Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#4436: Itsuki Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen – United States

#4436: Itsuki Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen - United States

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! ...see full post

#4431: Indomie Mi Keriting Rasa Ayam Panggang – Indonesia

#4575: 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. ...see full post

#4430: Nongshim Shin Kimchi Big Bowl – South Korea

#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! ...see full post

#4427: Homiah Malaysian Red Curry / Laksa Noodle – United States

#4427: Homiah Malaysian Rec 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! ...see full post

#4424: Dongwon Spicy Topokki With Rose Sauce – South Korea

#4424: Dongwon Dpicy 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. ...see full post

ZenPlus Has Great Products From Japan!

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! ...see full post

Zenpop.jp Japanese Snack Box Taste Test March 2023

Zenpop.jp Japanese Snack Box Taste Tesh 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! ...see full post

#4421: Ottogi Kimchi Ramen – South Korea

#4282: 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! ...see full post

#4420: Samyang Buldak Cheese Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States

#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. ...see full post

#4418: ShanShi Garlic Spicy Noodles – Taiwan

#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.’ ...see full post

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! ...see full post

#4416: Nissin Talharim Sabor Frango – Brazil

#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! ...see full post

#4412: Sapporo Ichiban Sriracha Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles – United States

#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! ...see full post

#4411: Nongshim Shin Green Mushroom & Fried Tofu – United States

#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. ...see full post

#4410: Nissin Lamen Doce Sabor Chocolate – Brazil

#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. ...see full post

#4409 Norita Dan Dan Noodle Meal Kit – Sichuan Style Hot & Spicy Sauce – United States

#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. ...see full post

#4407: A-Sha BT21 Universtar Noodle With Galaxy Spicy Sauce – United States

#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. ...see full post

#4404: Samyang Foods Habanero Lime Buldak Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States

#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! ...see full post

#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! ...see full post