Category: * Stars 2.1 – 3.0

#4116: immi Tom Yum “Shrimp” Flavor Ramen Soup – United States

#4116: immi Tom Yum "Shrimp" Flavor Ramen Soup - United States

This is the third of three immi varieties I received from the company – thanks! They use pumpkin flour to make these noodles and thus far, I’ve had mixed results on the noodles’ consistency and chew. The first one I disliked a lot, however the second I liked quite a bit. Let’s check out this third and final iteration. ...see full post

#4052: Shin Horng Pot Burn Noodles Taiwanese Style Minced Pork Flavor – Taiwan

#4052: Shin Horng Pot Burn Noodles Taiwanese Style Minced Pork Flavor - Taiwan

Here’s one I found while at 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds to get my weekly Salad Cosmo Mung Bean Sprouts. Always such a long shelf on the ones there. It’s truly a wonderful thing! I’ve found this brand makes some really top-notch stuff in the past so figured I’d better give these a try. Let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

#3988: Uncle Fun Hai Nan Fen – China

#3926: Uncle Fun Hai Nan Fen - China

An apron, glasses, and a sunny demeanor. Yes, this is Uncle Fun. Fun? Foon? I’m guessing it’s pronounced Foon. When I opened this, the aroma was definitely nice. But what was difficult was the cooking part. I found a new way to image translate, but it was through google, so very confusing. Boiling noodles in cold water seems a little strange to me, but they’ve got some mad tech in China, yo… I hope I can figure out how the heck to cook this stuff… UPDATE – big thanks to Kyle K. over at Mom’s Dry Noodle for huge help in cooking instructions! ...see full post

#3953: Sapporo Ichiban Waraa Kagoshima Pork Shabu-Shabu Taste Ramen – Japan

#3953: Sapporo Ichiban Waraa Kagoshima Pork Shabu-Shabu Taste Ramen - Japan

Found this in a Zenpop.jp box – you get seven varieties of instant noodles to try! I would say that almost every time I’ve gotten one of these, I’ve never tried any of them before which is really awesome. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Inspired by Kagoshima’s pork shabushabu, these soy sauce-flavored ramen deliver a rich taste of pork paired with dried bonito and kelp. It reminds of the seas off the shores of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Made with a new technology, the noodles have a firm and tough texture, what Italians might call al dente. The soy sauce-flavored soup brings a deep richness from the local black pork, and a lot of umami from the bonito and kelp, topped with a sprinkle of green onions, pork, and flower-shaped kamaboko (蒲鉾).’ Cool let’s give it a go. ...see full post

#3863: Sanyang Yishi Classic Guilin Rice Noodle – China

#3863: Sanyang Yishi Classic Guilin Rice Noodle - China

This one has an interesting preparation method and I’m honestly really excited to try it. I’ve seen many varieties that kind of look like this. My wife Kit was awesome – while our car has been down for the count, she went out shopping and checked whether I’d tried varieties and got me this one to try! She’s the best – let’s check it out! ...see full post

#3847: Chef Woo Thai Lemongrass Ramen – United States

#3847: Chef Woo Thai Lemongrass Ramen - United States

I’ve been spacing these out a little bit. They’re really fascinating to me. I discovered the Ramen Express By Chef Woo a while back at a local grocery store – these products are very different – and quite good! Good for Vegan folks, plus 20g of protein in a cup which is pretty neat. Definitely worth a try. Let’s see how this one pans out! ...see full post

#3840: MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle (New Formulation) – Malaysia

#3840: MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle (New Formulation) - Malaysia

A very standard (and very wonderful) unique quality of Malaysian cuisine is the fact that tweaks and new recipes are an axiom. I found this out while in Penang, where changing styles of recipes goes on constantly and keeps flavors fresh and fascinating. This culture is present in their instant noodle brands as well – and it’s welcome! MyKuali’s Penang Red Tom Yum Noodle has been on previous Top Ten Lists and is absolutely excellent stuff. Very curious how this new formulation will be – let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#3829: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Hot & Spicy Beef Flavor – United States

#3829: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Hot & Spicy Beef Flavor - United States

Thanks again to Daniel in Montana for sending this over! So Since I did the unboxing video, people have been commenting and it turns out these are showing up in Walmarts all over the country. Didn’t expect that – I figured Montana was a test market. I can say that I have made contact with Albany Farms and if all goes well, we’ll be doing a Meet The Manufacturer soon! Let’s check this cup out. ...see full post

#3744: Pamana Instant chicken Sotanghon – United States

#3744: Pamana Instant chicken Sotanghon - United States

Here’s another one for the Filipino market here in the states by Pamana. Sadly, this is the last Filipino variety I’ve got so I’m hoping someone who’s reading from the Philippines might be kind enough to send some new varieties I’ve not reviewed. Very hard to come by these days for me I’m afraid! Let’s check it out – but first, a little snippet from Wikipedia about Sotanghon – oh wait, I guess not. It appears it’s being confused with rice vermicelli – which this dish does use, but the translation in this instance would be to bihon instead so I don’t know what to do… A little research yielded use of mushrooms, however in my years reviewing, I’ve seen a lot of varieties including saltine crackers. We shall see. ...see full post

#3731: Cheetos Mac’N Cheese Flamin’ Hot Flavor – United States

#3731: Cheetos Mac'N Cheese Flamin' Hot Flavor - United States

Here’s the other spicy variety from the Cheetos Mac’N Cheese series. I should note that we tried the non-spicy regular cheese flavor today. Wasn’t bad; wasn’t amazing. Anyways, I also want to point out something – this isn’t macaroni; it’s rotini. Macaroni is pasta shapen in tubes. Rotini isn’t. Just saying. Alright – let’s give this spicy one a try. ...see full post

#3728: Menraku Restaurant Style Ramen “Seafood Tonkotsu” Taste – United States

#3638: Menraku Restaurant Style Ramen "Seafood Tonkotsu" Taste - United States

Here’s one the guys at Exotic Noods sent over – thanks! Looks like you can make it in the traditional style or as tsukemen (pronounced ‘skeh-men’). Tsukemen involved noodle dipping kind of like zaru soba so I’ll make it the regular way as I’m kind of a messy eater to begin with. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post