This one came from an Umai Crate subscription box. It’s a pretty great thing to get people who are into ramen for the holidays! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles! I’ve reviewed the previous version I’ve seen, however this one is definitely packaged for the US market. Let’s give it a try!
Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch
#4435: Phonomenal Bowl Beef – United States
Time for pho. I tried the chicken and remember I wasn’t too impressed, but beef is what pho is all about and it does mention this has received an award so I’ve got high hopes. Let’s give it a try!
#4434: Ippudo Karaka Spicy Ramen – Japan
This came via ZenPlus – a special marketplace where you can get some of the best of Japan easily. Try using coupon code THERAMENRATER at checkout!
#4433: Homiah Indonesian Rendang / Laksa Noodle – United States
Today, I’m trying the third of three different varieties from Homiah, a company started out of an apartment in New York to share the flavors of Southeast Asia. I’ve been seriously impressed – great stuff so far and highly recommend it! Let’s check out the rendang!
Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast Influencer Box Unboxing!
Well I had a nice surprise land at my door today! A neat box showcasing the new Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast variety! Been wanting to get my hands on these and hopefully I’ll find more – but this is a really great box – thank you very much to the folks at Nissin Foods down in California!
#4432: Annie Chun’s Japanese Style Yakisoba Noodle Bowl – United States
I found this at WinCo Foods in Lynnwood, Washington last weekend. It mentions that this is Vegan friendly. I’m very curious about this; we will see how this goes.
#4431: Indomie Mi Keriting Rasa Ayam Panggang – Indonesia
A huge thanks to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this among many other Indonesian varieties recently – truly above and beyond. This is one I really loved for a long time when it was an export version to the United States, however it stopped coming our way. This stuff is top notch and really thrilled to be able to review it again. The name translates to curly noodle with grilled chicken flavor. It also comes with a soup to be served alongside. Let’s begin.
#4430: Nongshim Shin Kimchi Big Bowl – South Korea
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!
#4429: Kolson Noodle Doodle Chunky Chicken – Pakistan
Found these at JD’s Market in Lynnwood, Washington while getting Halloween costumes for the kids across from there. Let’s check ’em out!
#4427: Homiah Malaysian Red Curry / Laksa Noodle – United States
I was contacted recently by a woman named Michelle over at www.homiah.com – a website specializing in the flavors of Indonesia, singapore, and Malaysia. She asked if I’d like to try some of their products and of course I’m all in on that. So this is the first of three reviews I’ll be doing – stay tuned for the other two. The products are gluten free and as I’m writing this after trying this red curry, so far so very good. Let’s cook some red curry!
#4426: Sapporo Ichiban Curry Ramen Donburi – Japan
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
#4425: Marutai Aji Yoka Tai Tonkotsu Ramen Kumamoto -Japan
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
#4424: Dongwon Spicy Topokki With Rose Sauce – South Korea
I thought this one was a combo tteokbokki and noodle like the other one I reviewed a little while ago but that isn’t the case. Rose is when you have a carbonara and a spicy tteokbokki sauce mixed together – spicy and creamy. I couldn’t just let it be so I made it and it’s freaking good – here you go.
ZenPlus Has Great Products From Japan!
I’m sure you’ve seen the unboxings I’ve done of Zenpop.jp boxes. There’s also Zenmarket who helps source specific items from Japan to buyers abroad. Here, we have ZenPlus – a special market place of companies shipping products from Japan. I was contacted by them and the asked if I’d pick something to show – and it’s pretty neat – a special Ippudo box! You can find them here! Let’s have a look!
Cielo Sends Pozole & Menudo Ramen!
Menudo and pozole are very popular varieties – but as ramen? I’ve seen a lot of peopler really into these in the past and now with new packaging, they’re getting sampled all over the west coast and beyond. Check em out – reviews soon!
Gourmet Konjak Noodle From NoodleMix Of Taiwan
Konjak noodles are made from a plant which has a neat property of being almost calorie-free. This company makes a slew of different neat varieties in the healthy vein. In this unboxing, I open up two different boxes from the Taiwanese manufacturer – check it out!
#4423: Bagu Fresh Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Noodle – China
Hwew’s another of what I like to call ‘flower pots.’ Interesting design on this one. Let’s give it a try.
#4422: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Chili Flavor – United States
Well, look at that. Last time I had this? April 16, 2011! That was review #352. Wow – 4000 reviews later… Let’s try this one out.
Zenpop.jp Japanese Snack Box Taste Test March 2023
It’s time to unbox a Zenpop.jp box – this is a new one. I usually do unboxing of their ramen boxes – which I will still be doing. However, they’re also sending me their new snack boxes which have a noodle variety, and then a ton of candy and snacks. What’s cool is I’ll be not only doing the unboxing, but inline with it will be a taste test with my daughter Mimi. Great as a gift or to hoard for yourself! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Let’s check it out!
#4421: Ottogi Kimchi Ramen – South Korea
So this one might look like a variety simply for the US market but there’s a difference. The nutrition facts are valid for Canada as well. This one get’s the country of origin’s tag on it, although it’s most certainly an export product. It’s been quite a while since I’ve reviewed a South Korean variety I’ve not reviewed. Quite a while! Let’s hit it up and give it a try!
A Great Donation From James Of Lakeside, CA
A big thanks for a neat box from James of Lakeside, California. This guy – he sends me boxes from time to time and checks out what I’ve reviewed and rarely is there anything I’ve tried. It’s really interesting what’s available here and what he’s got access to that I’ve never seen here. Have a look!
#4420: Samyang Buldak Cheese Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States
So I’ve not reviewed this one in a long time. Way back when it was introduced, it had a black background, then changed to cheese colored to lessen confusion. That was back when the import version looked like the original Korean version with the Hangul text. Well, this is the current version for the US market. They’ve changed the recipe for a few of these and so curious about how this one is these days. Let’s find out. Oh – and by the way – this isn’t chicken flavored – it’s based on the spicy sauce you put on Korean BBQ chicken, so calling this chicken flavored is like calling Sweet Baby Ray’s beef flavored – but that explanation would really make for a long title. Ok let’s do this.
#4419: Pink Rocket For The Lovely Girls Original Rapokki – United States
Well ladies, this is the end of the line… I don’t have any more of these. This should all things considered be my favorite of the set – in theory. I love tteokbokki and adding noodle to it is a great way to go. Let’s try this last of the trifecta I found.
#4418: ShanShi Garlic Spicy Noodles – Taiwan
I was contacted recently by a company called ShanShi, asking if I would sample their product. I never turn down the chance to try something new (it’s what I do) so ofr course I accepted with gratitude. Here’s a little background from them – ‘It is a dish from QinWeiGuan. The Garlic Noodles comes with a very strong garlic taste and is quite spicy. It is an easy and fast way to enjoy garlic without the burden of peeling garlic and getting it ready to eat. About QinWeiGuan QinWeiGuan is a restaurant in Taipei that is established for almost 20 years. Inspiring from different Chinese traditional local cuisine, in addition with years of research and feedback from customers, QinWeiGuan has developed its unique taste that can only be found in our restaurant.’
Umai Crate Ramen Subscription Box – March 2023 + Coupon Code
Check this out! These subscription boxes come straight to your door and have some neat stuff inside! It’s a pretty great thing to get people who are into ramen for the holidays! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles! Here’s the latest unboxing of the March 2023 Umai Crate!
#4417: Pink Rocket For The Lovely Girls Mac & Cheese Rapokki – United States
This is another one of these noodle and tteokbokki varieties – with an exceedingly funny name. Mac and cheese flavor huh? Sounds good – let’s hit it up!
#4416: Nissin Talharim Sabor Frango – Brazil
Big thanks toa reader named Cian for shooting these over from his trip to Brazil! I dunno, but South American instant noodles make me exceedingly happy. These are sabor frango – chicken flavor. I’m guessing that’s about all they will be, but they’re from Brazil! I don’t get Brazilian varieties incredibly often and when I do they’re really fascinating to me. Instant noodles are quite popular down that way. Well, let’s give them a try!
#4415: Nongshim Vegan Shin Noodle Soup – United States
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.
#4414: Baixiang Big Bone Noodle Soup Spicy Pork Flavor – China
Here’s the second of two Chinese varieties sent by a reader named Cian from a trip to Brazil – thanks again! Curious about this one as the non-spicy one was pretty mellow. I am getting to this one fast because of all the varieties Cian sent, this one got the most banged up. Let’s check it out!
#4413: Ottogi Spicy Cheese Ramen – South Korea
Been wanting to try this one for a while – Ottogi makes some good ones. My favorite has been the Jin Jjamppong – nice smoky seafood flavor. Let’s give this one a try!
#4412: Sapporo Ichiban Sriracha Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles – United States
Here’s something new from a company that doesn’t roll out new products every day! I emailed them asking for a sample and here it is. A spicy yakisoba? Interesting – and it looks like it gets prepared in the same fashion as their knockout Chow Mein noodle – let’s get to trying this!
#4411: Nongshim Shin Green Mushroom & Fried Tofu – United States
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.
#4410: Nissin Lamen Doce Sabor Chocolate – Brazil
After over 4400 reviews, finally. It’s happened. A chocolate instant noodle. To make things even more wonderful, it’s from Brazil. Thank to Cian for sending this along – yeah this has been a dream of mine for quite a while. Dessert ramen is a very fascinating thing to me. I’m guessing if you’re reading this, you’re somewhat fascinated as well. So let’s give it a try.
#4409 Norita Dan Dan Noodle Meal Kit – Sichuan Style Hot & Spicy Sauce – United States
This was an interesting find in the Asian foods section of Fred Meyer on 164th in Lynnwood, Washington. Never heard of this brand; only thing I can think of with this name is Pat Norita who played Mister Miyagi in The Karate Kid. He was also on M*A*S*H a few times. Oh snap – that’s Pat Morita not Norita. Anyways, this sounds interesting and worth a try, so let’s give it a try. Made in China for a distributor in Kentucky.
#4408: Dongwon Rapokki With Spicy Sauce – United States
Found this at a store in Seattle called m2m Mart – an offshoot of HMart. Actually, my wife saw it . It looks really neat and I’m a huge fan of rapokki – instant ramyun with tteokbokki (rice cake tubes) and a spicy sauce. Made in Korea, packaged for the US market. Let’s do it to it!
#4407: A-Sha BT21 Universtar Noodle With Galaxy Spicy Sauce – United States
Here is the second variety from the Galaxy Variety Noodle Box – this one’s spicy! As mentioned in a review posted a few days ago, this is a tie in with LINE, a messaging/social app, and A-Sha. Also, the BT21 characters have something to do with Korean popular music group BTS. With that, let’s cook up some noodles.
#4406: Nongshim Premium Shin Gold With Chicken Broth – United States
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.
#4405: Baixiang Big Bone Noodle Soup Pork Flavor – China
So thanks to a guy name Cian and his visit to Brazil, I ended up with some fascinating varieties. I’ve enjoyed this brand in the past, so I’ve got an inkling that this should be decent. Anyways, let’s get down to it.
#4404: Samyang Foods Habanero Lime Buldak Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States
Recently, I reviewed the pack version of this one and the nice folks at Samyang also sent me the cup version! I’m curious what the difference is going to be, if any. This one’s going to take a spin in the microwave. There should be a mukbang as well. Made in South Korea and packaged for US market sale. Let’s get started!
#4403: Pink Rocket ‘For The Lovely Girls’ Carbonara Rabokki – United States
I must admit, I was surprised. I really think if I was at a store and a lady walked up and I held this product and said ‘I have a pink rocket for you,’ I would most likely get slapped pretty hard. Regardless of the terminology here, I have to say that this one sounds incredibly good. I’m a huge fan of rabokki – that’s a combination of ramyun noodles and tteokbokki, which are thin rice cake tubes. This one’s intermixing with a carbonara flavor – that all sounds really quite good! Definitely excited to try this one – we found it in Seattle at a place called M2M Mart. It’s made in South Korea for the US market. Well, let’s give it a try!