It’s pretty rare I get to review something actually from the Philippines I’ve not tried as of yet. Today’s review is thanks to James from Lakeside, California who was kind enough to send this along. Beef! Let’s go.
Category: Philippines
#4502: Quickchow Pancit Canton Toyomansi Flavor – Philippines
Toyomansi is a combo of soy sauce and calamansi flavors. Calamansi is a kind of citrus kind of similar to lime. This is great – rarely come across Filipino varieties and they’re some really good ones to try. Found this one at HMart with my daughter after her birthday party this year. We took her to Chuck E. Cheese – what an interesting place – very throwback. Let’s check this one out!
#4476: Quickchow Instant Pancit Canton Chilimansi Flavor – Philippines
I can’t remember where I found this but I’m stoked. I never find anything from the Philippines I haven’t reviewed which is weird since instant noodles are so popular over there. You might be wondering what is this pancit canton – well, think mi goreng; extremely similar. What’s that chilimansi?! Well, it’s spicy and calamnsi – kind of like a lime. Okay with that out of the way, let’s give it a go I’m stoked!
#4042: Lucky Me! Chicken Mami (Export) – Philippines
Found this one at the Lynnwood, Washington Walmart store while we were picking up school supplies. Actually, the day I did this review was the first day of first grade for Miles after a long drawn out experience with distance learning. I’m hoping we don’t have to return to that, but I’m kind of guessing we will unfortunately. We’ll see. Anyways, this is a pretty big cup of chicken instant noodles from The Philippines – let’s check it out!
#3883: Quickchow Instant Bihon Guisado – Philippines
It’s ben years since I’ve tried this – back in August of 2015 to be exact. I rarely see it around so I thought perhaps it was worth another try. Here’s a little from Wikipedia –
#3190: Payless Xtra Big Pancit Canton Chili-Mansi Flavor – Philippines
Here’s one I tried a long time ago and I found in the USA, but this one I found up in Canada. Curious if it’s changed. Let’s find out!
#3181: Nissin Yakisoba Instant Pancit Savory Beef Flavor – Philippines
This one was found up in Richmond, BC at the SuperStore. What’s funny about this one? Well, it shows chopsticks on the cup and has a fork inside. I’ve been given a ration of insults and criticism for using a fork. I really don’t understand why; I mean, here’s an Asian variety with a fork. I think it’s common for Westerners to immediately go to ‘Asian people use chopsticks and if you use them wrong you suck’ kind of thing. My logic is that if I’m in Asia, I’ll use a pair of chopsticks. In Thailamd they use a fork to push food onto a spoon and then eat it, so I did that while there. It really doesn’t matter what tool you decide to use, it’s about eating a meal, right?
#3146: Nissin Yakisoba Instant Pancit Spicy Chicken Flavor – Philippines
Woot woot! It is so rare these days I can get my hands on a variety from the Philippines that I’ve not reviewed yet and so I’m really stoked on this one. What’s interesting is that there are two Nissin companies in the Philippines. Nissin Monde and Nissin Universal Robina. Nissin Monde is actually a company that first started out selling biscuits. Nissin Universal-Robina is an arm of the well known Japanese empire of instant noodles. Nissin Monde is responsible for the Lucky Me! brand. Kind of interesting and odd. Anyways, let’s check this yakisoba out!
#2961: Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood Flavor
Yep – another one from our trip to the Real Canadian Superstore! Cup Noodles from the Philippines! Rad! You know, it can be real tough for me to find new stuff from the Philippines and when I do,m I’m very happy. This is a little plastic cup victory, finding this! Let’s check it out.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Philippines Instant Noodles Of All Time 2018 Edition
As I mentioned at the begginning of the Top Ten Japanese list, I have added a little chat option to the site. If I’m available, I can turn it on on my phone and people can ask me questions or comment while they browse the website. Thus far, the most questions and comments are from the Philippines. I thought hey – why isn’t there a top ten Philippines list? I haven’t reviewed many from the Philippines lately and I kind of hope companies in the Philippines that make instant noodles might be interested in having me review their products – if so, please contact me. I would love to do an annual list for the Philippines, however without more reviews, there’s not a whole lot of reason to do so. So let’s have a look! These are my favorite Filipino varieties from the over 2,500 reviews I’ve posted to date.
#2694: Nissin Cup Noodles Batchoy Flavor
Found these while up in Canada. So my wife found a show a while back called 90 Day Fiancee where two people either meet online or when one is on vacation in a foreign country and think they want to be married. It then follows their process of getting a visa to spend 90 days in the United States and then whether they indeed are married or not. There’s a new show called Before The 90 Days before a proposal has been made. So on this show, we were watching and they follow a man who goes to the Philippines and meets a girl he’s been talking to online. Well, she picks him up at the airport and the next day brings him to her family’s home and they put on a big spread and cook up Lechon. Lechon is a roast pig, turned over a fire pit for hours and hours that’s been stuffed with chicken and vegetables like spring onion. Long story short, her family is far from wealthy and they came together to make this big feast and he turns his nose up at it.
Re-Review: Quickchow Instant Bihon Guisado Instant Rice Noodles Saute
So my sister got me a neat plate a couple weeks ago at Shipwreck Day. Shipwreck Day is like a big citywide garage sale up in Anacortes, Washington – my hometown. The plate was part of a set and the lady didn’t want to break up the set, but my sister came back a little later and the lady gave in and let her buy one after she mentioned what I would use it for. The lady was originally from the Philippines and was a travel agent. I decided maybe I ought to do a review of something from the Philippines in honor of her relenting, and that’s what today’s review is about. Bihon is like bihun – it’s rice noodles. I reviewed this one originally almost 5 years ago – and really didn’t like it. Wondering if my palate might be a little more interested, I thought it’d be nice to try again, and so here we are – let’s check it out.
#1645: Lucky Me! Supreme Jjamppong Korean Style Spicy Seafood Soup
I recently reviewed a South Korean Jjajang instant noodle. Well, here’s another double J named instant noodle! Jjamppong! So, what’s jjamppong? Wikipedia has this to say:
#1611: Lucky Me! Supreme Seafood Flavor Big Cup
Lucky Me! is a line by Filipino brand Monde Nissin. I thought today sounded like a good seafood day! Let’s see what we have here!
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Extra Hot Chili Flavor
Today, we say farewell to the Monde Nissin Meet The Manufacturer! It’s been really neat to try all of these different varieties one right after the other – this is the 15th review! I do up to 15 in a row during an MTM. I thought today would definitely be fitting for something hot and spicy. Why you ask?
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Special Instant Pancit Bihon With Kalamansi
Rice vvermicelli isknown by many names in the world; bihun, beehoon, bihon – it’s all the same thing! One thing though – these noodles are made with corn starch! But pancit – let’s see what wikipedia has to say:
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Supreme Bulalo Artificial Bone Marrow Flavor Instant Noodles
Bulalo sounds interesting – a beefy soup. I think I need more info though – here’s what wikipedia had to say:
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Sweet & Spicy Flavor
There are quite a few varieties of these Pancit Canton – and in the past this one’s been my favorite. It’s been quite a while – sounds really good today.
Friday Video: How to Cook Cebu Lechon
So when I post my reviews on instagram, I use hashtags. I usually try to find ones that are decent, relevant and get the most eyes on the reviews of course, and I then look at the pics others post and like them, in hopes that hey will look and like the ones I have posted or even follow. Pretty basic method of growing a viewer base. Well, I also look at the hashtags that those people use, and I saw an interesting one – #lechon. Wasn’t sure what Lechon was, so I looked at a bunch of people’s pictures and found that it was roast whole pig. I decided to take this to YouTube and have a look. After perusing quite a few, I found this video about how Cebu Lechon is made. I’ve never tried this, but I think I would love to give it a taste someday. Anyways, enjoy and Happy Black Friday!
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Beef Na Beef Instant Noodles
I think a lot of people will say that Lucky Me! Beef Na Beef is one that they’ve seen many times when visiting an Asian grocery in the USA. Beef, like chicken, is one of those flavors you see about every instant noodle manufacturer out there making. Everyone knows what beef and chicken flavors taste like (well, maybe not everyone – hi vegetarians!). The weather here is quite cold and rainy lately and nice beef flavored broth sounds really good. One thing though; the Philippines isn’t a place known for it’s chilly climate. Would a beef instant translate well for colder places that’s been made there? I think I’ll have to see! Let’s revisit Lucky Me! Beef Na Beef!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1532: Lucky Me! Special Instant Noodles Jjamppong Flavor
Well everyone, today is Thanksgiving! I thought I’d like to thank everyone who visit The Ramen Rater every day – your attention and interest inspires me to continue on in my journey to find the best instant noodles in the world and let you know about them! I wanted to also thank you for buying things using the Amazon links I provide. These aren’t products directly from me, but from people/companies selling them on Amazon, and I get a little something every time one of you uses a link and either buys the item shown or browses and finds something else they’d like. This really helps us out, especially around the holidays. If you’re planning on doing holiday shopping on Amazon, consider something from the Noodle Shop or simply go to the Noodle Shop and click on the Amazon logo. You’ll be helping keep The Ramen Rater running ! Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1531: Lucky Me! Special Instant Sopas Chicken Flavor
Thought this would be one my son would like. He’s been keen on trying new things, and I doubt he’s ever had any Filipino soups before. Sopas is basically chicken soup, but has a Filipino twist to it. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Sopas in the Philippines:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1530: Lucky Me! Spicy Beef Mami Instant Noodle Soup
Lucky Me! Spicy Beef Mami is a newer product I’m pretty sure. A couple neat things about this one is tyhat they use Labuyo pepper. It’s also known as Bird’s Eye chilli as well a cili padi (chilli paddi) in Indonesia and Malaysia. What’s more, this is another instance of instant noodles being referred to as ‘mami.’ As far as I know, this in a purely Filipino thing; never seen instant noodles called mami anywhere else (although there is a Malaysian company called Mamee, (a play on mee and MAMA) and a Thai brand called MAMA (for the same reason). I thought I’d see what Wikipedia has to say about the various meanings of mami and got this list:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1529: Lucky Me! Special Instant Curly Spaghetti With Yummy Red Sauce
I have tried a few quick spaghetti in the past – from South Korea, Japan and Indonesia, but never from the Philippines! I had a look to see if there’s a particular way in which spaghetti is enjoyed in the Philippines and as it turns out, I found some recipes that included hot dogs. Interesting! Well, let’s have a look at this unique instant variety = Lucky Me! Curly spaghetti!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1528: Lucky Me! Supreme Pinoy Chicken Instant Noodles
As you can see, Lucky Me! not only makes packaged instant noodles but cups as well (they also produce bowls). This one is a variety called Supreme Pinoy Chicken. From what I gather, these are supposed to be adobo chicken flavored instant noodles. What’s adobo chicken? Let’s ask Wikipedia:
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Original Flavor
Pancit Canton is a Filipino favorite whose roots began in China. It is also very much like Mi Goreng, an Indonesian dish. Basically, noodles and cooked, drained, and then combined with a dry powder and oil and sauce combination to create a tasty broth-free dish. These Lucky Me! Pancit Canton come in a variety of flavors, this being their original flavor. I’ll be reviewing more of these during Meet The Manufacturer as well, since it’s such a prominent product of theirs. Let’s check out Lucky Me! original Pancit Canton.
Meet The Manufacturer: Friday Video: Food Journey Philippines
Here’s a documentary dealing with the food culture of the Philippines! I thought it would be very fitting to explore the foods of the Philippines while reviewing foods from a Filipino manufacturer! Happy Friday! More reviews coming tomorrow!
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Lucky Me! Chicken Na Chicken Instant Noodles
Chicken instant noodles are known the world over. In fact the first instant noodles ever sold were chicken flavored! Seems like chicken is a very accessible flavor for people. I reviewed this one over 3 years ago the first time – let’s see how Chicken na Chicken by Lucky Me! fares this time around!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1527: Lucky Me! Special Baked Mac Style Instant Macaroni
Macaroni is used in a lot of Filipino cuisine. One I’ve tried in instant form is Sopas, a soup with macaroni in it. The weather here is really quite cold (at least for Washington). It’s gotten down to as low as 26 degrees Fahrenheit the last few nights. This looks like a nice warm stick-to-your-ribsy kind of thing. Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1526: Lucky Me! La Paz Batchoy Instant Noodle Soup
I’ve always thought La Paz Batchoy sounded interesting, but really never dug in to figure out what it’s all about. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it:
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Monde Nissin (2)
After looking through the neat catalog from the first batch of samples, I asked if they could send a couple more – and they did!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Monde Nissin (1)
Nothing I love more than to get a notification that a package from a faraway land is on it’s way. Let’s see what’s inside!
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Monde Nissin – Lucky Me!
Interview With Monde Nissin * Product Samples From Monde Nissin (1) * Product Samples From Monde Nissin (2) * Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Chili & Citrus * Lucky Me! La Paz Batchoy Instant Noodle Soup * Lucky Me! Special Baked Mac Style Instant Macaroni * Lucky Me! Chicken Na Chicken Instant Noodles * Friday Video: Food Journey Philippines * Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Original Flavor * Lucky Me! Supreme Pinoy Chicken Instant Noodles * Lucky Me! Special Instant Curly Spaghetti With Yummy Red Sauce * Lucky Me! Spicy Beef Mami Instant Noodle Soup * Lucky Me! Special Instant Sopas Chicken Flavor * Lucky Me! Special Instant Noodles Jjamppong Flavor * Lucky Me! Beef Na Beef Instant Noodles * Friday Video: How to Cook Cebu Lechon * Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Sweet & Spicy Flavor * Lucky Me! Supreme Bulalo Artificial Bone Marrow Flavor Instant Noodles * Lucky Me! Special Instant Pancit Bihon With Kalamansi * Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton (Chow Mein) Extra Hot Chili Flavor
#1408: Pamana Chicken Sopas Creamy Macaroni Soup
The other day we headed south to check out Ikea. I’d never been there before – wow pretty crazy place! I even tried the meatballs – not bad. Nearby Ikea is Seafood City, a big grocery store that sells mostly Filipino stuff. I have only been there once before and found lots of great instant noodles I’d not reviewed before. Sadly, I only found one – and this is it. Actually, my wife Kit found it! Thanks, Kit! I like the name; it looks like Panama and my spellcheck is insisting is should be spelled Panama, but it’s Pamana. One thing to note – so by the time this is posted, we”ll have moved. I’m quite a few reviews ahead which is nice. No time today to do the pics of sachet contents (actually I packed my little bowls already). Let’s see what’s inside!
#1285: Lucky Me! Supreme Chow Mien Seafood Flavor Instant Stir-Fried Noodles
Don’t see new Filipino varieties often these days, so was very pleased to come across this one. Wondering about the spelling? Well, it’s spelled many ways – mein, mien, mian… Basically, mien means noodles. Anyways, let’s check this one out!
#1128: Lucky Me! Special Instant Pancit Bihon With Kalamansi
Hey look! Something from The Philippines! I can’t remember the last time I had anything from The Philippines (looked it up – August 18th, 2012 – almost a whole year ago). You might be wondering, what is pancit bihon? Wikipedia says:
The Ramen Rater Noodle News #20
Been a while, but here we go with the 20th edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News!
I search the ‘net for interesting news and view on instant noodles and beyond. Oldest articles start at the top. Here you go!
Re-Review: Payless Xtra Big Pancit Canton Original
Oh man I thought this was a new one! I reviewed this at #93! Here’s something from the Philippines! Been awhile since a review from there. Pancit Canton reminds me a lot of Indonesia’s Mi Goreng; the noodles are drained and then stirred with the dry and wet ingredients and served. Let’s try this one out!
#744: Payless Instant Mami Beef Flavor
I was digging in the bottom of the noodle hamper and pulled this one out – pretty old and needs ingested ASAP! It’s one my sister picked up for me in Canada last year. Very small pack too! Let’s give it a try.
#660: Lucky Me! Beef na Beef Instant Noodles Artificial Beef Flavor
Beef? Na – beef! I remember a while back I had Chicken na Chicken too – startlingly, it was chicken flavored. Beef sounds nice. Let’s give ‘er a shot…