Let me say that the past couple of days have been probably a couple of the most crazy, fascinating and rewarding of my run so far as The Ramen Rater. I did am interview with Quartz (part of The Atlantic) and it went viral; Huffington Post picked it up, Grub Street, Digg,… Did an interview with South Korea’s Cultwo Veranda Show and appeared, and have two interviews with radio and television lined up in the next couple of days. A couple of interesting opportunities I can’t talk about yet have popped up and I’m very excited about them and will share as soon as I can. Thursday I went up to Canada and met with some folks at a big Asian grocery called T&T Supermarket. They were really nice people and even sent me home with some great new varieties to review and share! Thank you so much! This is one of them. Oat noodles? This sounds different – see the little circle on the lower right? It says ‘health is important. Let’s check it out!
Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch
Advertise On The Ramen Rater
Hey folks – so we’ve re-tooled our rates for August! We now have monthly pricing and 30% off for August! Check out this PDF to find out more. Thank you!
#1120: ABC Selera Pedas Mi Rebus Hot Gulai Chicken Flavour
Another Indonesia variety sent by a kind person in Jakarta! Thanks! This is called ‘gulai’ – something I’ve never heard of. I consulted Wikipedia and found this:
The Ramen Rater Noodle News #30
Here we go with the 30th 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!
#1119: Ko-Lee Taste Sensation Instant Noodles Curry Flavour
Here’s one sent to me by Xavier over at Ko-Lee in the UK – thanks! These are made in Thailand for the UK market. Has directions for dry noodles as well as with soup – I’m going to prepare the latter. Let’s check this out!
#1118: Mr. Noodles Kimchi Bowl Noodles Oriental Style Noodle With Soup Base
Here’s another one we found in Richmond, BC during my birthday trip! Thanks yet again to my wife Kit! By the way today is out 3 years and 7 months first meeting anniversary! I’m curious about this one since it’s a Canadian product and it’s a South Korean theme. My hopes are high! Kind of an interesting one to pick as well as I got an email today from MBC , a South Korean TV network, and I’m going to do an interview with them tonight for the Cul-Two TV show! When it’s out, I’ll share a link. As for this noodle bowl, let’s check it out!
#1117: Thai Pavilion Spicy Pad Thai Instant Rice Noodles & Sauce
My wife mentioned she saw this brand at her work and I was curious, so she brought a couple varieties home! Thanks, Kit! I’ve never heard of this brand before. It’s an interesting one as it’s made in Thailand but set up for sale in the United States. Let’s check it out!
#1116: Tokyo Noodle Mini Instant Noodle Artificial Chicken Flavor
Went to Uwajimaya in Seattle yesterday and saw these – little four pack of mini noodles! Let’s check ’em out.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2013 Edition
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.
#1115: Nissin Pan Asian Kitchen Sukiyaki Beef Flavor Savory Soy Sauce Ramen Noodles
Here’s another one sent by Scott over at Nissin USA – thanks! Some may be wondering what sukiyaki is – here’s what Wikipedia had to say:
#1114: Maitri Vegetarian Fried Noodle (Mie Goreng)
Here’s another from my Indonesian friend – thanks! Another new brand! Let’s check it out.
#1113: Samyang Foods 三養라면 (Samyang Ramyun) (SK Version)
Today, it’s a South Korean classic cup. These guys were the very first to introduce ramyun in South Korea back in 1963! I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Samyang Foods- here’s what they have to say about cups:
#1112: MAMA Oriental Style Instant Kua-Chap Clear Soup
Another one that was donated by a friend in Indonesia – thank you! So this is something very different – kua chap. It looks like from the package, these are like large tube noodles, although it does not seem that way from the way this package feels. It’s thin and flat – hmmm… Let’s have a look!
#1111: Golden Wheat Korean Style Stew Beef Cooking Noodle
Another one we got on our trip to Canada – thank you to my beautiful wife Kit! So I recently got this comment on my Top Ten Strangest & Weirdest list:
#1110: GS25 Gonghwachun Jjajangmyun
This was sent to me by Kristina W. of Arizona – thank you! Jjajangmyun is basically a noodle that is coated in a black bean sauce. Let’s check it out!
Interview With The Ramen Rater On NTD TV!
A couple days ago, I was interviewed via Skype on NTD TV about the recent uproar over The Bottom Ten List as well as what I do. It was a lot of fun and I would like to thank NTD TV for this great opportunity! Thank you! Here’s a direct link to their site.
#1109: La Fonte Spaghetti With Bolognese Sauce
You’re probably wondering what the deal is here. Well, I’ll tell you! These were sent along with a slew of other Indonesian (yep – it’s from Indonesia!) instant noodles. These are made by Indofood, the same company that makes Indomie! They only take 4 minutes to make, and I think they’re unique enough that I’d review them. Thank you to my friend from Indonesia for sending me noodles I could never lay my hands on here! Let’s check ’em out!
#1108: Chencun Noodle Spicy Beef
Earlier today, I did an interview with NTDTV about the Bottom Ten list! Should be a link coming soon! Woo-hoo!!! In the meantime, here’s a Chinese rice noodle variety from Chencun. We got it during my birthday trip up to Canada! Thank you, Kit!
#1107: Nissin Demae Ramen Kimchi Flavour Instant Noodle With Soup Base
Another one from my birthday trip to Canada – thanks, Kit! I’ve seen plenty of Demae Ramen varieties, but not until I visited Canada did I find bowls! Let’s check it out.
A STATEMENT REGARDING THE TAIWANESE RESPONSE TO THE RAMEN RATER’S BOTTOM TEN INSTANT NOODLES OF ALL TIME 2013 EDITION
#1106: Nissin Raoh Rich Soy Sauce with Roast Pork (2 Slices)
Here’s another one from Scott over at Nissin! Thank again, man! This one has two – count ’em two – slices of pork! Let’s check it out!
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.
#1105: Nongshim Doong Ji Authentic Korean Cold Noodles With Chili Sauce
Here’s one that I’ve waiting to review for a while. This is a variety specifically marketed for the summer months – cold South Korean noodles! Thought I’d consult Wikipedia to give some more information on South Korean cold noodle dishes:
#1104: Western Family Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour
Here’s yet another one picked up in Canada on my birthday! My wife took me up there (I’m legally blind so driving’s not the greatest idea for me). Thanks, Kitten! My son is a huge fan of chicken flavored noodle anything, so I figure he’ll like these.
Samples From Indofood!
Hey – a box!
Ooh – Indomie!!!
A rad bowl! Indomie just had their 40th anniversary!
A Donation From Friendo
#1103: Myojo Ippei-chan Yomise No Yakisoba Teriyaki Mayo Flavor
So today’s noodles were sent to me by Ichiro Yamato, proprietor of Yakantei over in Japan! He specializes in interesting and hard to find instant noodles – thank you very much. Today is a special day around here for a couple of reasons.
#1102: Batchelors Super Noodles Mild Mexican Chilli Flavour
Here’s one my friend Martin in Devon, England sent me a little while back. Though it was a good day for something fusion – British and Mexican? Sure, why not.
#1101: Eat & Go Spicy Chicken Mi Instan Cup
Here’s another one a fan shipped me from Indonesia. Never tried this variety before – very few Indonesian cups that I’ve tried. Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1100: Baltix Instant Noodles Witrh Chicken Flavour Broth
Meet The Manufacturer: #1099: Baltix Instant Noodles Witrh Beef Flavour Broth
Estonian noodles – until very recently, I didn’t know there were any instant noodles produced there. What I’m finding though is that it sure looks like almost every country has somebody making one or another variety! Let’s check these out.
Meet The Manufacturer: Baltix Product Samples
I was in the apartment office putting laundry money on the laundry card when they said there was a package arrived for me.
Meet The Manufacturer: Baltix Interview
#1098: Tropicana Slim Low Fat Noodles Hainan Chicken
Here’s another Indonesian variety from the big donation I was sent recently – thank you! Tropicana Slim – sounds like a character from an old mobster movie or something involving orange juice? I assure it’s neither – they’re low fat noodles from Indonesia! Let’s check these out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1097: Amianda Noodle Homely Dried Noodles – Sesame Paste
Today, we have the last of the Amianda noodles. I’d like to thank Amianda for doing the interview and sending the great samples! Sesame paste – let’s get to it.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1096: Amianda Noodle Tachia Noodles – Hot & Spicy Sauce
As we wind down this spotlight on Amianda, we arrive at a hot and spicy variety of their Tachia noodles. Let’s have a look.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1095: Amianda Noodle Tachia Noodles – Fried Shallot
Today it’s fried shallot. Shallots are really quite enjoyable; like an onion and a garlic had a child – strong flavor! Let’s give this one a try!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1094: Amianda Noodle Thin Noodles – Sesame Oil
Meet The Manufacturer: #1093: Amianda Noodle Hakka Flat Noodles – Satay Sauce
I don’t know what made me do it, but I felt a need to consult Wikipedia on satay and Taiwan. So I did and found this:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1092: Amianda Noodle Tachia Dried Noodles – Rou Zhao Meat Sauce
Today, we have the Tachia noodles again but with rouzao. What is rouzao? Wikipedia mentioned that it involves minced pork (Amianda mentioned this one includes it in the sauce) and minced pork rice is the common rouzao: