Category: Taiwan

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

.The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

Despite all the tumultuous and unnerving events of our current age,, I am happy to announce that I’ve got a new list for our year, 2020. In the past fe hundred reviews I’ve done this past year there have been some real standouts and of course many have remained. These are my absolute favorites of reviews 1 through 3487. It’s hard – I feel like I should be doing a top 20, or even a top 50 at this point, but the sheer amount of time that would take with being a stay at home father of two while trying to get in a few hours of exercise every day just isn’t in the cards. I’m hoping in the coming months to come out with the regular top tens and maybe some new ones, but it’s a tough juggle these days. ...see full post

#3450: Taihodien Green Chilli Paste Noodles – Taiwan

#3450: Taihodien Green Chilli Paste Noodles - Taiwan

It’s been a while since I had the original Taihodien spicy mala noodles. On those, the noodles themselves were decent but the flavor was just such an onslaught of Sichuan peppercorn. Just too much. This one sounds much different – green Sichuan peppercorn and a lot of other chilli pepper action going on. Hoping to like thing one! Let’s check it out. ...see full post

#3428: Wu-Mu Mandashi Sakura Shrimp Scallion Oil Noodles – Taiwan

#3428: Wu-Mu Mandashi Sakura Shrimp Scallion Oil Noodles - Taiwan

I found another one of these export Mandashi varieties at the local 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds the other day. Nice to find stuff at the regular haunts. I still think the man on the front is going to strike me if I don’t prepare his noodles correctly! Although I have worked with the Wu-Mu folks before and did a Meet The Manufacturer and they are really very nice people. Anyways, shrimp and scallion? Sounds good! Let’s see if it is! ...see full post

#3413: Shin Horng Hon’s Dry Noodles Traditional Sichuan Chilli Flavor – Taiwan

#3413: Shin Horng Hon's Dry Noodles Traditional Sichuan Chilli Flavor - Taiwan

I’ve been admiring the packaging on these noodle for quite a while now and thought today must be the day to give them a try. I’ve sampled a very wide array of dry noodle varieties from the beautiful island that is Taiwan. However, none whose name kind of sound like my own! I’m in the mood for something spicy today – a Friday for me. I should mention that this is the second variety from Shin Horng I’ll be trying – the first ended up on the top ten Taiwanese list, 2020 edition. Let’s give them a try! ...see full post

#3392: Wu-Mu Mandashi Mala Spicy Noodle – Taiwan

#3392: Wu-Mu Mandashi Mala Spicy Noodle - Taiwan

Today, something I found at the local 99 Ranch Market from Taiwan. If you watch the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time at the bottom, you can watch me cook it up, as well as hear my thoughts on an upcoming ban on flavors of vape in Washington State with a lovely message for the Governor, Jay Inslee! This bears nothing ill towards Wu-Mu of course, so apologies for this one being the review that got the cursing, but it was something I had to do. Wu-Mu’s stuff is top-notch! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#3352: A-Sha Rainbow Noodles – Taiwan

#3352: A-Sha Rainbow Noodles - Taiwan

Check this out! Multi-colored noodles! This is an interesting set. What is coloring these? Well, you have Matcha noodle (green) with original sauce, Red Yeast Noodle (red) with onion sauce, Purple Yam Noodle (purple with sesame paste sauce, Danzai Noodle (yellow) with spicy BBQ sauce, and finally Blue-Green Algae Noodle (blue-green) with chili sauce. Pretty neat! I want to try making a bowl of multi-colored noodles I think. This could be interesting! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#3333: Shuang Ren Hsu Famous Chinese Noodles Sesame & Peanuts – Taiwan

#3333: Shuang Ren Hsu Famous Chinese Noodles Sesame & Peanuts - Taiwan

Found this one at 99 Ranch Market recently and thought it would be neat to try. It just amazes me how many Taiwanese dry noodle varieties and brands there are out there. They just keep popping up and so many contact me and ask if I’ll review them – which I really enjoy – and there are still brands I’ve never seen left and right! Let’s give this one a try! ...see full post

#3328: Chef Nic’s Noodles Hot And Spicy – Taiwan

#3265: Chef Nic's Noodles Hot And Spicy - Taiwan

I’ve seen these recently at our local 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds, Washington. They’re on the more expensive end – closer to $6USD which is pretty steep, but I wanted to do a Spicy Noodle Mukbang video, was in the mood for something new from Taiwan… This just smacked of something interesting to try. Not only that, it was in a box. I swear, although more expensive, little boxes that are fancy with instant noodles in them are pretty dang cool. ...see full post

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor – Taiwan

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor - Taiwan

Over 3000 reviews ago, I tried this, so it’s getting a fresh new review. 3000 reviews – holy cow. This was review #274 – before I’d been to Taiwan, before I really knew about varieties like this. Remarkably, I cooked it correctly due to the decent cooking instructions. But this is a diamond in the rough; one of the very few varieties exported to the United States from Taiwan that are cooked in this unique manner. You might be thinking ‘unique manner?’ Well, this is to be enjoyed as a dry noodle AND a separate soup.In the mood for something interesting? Let’s do this. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

Usually, this is a summer list, coming out late July or early August. No more. Why? A couple of reasons – first, I’ve been busy. The whole diet and exercise thing has kind of taken over my life – which is good and a pain at the same time. I do a LOT of walking – often 15 miles in a day. This takes a lot of time and so there’s that. The other reason is that I’ve heard many ask why this list doesn’t come later in the year when it’s colder. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

This is the seventh year of the Top Ten Taiwan Instant Noodles list! Every year, I’m truly amazed at the innovation and unique varieties coming from the beautiful island of Taiwan. If you haven’t had the experience of visiting, you really should – the food, the culture – it truly has been a life changing experience for me. Growing up, all I knew of Taiwan was labels on products that simply said ‘made in Taiwan’ – but it so much more. One aspect is the noodle, and they’re really unique and delicious. This is a list of my favorite out of the reviews I’ve done up to number 3,284. Many images you will see have garnish, however only the base product before any is added is what’s reviewed, as in all of my reviews. I hope you enjoy this year’s list and consider trying some of these great varieties if you’ve not tried before – they’re really great! With that, here’s the Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition. ...see full post

#3278: Uni-President Imperial Big Meal Beef Flavor – Taiwan

#3278: Uni-President Imperial Big Meal Beef Flavor - Taiwan

This is a big and somewhat heavy bowl from Taiwan. I’ve reviewed the version not made for export (this one usually goes to Hong Kong). What was funny about this one is that I found it up in Canada at a store in Aberdeen Centre – defintely not where this belongs. It’s full of beef and import restrictions would bar it from Canada. What a nice surprise! Let’s check out this one with Australian and New Zealand beef! ...see full post

#3265: Mom’s Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry – Taiwan

#3328: Mom's Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry - Taiwan

One of my favorite styles of curry would have to be green curry. It’s very different from the others – a kind of crisp and savory flavor rolled into one. This is really exciting to try – curry from Taiwan in collaboration with a company from Thailand. Very curious. Been waiting a couple weeks to hit this up, so let’s go! ...see full post

#3254: Mom’s Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Red Curry – Taiwan

#3327: Mom's Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Red Curry - Taiwan

Two weeks. Two long weeks. I haven’t done a review in two weeks!! Our apartment got remodeled, plus I had a sinus infection that basically knocked out my sense of taste. Yeah – that wasn’t cool at all. But I’m back – back to walking, and today back to reviewing. The remodel is done and I’m enjoying my noodles once again! ...see full post

#3252: Shin Horng Lukang Thin Noodles Ginger & Sesame Oil Flavor – Taiwan

Shin Horng Lukang Thin Noodles Ginger & Sesame Oil Flavor - Taiwan

I often end up at 99 Ranch Market to pick up mung bean sprouts, other produce, and other things once every week or so. It’s a chain of Asian markets that started on the west coast but after looking at their site, they’ve popped up all over the United States – which is good – they’ve got lots of neat stuff. ...see full post

#3240: Tseng Noodles Spicy Dolar – Taiwan

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#3147: Tseng Noodles Spicy Dolar - Taiwan

Recently, I heard about a variety from Tseng that I guess has been around for a little while but I’d never heard of it. A lot of confusion for me about this one. The biggest issue is the variety itself – what the heck is spicy dolar anyway? Nothing I could find on Wikipedia or elsewhere. But dolar must be a pretty common concept because there’s a restaurant in Canada I saw in Richmond that mentions it – something like Dolar Hotpot or something. Well, let’s check it out! ...see full post

#3230: Ve Wong Dah Wei Wang Instant Noodles Artificial Premium Garlic Pork Flavor – Taiwan

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#3230: Ve Wong Dah Wei Wang Instant Noodles Artificial Premium Garlic Pork Flavor - Taiwan

During my 2017 trip to Taiwan, I visited a 7-Eleven in Taipei. I pointed out a variety and my friend corrected my speech. I thought for years this brand was Ve Wong – pronounced vee wong. Actually, it’s more like way wong. It appears I was way wrong on this. But now I know! Yeah, poor joke. Roll your eyes and let’s have a look at this neat variety! ...see full post

#3192: A-Sha Gourmet Wagyu Beef Noodle Soup – Taiwan

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#3192 - A-Sha Gourmet Wagyu Beef Noodle Soup - Taiwan

I reviewed the red boxed version previously – and it blew my mind. This one has ultra fancy Australian Wagyu beef in the mix! Yeah! One thing you should note though, you’re going to pay for it. This is super premium stuff and goes for 499$NTD (that’s $15USD). On top of that, this is only out during the holiday season, so Lunar New Year. Maybe Mid Autumn Festival too? I’ll say one thing, if it’s that much better than the other version, it’s going to be existential. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#3174: TIEasy Sesame Sauce Handmade Noodle – Taiwan

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#3174: TIEasy Sesame Sauce Handmade Noodle - Taiwan

I got an email asking if I’d like to try a new noodle and of course I said yes. Turns out the fellow who wants to distribute it is up in Vancouver, BC. So I emailed him while we were up there and we met up at Foodyworld in Richmond. He gave me this and another variety as well as a pack with different kinds of noodles that contain vegetable – like a purple yam noodle, pumpkin noodle, etc. This was really cool – we chatted for a few and two days later, I’m giving these noodles a try. Let’s check them out! By the way TIEasy is short for Take It Easy. ...see full post

#3163: Mom’s Dry Noodle Spicy Hot Pot Noodle – Taiwan

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#3163: Mom's Dry Noodle Spicy Hot Pot Noodle - Taiwan

Here’s a fancy new one from Taiwan! Lots of brands with boxed versions these days. You might see my logo on this one – Mom’s Dry Noodle has been on the top ten Taiwan as well as my annual top ten for the last two years! I will say I haven’t tried this one until today though, but given their track record, I’ll bet it’s good stuff! Let’s find out! ...see full post

#3160: Mazendo Noodles With Chili Mala Sauce – Taiwan

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#3160: Mazendo Noodles With Chili Mala Sauce - Taiwan

This one arrived yesterday and I decided hey – how about a mukbang. So since they sent two four packs I went ahead and did one. Timing just worked well – crack it open after the unboxing video and give it a try – why not? I’ve been battling a cold that’s been going around – my son had it then gave it to me and my daughter – only ne left is my wife and I hope she doesn’t end up with it… But some spicy noodles fit the bill yesterday. Let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

#3157: TIEasy Traditional Scallion Sliced Noodle – Taiwan

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#3157: TIEasy Traditional Scallion Sliced Noodle - Taiwan

I got an email asking if I’d like to try a new noodle and of course I said yes. Turns out the fellow who wants to distribute it is up in Vancouver, BC. So I emailed him while we were up there and we met up at Foodyworld in Richmond. He gave me this and another variety as well as a pack with different kinds of noodles that contain vegetable – like a purple yam noodle, pumpkin noodle, etc. This was really cool – we chatted for a few and two days later, I’m giving these noodles a try. Let’s check them out! By the way TIEasy is short for Take IT Easy. ...see full post