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A guy named Mengzhe Z. from China sent me this – thank you again! I think the first time I saw the export version of this one it was called beef and sauerkraut. Cabbage is definitely popular in Asia – goes well with yakisoba, pickled in soup and fermented in ramyun. Let’s give this a look!
Here’s one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! So I don’t usually get thrilled with instant noodles that are mushroom flavored. Mushroom can be hit or miss and usually I find mushroom to be a little funky. Let’s give it a try with an open mind.
I think I should explain the symbol in the upper right hand corner before anything else. While the symbol may bring up thoughts of World War II, this actually has nothing to do with oppression; this is a Buddhist symbol denoting that it is safe for those who practice strict vegetarianism. Here’s a little from wikipedia about it:
A new year brings the The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of all Time 2015 Edition. After reviewing over 1,750 different varieties, these are my favorites hailing from Taiwan. Taiwan’s instant noodles are different from those of any other country; so curious about what direction their flavors go next. With that, let’s dig in to the new list for 2015!
Another year’s gone by and here we are again with the new bowls list. A lot of really interesting ones this go around and some old favorites. At the point of putting this list out, I’ve almost hit 1,700 reviews. Of those, these are in my opinion the best tasting and the most memorable varieties. With that, allow me to present The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls 2015 Edition.
Last month at the Chinese New Year celebration I went to hosted by the Seattle Singaporeans Meetup Group, I was talking to Clement, one of the event organizers. Og course, the topic of conversation was instant noodles (I will happily admit I rarely talk about anything else) and he had mentioned that there are these Chinese sausages that are good in beef instant noodles. I’d been wanting to give that a try, and today was the day! Let’s check it out!
I keep looking at this one in my noodle hamper and then curse at myself for not getting shallots… I mean, they’re cheap and taste really good – why didn’t I get shallots? Well, I kept forgetting to. But fear not shallot lovers! I now have shallots. Beef and shallot lovers, your day has arrived. Let’s delve into the insides of this Unif-100 Artificial Shallot Beef flavor pack from Unif of China!
Welcome to the 2nd annual The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time – the 2014 edition. In the last year, I’ve tried a slew of new varieties from Taiwan that were just amazing. Really discovered some great new products that I think everyone should try! What’s special this time is that I’m actually going to be in Taiwan during a layover on my trip to Malaysia! Figured I’d put this out a week early as it’ll be quite hard to post when I’m overseas. This is a list comprised of the best of the best of the 127 different varieties of instant noodles that I’ve tried that were made in Taiwan. As a side note – I’m also going to be traveling through Singapore and then my destination of Malaysia – there will be top ten lists for those two countries coming as well as soon as I’ve reviewed enough varieties to have a wide sampling. I’ve done just over 40 from each so far. With that, let’s have a look at the best noodles I’ve tried from Taiwan!
Bowls of noodles. They’re made all around the world and are a great option for those with access to boiling water and are ‘on the go.’ Some are basic and have very little imagination to them or perks, while others are really full meals that include meat and vegetables, seafood and other niceties. I’ve review 1,410 different noodle varieties and of those, many have been bowls. Here’s a list of the best, most memorable bowls I’ve come across is my adventure in tasting.
Here’s one sent to me by Roger S. – thanks! I haven’t had one of these Unif-100’s in a while. I had the Cayenne Beef a little while back, but this is one of the ones that are distributed here in the US quite widely. Chances are if you have an Asian grocery local to you, they’ll have some of the Unif line of instants. Now, while beef is a very common flavor where instant noodles are concerned, tart beef is something I’ve not encountered before. Let’s see what’s inside and how it tastes.
China: the birthplace of the noodle. Billions of serving of instant noodles are consumed there every year – more than any other country in the world! I thought today being Chinese New Year (more widely known as Lunar New Year), it would be an opportune time to release a list of my favorite instant noodles that are made in China. These are the most memorable and finest varieties I have enjoyed from China of the 1,290+ I’ve reviewed over the years.
Here’s one that Joe B. and Sarah B. sent me from Nottingham, UK – thanks! I was going to review this yesterday, but it’s been a little tricky; you see, there’s no English on this really at all. I’ve been asking my friend Bobby Y. on Facebook questions about it and got the title and directions from him – thanks – saved me on this one! Let’s check it out!
Earlier this year, people from Taiwan voiced their displeasure with not being included in the 2013 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. They came in droves, shouting the praises of their beloved varieties. They were equally unhinged by having two varieties listed in my Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list. Two were included there. After all of this outcry and seeing the pride and passion about their noodles, I thought it was a must to do a Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list; these people are easily as interested in noodles as much as I am! This new list encompasses all of the Taiwanese varieties that I’ve reviewed thus far. So, without further ado, I hope you will enjoy The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 edition!
Here’s one from T&T Supermarket up in Vancouver, BC! Many Taiwanese extolled the virtues of these Man Han Feast varieties, especially a beef version. I had the Spring Onion Eel flavor a while back and this is the only other one I’ve seen available in North America. So what does Man Han Feast mean? Wikipedia says:
So today I have two mushroom flavored instant noodles I’ll be doing. First off will be this Unif/Tung-I mushroom pack. What’s interesting about this one is that Unif Tung-I is usually from Taiwan, but this one’s from Vietnam. Anyways, let’s try this one and see how it is.
I have absolutely no idea about this one. First off, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a Unif Tung-I pack. Second, I usually don’t like bean thread. Third, Tong Tsai? What’s that? Well, I’m not sure.
Here’s the first review of the batch of six instant noodles sent to me by Bo H. of China! This one looks really interesting; I’m not 100% sure that this is the correct title either, but this is the best translation I could get. I wonder who that guy is?
Bo H., who lives abroad in China decided he’d send some nice Chinese varieties! He warned that it might take a long time – they were shipped May 8th and arrive today, June 27th!
Are you ready for the Man Han Feast???! I suppose I am! Wow – what an interesting bowl of noodles – VERY curious to see what lurks within…
Wow look at this one – all purple and yellow… Very different looking than anything I’ve seen yet. And the flavor – beef and sauerkraut? I wonder if it’s going to be any good? Well, let’s have at it!
I’ve reviewed a ton of the Unif noodles, but it’s been quite a while. Here’s a Unif rice noodle – Chinese onion.
So here’s some Unif Shrimp Fish… What’s funny is that I have had the Super Bowl’s lately and they looked exactly the same as this, but this one doesn’t say Super Bowl on it so go figure.
So this is the third and final Super Bow. I do have a couple more of the Unif brand ones I think so those will be next! Anyways, here we go with Artificial Pickled Chilli Beef flavor!
Jeez these things are big enough… I wasn’t able to finish the last one! So here e go with some stewed pork chop! Interesting – don’t those meat cuts on the label look like ribs? I’m just sayin’…
So here’s a big sucka. Got about ten different ones to try here. This should be interesting stuff. First off, spicy beef!
Swore I’d reviewed this before. Well, here’s one from Unif.
From left going clockwise, veggies, powder soup base and oily thick stuff.
Bean thread huh? Hmm – not always my favorite. It tends to be gloppy, mucky stuff that kind of congeals together.
I must admit I laugh a little when I see this brand – I like the bit of Norwegian on the front. Biff!!! Smak!!! Sounds like the old Batman TV show! Well, Let me whip out my Bat ramen pot and cook this stuff up.
Some shrimp ramen – looked interesting and furong sounded weird so why not.
Veggies and oil and powder – a lot of powder!
So after a long walk I was really quite hungry and decided to go with something simple and figured this would taste nice. Fresh shrimp sounds nice. I also really love how this brand has the text in another language – looks like dutch perhaps? Frisk Rekesmak!!!
So Kit tried the Pork flavor of this line a while back. I thought chicken with shallots sounded quite nice so here we go. I must admit it feels like there’s a lot of pouches in this one!
Been awhile since I’ve had rice noodles – let alone artificial Chinese beef flavored broth!
Okay so thought I’d try something with an odd name today. Yes, I thought of the money ch-ching sound too when I read the flavor… It’s a Taiwanese flavor from what I found on Google – spicy and oniony.
This is Christine’s first official ramenrater appearance! Look for more reviews by her soon!
So was thinking what ramen to pick today and then saw this. On special for 33 cents I couldn’t pass it up. I also got a 33 cent bunch of green onions for the dinner I’m making tonight so a pretty cheap trip to the ole 99 Ranch. So Onion flavor – should be interesting…
So it was ‘Summer Exotica Days’ at 99 Ranch and had me, Kitten and Andy all together trying new stuff. Andy tried some furikake on rice, bean thread noodles, plum and green tea drink ad shrimp wontons. Kitten picked my ramen today – the picture of the cartoon cow did it for her.
