Category: * Stars 4.1 – 5.0

#2851: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Dry Noodles With Basil

#2666: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Dry Noodles With Basil - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater

Here’s one sent by a fellow named Jay from Taiwan – thanks! I did see these and another variety at Uwajimaya in Beaverton, OR on our way back from California a couple of months ago. So these are dry noodles. Dry noodles are prepared by cooking, draining, then adding sauce and stirring. Pretty easy to do. These sound interesting – basil! Let’s have a look and give these a try. ...see full post

#2840: Samyang Foods Potato Ramen

#2840: Samyang Foods Potato Ramen

Spud noodles! I’ve liked pretty much every potato noodle variety I’ve tried. Potatoes are a good way to increase the chewiness of noodles in a pretty inexpensive way. Potatoes are pretty easy to produce I’m guessing – just find some land and throw stuff in the ground and sooner or later – hey – potatoes. Well, let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#2832: Nissin Cup Noodle Curry Ramen Noodle Soup

#2832: Nissin Cup Noodle Curry Ramen Noodle Soup

Well, this was something that upon hearing about, made me extremely happy. Curry. From Nissin Foods America. I mean wow – this is something now made and available in the United States! How awesome is that? Not only this one, but the Seafood Cup Noodle is available too. They’ve changed the recipe a little and now have no artifical flavors and no MSG. Plus, you CAN MICROWAVE IT! Wow – pretty awesome! The lid says these are the #1 curry cup noodles in Japan. I’m going to go out on a limb and say these are the same for the United States as I do believe they’re the ONLY curry cup variety in the United States. So let’s see if these are good – I really, really hope they’re going to stick around for a while! ...see full post

#2826: Acecook Chicken Dashi Udon

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 -‘Dashi is essential for most Japanese dishes including udon. This healthy udon is low in sodium and moreover, it contains GABA which helps lower the blood pressure, reduce the stress, and make you relaxed. Of course, it’s super tasty too.’ Alright – let’s crack it open! ...see full post

#2822: Nagatanien Chanko Shio Ramen

#2822: Nagatanien Chanko Shio Ramen

Found this at Yaohan Centre’s Osaka Market up in Richmond, BC Canada a few months ago. Sometimes they have a section featuring fancy import instant noodles and this was with that. I’m not really sure about this one as far as the title goes, but it’s shio – that I’m pretty sure of. But the bowl it’s being served in in the image makes me think it may be nabeyaki or some other kind. Either way, I’m fascinated. From the TV spot below, I’m thinking this is a special endorsement from this sumo wrestler, however I’ve no information about who he is. He certainly looks happy to be on the box! Let’s give this one a try. ...see full post

#2818: Nissin Donbei Green Curry Udon Cup Noodles

#2818: Nissin Donbei Green Curry Udon Cup Noodles

Hey look at this! This came by way of Hobby Link Japan, a great site that has all sorts of amazing Japanese things including instant noodles! Thank you very much! This is a very large cup variety containing udon and green curry flavor. To be honest, I’ve not seen much if any green curry coming out of Japanese instant noodle companies in the past. Did I mention I freaking love green curry? Alright – let’s hit it! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Ramen White Chicken Broth

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Ramen White Chicken Broth

Today we finish this MNeet The Manufacturer with the newest variety to be born of this range, the white chicken broth tonkotsu. It’s been quite a week of reviewing here! I did two on Monday, four on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday, four on Thursday and one on Friday. I’ve found that running through a series with a lot of varieties goes better when I do them in a shorter period of time as I don’t get any kind of burn out on doing the same brand, although I don’t think I could have this time. This was a very nice stroll through memory lane as I’ve reviewed all of these before. So today, we bid a fond farewell to Sanyo Foods and their wonderful Sapporo Ichiban range! Let’s give this one a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Chow Mein

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Chow Mein

Well, hello there! You know, if I’m not mistaken, we’ve met here before. Oh yeah – multiple times on the top ten list back in it’s infancy! To be honest, this has been one I’ve loved for ages – perhaps decades. Boy, that makes me feel old… I think I should just let this variety speak for itself – let’s have a look at the contents and give it a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen Japanese Style Noodles

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen Japanese Style Noodles

Hey cool! I’ve been really looking forward to reviewing this one. You might not know, but this is the background for The Ramen Rater logo! It was review #652 – posted February 1, 2012. Six years ago! I really liked how the picture came out and thought hey – let’s make a new logo! But only recently have I said what the background was – didn’t think anyone would be interested. Anyways, now you know! Here’s a little about Shio ramen from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles & Beef Flavored Soup

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles & Beef Flavored Soup

Beef flavor isn’t usually something I think of when I think about ramen. I generally think of pork, chicken, fish, seaweed, etc. Beef leads me more towards ramyun to be honest. But these are varieties catering to the taste of the United States – and beef is definitely a western kind of flavor as well. Let’s see how a beef noodle goes in this variety. Looks like I did a re-review ion 2017 and the first time I reviewed it was #205 in 2010! Okay – let’s get to it! ...see full post

#2807: Maruchan Gotsumori Shio Wonton Ramen

#2807: Maruchan Gotsumori Shio Wonton Ramen

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 – ‘The soup has a condensed umami of chicken, which matches perfectly with the onion-garlic flavored noodles. Additionally, delicious wontons are included to make your empty stomach happy. Like in many other ramen bowls, sesame works as a hidden hero which brings a balance to the dish.’ ...see full post

#2803: World O’Noodle Curry Flavour Instant Noodle

Curry #2803: World O'Noodle Curry Flavour Instant Noodle

Found this one in November 2017 at the same place I found some by this brand in 2016 as well – at the Jason’s Market at the base of the Taipei 101. I thought today would be a good day for some relaxing curry – I spent the weekend videotaping and video editing. Curry sounds good to me. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#2801: Myojo Ippei-Chan Yomise-No Yakisoba Barbeque Sauce Flavor With Mayonnaise

#2801: Myojo Ippei-Chan Yomise-No Yakisoba Barbeque Sauce Flavor With Mayonnaise

Hey look at this! This came by way of Hobby Link Japan, a great site that has all sorts of amazing Japanese things including instant noodles! Thank you very much! This variety is a yakisoba with barbeque sauce and mayonnaise! I tell ya, this sounds really quite good to me! Here’s a little about it from Wikipedia – ...see full post

#2800: Vedan Original Beef Flavor Noodle

#2800: Vedan Original Beef Flavor Noodle

Here’s one I brought back in my suitcase from Taiwan from my November 2017 trip to Taiwan for the Taiwan International Food Expo. I really hope to live in Taiwan someday. No joke – it’s really that neat there. Let’s crack this meaty beast open and see what’s inside. By the way, no, you’re not going to find this in the United States – it’s got a retort pouch full of meat and that kind of makes it off the table for export. Let’s begin. ...see full post

Re-Review: Prima Taste Singapore Laksa Wholegrain La Mian

Re-Review: Prima Taste Singapore Laksa Wholegrain La Mian

When it comes to my favorites and the annual The Ramen Rster’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list, I like to take nothing for granted. This one has been number one for the past two years and I’m guess it will be so again this year – but I have to try it first just to make sure. Did they change the recipe? Has my taste changed? It gets a little tougher every year with this list as every year there’s about 400 new varieties I’ve been sampling. Anyways, here we go – let give it another try and see how it stacks up! ...see full post

Re-Review: Prima Taste Singapore Curry Wholegrain La Mian

Re-Review: Prima Taste Singapore Curry Wholegrain La Mian

Ah, curry. I’ve loved curry since I was very young. My mother would make a curried chicken liver over rice dish that to this day I crave. Unfortunately, she’s not keen on the chicken liver that they sell at the store anymore. Thankfully, curry is popular around the world and there are no end in sight of options to get my curry fix. When it comes to the instant noodle realm, this is one of my my absolute favorite avenues. It’s been on the Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list for years – both in Wholegrain form and the original. Let’s crack it open and see what’s in this big pack of noodles! ...see full post

#2798: Indomie Instant Noodles Mi Goreng Fried Noodles (Taiwan-only Version)

#2798: Indomie Instant Noodles Mi Goreng Fried Noodles (Taiwan-only Version)

Alright so about these – I received a 5-pack from the nice folks at the Indomie booth at the Taiwan International Food Expo in Taipei, Taiwan in November 2017. I asked a little about them. This pack you see here is specifically for Taiwan. So, what’s different? Well for starters, lots of Chinese on the pack. The main difference however is the actual soizie of the package. This one’s a little bit bigger than the ones found elsewhere, and this is unique to Taiwan. You can’t get them like this anywhere else in the world. Period. A huge difference? No, but still a difference. Here’s a little info from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2791: Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen Vegetarian Vegetable Ramen Soup

Meet The Manufacturer: #2791: Mike's Mighty Good Craft Ramen Vegetarian Vegetable Ramen Soup

Alright so today it’s a Vegetarian variety. To be honest, I used to enjoy a lot of condensed soup and this was my favorite flavor. So, I suppose it has a bit to live up to as far as the name. Let’s have a look inside this cup and see what lurks within! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2788: Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen Fried Garlic Chicken Flavor Ramen Soup

Meet The Manufacturert: #2788: Mike's Mighty Good Craft Ramen Fried Garlic Chicken Flavor Ramen Soup

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Usually, the first instant product a noodle company will put out will be chicken flavor. In fact, the first instant noodle product that was ever produced was chicken flavor. Chicken is just about universally palatable, and most don’t have a religious rule against it. A chicken instant noodle is the beginning and so that’s where we will start today. Fried garlic chicken sounds really good, and on the package, it promises an ‘insanely rich broth.’ Alright – the proof is in the noodle – let’s give it a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2781: Mr. Noodle Onions Mushroom Spice Taste Noodle

Meet The Manufacturer: #2781: Mr. Noodle Onions Mushroom Spice Taste Noodle

This one sounds interesting. While not a big fan of mushrooms, I do find that the onion is probably my favorite vegetable next to bell peppers. Well, maybe at par with bell pepper. I really like onions and bell peppers, let’s just leave it at that. Let’s take a look inside and see how it is. ...see full post