Today, we come to the end of our Mr. Noodle journey with a black vinegar variety. Black vinegar tends to give foods a kind of tart or sour hit – one I immensely enjoy. Let’s bid farewell to Mr. Noodle Meet The Manufacturer.
Category: * Stars 1.1 – 2.0
Meet The Manufacturer: #2780: Mr. Noodle Pesto Sesame Noodles
Today we’ve got a green package. I’ve kind of tried to review them in the order of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, violet) and while there’s no blue I think it’s going pretty well in that respect. Hey! Here’s a little info from Wikipedia about pesto –
#2775: Vifon Garlic Flavour Instant Noodle Soup
I found this one up in Canada at a place called Hen Long Market. Did find a whole lot there, but this was definitely a score. They’re made in Vietnam – however they’re for Poland! Poland! European noodles! Yeah – I’m sure you can tell that makes me happy. Always wish I can find more stuff from/for Europe.
#2713: Kenko Foods Michio Kawamura Kimchi Miso Ramen
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.
#2684: KOKA Instant Noodles Mushroom Flavour
Here is another one of the KOKA varieties I have left over from their Meet The Manufacturer of earlier this year. So as I said yesterday – not a particular fan of mushroom. But also as I said today, I’m hoping today will be a day of mushroom goodness. Let’s have a look!
#2638: Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Miso Flavour Instant Noodle
Here’s one of the new straight noodle varieties from Nissin – miso. So miso is one of the main varieties of ramen – here’s some info on it from Wikipedia –
#2628: Wang Asian Style Noodle Seafood Udon
I know we found this one while out at a store somewhere… Hmmm… I want to say that this was at Asian Food Center on 130th and Aurora in north Seattle. If I’m correct this was the day of sad dim sum.
#2588: Sau Tao Ho Fan Tomato Soup Flavored
Here’s another one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! So this is a Hong Kong variety. Let’s see if I can find something on Wikipedia about Ho Fan –
#2581: Samyang Foods Curry Buldak Bokkeummyun
I’ve reviewed the pack version of this one and now it’s time for the bowl. A few months ago I did a series of seriously spicy reviews for my guide to this series. Let’s see if my palate still can handle the heat!
#2544: Lipton Cup-a-Soup Chicken Noodle With White Meat Instant Soup
Okay so I’m guessing what you are thinking right now. He must be out of varieties to review. Nope. Actually, I saw this on the shelf and thought about the uncountable times that people have called domestic instant noodles Cup-a-Soup. This could be due to the fact that Nissin Cup Noodles here in the USA were called Cup ‘O Noodles up until 1993. Yep – sounds kind of alike, doesn’t it?
#2542: Acecook Super Cup Yochan Ika Yakisoba
My wife and I have been trying out something new. We trade cooking for the week. I make all the dinners one week, she the next. It’s actually been a lot of fun – some positives (I have learned how to make some pretty awesome yakisoba in the kitchen) and some fails (red curry slow cooked in a crock pot really isn’t the way to go when the beef released a thick sheen of greasy fat). Nothing better than to make something your significant other really enjoys!
#2513: Pringles Nissin Top Ramen Chicken Flavor Potato Crisps
Well folks, the United States has started to see the light. There’s nothing I love to see more than a tie-in/crossover product and this is something I’ve seen zillions of times overseas but really never before here.
#2504: Nongshim Shin Ramyun (South Korean)
For awhile now, I’ve been trying to get my hands on some of this that actually is from South Korea. Thanks to Anders and his girlfriend Ji-Min, here we are! Here’s some info from Wikipedia –
#2502: Indomie Instant Noodles Onion Chicken Flavor
Here’s one sent by Chef Ron from Mama Pat’s Foods – thank you! So I’ve reviewed a LOT of Indomie in the past, yet it’s hard to come by new varieties to try. Luckily, here’s the first of hopefully more from Indomie’s product line from Nigeria! As far as continents go, Africa has been just the toughest for me to get varieties from. Here’s a little about Indomie from Wikipedia –
#2473: Tokyo Noodle Mini Instant Noodle Mild Curry Flavor
These came by Way of my sister Sue – thanks! She found them up in Canada – I believe at PriceSmart Foods in Richmond, BC. Been a couple of years since I made the trip north in search of instant noodles for my birthday. The way I look at it, I have to lay off Canada for a little while to let the big stores up there percolate; then they’ll have new stuff I’ve not tried. Well, hopefully. Last time I found a lot of the same stuff from the time before.
#2464: Wang Extreme Spicy Hot Chicken Flavor Udon
Here’s a bowl I got at a local Korean store – Boo Han Market – in Edmonds, Washington. I was looking for something else and found this. So there’s a company that makes this style but in instant noodles, not udon. Curious to see how they differ insofar as the heat and flavor. Indeed, let’s give this one a go!
#2360: Wai Wai Instant Noodles Artificial Chicken Flavoured
Here’s yet another one from Colin – thanks, bro! So this is an export version (obviously from all the languages on the front) and a very standard taste – chicken. This one is by CG which stands for Chaudhary Group. Here’s a little info from Wikipedia –
#2359: Daikoku Kitsune Udon
Animal noodles! Animal noodles? Yup – animal noodles. That’s at least what I used to call these – there are two of them very popular in Japan – kitsune uson and tanuki soba. Kitsune refers to a fox and has fried tofu with it. Tanuki soba usually has either a round disc of tempura or little bits of it. Here’s a little more info from Wikipedia –
#2352: Uni-President Minced Pork Flavor Instant Noodles
Here’s one I got at 7-Eleven in Taiwan. I’ve seen these for so long with the stripes and they’re very popular in Taiwan. Here’s a little about Uni-President, the company that makes these – from Wikipedia –
#2267: Shirakiku Karami Ramen Spicy Chili Flavor Japanese Style Noodle With Soup Base
Here’s another one sent by a reader named Colin from the east coast – thanks again! I’m giving this one not a re-review but a full new review. I tried it in the past – it was review #125. Why a new review and not a re-review? Well, I don’t see anything on the old one mentioning non-fried noodles and think that maybe this has changed. The packaging has changed, but unsure if that’s denoting a difference. The brand Shirakiku is one of Nishimoto. Basically, kind of think of Trader Joe’s – they source foreign/domestic brands and re-brand them for sale in the USA under their name. That’s the case usually with Shirakiku. Let’s have a look!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2201: Mr. Lee’s Noodles Penang Chicken Curry Laksa
Penang. It’s a place I really miss, specifically because friends and flavors live there. some of the most amazing things that I’ve ever tasted are from Malaysia and specifically Penang. I decided to save this for last as I wanted to see how everything else was before I tried something that promises to be good. Today we say hello to this exotic variety and goodbye to the Meet The Manufacturer for Mr. Lee’s Noodles. Here we go!
#2135: Doll Instant Noodle Supreme Abalone And Chicken Flavour
Another one I reviewed as part of a series of Hong Kong varieties in conjunction with an interview by Apple Daily news of HK. I have a feeling if you dig through my reviews for the word abalone, you’re not going to find scads of varieties I’ve been very fond of. I’m hoping this might be one I enjoy, but I have my doubts. I guess the only way to find out it to try it with an open mind and mouth. Let’s give it a go!
#2093: Oni Hot Pot Seaweed Flavor Noodle
This came in the mail a week or so ago. Wasn’t expecting it but sure appreciate it! I don’t think I’ve had a seaweed dry noodle before from Tiawan. Sounds like fun – let’s check it out!
#2070: Tokushima Seifun Negi Ramen
Here’s the last of the Tokushim Seifun varieties sent to me by Wesley, a reader from Japan at school in Canada – thanks again! This last one is negi – green onion! Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2025: Urban Noodle Authentic Street Food Chow Mein
Today, we have the last of this Meet The Manufacturer. I’ve really enjoyed most of these quite a bit – I’ll say one thing – they’re not bland like some UK products I’ve had in the past! Today it’s chow mein – let’s give it a try!
The Ramen Rater Reviews The Red Robin ‘Red Ramen Burger’
We were out doing grocery shopping and thought ‘hey there’s that Red Robin over there – wonder if they have those Red Ramen Burgers.’ Well, after a quick phone call to make sure they did, we swooped in to give them a try.
#2012: MAMA Vegetarian Instant Noodles Shiitake Flavour
The last of four varieties especially made for the Nine Emporer Gods festival time of year. During the festival, people take only vegetarian dishes – no meat! Let’s have a look in this one and give it a try, eh?
#2011: Trident 2 Minute Laksa Flavour Noodles
Here’s another one sent by Jen from Australia! Thank you very much! So I though hey – laksa! Sounds good to me! Such a safe looking package too – why not check it out?
#1954: Koh Thai Island Of Flavours Spicy Thai Chicken Instant Noodles Soup
One of the last from James B. of the Netherlands – thanks again!Most of these Loh Thai varieties have been rather bland – although I think I did very much like the last one I tried. Let’s see what we have within!
#1948: Sichuan Baijia Artificial Pickled Cabbage Fish Flavor Instant Vermicelli
I’ve been checking out a few of these Baijia varieties recently, and they’ve been interesting. When I first started reviewing, I generally found the flavors and varieties to be pretty horrid, but after a few years , I’m starting to come around. Pickled cabbage and fish, eh? Well, let’s have a look.
#1922: Mie Sedaap Instant Cup Mi Kuah Rasa Baso Spesial
The last of the Mi Sedaap varieties I got quite a while ago at Asian Food Center down on Aurora and 130th. Let’s crack this one open – so few Indonesian varieties cross my desk these days!
#1899: Koh Thai Island Of Flavours Thai Royal Shrimp Instant Noodles Soup
Another one from James B. over in The Netherlands – thanks! I thought this one looked really interesting; it’s made in Singapore specifically for Koh Thai brand in The Netherlands. Let’s crack this one open!
#1820: Ten-In Veggie King Buddha Jump Instant Noodles
Here’s one I got from the folks at Exotic Noods, the first subscription instant noodle service I’d heard from! It’s one big bowl, that’s for sure – and heavy, too! I looked into Buddha Jump on wikipedia and found this –
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.
#1669: A-One Mì Ly Instant Noodles Mì Chay Vegetarian Flavor
Another one from the bottom of the hamper! A very plain looking label – but how’s it taste? Let’s check out this variety from Vietnam.
#1665: Paldo Vina Koreno Premium Mushroom Flavor
Paldo Foods is a South Korean company, and it looks like they’ve expanded to Vietnam with Paldo Vina. Now mushroom isn’t generally my favorite flavor, but I’ve been surprised in the last year or so at how much I’ve liked many mushroom instants. Let’s see how this one pans out.
#1664: Mamee Oriental Noodles Prawn Flavour
Picked this one up this year at the PriceSmart foods in Richmond, BC in Canada during my birthday trip! This is definitely an export version. How do you know? Well, look at the myriad of languages here – French, German, Arabic and English are all here on the front. A lot of companies make export versions and sometimes they’ll make a spicy version which for their local market is spicier than for the export market. There’s so much that goes into figuring out how to tune flavors and such for different places. Let’s check out these Mamee Prawn Flavour instant noodles!
#1644: Hao Way Vegetarian Penang Laksa Instant Bowl Noodles
Here’s another bowl from Hao Way – this one a vegetarian laksa. Here’s a little about laksa from wikipedia:
#1640: Long Jun Hang Tainan Yi Mien With Onion Oil Sauce
These tend to be a little hard to figure out; what flavor? What brand? Luckily, I had help from Bobby Y. on the first of these I found, and knowing some of the standard flavors of Taiwanese instants, the translation I got of a page that came up from the bar code on Google was logical. Anyways, Let’s try this onion oil flavor Taiwanese noodle offering.
#1558: No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix
Here’s one I got from Justin M. from Winfield, BC up north of here in Canada! Thanks! This one’s rather fascinating to me as the brand name is literally ‘no name.’ It’s made in China for Loblaw’s, a Canadian grocery store chain. I’m crossing my fingers here; Canadian instant noodles haven’t really been my favorites – but this is a new one so we’ll have to see. With an open mind, let’s delve into No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix!