Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

Another Donation From James In Lakeside, California!

Another Donation From James In Lakeside, California!

A while back I got a few boxes of donations from a reader in Lakeside, California named James. Well, he’s struck again and sent another box – thanks! I’m always surprised that even though we’re both on the west caoast, the varieties he’s finding as opposed to the ones here and very different. Let’s have a look inside! ...see full post

Newgate Express Instant Noodles Sent By A Viewer From Ireland!

Newgate Express Instant Noodles Sent By A Viewer From IReland!

I was contacted recently by a fellow names Cian from Dublin about trying out some store brand instant noodles he found over there. He said they weren’t the greatest, but I am always interested in store brand varieties – so of course I accepted the offer – thank you! First varieties from Ireland to cross my desk! Let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

#3615: Baixiang Artificial Crawfish Flavored Stir Fried Noodle – China

#3615: Baixiang Artificial Crawfish Flavored Stir Fried Noodle - China

I found this at a large Asian grocery in Bellevue, Washington recently. It was the last one – I’m guessing part of a special promo for Lunar New Year. My guess is that this is going to be in the vein of the hot spicy stir fried noodles of South Korea, but in a Chinese way? I don’t know for sure, but it sounds interesting. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

This yeah has just been rough – for everyone I know. After the hardest part of it for me – the passing of my mother – I took a week off from walking after doing 1,000,000 steps on my Fitbit in June and dove in  to working on top ten lists. I did four of them, all current as of review 3545. This list hasn’t been updated since 2017. I’ll be rolling out lists here and there for the next couple of months and maybe do this again a little ways down the road. Here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition. ...see full post

#3612: Nissin Top Ramen Fiery Chilli Noodles – India

#3612: Nissin Top Ramen Fiery Chilli Noodles - India

Hooray! Let’s go to India! Actually, I went to India Supermarket in Bellevue, Washington last month! They have a really great selection of varieties from India. It’s pretty common that Indian varieties come in these wide 4 packs. They had a ton I’d not tried and you’ll be seeing them rolling on through shortly. I got some neat stuff to add in as well Let’s go! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3610: Vi Huong Beef Flavor Instant Noodles – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: #3610: Vi Huong Beef Flavor Instant Noodles - Vietnam

Today, we come to the end of this Meet The Manufacturer series of Thien Huong products. I want to thank John and C&T Produce Wholesale for sending over the samples and participating in this, the first ever Vietnamese spotlight series. Now, let’s give this beef variety a try and wrap things up. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3608: Vi Huong Black Pepper Crab Flavor Instant Noodles – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: #3608: Vi Huong Black Pepper Crab Flavor Instant Noodles - Vietnam

Those crab claws there look really nice. Man, that sounds so good right now! I remember when in Penang, Malaysia, sitting around a table which was on a little dock – one of many that were roped together and you picked the seafood you wanted and they prepared it. It was amazing – and we got crab. The meat was so good! We also had duck and sea cucumber – that’s an interesting thing. They work well together, but sea cucumber by itself wasn’t my favorite thing. Anyways, I digress – black pepper crab it is! ...see full post

Unboxing: Exotic Noods Subscription Box – September 2020

Unboxing: Exotic Noods Subscription Box - September 2020

Looking for something a little different? Head over to www.exoticnoods.com! Their subscription boxes are from different countries! Not just Japan, you’ll get to try varieties from around the SE Asian region! Plus, use coupon code RAMENRATER15 for 15% off your order! Here’s what you’ll find inside the September 2020 box. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3607: Vi Huong Instant Noodles Artificial Pork Flavor – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: #3607: Vi Huong Instant Noodles Artificial Pork Flavor - Vietnam

As I ready this, the first post of the week, I’m a little worried. You see, I don’t have any ground pork. I hope they have some at the store tomorrow morning. I’m kind of unsure what kind of garnish to do on this one other than that. Hmmm… I don’t think eggs really are suitable… I’ll have to figure this one out! Let’s begin. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3606: Thien Huong Food Lemon Chicken Flavour Instant Noodles – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: #3606: Thien Huong Food Lemon Chicken Flavour Instant Noodles - Vietnam

Lemon chicken sounds good! This isn’t one I’ve seen a lot of. Lemon usually isn’t a pairing with instant noodle flavor profiles. Uniqueness! Hooray! Sure, there’s lemongrass, but this is different. Unique varieties pique my interest – let’s delve into this one. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3605: Vi Huong Spicy Shrimp Flavour Instant Noodles – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: #3604: Vi Huong Spicy Shrimp Flavour Instant Noodles - Vietnam

I really like this packaging – paper with a protective inner liner. It’s definitely unique and I must say I wish more companies would do things this way. It’s so much easier for me to take pictures of the packaging – much less glare! Let’s give the contents a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3604: Vi Huong Pho Bo Artificial Beef Flavor Rice Noodles – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: #3604: Vi Huong Pho Bo Artificial Beef Flavor Rice Noodles - Vietnam

I thought it fitting to start things off with probably the variety most familiar to people – pho, and in particular, pho bo. There are a ton of pho restaurants nearby me – haven’t been in a while and as I type this in after reviewing this one, I’m thinking I need to visit one. It’s been too long! Unfortunately, no restaurants open at this point – luckily, I’ve got a series of Vietnamese varieties to review! Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Thien Huong Food – Vietnam

When I do a review series, one thing I definitely need are samples. Companies send an assortment, and then shortly thereafter I start reviewing them one after another. We start that today with an unboxing of varieties from Vietnam’s Thien Huong Food Joint Stock Company. Thank you! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Thien Huong Food – Vietnam

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Thien Huong Food - Vietnam

Time for a new Meet The Manufacturer! Today, we start with an interview with John Nguyen of Thien Huong Food of Vietnam. This is the first Vietnamese MTM I’ve done with a company, so this is pretty special! Look forward to some neat varieties over the next few days! With that, let’s begin with the interview! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #3603: mi ABC Selera Pedas Spicy Cheese Stir-Fry Noodles – Indonesia

Meet The Manufacturer: #3603: mi ABC Selera Pedas Spicy Cheese Stir-Fry Noodles - Indonesia

Here’s the third of this short series we’ll be checking out – spicy cheese! I’m totally unsure what to expect out of this; cheese and Indonesia aren’t at all synonymous in my reviewing experience. I want to thank Ni over at Fusion Gourmet for agreeing to partake in Meet The Manufacturer! Let’s give this one a try! ...see full post