The Definitive Source For Instant Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Happy birthday to me! This one looked really neat and what’s crazy is I found it locally at S*Mart. I visit that place once a year usually and find a ton of great stuff I’ve never seen before. I even got some mint for garnish on this one. I wanted to get a mint plant and a basil plant yesterday at the fruit stand, but it’s still too early – they didn’t have any. I mean, it is still winter here. Regardless, let’s cook!
Another find from S*Mart. This is pretty non-descript. Maybe from a multi pack? I don’t know, but it certainly is interesting. This one’s made by JML (Jinmailang). Let’s delve into it.
It’s been an interesting go in these past few reviews! A couple trips to less frequented local shops for the local people have yielded a lot of varieties I’ve not seen before as well as those I’ve not reviewed in well over a decade. This one’s a never tried comer from north of here. Let’s give it a go.
Now here’s one I haven’t seen since 2011 and thought could use another taste. I really enjoy tom yum and was wanting to review a Wai Wai variety, but the others they had at Evergreen Asian Market weren’t what I was looking for. So here we are – let’s cook it up!
Found this one at Evergreen Asian Market in Everett, Washington. I found quite a few Vietnamese varieties there I looked up in my archives, found a bowl version of this which was my fifth review. Those early early reviews are definitely out of order, but it was definitely one of the first 30 I tried back in 2002-2003. Well, let’s give this one a try.
This one’s kind of surprising to me as it looks like I’ve never reviewed it but that really surprises me. I really had thought I had. Got this one at S*Mart – but you can find it at pretty much any Asian grocery. Let’s give it a try.
Here’s one I found over at Evergreen Asian Market in Everett, WA! I’ve had this many years ago and never simply found it in the ‘wild.’ My buddy Stumpy, who now resides in North Little Rock, AR found it for me while living in Everett in 2012. Here’s that review. Twelve years ago – not The Beforetime, but quite a while ago. Let’s check it out – by the way I found plenty more from this brand today and that was really exciting – been wanting to find stuff from these folks for awhile.
Well, a couple reviews ago I started with how my back was screwed up from doing a lot of work on the weekends setting things up. Well, it still is sore, and today I planned on walking a lot but there were three D’s that kind of ruined that plan… Damn cold, damn windy, damn rainy. So, damn. I walked to the local store and got a couple things including this one to review. I don’t think I’ve reviewed it in a great while, so here it is and here I go.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop box – here’s what they had to say about it – ‘What is this?? Did my Japan box turn into an Italy box? Look again, it’s QTTA Carbonara(men)! Wordplay aside, this is really ramen noodles in the famous Italian sauce. Japan is an island nation with many people not finding many opportunities to travel abroad, which leads to foreign flavors being very interesting. How close is this ramen carbonara to the real thing? You be the judge!’
Here’s one that you might find on an instant noodle aisle. It was sent by James from Lakeside, California. It looks like I’m just about out of varieties to review at this point here in February 2024… Hmm… That kind of works out alright as tomorrow is Friday and I’ve done 3 varieties a day every day this week and a couple days last week, trudging towards the big 5000. Chocolate rice porridge is most certainly not ramen, but it’s worth a look. So let’s look.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
Big thank you to Pher Engi for sending this one along! Ah it’s Wednesday and time to cook. Mi is noodles and gelas is like ‘glass’ as in a glass of water. It’s also like cup, so these are cup or mug noodles. Kari ayam is chicken curry!. To the stove!
Well, here we go again – and I like that. This is a fascinating newcomer to the range of unique Cup Noodles for customers in the United States. Pumpkin Spicy, Breakfast, Everything Bagel, and now some s’mores. I really enjoy these new varieties to try – they’ve been popping off with new and unique varieties in Japan for years – neat to see new stuff here in the USA! I’m really curious how this one will be. Let’s give it a go.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop box – here’s what they had to say about it – ‘We made sure to include a lighter option among the strong flavors in this month’s box. Thanks to the refreshing topping and how long the chicken and pork rested in the soy sauce base, you get a soup that perfectly pairs with thin noodles and hits you with a crisp soy sauce flavor. A great way to start the day as it’ll fuel you for whatever’s to come!’
This is the second variety I’ve found recently. The other was spicy, this one is not. If all goes well, my daughter will get to try this one for lunch – first day of ‘mid winter break’ for the kiddos today.
Here’s one that came in a now defunct Zenpop.jp box – here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Pork, a wonderful ramen base with its never-ending richness. But wait, there’s more! Scallops! Fried garlic! Black pepper! Flavor enhancing oil! Yeah, this cup just keeps on giving. The name “Barikata” implies slimmer, harder noodles, a traditional touch unique to real tonkotsu ramen. This is why this cup should only have a 60-second wait in the water before eating. Thanks to the slimmer cylindrical shape you really get the aroma swelling towards you, elevating the experience. 🍜’
Was able to get out to a local Asian market hoping to find some cool Lunar New Year stuff. Didn’t find that, but found a couple varieties I was into using to try out the Ramen Bae products. So, here’s one of them. I tried this way back – it was a kimchi version – back in review #564. That’s around ten years. Let’s give this one a try.
Well look at this. Wow. Only 99 reviews until I’ve tried 5000 varieties. That’s crazy! Now I have to figure out what I’m doing for the 5000th review. Has to be something awesome. Well, here goes with 4901!
This one comes by way of Pher Engi – thanks again! These are very small – they’re mug-sized. That’s small! Actually, I just realized that the name makes sense – mi for noodle gelas for cup. Ayam bawang means onion chicken. Let’s cook it up!
This one came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! This is kind of interesting – a global export version. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s one that came in asubscription box – here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Sapporo Ichiban re-released their classic Consommé Soy Sauce instant ramen in a new Pokémon collaboration. ⚡ The dish is simple, taste, well-balanced and comes with the umami of chicken! Even the noodles are slightly seasoned so that every slurp bring you some flavors. On the topping side you’ll find some cabbage, minced meat, onions and carrots 🥕 What’s new, is the original Pokémon packaging and a new series of stickers to collect! Keep them safe, they might be worth gold in the future!’
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop box – here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Toyo Suisan delivers a symphony of flavors and ingredients with this duck, bonito based ramen cup. The soba noodles are a perfect transistor for the tingle of the seven spice chili seasoning. But this tingle dances upon not only the elegant fatty duck flavor, but also the umami of shiitake and seaweed. Duck based stock is known to be a healthier alternative in Japan, though we won’t promise any effect in that department… That said, the amount is very satisfying, especially coming in a convenient cup!’
This one came by way of Pher Engi – thanks again! Ayam Bawang translated to onion chicken, a very popular and standard mi kuah (noodle soup) variety. Let’s see how this one is!
Here’s one that came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! These can be found with the instant noodles however certainly aren’t. These are made in the US but for the Filipino crowd here. Let’s get it started.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box . Here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Who needs a Michelin star restaurant when you have ZenPop? This bowl is a remarkable dish to have been transformed into instant format, thanks to master chef Kasahara-san, who supervised its creation while also running several restaurants and writing a million seller cookbooks.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box . This one came in a special ‘triple box’ from Zenpop. It didn’t come with descriptions of everything, but Cup Star is a popular range from Sapporo Ichiban – and they’re generally pretty good. Let’s miso it up!
Here’s a neat one that was sent by Pher Engi – thanks again! Yeah, I really have no idea on this one. I found it’s a Maduranese yellow beef soup. Soto is often from my experience a beef and lime kind of affair. Let’s find out what we have here.
Here’s one I think came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks! This is the second of two from this brand. Sounds good – let’s give it a go.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
Here’s one that came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! This is the second of two varieties he sent. Let’s give it a go!
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
Here’s one that came by was of James from Lakeside, California – thank you! I haven’t reviewed anything by Kiki in quite a while – really great stuff from these folks as I remember and looking forward to this! Let’s give it a try!
Lanzhou! This should have a nice beef flavor – usually does in varieties I’ve tried. Let’s check it out! First a little blurb on the history from Wikipedia –
Big thanks to Pher Engi for this one! Wikipedia had this to say about Padang cuisine –
Padang food or Minangkabau food is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is among the most popular cuisines in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is known across Indonesia as Masakan Padang (Padang cuisine) after Padang, the capital city of Western Sumatra province.[1] It is served in restaurants mostly owned by perantauan (migrating) Minangkabau people in Indonesian cities. Padang food is ubiquitous in Indonesian cities and is popular in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.
Well, I thought it was quite a while since I reviewed this but it was only a couple years. What I’d really like is to be able to get more varieties from this and other instant noodle companies in Taiwan – I get a lot of dry noodle varieties, yet not many instants… Well, let’s kick this into high gear.
So here’s one I reviewed way way way back – here’s the last time I tried it, review #923 – from November 20212. That’s a while back! Curious what I’ll think of this this time around. Let’s find out!
Big thanks to James from Lakeside, California for sending this along! Never heard of this brand before, nor this variety. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Miso is a paste created by fermenting soybeans with other ingredients. So if you think about it, as the bean “dies” in the process of returning to life as tasty miso, it’s almost like the Zombie of the soy world! …what, no? A bit of a stretch to fit the Halloween theme, perhaps? No matter, the taste of the miso speaks for itself. This bowl is very portable and has wakame seaweed topping, really adding to the volume of ingredients.🎃’
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
This one comes by way of Pher Engi – thanks again! So, maybe Wikipedia has a clue…
Soto Banjar is a typical soto from the Banjar tribe , South Kalimantan , with the main ingredient being chicken and having the fragrant aroma of spices such as cinnamon , nutmeg and cloves . This soto contains shredded chicken, with the addition of perkedel , boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, pieces of carrot and ketupat . [2]
