You know, this list while very exclusive isn’t one that brings me great joy. I really like instant noodles and the people who produce them, but some varieties just give me real disgust. I just can’t stand them, don’t recommend them, and wish they were different so I would like them. These are the ones I really, really dislike. This list is current as of review #4830. Be sure to check out announcements below – lots of neat stuff going on! With that, allow me to introduce you to The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition
Visual Presentation
A video of The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition
#10: Yumei Lazy Noodle Sichuan Green Pepper Flavor – China
This one looked neat – found it at a favorite shop up in Canada. Well as it turns out, green Sichuan pepper kind of reminds me of what I’m guessing spicy Pine-Sol would taste like. Just too much of a scent of public restroom for this reviewer Original review
#9: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Chili Lime Flavor – United States
A reader from Montana sent me a wide variety of this brand’s range. It replaced a popular brand at Walmart, and since I’ve done the unboxing video, people have been commenting abou their dislike. Well, some weren’t so bad, but this one really rubbed me the wrong way. It smelled like an air conditioned in a motel room that hadn’t been turned on in a year and tasted the same way. As for the spiciness, it wasn’t there. Not to my liking at all. Original review
#8: That’s Asia Pad Thai Sauce With Noodles – United States
The noodle was slightly mushy. The sauce was a very acidic and sickeningly sweet concoction. In short, this ain’t Asia. It also ain’t pad Thai by any stretch of the imagination. Original review
#7: Baijia Single Noble Black Bone Chicken Flavor Instant Sweet Potato Noodles – China
I was told by a guy from the company that this indeed was believed to be medicinal and helpful to women having their ‘time of the month.’ I’ve also been told by a reader that people generally don’t like black bone chicken soup even in China. Very slimy sweet potato noodles, thick, greasy broth and horrid veggies that didn’t hydrate well was just a flavor, texture, and complete food hole nightmare for me. This was just horrible stuff that I couldn’t stand. Original review
#6: Maruchan Bariuma Goboten Udon – Japan
Do you like earthy things? Like dirt? Maybe throw a ton of salt on it – does that do the trick for you? This one has just huge amount of burdock root. Burdock is great in small amounts, but this much just turns this variety into a bowl of something that just screams salty dirt. A full frontal assault on the taste buds that leaves me wondering if when they made this if they tasted it. Original review
#5: Dr. McDougall’s Vegan Pad Thai Noodle Soup – United States
Where do I begin. Well first off, when one in the United States thinks of Pad Thai, they think of what they might find at a Thai restaurant. Okay so the rice noodles came out nicely – short, flat and broad and well hydrated, but they’re short and cut like egg noodles.. Now for the broth. Thin. Nothing like pad thai. Has a little lime flavor and a kind of herbal taste. The floating bits of tofu are a lot like the marshmallows you get in the hot chocolate that comes with marshmallows. This is as far from pad thai as I can even express in words. It’s like someone gave a broken description of pad Thai to someone who has short term memory problems and no taste buds a week prior and told them to make it. I kind of feel personally violated and offended. Original review
#4: Simply Asia Singapore Street Noodles Classic Curry – United States
A nice looking package with the enticing words of ‘classic curry’ brings an image of something really special. This isn’t the case though. Rice noodles come out very mushy, but curry with slightly soggy noodles wouldn’t be so bad if it tasted like curry. Basically the flavor is a lot of lemongrass and strongly lacks authenticity. It’s like if you went to a restaurant, ordered some french fries, and they brought you a soda that said french fries on it. Just wrong on so many levels. Offensive in the highest – almost. Original review
#3: Sugakiya Men Dokoro Inosho Kansyu Kara Kara Uo Ramen – Japan
This one looked really nice at the outset, and I was particularly enamored with that little pile of powder. I figured it’s neat and must be a real asset. Indeed, the noodle and broth were excellent – it really would have been a contender for the top ten bowls list. Well, then along comes that little powder mountain of funk and blows it all out of the water. Yep – imagine an oil drum with of dead fish, gym socks and dog breath in the sun for a month. Without it, wonderful. With it, on the bottom ten. Original review
#2: Annie Chun’s Japanese Style Yakisoba Noodle Bowl – United States
Yakisoba – a fried soba noodle, traditionally with a tangy sauce with tamarind notes, much like Worcestershire sauce. Well, this isn’t that. First, we have their ‘Hokkien’ style noodle. Hokkien noodles are usually egg noodles. These are your run of the mill pouch noodles much like udon except a thinner gauge. The flavor is mostly sugary with a little acidity. This bears as much resemblance to yakisoba as a grilled cheese sandwich – on wait – less resemblance as the grilled cheese is usually fried. To top it off, they recommend adding cilantro. Just a train wreck word salad that left me speechless. I thought the previous number one wouldn’t be pushed down, but this is so inauthentic on so many levels to merit it the worst of The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. Shame! Original review
#1: Omsom Saucy Noodles Chili Sesame – United States
Boy, I guess I shouldn’t make claims like in the last one on this list that there couldn’t be worse, but I found something; in fact, a few somethings. First, I must say that the packaging of these it really neat – little boxes. Upon opening you find a noodle that looks like a Taiwanese dry noodle. Also, a big liquid base sachet – I was stoked! Well, it was mushy noodle and Italian vinaigrette. ‘For reals life’ as my daughter would say. It just baffles me. They all taste about the same except for a coconut curry I tried last in hopes it would be the best. Well, it certainly wasn’t; bland and mostly lemongrass. At around $5 per fancy box, I was left very disappointed and quite honestly stupefied. Original reviews
Special Announcements
What Should Review #5000 Be?
I’ve made a special post calling for suggestions as to what my 5000th review ought to be. You can see it here and comment with your thoughts!
The Ramen Rater is on Patreon!
Please consider supporting The Ramen Rater via Patreon – https://patreon.com/theramenrater – your support helps a lot – you can also support via the GoFundMe which is still up and running. Thank you! It’s a lot of work doing this whole noodle thing and your support is truly appreciated.
All The Indomie I’ve Tried
I’ve reviewed a lot of Indomie over the years. I thought I’d make up a list of all of the varieties I’ve tried, and here it is. Looks like 77 of them if I counted right.
Definitive Guides
This year, I’ve decided to do a special series called Definitive Guides. Recipes, trivia, history, and more on some of the most loved and fascinating varieties of instant noodles around the world! So far, I’ve got one on Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun, and Indomie’s Mi Goreng and Nissin Foods’ Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice! Very recently, I released a Definitive Guide To Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup. Future guides will include MAMA Tom Yum, and more. My plan is do feature one or two products from each country.
Ramen Junkies
Ramen Junkies is a Facebook group devoted to the love of instant noodles. People share their recipes, thoughts, ideas and humor Join the conversation today – over 70,000 members strong!
