me a ton of varieties that he found there. You’d think with Mexico being next door I’d be able to find more varieties, but actually it’s been really hard. This one’s made in South Korea for the Mexican market. Instant noodle are hugely popular in Mexico, and with spicy flavors coming out of South Korea, it’s a pretty good fit. Let’s have a look! ...see full post

#2048: Acecook Kado-Men Koikoku Tonkotsu

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Here’s one from the April offering of Box From Japan! This looks like one big bowl of tonkotsu! Let’s have a look inside! By the way – Box From Japan is a really great way to get some instant noodles you probably haven’t ever tried before, nor in a million years wouldn’t have access to here in the USA. With that, let’s crack this bog one open! ...see full post

The June Box From Japan

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For a while now, Javier over at BoxFromJapan.com has been sending me sample boxes and they’ve been really out of this world. Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a new box every month to your door – it’s reasonably priced I think since you can’t find any of these in the USA, plus I’ve NEVER gotten a single instant ramen from him that I’ve ever reviewed before – and that’s definitely saying something. Not only that, he also has a candy box – all sorts of neat treats from Japan as well! Let’s look inside! ...see full post