Category: * Stars 3.1 – 4.0

#2717: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Kitsune Udon

#2717: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Kitsune Udon - Japan - zenpop zenpop.jp www.zenpop.jp

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 – ...see full post

#2716: Jinmailang Yakisoba Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs Flavor

#2216: Jinmailang Yakisoba Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs Flavor - China - snackoo

These came by way of Snackoo – a company that supplies you with great snack boxes, containing all sorts of fascinating things as well as ramen noodles. Why not check them out? ...see full post

#2714: KOKA Signature Chicken Flavor Instant Noodles

#2714: KOKA Signature Chicken Flavor Instant Noodles - Singapore the ramen rater

Yep – another KOKA! I think there might be one more left but maybe not – we shall see! I made a chicken breast in the oven yesterday and figured I’d better do a chicken review! So let’s get to it! ...see full post

#2709: KOKA Signature Black Pepper Fried Noodles

#2709: KOKA Signature Black Pepper Fried Noodles - Singapore - Tat Hui - The Ramen Rater

Well, I thought I was out of KOKA varieties to review and only had a couple duplicates but nope – nada – still got more! See, there are KOKA Signature and KOKA Delight which both look about the same and often have the same flavors. What’s the difference? Well, KOKA Delight is baked noodles – not fried. So I’ve still got a few varieties left. This one is a black pepper flavor noodle – without broth. Black pepper is an interesting thing – very historic as well. Let’s see if I can find something from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2707: My Friend Big Tanuki Udon

#2707: My Friend Big Tanuki Udon - Japan - Umai Crate - Japan Crate - instant ramen - The Ramen Rater

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. ...see full post

#2704: Maggi Cuppa Chilly Chow

#2704: Maggi Cuppa Chilly Chow

Found this one down in Pleasanton, California during our road trip to visit family in August. Boy – that was a journey! We took Miles (almost 2 years old) and Miri (8 months old). I can say that car seats would be comfy I think but if I were that age I sure wouldn’t want to sit in one for that long – I think the way down was 18 hours and we broke the drive back into two chunks – I think altogether that was about 24 hours with all the stops. ...see full post

#2702: Chuanbei Sichuan Yibin Style Spicy Noodles

#2702: Chuanbei Sichuan Yibin Style Spicy Noodles 川北凉粉,小新拌面,宜宾燃面味,中华老字号

Firstly, thanks to Bobby Y. with help on this variety’s translation! So I found this one up in Canada at a big Asian supermarket a month or so ago. It was at the height of pre-mid-Autumn festival, and mooncakes were in full force. I mean, this place had the biggest display of mooncake I’ve ever seen – even had special display mooncakes that were at least 2 feet across and! ...see full post

#2701: KOKA The Original Chicken Flavor Oriental Instant Noodles

#2701: KOKA The Original Chicken Flavor Oriental Instant Noodles - Singapore - The Ramen Rater

I thought I was out of KOKA varieties to review, but definitely not yet. They sent every single SKU they produce for their Meet The Manufacturer. Thanks again – that was really awesome! I have a limit of 15 reviews for a Meet The Manufacturer series, so the extras go into the regular rotation. ...see full post

#2700: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Spicy Hot Noodle

#2700: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Spicy Hot Noodle - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

NOTE: At the bottom, there is a kind of documentary about how I review instant noodles – from picking the variety to photography, editing, research, cooking and reviewing. Hope you enjoy it!

So here’s one I found while coming back from our big family drive to California this summer. I found it in the Beaverton Uwajimaya actually. I got about 10 varieties or so there during our pit stop on the way home. ...see full post

#2698: Nissin Cup Noodles Chilli Crab Flavour (More Crabtastic)

#2698: Nissin Cup Noodles Chilli Crab Flavour (More Crabtastic)

Today it’s a new reformulation Cup Noodles from Singapore. Nissin Singapore looks to have done newly formulated versions of pretty much all their Cup Noodles over there and they sound really good. I mean, more crabtastic chilli crab – can’t shrug that off.  For those of you who haven’t tried Chilli Crab – here’s a little from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2697: Maruchan Bowl Taste Of Asia Hot & Spicy Kimchi Ramen Ramen Noodle Soup

#2697: Maruchan Taste Of Asia Hot & Spicy Kimchi Ramen Ramen Noodle Soup

So this is one that the company sent to me – thanks! So this is one of the new Taste Of Asia series, a range that has some really great varieties. I really liked the Sukiyaki Beef from their first three kinds and then they came out with this one and also a Tom Yum which I would say is my favorite so far. ...see full post

#2694: Nissin Cup Noodles Batchoy Flavor

#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. ...see full post

#2689: Maruchan Instant Lunch Udon Style Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

#2689: Maruchan Instant Lunch Udon Style Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

Well, this is something completely different. Definitely a departure from their usual line . Maruchan’s Instant Lunch range is very popular in the United States. The flavors are generally in the domestic flavor profiles ranging from your standard chicken to California Vegetable to Cheddar Cheese. ...see full post

#2685: Nissin Cup Noodles Veggi Manchow

#2685: Nissin Cup Noodles Veggi Manchow - India - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

This is one we found at an Indian grocery in Pleasanton, California this Summer. I really like the fact that India has so many different instant noodle varieties and that I’ve not tried so many of them – like every one that I find is a little precious gem. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Manchow – ...see full post

#2683: Nissin Cup Noodles Champignons (Mushroom)

#2683: Nissin Cup Noodles Champignons (Mushroom) - Japan - The Ramen Rater

So here’s one I got up in Canada in July. So Nissin Japan does regional varieties – there are tons of Nissin branches all over the world – Nissin Germany is one of them. This is one for the Japanese market and looks a lot like the German Cup Noodles varieties. ...see full post

#2682: JML Instant Noodle Artificial Spicy Hot Beef Flavour

Re-Review: JML Instant Noodle Artificial Spicy Hot Beef Flavour

I’ve been doing a lot of spicy noodle videos on YouTube recently. There’s a particular one that I tried and just couldn’t handle. The main reason for this is that first off, it’s ultra spicy. The second was that I attempted it when I was sick with the flu. I mean hey – it was from Japan and I thought I should be able to handle it; never run into any spicy noodle from Japan that I found too spicy to eat. ...see full post

#2681: TableMark Homerun-Ken Vegetable Tanmen

#2681: TableMark Homerun-Ken Vegetable Tanmen - Japan - zenpop.jp

Here’s another neat one from Zenpop.JP. Thank you! So Zenpop has all sorts of monthly boxes including ramen boxes. Nine instant ramen in one box for a good price – check ’em out! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ...see full post

#2677: Nissin Hokkaido Miso Japanese Ramen

#2677: Nissin Hokkaido Miso Japanese Ramen

Sp here’s one I haven’t tried before from a nice premium series by Nissin Singapore. They have a Kyushu Black and a Tokyo Shoyu as well. A couple days ago I tried a different one – Nissin Hong Kong’s Bar Noodle Hokkaido Miso Tonkotsu. A little further west we have this one! So here’s a little refresher on miso ramen from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2675: Myojo Hyobanya Kakitama Udon

#2675: Myojo Hyobanya Kakitama Udon - The Ramen Rater - Japan

This one took a lot of digging on Google and trying various translations and I think I have the name right. I think this may have something to do with egg drop soup? I really am unsure; the ones I see that sound like this one is only cooked 3 minutes and mention the calories on them. I’m completely lost. So I pushed out an ask on The Ramen Rater facebook page so we will see what that brings. In the meantime, let’s continue! ...see full post

#2674: KOKA Oriental Instant Noodles The Original Chicken Flavour

#2674: KOKA Oriental Instant Noodles The Original Chicken Flavour

It is truly amazing I still have quite a few KOKA varieties to review! Can’t complain, that is for sure – having my hampers stocked well is a good thing and lets me be at ease about not running out of varieties to try. Today its chicken and I got up at 4 am and cooked some chicken in the oven to go into this one. Let’s have a look. ...see full post

#2670: Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle

#2670: Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle - China - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I picked this one up on a recent trip to Canada. Ok, so you might be wondering about this one. It’s made in Shanghai, China. Nongshim has factories all over the place and I’ve found that the different factories have slight variances in flavors. In the USA, this product would probably be coming from their Nongshim America factory in California. Hop the border though and most of the products up there come from China. It’s funny because they also have ones from the United States there as well. Anyways, Kimchi time! Let’s check it out. ...see full post

#2669: KOKA Silk Instant Rice Fettucine Chicken Pho Flavor

#2669: KOKA Silk Instant Rice Fettucine Chicken Pho Flavor

Here’s another left from the Tat Hui Meet The Manufacturer from earlier this year. I’ve had a lot of pho instant varieties over the years and to be honest, I’ve liked only a couple of them, so I’m really hoping this is one I’ll like. ...see full post

#2668: Samyang Foods Wasa-Mayo Ramen

#2668: Samyang Foods Wasa-Mayo Ramen

I’ve had this for a little while – just sitting and waiting for me to give it a try. With the prodding of my readers, today is the day. People seem to be really interested in this one! Here’s what Samyang Foods had to say about it – ...see full post

#2667: Nissin Okinawa Soba

#2657: Nissin Okinawa Soba - Zenpop - Japan - The Ramen Rater

This is another one from Zenpop.jp. Zenpop is pretty cool – they have different boxes you can get – Japanese stationery, snacks, ramen… It’s quite a variety. They’re pretty cheap, too. Here’s what they had to say about this variety: ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2665: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2665: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor

Today, we say goodbye to the Olagafood Meet The Manufacturer series. Overall, it’s been a fun and tasty experience! I want to thank Davin over at Olagafood again for everything – also want to thank Jonathan at Waroeng Jajanan for supplying garnish and insight into this series! Much appreciated! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2664: Maitri Instant Noodle Vegetarian Soup Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2664: Maitri Instant Noodle Vegetarian Soup Flavor

Here’s another vegetarian one from Maitri – this one being an instant noodle with broth. As I have to remind people, I won’t be coming out with a top ten vegetarian list. I wish I could, but it’s just a point of so much contention I should go a little into it. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2662: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2662: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Curry Flavor

So you’re probably going to say ‘so what gives – this is the second Alhami Chicken Curry one you’re reviewing. Key differences I see from the packaging are the work flavor and the word flavour. To me, this denotes two different markets that these will be in most likely. The second is this one’s shiny back and the other isn’t. Shiny backs are tough to scan as you’ll see below. Well, let’s get to it – it’s chicken curry time! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2660: Alhami Instant Noodles Chicken Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2650: Alhami Instant Noodles Chicken Curry Flavor

Curry has and always shall be one of my favorite flavors in this universe. Today it’s kari ayam – chicken curry. Let’s have a look and a taste! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2659: Alhami Instant Noodle Beef Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2659: Alhami Instant Noodle Beef Flavour - Indonesia - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater

Today, it is beef. Beef is a flavor that’s very prevalent in instant noodle ranges from many countries, save a few. Very curious what this one will be like. Let’s find out! ...see full post

Happy Bithday Miri! Repost: #2330: Ve Wong Little Prince(ss) Brand Snack Noodles Artificial Mexican Pizza Flavor

So I did this review the morning that my daughter Miriam was born one year ago today. Happy Birthday, Miri! I thought I’s repost it with a little update. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2658: Mikka Noodle Snack Barbeque Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2658: Mikka Noodle Snack Barbeque Flavour - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater - Indonesia

Here’s another one of the noodle snack varieties – today it’s a barbeque flavored one. These are pretty neat – you get a long strip of these little packages. Let have a look at this and give the barbeque flavor a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2654: Maitri Vegetarian Hot Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2654: Maitri Vegetarian Hot Curry Flavor - Indonesia - Olagafood - The Ramen Rater

Well, well, well, I do love me some curry. Especially when it mentions that it’s hot! Maitri is the range that Olagafood makes that has all vegetarian-friendly options. Here’s a little about this flavor in Indonesia from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2648: Paldo Bulnak Pan Stirfried Noodle

#2648: Paldo Bulnak Pan Stirfried Noodle - South Korea - The Ramen Rater - bokkeummyun

Today we have an interesting little cup of noodles from South Korea – a little spicy one. This has been on my top ten spicy list for a while now and it’s some mean stuff. ...see full post

#2647: Marutai Nagasaki Chanpon

#2647: Marutai Nagasaki Chanpon - Japan - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles champon

Here’s one that came by way of Javier over at Box From Japan. With Box From Japan, you can get different subscription boxes – whether it be ramen or candy. Sometimes they have other special boxes – they have a Pikachu box, for example. Definitely worth a look! ...see full post

#2646: Ching’s Secret Schezwan Instant Noodles

#2646: Ching's Secret Schezwan Instant Noodles - India - The Ramen Rater - Ranveer Ching

I remember the first time I heard about Ching’s Secret – I was very curious about this whole concept of Chinese food in India. As it turns out ‘Desi Chinese’ is kind of like American Chinese food insofar as Chinese bringing their food to a foreign country and adapting it to the tastes of the locals in order to sell more of it. This is a four pack and I would now like to make a formal complaint. ...see full post

#2642: Myojo Wakame Ramen

#2642: Myojo Wakame Ramen - Japan - The Ramen Rater - Zenpop

Here’s another one from Zenpop.JP. Zenpop offers a lot of diverse Japanese boxes – lots of assorted things like ramen and also stationary among other things. Here’s what they have to say about this variety – ...see full post

#2640: Myojo Hyobanya Yakisoba

#2734: Myojo Hyobanya Yakisoba - Japan

Here’s one I got up in Canada in 2017. It’s pretty awesome – a quick drive and we’re in another country! Some might say ‘that’s Canada – it’s not so different.’ Well, it is. It’s full of nice people and interesting things. I like it. ...see full post

#2639: Maggi Hot Heads Peri Peri Noodles

#2639: Maggi Hot Heads Peri Peri Noodles - India - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

There are a few varieties in this Hot Heads series and I now have all of them. The first I reviewed was the one that’s the hottest – the green chilli. My wife Kit ordered me one from Amazon as we couldn’t find it locally. Well this summer we took a trip to northern California and found a couple great Indian grocery stores – and they had all of them. Sweet! Here’s a little about what peri peri means from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2635: Maruchan Nagomi-an Curry Udon

#2635: Maruchan Nagomi-an Curry Udon - Japan - The Ramen Rater - zenpop zenpop.jp

Here’s another one from ZenPop. Zenpop offers a wide variety of Japanese product boxes to your door – lots of stationary and ramen as well – check em out! Here’s what they had to say about this curry udon – ...see full post

#2630: Myojo Udon Hot & Spicy Flavor

#2541: Myojo Udon Hot & Spicy Flavor - United States - The Ramen Rater

So today is the first review I’ve done in a month! This was the first time since 2010 that I thought I’d take a little time off of reviewing. The main reason being that I’m so far ahead of myself – 110 reviews ahead in fact. I must say it’s nice to have such a buffer. Anyways, here we have a Myojo Udon bowl – honestly I can’t remember where it came from – someone either sent it (thank you) or I got it at the store. Myojo Udon sounds pretty good. Here’s a little information about udon from Wikipedia – ...see full post