I woke up today with this song in my head. It’s kind of weird – I got a bunch of hand-me-down audio cassettes from my sister Sue when I was a kid. All sorts of disco and soul stuff – I listened to them over and over and over – lots of Bee Gees and Spinners and O’Jays. It’s kind of like I went through the 70’s pop thing even though I was 5 when 1980 came around. Thought I’d post this one today – my sister and I will be visiting Thailand in May and I’ll have more info about that soon. Some things I can say now is that it’ll have instant noodles, rice, and factory touring involved! Happy Friday to all!
Category: * News / Noodle News
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition
The Ramen Rater’s top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time made it’s debut last January and I thought this would be a good day to release the new one for 2015! South Korean instant noodles (known as ramyun) are characteristically thicker and chewier than most instants. Spiciness is a common trait as well as beef flavors. Here are my top picks of the South Korean varieties I’ve reviewed of my 1,573 reviews to date.
South Korean Varieties From A Kind Reader
Lots of boxes lately! This one comes from South Korea from reader Anders E. Thanks! He’s a reddit guy who offered to send me some stuff from South Korea that I’ve been wating to get for a while now!
Friday Video: Japan Introduction – Instant Noodles
So today’s Friday Video. This is actually a pretty good one – a few interesting little tidbits of knowledge are gained, so enjoy. Happy Friday!
Curry Prince Samples From Malaysia
Saw this brand called Curry Prince on facebook and thought maybe they’d like me to sample their noodles. They did!
4th Annual Momofuku Ando Day Photo Contest: And The Winner Is…
I am pleased to annouce that we have a winner! Check it out!
Cindy S. submitted this one of her son – he’s a big fan of Nissin top Ramen Oriental Flavor and his dad’s hooked on Cup Noodles! Congratulations! Check your email! Yay!
4th Annual Momofuku Ando Day: Good Cook Instant Noodle Maker
My sister got me this for Christmas (thanks, Sue!). She called when she was at a grocery store and asked if I wanted it and of course since it has to do with instant noodles, I said yes. Let’s check it out!
Nissin Foods USA Samples For Momofuku Ando Day Review
Got a box the other day. I’d been talking with Nissin Foods USA about the photo contest and other things and they wanted to send some samples for one of today’s reviews involving Cup Noodles.
4th Annual Momofuku Ando Day: #1567: Nissin Emergency Cup Noodle
Having an emergency? Well then, hunker down in your shelter and boil some water! This is a fine dinner for two of Nissin Cup Noodle in a neat metal can, sealed for long life.
Friday Video: Get Ready For Momofuku Ando Day!
This is one of my favorite videos about instant noodles – it’s long and goes in depth. From Momofuku Ando to the science behind the fried noodle. Check it out! Monday is Momofuku Ando Day!
The Ramen Rater App – For Android & iPhone
For Android
Developed by Mike Koval, a reader of the blog for a long time, this app will let you browse and search the site easily. What’s more, by using the bar code scan option, you can scan the bar code of an instant noodle at the grocery store and get results (provided I’ve reviewed it of course). Enhancements will be coming soon as well! best of all, it’s free! Check it out now!
The Ramen Rater Logo On Mamee Chef Products
Well, here it is! I have been waiting for this package for a while now and it’s here! Check it out!
New Hao Way White Curry, Laksa Bowl Samples
Got another package from Hao Way this week!
They’ve adapted their Penang White Curry and Penang Laksa varieties into bowl form! I’ll be reviewing these soon – thanks!
Friday Video: Takeru Kobayashi Chugs Down A-Sha Noodles!
Takeru Kobayashi is one of the most famous competitive eaters in the world. For those who’ve never heard of competitive eating, yes – there’s such a thing! In this episode of a popular Taiwanese TV show, watch him scarf down what looks to be ten bowls of A-Sha noodles! Very impressive! He’s doing some special stuff with A-Sha Dry Noodle right now, and I will have more on that soon! For now, enjoy and Happy Friday!
Momofuku Ando Day Nissin Cup Noodle Photo Contest
Hey everyone! I’d like to announce the 4th Momofuku Ando Day here at The Ramen Rater will be on Monday, January 19th 2015. For those of you who aren’t aware, Momofuku Ando was the inventor of The instant noodle and he also started Nissin Foods. His first product, Chikin Ramen was sold in 1958. This year, I’m doing something a little different, and I’ll be featuring a couple video reviews dealing with Cup Noodles, which leads me to this year’s Momofuku Ando Day Photo contest! Here are the rules:
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time Hong Kong 2015 Edition
I thought to myself recently that it would be great to end 2014 and start 2015 with a new top ten list – but from where? A couple places came to mind, and Hong Kong sounded like a good one. I’ve found a lot of excellent instant noodles that have been from Hong Kong. Been hoping to see more arrive here in the United States, but many of the ones on this list I’ve found up in Canada. I would definitely like to reach out to instant noodle companies in Hong Kong to take part in Meet The Manufacturer; there’s not been a Hong Kong participant yet! With that, here’s the top ten instant noodles of Hong Kong – the best and most memorable – from the last 1,553 reviews. Enjoy and Happy New Year, Hong Kong!
Big News For Mr & Mrs The Ramen Rater
Today’s a special day for us – five years ago today, we first talked to each other. We were both getting through the murky end of horrible relationships and found each other on an online dating website. She lived to far away – me in northern Washington, she in Northern California. That night we spoke on the phone for a whole 6 hours and all I wanted to do was to talk to her again. It was amazing; we found each other right when we most needed each other. Five years later, I’d like to announce that we’re expecting our first child together! We found out two weeks ago! We’re very excited and can’t wait to start this new adventure. To my wife – I love you and am supremely happy knowing you are in my life everyday. Happy Holidays to all!
Friday Video: Instant Noodle
This is an absolutely perfect short film called ‘Instant Noodle’ about one man’s obsession with finding the ultimate spicy Korean ramyun. It was made by Dreamagine Productions Media. If you’re a fan of spicy instant noodles, you’ll love this! Season’s greetings to all!
Friday Video: The Most Delicious Ramen ラーメン
Here’s a half hour documentary about Japanese ramen – enjoy and happy Friday!
Poster From Thai President Foods
So when I do a Meet The Manufacturer, I always try and see if I can get the company to autograph a poster for me and send it along. Well, Thai President Foods did!
Promotional Items From Thai President Foods
New Penang Asam Pedas Product Samples From Nanyang Chef
Got a package in the mail today Penang Asam Pedas – a new product from Nanyang Chef!
Asam Laksa is a sour and spicy soup popular in Penang, Malaysia. But what’s the pedas part?
The Ramen Rater’s MyKuali Penang White Curry Pizza
One thing that really surprised me during our trip was seeing that a lot of the fast food chains that are popular here in the United States are also popular in Malaysia. Burgers, fried chicken and even pizza were well represented by popular chain restaurants over there (I will say that there was no sign of the ubiquitous taco chain here). They all had different ways of serving things to fit with the local taste; like spicy fried chicken with rice or seafood pizza. This got me thinking that maybe a fusion of pizza and MyKuali White Curry might work in some way. I thought about it for a while and decided today was the day. We got the ingredients together and The Ramen Rater’s MyKuali White Curry Pizza was born! Check it out!
Friday Video: “The God Of Cookery”
A friend on facebook referred me to this film – thank you! This comedy is really quite good and made it’s debut in 1996. Stephen Chow has been in quite a few ‘God Of” films, including a series called God Of Gamblers. You’ll want your subtitles on – no overdub. Enjoy and happy Friday!
Consider The Ramen Rater This Black Friday / Cyber Monday
Just q quick note! If you’re buying on Amazon this season, think about using this link. When you are referred by The Ramen Rater, you help keep the site up and running! It costs you nothing and it’s truly appreciated! Happy Holidays!
Friday Video: “The Noodle Guy”
Here’s a documentary about a man who came from China to Flushing, New York to further his acting career and ended up being a noodle cook. ‘The Noodle Guy’ is definitely worth a watch. Enjoy! Happy Friday!
Friday Video: Expiration Date
This is a funny short film about what happens when a guy gets an expired Cup Noodles. Note – expired Cup Noodles won’t actually do this (anyone who thought this is a true story after watching this should have their head examined). Anyways, here’s some info about the film. Happy Friday!
Case Study: Beef Top Ramen & Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
On Friday, I conducted a little experiment: let’s have a look at what happens when we look at 6 months of images from instagram that have the hashtag #topramen. What I found were many comparisons of instant noodles to hair, mentions of poverty and many images of what people liked to pair with their instant noodles.
Friday Video: The Instagram Instant Noodle Research Study
Today is Halloween and I thought I’d post something a little different. I spend a lot of time posting on instagram and perusing other people’s instant noodle related posts on there as well. I thought I would pick a standard instant noodle related hashtag and see what interesting things would pop up, then I would share my conclusions. The hashtag is #topramen.
The Ramen Rater For Apple iPhone
I am very proud and happy to introduce the release of The Ramen Rater mobile app for the Apple iPhone! The app is the culmination of many months of work by myself and app developer Calvin Tam of Malaysia (you can see some of his other work here). You may have noticed a while back I posted an ad on the right side asking for folks who might be interested in developing an app with me for mobile users. Well, Calvin answered that call and devoted a great deal of time making this happen! I want to personally thank him for the time and effort expended on this app. Without further adieu, let me introduce you to The Ramen Rater for iPhone!
Hello, China!
I noticed this morning lots of people from China visit the website! If any of you have contacts with Chinese instant noodle companies, please ask them to contact me. I would like to do a series of Chinese instant noodle review. Thank you!
Giants Win NLCS – Off To The World Series!
Woot woot! Been following the San Francisco Giants all year long and here we are! usday’s the first game against the Kansas City Royals. It’s an even year – I think it’s gonna be another orange win!
New Product Samples From Mamee Chef
During my trip to Malaysia, I got a notification that I had a package from Malaysia back at my apartment! It was kind of funny; when we were in Kuala Lumpur’s airport, we saw DHL jetys on the tarmac – could be the same ones that brought these my way! These are brand new Mamee Chef varieties! Let’s look inside!
A Donation From A Reader In The USA!
Got contacted by Marvin R. a few weeks ago. He had come across some instant noodles that weren’t familiar to him and couldn’t find them anywhere on my blog. I did a little digging and was also kind of stumped. He said they were really good and decided to send me some – thanks!
The Ramen Rater’s Trip to Malaysia: Day 6 – Farewell, Penang
The Ramen Rater’s Trip To Malaysia: Day 4 – The Isle Of Langkawi
Day 1 * Day 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6
Another day of adventure! Today, we flew to Langkawi and tried some of the local foods and had a great time – check it out! I should also mention – pictures in these posts are by myself, my wife Kit and our friend Thomas Tang of Sky Thomas Food Industries Sdn Bhd.
The Ramen Rater’s Trip To Malaysia: Day 3 – Prawn-slaught!
Day 1 * Day 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6
Feasting on Penang’s succulent culinary treasures continues, with a lot of prawn-tasticness! Here is the United States, we often call them shrimp, but looks like everywhere else, they’re prawns. Did you know that the translation of the Chinese word for lobster is ‘dragon prawn?’ Well, now you do. I for one will be calling them prawns from now on. Let’s check out day three!
The Ramen Rater’s Trip To Malaysia: Day 2 – Factory & Hawker 101
Day 1 * Day 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6
I was planning on doing a post each day consecutively, mirroring the prior week when I was actually in Malaysia, but I hit a snag yesterday. I’d always heard of this thing called ‘jet lag’ and now I can tell you, it’s real. Shifting from timezones and different days really messed us up! We woke up at 2pm yesterday! Haven’t slept in like that since I was a punk kid! Well, we went to sleep at a realistic Pacific time zone time last night and so this morning I’m doing day two! This is a long post folks! Here we go!
The Ramen Rater’s Trip To Malaysia: Day 1 – Departure & Arrival
Day 1 * Day 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6
From September 29th to October 4th, my wife Kit and I were treated to a visit to Malaysia by the kind folks at Sky Thomas Food Industries Sdn Bhd, makers of MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodles. The purpose of the trip was not to promote for them, but to show us the foods of Penang. Here is the first day of the trip!
Return From Penang, Malaysia!
We have returned from our journey to Penang, Malaysia!! Our flight from Taipei, Taiwan arrived in Seattle around 7pm last night. This is a picture of where we were waiting for our shuttle to the parking light where we left our car. The flight left at 11pm Taiwan time, which is the same for Malaysia too – and then arrived the same day but 4 hours earlier! So we got back 15 hours all said and done which was kind of odd – time traveling! Over the next week starting Monday, I am going to do a new daily noodle review, and then a post highlighting everything of that day during our trip. At the end, I’ll be reviewing the new MyKuali Tom Yum instant noodle – my 1,500th review. Stay tuned!