Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3327: Ramen Hero Spicy Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen – United States

#3254: Ramen Hero Spicy Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen - United States

I’ve gone to a couple ramen restaurants and hotten something mentioning spicy. Well, it hasn’t impressed me in flavor or spiciness in the past and been, well, bitter. I’m really curious about this one, though. Ramen Hero is based in the Bay Area and serves a few surrounding states at the time of this post – check their site for current service area. You pick your ramen, pay, and they’ll overnight you a set of ingredients to make a bowl of ramen at home – including garnish! Not bad. Let’s give this one a try – they send four and since they’re perishable, I’m going to do them over the next couple days. ...see full post

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor – Taiwan

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor - Taiwan

Over 3000 reviews ago, I tried this, so it’s getting a fresh new review. 3000 reviews – holy cow. This was review #274 – before I’d been to Taiwan, before I really knew about varieties like this. Remarkably, I cooked it correctly due to the decent cooking instructions. But this is a diamond in the rough; one of the very few varieties exported to the United States from Taiwan that are cooked in this unique manner. You might be thinking ‘unique manner?’ Well, this is to be enjoyed as a dry noodle AND a separate soup.In the mood for something interesting? Let’s do this. ...see full post

#3320: Jongga Instant Noodle Kimchi Ramen Hot & Spicy Flavor – South Korea

#3320: Jongga Instant Noodle Kimchi Ramen Hot & Spicy Flavor - South Korea

My buddy Paul in Australia and I met when he mentioned this one on the facebook page. ‘Have you tried this?’ I found it at a local HMart – he tried the bowl version – I ound botht he pack and the bowl. It sounds good – I like kimchi a lot. I like how often they say real on the package – no dude, it’s real – it’s really really real. ...see full post

#3319: Peyoung Gekikara MAX END Yakisoba – Japan

#3400: Peyoung Gekikara MAX END Yakisoba - Japan

I figured I needed something scary for this pairing of Halloween varieties and so here’s something scary. I have no clue how truly spicy this one might be. I’m hoping it’s not going to kill my gut. This will have not only the cooking video at the bottom but the mukbang where I scarf the whole thing down if I can. Well, let’s see if I can handle it. ...see full post

#3318: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio – Japan

#3399: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio - Japan

I’ve known about this one for a while, but I was finally able to score some – and what better time to roll it out than for Halloween! I’m hpoing it’s good – I mean, when you look at this, your first thought (at least mine) is gimmick – but then again what we find inside looks fascinating – blue noodles! Let’s take a look and see how it tastes! ...see full post

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

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

Usually, this is a summer list, coming out late July or early August. No more. Why? A couple of reasons – first, I’ve been busy. The whole diet and exercise thing has kind of taken over my life – which is good and a pain at the same time. I do a LOT of walking – often 15 miles in a day. This takes a lot of time and so there’s that. The other reason is that I’ve heard many ask why this list doesn’t come later in the year when it’s colder. ...see full post

#3315: Sapporo Ichiban Cup Star Potato Butter Shio Ramen 44th Anniversary Limited Edition – Japan

#3315: Sapporo Ichiban Cup Star Potato Butter Shio Ramen 44th Anniversary Limited Edition - Japan

This one comes from Zenpop.jp – a subscription box service. If you want to check out their boxes and get one, use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount. Here’s what they have to say about this one – “The Cup Star came out on January 18th in 1973. This limited flavor is made to celebrate the Cup Star’s 44th anniversary. Some members from the idol group Nogizaka48 are printed on the label to give a special touch to the product, and you might see some of their printed autographs when you open the lid. Enjoy the combination of chicken and butter and this shio (salt) based ramen and contains slightly chunky potatoes along with cabbage, corn, and carrots. If you are a Nogizaka48 fan you should save the container after using it!” ...see full post

#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This is called geikikara’ (extremely hot); however, it’s not as hot as it thinks it is. We bet you will like this even if you are not a big fan of spiciness. The rich tonkotsu soup contains delicious ma-yu (burnt sesame oil and garlic), and it creates an irresistable smell for your appetite. The unique octagonal form of the box is to let it stand out from other noodles.’ ...see full post

Shin Ramen Burrito Prison Recipe – Instant Noodle Recipe Time – EP 457

Shin Ramen Burrito Prison Recipe - Instant Noodle Recipe Time

I thought to continue this series of Prison Ramen Burrito Recipes that you couldn’t get in prison since you can’t get these varieties, the next logical step would involve Shin Ramen/Ramyun. I ended up with the standard Shin Ramen as well as Shin Black in this one. It ended up being an enormous monstrosity! ...see full post

#3311: Paldo Teumsae Ramen (9,413 SHU) – South Korea

Paldo Teumsae Ramen (9,413 SHU) - South Korea

I’ve been wanting to try this one for a great while. Happily, they were sent along by my new contact at Paldo! Thank you very much! This one screams mukbang to me but as some of you might know already, mukbang is something that’s getting harder and harder for me these days. I used to eat a LOT mre, and now I exercise and my diet is much more regulated. To put it bluntly, scarfing down a big block of carbs is easy when you do it more often than I do now.But of course, I’ll give it a shot. ...see full post

#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!

I found some info online about this one and had to use Google translation –

● Miso-tonkotsu ramen where you can feel the taste in the hotness, which is made by adding the spicy taste with the chili pepper and soya bean paste to the pork broth, and the richness with the miso and the flower bud.  ● The soup is based on a hot pepper base with chili pepper and comes out with 2 kinds of rice miso and neri sesame seeds, and it has an exquisite and deep taste with the addition of the flavor of fish and the smell of florets.  ● Excellent compatibility with soup and straight non-fried noodles.  ● For hot taste, I blended several spices and seasonings, and I was particular about not only the hotness but also the quality of hotness.  -It is a tonkotsu ramen that is unbearable for those who really like hot things.  ● Please note that this is a very hard ramen. ...see full post

#3307: O’Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT – South Korea

#3307: O'Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT - South Korea

Here’s another one I found over at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. This new O’Taste brand seems to be cropping up a lot lately. It’s interesting as it’s not exactly a Nongshim variety, but it’s Taekyung Food & Processing, and I’m unsure exactly how they fit in with the Nongshim corporate structure. Maybe I should find out. ...see full post

#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba – Japan

#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba - Japan

Here’s one from an Umai Crate – a subscription box from Japan. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount if you’d like to get one! Here’s what they have to say about it – ‘There’s a saying in Japan that long noodles are good luck for a long life! These soba (buckwheat) noodles are extra long for that reason! They also come with tasty crispy tempura balls, seaweed and crunchy shrimp.’ ...see full post

#3305: Sapporo Ichiban CupStar Classic Shoyu – Japan

#3305: Sapporo Ichiban CupStar Classic Shoyu - Japan

Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘The original ‘CupStar Shoyu’ was released in 1975 (Showa 50), and is now back in your kitchen as a reprinted edition so you can try the original version. Toppings are scrambled eggs, kamaboko, shrimp, and scallion. The standard version today has minced pork, but the original version did not include it; instead, it has kamaboko (a type of cured fish paste). It is one of the simplest, yet most enjoyable instant ramens out there. Please enjoy the original version and explore a ‘back to the past’ experience!’ ...see full post

#3303: Chil Kab Farm Products Spicy Sujebi – Seafood Flavor – South Korea

#3303: Chil Kab Farm Products Spicy Sujebi - Seafood Flavor - South Korea

Found this one yesterday at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. So it had a sticker on the side which pulled a bit off but I can still make out the cooking instructions from what’s left. The sticker mentioned ‘Korean pasta’ which I found compelling. This is sujebi – let’s see what Wikipedia has to say – ...see full post

#3300: Maruchan Yellow Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3300: Maruchan Yellow Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This is a brand new ramen just debuted. It’s an updated version of an original that came out in 1982. The simplicity of this bowl of ramen is just right and irresistible. You can taste the kikurage (wood ear mushroom) as one of the toppings. Kikurage is low in fat and calories but rich in protein and other nutrients and is a particularly good source of the B vitamins, too. The tonkotsu broth is excellent – can you taste the umami from the dried sardine? There are two chashu pork slices on top to satisfy your mouth!’ ...see full post