Category: Japan

#1919: Maruchan Shiroi Chikara Mochi Udon

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! This is an interesting one – looks like they’re mentioning a big Dragonball Z contest or something on it. 2.000.000 somethings are referred to… Hmmm… Not only that, this one’s got mochi in it! Mochi is a doughy kind of substance which can surround jellies or ice cream (my favorite). It also apparently goes well in udon! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s 5th Annual Momofuku Ando Day: #1911: Nissin Emergency Chikin Ramen

Every January 19th for the past 5 years, I’ve done a special post in homage of Momofuku Ando. Who was he? Just the guy who invented instant noodles in 1958. If it weren’t for him, my world would be a whole lot different – and many other people’s as well. Actually, I should thank Mr. Ando’s wife as well – the story is that he was attempting to make an easily prepared, shelf stable instant noodle, but couldn’t figure out how. He tried many different techniques, but it was when he saw his wife making tempura in the kitchen one night that it dawned on him – fry the cooked noodles. This leaves holes in the noodles and extrudes the water. Not only that, the oil keeps the noodles shelf stable for a long time. His vision of a way to create and easy way to feed the masses has been a huge success and considered one of the great innovations of the 20th century. I think he deserves a day in his honor, and that day is today, January 19th. ...see full post

#1908: Nissin Kuroma-yu Tonkotsu Kumamoto Ramen

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! Today it’s a tonkotsu variant, Kumamoto style. Javier’s leaflet about this one mentions a chewy noodle with sesame notes and mincemeat – sounds interesting – let’s tear into it! ...see full post

#1897: Nissin Cup Noodle Massaman Curry

Here’s another one Casey P. sent me from Hong Kong – thanks again! There are lots of different kinds of curry in the work – British, Indian, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese – I’m sure there are more as well. Well, Japanese curry is what we have here. It tends to be on the sweeter, mild side, usually leaving the spicy elements behind. Let’s give this one a peek. ...see full post

#1872: Itsuki Hakata Ossyoi

Here’s another one I got from Casey in Hong Kong – thank you! This one’s going to be interesting – not only because I like Hakata varieties, but because I’m videotaping the creation of this review. There’ll be a full video of the beginning to end of my review, editing and presentation process! Hope you enjoy! Let’s have a look at Itsuki Hakata Ossyoi! ...see full post

#1868: Marutai Kuroma-yu Tonkotsu Kumamoto Ramen

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! Today it’s a tonkotsu variant, Kumamoto style! It’s known for a blending of two different kind of garlic which are fried in something called mayo oil which bring out a black color – sounds interesting! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1864: Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Umami Tonkotsu Flavor

I got some new samples from Nissin USA a few weeks ago (thank you!) of some varieties of Nissin’s Raoh from Japan that are now available in the USA. Raoh (meaning King( is a premium line. At this point, you can only get them on Amazon. Not sure if that will change though. So Umami. This is something interesting – first, let’s have a look at what wikipedia has to say about umami – ...see full post

#1860: Nissin Cup Noodle Pasta Style Vongole

Got an email a couple months ago from Casey P. in Hong Kong. He’s been following the blog for years and wanted to send some things for me to review and this is one of them – thanks again! Today, we have a pasta style Cup Noodle. There are a lot of instant in Japan that have a kind of Italian skew to them – tarako spaghetti, napolitan and peppercino are popular variants. Let’s check out this pasta style Cup Noodle! ...see full post

#1858: Myojo Wantan Men

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! This is the last of the ones Javier sent me – it’s been a lot of fun reviewing these! Send more anytime! This one is wantan men – just think of wonton mein – wonton noodle! Let’s delve into this bowl! ...see full post

#1855: Daraz Negi Man Ramen

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It’s a superhero which is a leek. Leeks, negi and Welsh onion – they’re all the same thing. I got this one from my friend Shinichi – he’s working with Mr. Yamato of Yakantei, a purveyor of very unique instant noodles to bring the harder to find tastes of Japan to your door! Very excited to try these hard to find varieties! Thanks, Shinichi for bringing noodles over to my apartment! Everybody – go and check out Ramen Mania! ...see full post

#1844: Seven & I Gold Sumire Ramen

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! Today it’s one from Seven-Eleven in Japan. Seven-Eleven does partnerships with different companies (this on is made by Nissin) and has varieties they make only available there. This is Sumire Ramen, a miso variety. Let’s take a look! ...see full post

#1818: Sugakiya Foods Nara Tenri Shoyu Ramen

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! This one says got Chinese cabbage with a sweet soup and a deep flavor which is from something called ‘rajan,’ a strong and spicy red pepper seasoning fermented with rice koji. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1768: New Touch Negi Miso no Ippin Ramen

Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! From what I’m reading, it sounds like this one has a lot of garlic, green onion and leek influence on it. Sounds really good – let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1760: New Touch Homestyle Tonjiru

Here’s one I got in the package sent by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a monthly subscription service that delivers different varieties of instant noodles to your door each month – fancy stuff like this one! Definitely worth checking out. Also, thanks go to Shinichi S. for help in translation! So let’s ask Wikipedia about Tonjiru: ...see full post

#1728: Yamadai Tenobe Somen

Here’s another one that was sent to me by the folks at Exotic Noods – thanks! This looks to be a somen served hot,m which would make it along the lines of nyumen which is served in Winter.I must admit, when I see low sodium and low calorie I usually don’t shudder with delight; I’ve had some pretty bad ones that have these tags. But, you never know! Let’s have a look at this one! ...see full post

#1712: Sakurai Foods Organic Miso Ramen

Wow it’s Summer here today! Just hit 90 degrees and the clouds are rolling in – hoping for a nice lightning storm to watch tonight. I’m still reviewing instant noodles in this weather though – it’s 83 degrees in our apartment right now. Wish we had air conditioning! It rarely gets this warn in Western Washington though. Anyways, I thought some miso might be a good one to try today, and an organic one at that. The packaging has a Vegan logo on it, but I think I might add some meat in with it. Let’s have a look at this organic miso ramen! ...see full post

#1702: Samyang Foods Seafood Noodle

Here’s a seafood cup that screams seafood. I’ve mentioned before that certain colors seem to be universal when it comes to instant noodles – red for spicy or beef, green for pork (not sure why) and yellow for chicken. Well, blue is for seafood and this cup’s text is certainly blue enough. This is a Samyang Foods product for the Japanese market. Anyways, let’s crack it open and see what makes it tick. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2015 Edition

Another year’s gone by and here we are again with the new bowls list. A lot of really interesting ones this go around and some old favorites. At the point of putting this list out, I’ve almost hit 1,700 reviews. Of those, these are in my opinion the best tasting and the most memorable varieties. With that, allow me to present The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls 2015 Edition. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition

The Ramen Rater's top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition

The top ten instant noodles list is an annual post I do which is always quite a treat for me.  I started reviewing back in 2002, but I really got going with it in June of 2010 – I’ve done nearly 1,600 reviews since then. It still boggles my mind that after trying so many, the industry continues to innovate and bring flavors forth that truly amaze me. With that, here are my absolute favorites – The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition. ...see full post