During my trip to Taiwan in November of 2016, I had the opportunity to try the three varieties of the new Xiao Ban Mian line. I remember this one in particular; it was really quite good and I only got a bite or two of it – my sister actually scarfed this one down quickly! Now, back in the controlled environment of my noodle lab (sounds more amazing than it is, really), I’m really excited to give this a try. Let’s check it out!
Category: * Stars 4.1 – 5.0
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Mom’s Dry Noodle Sichuan Spicy Flavor
So I remember the first time I tried this one a couple years ago. Indeed, it is spicy! Sichuan pepper is a little different kind of spicy in contrast to a jalapeno or wasabi – here’s a little info about the Sichuan pepper from wikipedia:
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Mom’s Dry Noodle Onion Oil & Shrimp Flavor
Here’s one I’ve liked for a while . In fact, it’s on the Taiwanese op Ten list! I really like shrimp as well as onion! I thought since I’ve had the opportunity to try a nice amount of Taiwanese food now, I’d share this info about their food from wikipedia:
Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Mom’s Dry Noodle Pepper & Sesame Sauce
So today we kick off Meet The Manufacturer with a unique variety – pepper and sesame sauce. First, this is black pepper, not hot chill. Second, sesame sauce is completely different from sesame oil. Sesame sauce has a more peanut butter kind of texture and flavor whereas sesame oil has that strong sesame scent and saltiness. Let’s dig into this one and get things started!
#2304: Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Masala Spicy
Here’s one sent by Marvin R. from Texas – thanks again! I have trouble getting new varieties from India. It’s prertty far away and usually my only source are Indian grocery stores here. Here’s a little about Maggi instant noodles from Wikipedia:
#2302: Nissin Yakisoba Instant Noodles
It’s kind of interesting. Indeed, I review two products a day but generally only post one. This ensures two things. First, I get to everything before it expires. Second, I have a buffer in case I don’t have time to do a review. Meanwhile, the buffer has grown and is quickly reaching 80 reviews! I did this review on November 13th, 2016 and today is Inauguration Day, January 20th, 2017. It’s kind of funny; I did this review about as many days before my daughter Miriam was born as days since she was born (December 17th). Another interesting thing is while unplanned, this review follows Momofuku Ando Day yesterday where I did a video about Nissin Yakisoba. Weird. Finally Happy Birthday to my sister Sue!
#2293: Nissin Nupasta Bacon In Carbonara Sauce Flavour Instant Noodle
Another leftover from the Nissin Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer – thanks again! Been waiting for the right day to review this one – I should mention today actually is November 8th, 2016 – election day here in the United States. You see, I’m about sixty reviews ahead of myself. How? Well, I usually try to do two reviews a day – and been doing that for a while. I used to only do one a day and if I missed a day I would have to scramble to do a review and post it the same day etc etc. I can hear it ‘oh my god you eat two packs of instant noodles every day?’ Of course not; people reviewing wines don’t chug down a whole bottle to decide what they think of it. I take a couple spoons of broth and a few bites of noodle. In fact, I would say that after reviewing two bowls of noodles, I’ve maybe had the equivalent of 1/3 of a bowl, so there you go. This way if I need to take a couple days off, I can. Well, by now we know who is the new president when you’re seeing this. My daughter Miriam will have been born and Christmas may be over. Crazy. Well, let’s try this one – the cup version was in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of all Time list – let’s check the pack out!
#2292: Sichuan Baijia Chongqing Noodles Spicy Hot Flavor
This is the third of this line of new products from Sichuan Baijia that I’ve tried recently and what’s neat is that there are bowls too so I’m going to have to try those soon too. The others have definitely been spicy hot but this one says spicy hot. I think this may be a contender! Yesterday’s review of the cheese buldak bokkummyun fire noodle challenge noodle was super hot! Let’s give this a looksie and see how hot it is!
#2290: Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle
One of the more interesting varieties left over from the Nissin Foods Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer. This one’s very new; a two-serving pack with a pork bone broth and black garlic oil fun! Let’s check it out!
#2286: Kamfen Noodle King Artificial Abalone And Chicken Soup Flavoured
I haven’t generally been a fan of abalone and chicken instant noodles. I’m crossing my fingers here though. Let’s give it a try!
#2283: Nissin Raoh Pork Bone Soy Soup Noodle
This is another one sent by Colin from the east coast – thanks again! So pork bone broth is hugely popular in Japan and this sounds like a soy and pork variety to me. Let’s check out this premium variety!
#2282: Samyang Foods Gold Jjamppong Fried Noodle
I’ve liked jjamppong for a while now. For those of you not familiar with it, it’s kind of like a spicy Korean seafood hnoodle soup. Let’s check it out!
#2279: Nissin Demae Iccho Spicy Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle
Here’s another one left over from the Nissin HK Meet The Manufacturer – they sent so many varieties! Thank you again! So, everyone knows what tonkotsu is, right? No? Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia:
#2278 – Nissin Raoh Japanese Instant Ramen Dandan Noodles
Here’s another one from Colin from the east coast – thanks again! So to start with, a little about the originin of these noodles. You se here they’re referred to tantanmen, however they’re also dandanmein – Wikipedia, if you please:
#2273: Uni-President A Q Bucket Noodle Koream Kimchi Flavor
Here’s another one I found in Taipei – this one was the last instant noodle I bought there.
#2271: Sichuan Baijia Chongqing Noodles Burning Dry Noodles
Leave to my wife Kit to notice things I don’t. This is art of a series of three varieties that they got in at 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds, Washington that I’d not seen before – but she did! I asked her which of the three to review first and here’s what she picked. Burning! Here’s a little snippet from Wikipedia –
#2268: Nissin Nupasta Neapolitan Flavour Instant Noodle
This one is leftover from the Nissin Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer I did a little while back! They sent almost 60 different unique varieties of instant noodles! Thanks again – rarely does a company do something like this! So these Nupasta varieties have been really enjoyable thus far. This one looks like a noodle with marinara sauce. Let’s check it out!
#2263: Sichuan Baijia Broad Noodle Artificial Beef Flavor Hot Pot
When it says these are broad noodles, its definitely not an understatement. I’ve had mixed feelings about the offerings from this brand in the past – let’s see how this one pans out!
#2262: Dream Kitchen Curry
Here’s one we found when in Renton, Washington’s Uwajimaya a while back. From what it looks like on the label, this is a private label for a big distributor here in the USA by a company in Singapore.I love curry but have been a little confused by this series. Let’s give it a looksie.
#2261: TableMark Tohokuno Aji Yonezawa Ramen
Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety:
#2260: Uni-President Science Noodle (X’Mas Edition)
Since Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I ought to review this one that I found in Taiwan during my visit to Mom’s Dry Noodle in mid-November! This usually has a different packaging actually – a wizard with a wand.
#2258: Kamfen Instant Wonton Noodles Scallop Lobster Soup Flavor
Been a while since I’ve had a Kamfen bowl… Scallop and lobster wonton favor? Definitely Hong Kong. It’s a seriously rainy day today and we’re going to have a power outage I predict. Ahhh. It’s not like we live in the middle of nowhere; we’re in the city! Weird. Noodle time!
#2255: Daikoku Hiroshima Flavor Yakisoba
Saw this one at Uwajimaya a few weeks ago after visiting the Living Computer Museum and walking around the Seattle International District – good times with my homie Matt B. I thought today I’d make my lovely wife Kit some yakisoba – she really likes yakisoba and she’s been pretty miserable lately so I thought it’d be a nice treat. Let’s check it out!
#2252: New Touch Sugomen Sano Ramen
Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety:
#2248: Nongshim Shin Noodle Soup
Every year in January I come out with a Top Ten list of South Korean varieties. Much to the disappointment and anger of many people, this will never be on that list. Why? Simple. It’s made in the United States. People have debated me into the dirt on it too ‘so, why does it matter?’ Well, if I put Nissin top Ramen on the Top Ten Japanese list that would be a little ridiculous, wouldn’t it? The differences between the Nongshim Shin Cup manufactured here and manufactured in South Korea might be only geographic and packaging, but those are the rules. This could be on the Top Ten Made In The USA list at some point (I haven’t come out with a new one of those lists in a while – maybe next year perhaps). I’m working on getting some South Korean varieties soon, so I guess we’ll see this January!
#2247: Nissin Sapporo Noukou Miso Ramen
Here’s one that Javier from www.BoxFromJapan.com – thanks! Box From Japan is a monthly subscription service where you can get 4 unique bowls of ramen from Japan a month. It’s pretty awesome – I haven’t gotten a duplicate yet! Here’s what he had to say about this variety:
#2237: Nissin Cup Noodle Light+ Bagna Cauda
Okay, magna carta Cup Noodle? No, this is one based on an Italian food. Let’s consult Wikipedia –
#2236: Maruchan Gotsumori Koku Tonkotsu Ramen
Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety:
#2234: Paldo Bibim Men
SPECIAL ELECTION MESSAGE
I wanted to take a second to talk about the events that have happened concerning the Presidential election here in the United States. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting the outcome we’ve seen here. I live in Washington state – a very Liberal state – where Bernie Sanders won over 80% of the votes for the primary. Personally, I think we’d have a different President today if the DNC hadn’t played politics and made it impossible for him to win. Our delegates here all went for Clinton – even though the people voted otherwise. I decided not to vote for either Clinton or Trump as I didn’t like either of them. My friend Raffael over at Happy Souper in Germany has posted a review – and he mentioned people there are kind of freaked out about our new President. I guess we’ll see what happens. I’ll keep reviewing noodles. I did this video a long time ago – wish he would’ve gotten the nomination.
#2232: Nissin Spicy Chikin Ramen Donburi
Here’s one I was sent by Daisuke-san from Nissin Japan! Arigato! I really like Nissin Chikin Ramen – always have. By always, I mean always too; Nissin USA made something like it and that was the first variety I had when I was a kid. This looks like an interesting spicy one – let’s take a look!
#2228: Nissin Raoh Shoyu Ramen
This is one of the fancier instant noodles out there – Nissin’s Raoh is usually great stuff! Comes with fancy noodles, liquid broth and other garnishes such as a slice of chashu pork. Wow. Let’s check it out!
#2222: Nyor Nyar Vegetarian Penang White Curry
I really loved the Nyor Nyar non-vegetarian PWC a lot – a whole lot! Very curious as to how this vegetarian variety will be. Let’s give it a look!
#2221: Nissin Cup Noodle Seafood Flavor
I know, I know… ‘You haven’t reviewed THIS one yet?!’ This was sent to me by a reader named Colin (thanks again!) and he got it at a specialty shop in Mexico. This is a really common Japanese Cup Noodle but I’ve never been able to get a hoold of it – until now. Let’s give it a look!
#2220: Paldo Budae Jigae Ramyun
Today I’ll be trying something new sent to me by Yongmin Park of Paldo – thank you very much! Very curious about this one as I’ve never seen it before. This is Budae Jigae – let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about it:
#2217: Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy Seafood Flavour Instant Noodle
One of the many varieties sent by Nissin HK for Meet The Manufacturer. This sounds good to try today; it’s been really warm around the area lately (northwest USA) and it’s cooled off a little and so something spicy should bring the temp back up a little. I should mentioned that I have now gotten new bowls that I’ll start using today for the seasonings/oil/vegetables. They’re sake and soju cups! Let’s take a look!
#2215: Myojo Mee Goreng Spicy Flavour
Today it’s the third and final of the trifecta of Mee Goreng varieties from Myojo of Singapore – spicy flavor. Let’s see if this thing has some real zing!
#2214: Sapporo Ichiban Tabimen Nagasaki Chanpon
Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety:
#2209: Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy Hot Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle
Here’s another Demae Ramen from Hong Kong! Spicy tonkotsu sounds really good. I’ve got chashu pork in the freezer so that should go nicely. Let’s check it out!
#2206: Nissin Deka Buto Kuro M-yu Tonkotsu
Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety:
#2204: Nissin Cup Noodles Sabor Galinha Caipira
Thanks again to Adriana and Steve O. for sending me these great Brazillian instants! I think this is the last of them – was a lot of fun! So I *think* this one translates to country style chicken. Well, let’s give it a look!