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I was perusing the aisle at 99 Ranch Market the other day and saw this hiding towards the bottom shelf. What the heck is this? Well, they’re noodles made from potatoes and green beans with a tonkotsu broth. Not only that, there are three servings and they’re 100 calories each. Sounds like fun – let’s give em a try!
Okay, so you might be thinking – United States? Why is he marking these as United States? Well, they’re made in Hong Kong it seems, then they’re only distributor from what I’m seeing is in New York.
First off, I’m writing this on my son Miles’ birthday – happy birthday to you, dude! We’re so proud of you and you’re a neat person!
I really like it when readers send me a ton of varieties from somewhere I’ve never been able to get them before. This is one of those! I know there’s lots of cups and other brands out of Brazil to try as well. Brazilian varieties have very savory flavors, centering mostly on meat. This one’s barbecued ribs flavor! Let’s check it out.
Yet again, that awesome little store called Smart’N’Save up in Richmond, BC at the Lansdowne Centre Mall never fails to impress. They had an array of these varieties and they certainly piqued my interest.
I’ve gone to a couple ramen restaurants and hotten something mentioning spicy. Well, it hasn’t impressed me in flavor or spiciness in the past and been, well, bitter. I’m really curious about this one, though. Ramen Hero is based in the Bay Area and serves a few surrounding states at the time of this post – check their site for current service area. You pick your ramen, pay, and they’ll overnight you a set of ingredients to make a bowl of ramen at home – including garnish! Not bad. Let’s give this one a try – they send four and since they’re perishable, I’m going to do them over the next couple days.
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. Pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This is called geikikara’ (extremely hot); however, it’s not as hot as it thinks it is. We bet you will like this even if you are not a big fan of spiciness. The rich tonkotsu soup contains delicious ma-yu (burnt sesame oil and garlic), and it creates an irresistable smell for your appetite. The unique octagonal form of the box is to let it stand out from other noodles.’
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
I found some info online about this one and had to use Google translation –
● Miso-tonkotsu ramen where you can feel the taste in the hotness, which is made by adding the spicy taste with the chili pepper and soya bean paste to the pork broth, and the richness with the miso and the flower bud. ● The soup is based on a hot pepper base with chili pepper and comes out with 2 kinds of rice miso and neri sesame seeds, and it has an exquisite and deep taste with the addition of the flavor of fish and the smell of florets. ● Excellent compatibility with soup and straight non-fried noodles. ● For hot taste, I blended several spices and seasonings, and I was particular about not only the hotness but also the quality of hotness. -It is a tonkotsu ramen that is unbearable for those who really like hot things. ● Please note that this is a very hard ramen.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This is a brand new ramen just debuted. It’s an updated version of an original that came out in 1982. The simplicity of this bowl of ramen is just right and irresistible. You can taste the kikurage (wood ear mushroom) as one of the toppings. Kikurage is low in fat and calories but rich in protein and other nutrients and is a particularly good source of the B vitamins, too. The tonkotsu broth is excellent – can you taste the umami from the dried sardine? There are two chashu pork slices on top to satisfy your mouth!’
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Indulge yourself freely with this dish because these are non-fried noodles with whole grains. We LOVE how healthy the noodle tastes, and no wonder it is very popular. The tonkotsu soup has much depth of flavor matching perfectly with garlic. Toppings are chashu, wood ear mushrooms and scallions. Since it is the lightest one out of this month’s pack, when you crave ramen in the middle of the night, this is the best bet.’
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
Someone on social media alerted me to the existence of a new spicy variety on the market. This is The Knight Of Fire Ribs. I’ve reviewed The Knight Of Ribs (in fact, that was on the 2018 Top Ten Instant Noodles OF All Time list). This is a spicy version and we shall see exactly how spicy it is. Let’s give it a try!
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
A few months ago I did a Meet The Manufacturer series on Vite Ramen, but the packs I tried were prototypes and not this, the finished product for version 1.0 (version 1.1 will be coming soon and I’ll be giving that a try when it comes out). It’s a neat concept brought to life by Tim & Tom Zheng.
Here’s one that was in a box from Zenpop. Their monthly boxes feature a slew of varieties from Japan – use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount! Here’s what they have to say about this one – “The seabura (pork back fat) broth is so delish and addictive, don’t you agree? Its thin noodle is smooth, so the richness of the soup mixes very well together. Toppings are sesame, wood ear mushrooms, scallion, and pickled ginger.”
Here’s one that came by way of World Ramens, a new business specializing in international instant noodle subscription boes. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
This is the last of the four varieties sent to me by Ramen Hero – I will say I’ve asked if they want to send more. I really love working with this product – it’s a lot of fun for me. Not only that, they’re really quite good. Hopefully it’ll pan out – and I’ll also find out how that fancy seaweed is done up!
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
I’ve mentioned a few times recently how much I’ve really been into Samyang Ramen in the last year or so. It’s really quite good – has a ham flavor, nice level of spiciness. It’s just got a good all around comfort food thing going on. Well, here’s the same thing – but now it’s got a cheese component. I’ll admit it – I like cheese. There. That feels better. Load off my mind. I usually add cheese to South Korean ramen, so let’s see how this one with a cheese component included goes.
During my 2017 trip to Taiwan, I visited a 7-Eleven in Taipei. I pointed out a variety and my friend corrected my speech. I thought for years this brand was Ve Wong – pronounced vee wong. Actually, it’s more like way wong. It appears I was way wrong on this. But now I know! Yeah, poor joke. Roll your eyes and let’s have a look at this neat variety!
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!Here’s what they had to say about this particular variety – “Kagoshima prefecture is located towards the souther part of Kyushu Island and is defined by it’s proximity to the sea.
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
I thought hey I’ve got this other one – I should review it too. So here we are. It’s funny how there are two crowds; one that likes this brand and one that likes the other economy class instant here in the United States. They’ve both got their strengths, and the one with Maruchan I would say is the variety of flavors in their Ramen Noodle Soup range. There’s a ton of them – many of which are kind of hard to find. This is one I haven’t seen often. I think the first time I had this was back in early 2010 – yep that link is good old review #66. Looks like I re-reviewed it the next year.
A reader clued me in about these recently – thanks! I thought I should definitely give these a try. Why? Well, the regular Knight Of Ribs variety was on the Top Ten Instant Noodles 2018 Edition.
You probably know tom yum, but what about the moo deng part? Well, it’s pork. That was simple, right? Let’s get into this one by Yum Yum of Thailand!
Here’s a new one from Sapporo Ichiban – a collaboration with Momosan Ramen & Sake restaurant, a venture by ‘Iron Chef’ Masaharu Morimoto. Curious if this is going to be good, but guessing it will be; Sanyo Foods doesn’t come out with a new variety too extremely often here in the United States. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s yet another one from France~ I think many are surprised that France would want instant noodles but I mean, they do enjoy food in France, if you didn’t know. Let’s give this new Carbonara variety a peek and see if it’s tasty!
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one -“Chashu (roast pork slices) makes ramen special, and this bowl of ramen is super-special because it contains three slices of it! The simple and light shoyu soup has a mingled flavor of pork, chicken and stir-fried vegetables. Add a boiled egg and make it beyond special!”
What a week! So last week I didn’t do a single regular review. I was knee deep editing all sorts of unboxings and episodes of The Chocolate Break. While we were out I found this one. I’ve seen it many times before, but buying 5 packs isn’t something I like to do at all anymore as first they’re expensive and second I end up with three extra packs to give a home to.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Spicy but tasty tonkotsu shoyu soup with garlic and red pepper. Add pork kimuchi flavored oil to enjoy delicious smell of kimchi. Ingredients are well seasoned pork, two kinds of kimchi seasoned with special sauce, green onion, and red pepper.’
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘QTTA (kuu-ta) gives your stomach a satisying feeling because it means ‘I ate enough.’ The curry soup with wavy noodles coming in the golden packaging is nice and spicy. Contains meat, potato, onion and green onion, too, which will make you shout ‘QTTA!’ when you finish the meal.’
Here’s the second variety from Hakubaku to cross my desk recently. This is a shelf stable fresh noodle variety – let’s give it a try!
Are you ready? Here’s a recipe from Lane of Antlers, Oklahoma – thanks! Watch me cook it up on a special episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time EXTRA!
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. Pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
I recently did a Meet The Manufacturer series where I tried every single one of TTL’s varieties. TTL is Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor. While these packs don’t include a cigar, they do include a sachet of rice wine – and a big retort pouch filled with meat and sauce! Rad! Looking forward to trying this new variety – let’s check it out!
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
Here’s one from Japan Ramen Box – a subscription service out of Japan. Here’s what they have to say about this variety – ‘If you’re partial to enjoying the raw flavor of noodles, you’ll enjoy these noodles that have been dried over 3 days to achieve the same taste and texture as raw noodles! These addictive noodles will make you thankful that they were so carefully and painstakingly prepared! Coupled with a thick boiled pork and chicken broth, you can be sure your meal will be filling and satisfying! Asahikawa has been working to recreate this ramen shop taste since 1955 – and they succeeded!’
