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The third and final of the cups I received from MyKuali – thanks again! The Hokkien Prawn (aka Spicy Prawn Noodle) was #2 on this year’s The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of all Time 2016 Edition. I recently read a little about these cups – the noodle they are using is referred to as ‘shabu noodle.’ Just a little something you might be curious about. Anyways, let’s see how the sweetness of Hokkien Prawn translates with this new noodle! Let’s crack it open!
A while back, somebody asked me if since I have top ten lists, what about a ‘bottom ten’ list? Well, when I was asked that, I was a little leery at first and then figured hey – why not. That’s what we have here. In it’s fourth iteration since 2013, here are my very least favorite varieties I’ve samples out over over 2,000 reviews. I should note that I see these often and so I’m sure many of you will disagree with me. It’s kind of crazy – some people get really offended at my picks. But these are my PERSONAL least favorite instant noodles; don’t take it personally… Geez… Without further ado, let’s dig in to The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition!
Well folks, today’s the last day of this Meet The Manufacturer. It’s been a lot of fun – been great to try some new products I’ve never had the chance to before! This will be the 15th review, however Nissin Hong Kong sent me 47 different varieties, so rest assured you’ll be seeing a lot more in the future. I thought I’d go out with something really interesting. I don’t think I’ve seen a salmon instant noodle before. The Nupasta Carbonara cup I had a week or so ago was really quite good and so I’m curious about this pack version. Let’s have a look and bid a fond farewell to Nissin Hong Kong’s Meet The Manufacturer!
As we meander our way towards the end of this Meet The Manufacturer, we find this little gem. I’m pretty sure it’s smaller sibling was on the Top Ten Cups list a while back. This looks awesome – let’s check out this huge cup!
I haven’t reviewed a whole lot of beef varieties during this Meet The Manufacturer, so I figured I’d better! Here’s one – spicy beef! Sounds good to me – let’s give this big bowl a try!
Here one of the more unique varieties Nissin Hong Kong sent. Mie goreng is definitely an Indonesian dish – not something that jumps at me as something from Hong Kong. However, it tastes quite nice anywhere you are, and so I imagine that’s why they’ve added it to their lineup. Let’s have a look at this one from Nissin Hong Kong!
Here’s an interesting one – probably the most recognizable Demae Ramen. When I first tried it, I was around 18 years old and I couldn’t get past the sesame oil smell – didn’t like it back then. It’s funny since I really like sesame oil scent and flavor now… I guess years change the palate! Let’s have a look at this iconic noodle – Hong Kong style!
A long time ago, I tried the package version of this one. It was really great and I am quite pleased to be able to try the bowl. Nissin HK sent quite a few different varieties – always hear people saying things about Fuku – nice things. Let’s check it out!
Hadn’t seen this straight noodle ramen style before from Nissin. I’ve had quite a few now by different brand though, and they usually are quite nice! Let’s see how this tonkotsu fare. Tonkotsu is a pork bone broth soup served with straight noodles. It’s usually got a milky colored broth with a rich taste.
Last night, we went to a little Taiwanese restaurant nearby and I brought home some leftovers. I got some Hakka style fried tofu, squid and pork belly with vegetables; not covered in sauce but nicely seasoned. I immediately though ‘what noodles night this go well with for Meet The Manufacturer?’ This one sounds like a good bet! Let’s check it out!
Here’s one of Nissin HK’s standard sized Cup Noodles, and in a flavor I’ve never heard of – pork chowder! My first thought when chowder is referenced is clam chowder; will it be like clam chowder but instead of clams just be pork? I think maybe not. I really don’t know! Let’s check this one out.
Today, we delve into a rice vermicelli cup. Mifun is just one name for rice noodles – here’s some more from wikipedia:
On more than one occasion, I’ve been talking to someone from Hong Kong about instant noodles. It seems like every time, Fuku comes up. This is a really popular brand there and often mentioned as a favorite. Today I’m going to try their non-fried variety. Curious how the noodles differ from the standard instant. Let’s see!
A little story. So a few weeks back, Nissin HK sent a package which got lost by the shipping company for some reason. I ended up getting a different package – an envelope that wasn’t supposed to come to me but addressed to me (weird). Well, Nissin HK was kind enough to send another package (which was the first Special Items From Hong Kong post). After quite a while, lo and behold the original package arrives! Apparently it ended up in Alabama. No clue how – but they tracked it down and got it back from whoever received it and sent it my way. So here it is – check it out – and thank you very much to Nissin HK!!!
Well this looks interesting – Italian inspired pasta in a take out box style package. Reminds me of the Cup Noodles Pasta Style from Japan a reviewed before – at least in color scheme and design on the package. It looks like it stops there though! Let’s see what we’ve got here!
If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, two things you’ll probably have realized – I like curry and I like beef. I don’t think I’ve tried a curry instant from outside of South Korea before and this one looks pretty neat. This is the first cup version of the Demae Iccho line I’ve ever gotten my hands on! Let’s have a look inside!
Today I think we’ll take a look at this bigger Cup Noodles. Spicy seafood sounds tasty to me! What’s also interesting about this one is that it can be microwaved, although my microwave is 1100W so unsure how to try it at 800W. It has different power levels, 1-12 (which seems kind of illogical since I wuld think they’d number 1-11). Boiling water time! Let’s go!
After getting a box with over 40 new varieties I’ve not yet reviewed and only 15 that will be in this Meet The Manufacturer, I wasn’t sure which to try first. So this one was looking up at me and I thought okay – let’s give you a try. Alright – let’s open it up and check it out!
A couple days back, I got a box from Nissin Hong Kong with instant noodle ‘premiums.’ Premiums are things that might be given away at a special event or prizes! I usually ask companies partaking in a Meet The Manufacturer if they might have some to send I can show – let’s see what’s inside!
So I’ve been chatting with the DHL guy lately – especially since he’s been coming by quite often. Today he brought a huge box from Nissin HK! I often give him extra noodles – I’ve got so many at this point it’s kind of overwhelming! This batch though is all ones I’ve never reviewed and only one of each! Let’s open it up!
Interview With Nissin Hong Kong * Product Samples From Nissin Hong Kong * Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong * More Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong * Nissin Demae Iccho Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Big Spicy Seafood Flavour * Nissin Demae Iccho Curry Beef Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Nupasta Carbonara Flavour Instant Noodle * Fuku Non-Fried Superior Soup Noodle * Nissin Cup Mifun Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Pork Chowder Flavour * Nissin Taisho Fried Noodle Sesame Paste Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Kyushu Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle * Fuku Superior Soup Instant Rice Vermicelli * Nissin Demae Ramen Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Mie Goreng Indonesia Stir Noodle Original Flavour * Nissin Demae Iccho Beef Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Cup Noodles Big Seafood Curry Flavour * Nissin Nupasta Salmon In White Sauce Flavor Instant Noodle
Time for some mi goreng! So this is another one I found at the Uwajimaya in Renton, WA by where my son goes to Pokemon League. Today’s a weird day; the local power company has been going from apartment building to apartment building and repairing these big green power boxes outside. I’m guessing that the power could go out at any minute! I guess We’ll see – let’s get started!
Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader who recently visited Mexico – thanks! Okay so with all the flames on this one, the picture of the habanero and the packet, I’m getting this might be a little spicy. Let’s find out.
Awesome. Spicy instant noodles my sister got me for my birthday – from Walmart in Canada! Thank you again! So far these have been pretty good – the beef one tasted like beef and the chicken tasted like chicken. The operative word here is tasted; so many Canadian varieties don’t have a lot of flavor to them. However I should note these are manufactured in the United States. Not a slam on Canada though – I really like Canada! Let’s check this one out!
Hey look at this! So every two weeks, my wife and I bring my son Andy down to Renton, Washington to go to Pokemon League. Yeah – there’s such a thing! Kids (and some adults) play the Pokemon card game. Well, my wife and I don’t play Pokemon so we have time to look around and stroll. As it happens, there’s a Uwajimaya nearby which is awesome. The first time we went I found two big bagfulls of noodles! What was a surprise was finding a LOT of Maruchan products I’d not seen before. There are a couple new Instant Lunch cups (sriracha which I reviewed previously as well as a cihpotle chicken) and these Taste of Asia products in the Bowl line. Let’s check out this sukiyaki variety!
Here’s something from Taiwan today. A-Sha makes quite a few different sauces and styles of noodles and this is one I don’t see very often. They’re very thin as you’ll see, and they come with the original sauce which has a nice soy sauce component. Let’s check it out!
Here’s the last of the Tokushim Seifun varieties sent to me by Wesley, a reader from Japan at school in Canada – thanks again! This last one is negi – green onion! Let’s check it out!
This is another one from the series I did for Apple Daily news of Hong Kong. I haven’t had any of this Doill series in ages and I remember I liked them very much. Vegetarian though; usually a tough sell for me. Let’s give it a try!
First off, I must thank Jen from Australia for sending this real gem of an instant noodle. I mean come on – I think anyone reading the name of this variety definitely should thank her. Ow… Ow… Spicy Cow – I mean that’s awesome. This one is made in Malaysia, however it’s for the Australia/New Zealand market. Without further ado, let’s crack it open and get punished by the spicy cow.
Instant noodles sold in bowls are very popular as they provide a certain convenience to those ‘on the go.’ They’re great to pack in a bag for a trip or for the office at lunch. These are the best of the best that I’ve tried out of my over 2,060+ reviews to date. With that, open lid halfway, pour in some boiling water, stir – and enjoy!
There have been some jjajangmyun varieties sweeping sout Korea lately – very very popular. Here’s one of them! Jjajang is a black bean sauce and myun means noodle in Korean. Got it? Good! Let’s check it out!
Okay so a few weeks ago I got a neat box in the mail. It contained the Washoku Explorer Tonkotsu Ramen kit. The idea is that you can get a nice kit with all the things you need to experience a great bowl of Japanese ramen at home – even the bowl! You can visit Washoku Explorer here. They have all sorts of other Japanese kits – really fascinating and a neat idea! The Tonkotsu Ramen kit includes this Marutai Hakata Tonkotsu ramen (2 packs with 2 servings each) and well as some special garnishes/add-ons I’ll show you below. Let’s check it out and give it a try!
I had a bit of trouble figuring out what this variety was called – until I scanned the back of the package and noticed it on the top left corner. This is one that I received from Apple Daily of Hong Kong for a special news feature. Kung Tak Lam is a popular vegetarian restaurant in Hong Kong. Let’s crack it open and give it a try!
Here’s one I’ve been curious about. Looks like South Korean take on rice noodle spaghetti perhaps? It certainly looks tasty… Hmm! Let’s check it out!
Here’s the third one I’m reviewing as part of a special thing with the Apple Daily news folks in Hong Kong! They sent a few varieties to review and this one is sold in Hong Kong, however it’s made in Malaysia. Curious about this one – let’s check it out!
Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader from back east – thank you! He went to Mexico recently and sent me a ton of varieties that he found there. You’d think with Mexico being next door I’d be able to find more varieties, but actually it’s been really hard. This one’s made in South Korea for the Mexican market. Instant noodle are hugely popular in Mexico, and with spicy flavors coming out of South Korea, it’s a pretty good fit. Let’s have a look!
Here’s one I picked up at 99 Ranch Market a couple months ago. I have a couple brands that I have as ‘reserves’ – if I run low on instant noodles, I know certain stores have always had certain varieties and I can get them at any time. This is one of them. At that point I was running low (although now I’m not). Let’s crack this tray open and give it a try!
During the Nissin Japan Meet The Manufacturer, I reviewed 15 varieties. Well, Daisuke-san from Nissin Japan sent many more – amazing varieties that I get to put into the regular rotation and share with you now! Thank you again, Daisuke-san! This is one of the new new Cup Noodle Light varieties – let’s take a look! By the way – he mentioned that just recently, Cup Noodle(s) has been enjoyed over 40 BILLION times since the 1970s! Wow!
Here’s the first in the special series I did for Apple Daily of Hong Kong. I’ve reviewed varieties from Four Seas in the past – in fact, this looks kind of like a bowl version I’ve had before. Beef and radish, huh? Sounds interesting – let’s check it out!
Here’s one that the folks from Prima Taste in Singapore sent – thank you! I’ve been curious about this brand for a very long time; mainly because of the name. Zow-Zow just sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Let’s see how this tom yam noodle holds up!
