I saw someone get some of these on my group Ramen Junkies and so I went and contacted the company – and here they are! Pozole and Menudo – I think these varieties are going to cause a bit of a stir! Let’s crack the box open and check ’em out!
Category: United States
Exotic Noods Subscription Box – June 2021
Check it out! It’s Exotic Noods! A box every month of absolutely awesome noodles from around the world! Use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
#3839: Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok Scorchin’ Sesame Shrimp Flavor – United States
This is the second hottest offering of this new Fire Wok line. I’m very curious about this one – Nissin sent this one unannounced along with the other two. Let’s try the next to hottest of the three.
#3836: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Creamy Chicken Flavor – United States
Well, here’s another one of the Panda Signature varieties that were sent in by a reader – thanks again! As it turns out, our local Walmart Market has these now too. I’m guessing these have been phased in at all the Walmarts everywhere around the United States. Still pretty surprised by that. Many people have voiced how they dislike these, and this one in particular. Then again, some have said they like these products. I must admit, I’ve not had so many folks comment on a new variety on the market as much as with these, most likely since they’re at Walmart. I’m guessing they have the same price point the previous ones had? Well, let’s give this creamy chicken one a try!
#3833: Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok Sizzlin’ Rich Pork Flavor – United States
I got a ‘First Taste Club’ box in the mail a couple days ago which Nissin sends out to some people in the media – and me. Well, I found this and two others inside in this Fire Wok range. This one has four of the six peppers red – they have one with five and one with all six. I’ve not done a mukbang in… Months. I’m very curious if this is top class spicy. Definitely worth a try!
#3831: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Spicy Shrimp Flavor – United States
A big thank you yet again to Daniel from Montana for shooting these over! I found that there’s a HALAL stamp on the back of these mentioning Malaysia, so I can only surmise that’s where these were made. Packaging is definitely for the US market. Let’s check it out!
#3829: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Hot & Spicy Beef Flavor – United States
Thanks again to Daniel in Montana for sending this over! So Since I did the unboxing video, people have been commenting and it turns out these are showing up in Walmarts all over the country. Didn’t expect that – I figured Montana was a test market. I can say that I have made contact with Albany Farms and if all goes well, we’ll be doing a Meet The Manufacturer soon! Let’s check this cup out.
Exotic Noods Subscription Box – May 2021
Check it out! It’s Exotic Noods! A box every month of absolutely awesome noodles from around the world! Use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
#3827: Lee Kum Kee Hong Kong Style Chow Mein – United States
They did a big reset at the local Safeway. They redid their produce section which was kinda nice. The also really updated their Asian foods section. Lots of instant noodles there! Then, there’s this. These are $4.99 each. The only reason I got one is because we love this brand’s Korean BBQ sauce. I’m guessing there’s a good chance this will be pretty good. Let’s chek it out and see if it warrants this price tag.
#3823: Nissin Cup Noodles Stir Fry Hot Garlic Chicken Flavor – United States
Recently, Nissin USA sent an unannounced box, which has a take out bag with a stapled receipt and new varieties of their popular Cup Noodles Stir Fry range. Hot garlic sounds really good – and I have some chicken! Let’s hit it! By the way – 2021 is the 50th anniversary of Cup Noodles!
#3821: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Chicken Flavor – United States
This is one of the varieties sent by a reader named Daniel from Montana – thank you! He mentioned that at the local Walmart, these had replaced all of the MAruchan product. I’ve got a couple theories about this stuff. First, maybe it’s actually a rebranding of Maruchan product; that logo mentioning the 0g Trans Fat looks pretty much like the same logo does on Maruchan’s packs. Not only that, there are a lot of flavors that sound identical to Maruchan varieties. The yellow banner kind of reminds me of the one on the MExican Sopa Maruchan varieties. I dunno – I could be way off on this.
Meet The Swirl Fork – An Innovative Invention
#3812: Snapdragon Vietnamese Vegetable Pho – United States
These came by way of James from Lakeside California and looks like Snapdragon has dressed up their packaging yet again. I will admit I’ve never been exceedingly enthralled with their range, save a couple of varieties. Not only that, I’m rarely enthused about any pho instants I’ve tried. But I’m in the mood so these at least have that going for them. Let’s give them a try!
Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Samples From Walmart – An Updtate
What is this? Where does it come from? These are all good questions about these Panda Signature products sent by a guy named Daniel from Montana (thanks again!). After looking all over the packaging and just finding they’re distributed here in the United States by Albany Farms, I noticed something. The HALAL stamp. It’s under the authority that gives out HALAL certifications in… Malaysia!
Second Batch Of Maruchan Ramen Bread Unboxing From Matt B.
Okay – you might be wondering what the heck is going on here – what kind of madness is this? Well, it’s bread which is made with noodles and seasoning sachets from Maruchan Chicken Instant noodles. Really? Yes. Seriously? Yes. This has been a project put into action by Matthew Bellah which I’ve added comment and ideas to. This is the second batch he’s sent. Let’s check it out!
#3794: Ramen Express By Chef Woo Beef Flavor Ramen – United States
This is the last of the pillow pack style Ramen Express varieties and I’m guessing this one is going to be really good like the other two. Let’s find out!
#3790: Ramen Express By Chef Woo Chicken Flavor – United States
I recently tried the pack version of the Hotter & Spicier and was very pleased – I have to say I liked that pack much better than the cup. Curious if the chicken flavor will have the same effect. Let’s find out!
#3789: Myojo Charumera Artificial Tonkotsu Flavor – United States
This one gets the USA tag since it is made in Japan but only for sale over here in this packaging. This comes by way of James from LAkeside, CA – thanks! So the charumera is the horn the little guy on the pack is holding up. The ramen guy would come to the neighborhood and toot that thing (kind of like the ice cream man playing Camptown Races) and you’d know to go get your noodles. Let’s check it out!
#3787: Cheetos Mac’N Cheese Cheesy Jalapeno Flavor – United States
I know, I know. It’s not ramen. No. I know that it’s not ramen. But these things are a trip -here in the United States, it sure seems like Cheetos and ramen kind of have a weird relationship – just look at Instagram. Also seems like adding hot dogs and enjoying with a malt liquor is popular for some too.
#3785: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Chili Lime Flavor – United States
This is the second of the Panda Signature variety cup style noodles I’ll be trying today. I must say, the video where I unboxed a ton of varieties a reader in Montana sent me has done really well. Sadly, it’s not because people are excited about the products. They’ve been much maligned by folks who were sad to see their former favorite get replaced by this brand. One thing people have brought up too is the country of origin on these. You see, on the single packs, the closest thing I could find to a country of origin was from the HALAL seal being from Malaysia. People kept saying that they said ‘product of PRC.’ PRC is People’s Republic Of China. Well, this cup says that, so I have visual confirmation that these are manufactured in China. To me, this isn’t a big deal; a LOT of instant noodles are manufactured in China. However, many are incensed by this insofar that the product it replaced was made in the United States. I’m sure some other reasons have led to their anger about this, which I’m not sympathetic to. But I can see their point on the made in the USA viewpoint. More importantly, they’ve been extremely critical of the flavor of these products being different, and have been downright disgusted by them. I won’t say any have been favorites of mine, but I haven’t found them as a range to be incredibly bad or worth of my bottom ten list. This being said, I have heard that 12 packs of the noodles around around $2 – which is pretty inexpensive. I wouldn’t expect filet mignon at under twenty cents per portion,. Anyways, I was able to contact the company that produces these and they’ve mentioned that they are going to be producing a reformulated version (aka a new recipe). So, I’ll of course try them when they debut and hopefully be able to do an interview with them when that time comes. If you’re wondering that since they’re made in China why the title up top says United States, this product isn’t for sale like this in China and specifically made for Walmart stores here. Let’s check out this one out – sounds tasty enough from the name.
#3784: Nongshim K*Army Stew Style Noodle Soup – United States
Okay so the pack version of this budae jjigae is just all around wonderful. Time for the bowl. Big thanks to Dennis over at Nongshim for shooting this over! Let’s give it a try.
#3781: Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Chicken Flavor – United States
Here’s another one of the cups the folks at the company sent – thanks you very much! The Tapatio guy always seems so awake and well rested. Let’s see if the spicy heat will wake me up!
Great Set Of Ramen Bowls Over At Amazon
With what I do, I need bowls. I’m always hunting for new ones to use and change things up. Noodles, bowl, backdrop. Well, here’s a neat set I was sent that has everything you need. Four different colored bowls – which really fits my bill as I don’t want duplicate colors/patterns, so this is neat. Plus, using the regular Prime shipping it showed up in 2 days. If you’d like to get a set check it out here on Amazon!
#3778: Helper Mac & Cheese Bold Cheesy Pizza – United States
The four fingered hand with a face brings you what you never knew you needed – a microwavable cup of mac and cheese with pizza flavor.
#3776: Chef Woo Braised Beef Flavor Ramen – United States
Here’s one from the folks that also bring you Ramen Express. This cup has 20g of plant protein – which is a lot. Let’s check it out!
#3775: Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Shrimp Flavor – United States
I’ve reviewed the bowls, now here come the cups! This is a shrimp variety and should be a good one – let’s find out!
#3773: Ottogi Mac & Tomato Spaghetti – United States
This one came by way of Exotic Noods! Check ’em out and use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a nice discount! While made in South Korea, this one’s made for North America and distributed by Ottogi’s American arm. Sounds like fun – let’s give it a go!
Ramen Made Simple: A New Book By Chris Toy
I was contacted recently by the author of this book who asked if I’d share it with my readers and do a review. I can happily say that’s it’s neat book – it runs through how to make various broths as well as garnishes like ajitama and chashu – two things right there I see questions about on my group Ramen Junkies all the time. Check it out!
#3769: Menraku Japanese Ramen “Spicy Miso Tonkotsu” – United States
Here’s one that came in a box from Exotic Noods – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
#3768: Nora Kitchen Chicken Sotanghon – United States
Can’t remember exactly where I picked this one up, but it’s Filipino. What’s more is that it says it’s a product of the USA. Don’t think I’ve heard of this Nora Kitchen brand before – I suspect maybe it’s the same as Pamana but I could be wrong. Anyways, sotanghon time – let’s check it out!
Exotic Noods April 2021 Instant Ramen Noodle Box Unboxing + COUPON CODE
Want to try a nice variety of instant ramen noodles from around the world? Look no further than Exotic Noods – subscription boxes featuring global varieties on a monthly basis! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Check out the video to see what’s in the most recent offering.
#3763: Nongshim Soon Miso & Tofu Noodle Soup – United States
Another expansion of the Soon range. Very curious how this one will be – and I even have some kimchi on hand. I’ve been replacing snacks with kimchi – been enjoyable to say the least! Let’s check this one out.
#3760: Nongshim Soon Chili Tomato Noodle soup – United States
Recently, Nongshim added some new flavors to their Soon Vegan range and sent them to me (thank you!) – this one has piqued my curiosity in particular. Spicy tomato sounds nice – let’s give it a try! By the way – it’s Vegan!
#3757: Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Original Flavor Cup – United States
I saw these Tapatio cups at the local Safeway supermarket and inquired with UEC about whether I could get some samples – they arrived a couple of days later. I’ve reviewed the bowl versions, so figured I ought to try the cups too. Perhaps pack versions aren’t far behind? Let’s give this Original flavor a try.
#3750: Nongshim Soon Kimchi Noodle Soup – United States
I’ve long been a fan of the Soon line of products from Nongshim. If asked whether I’d want Shin Ramyun or Soon, I’d hit the Soon. Why? It just has a really nice smooth finish (it sounds like I’m describing a beer but really it does). This time they’ve got a trifecta of new versions – kimchi, a spicy tomato and a miso tofu. Today kimchi is on the menu – let’s check it out.
Meet The Manufacturer: #3749: LonoLife Chicken Bone Broth Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the second review of the series. Again, we have 20 grams of protein in this one, coming from the inclusion of bone broth in with egg noodles. Let’s give it a try!
Meet The Manufacturer: #3748: LonoLife Beef Bone Broth Noodle Soup – United States
Here we go with this short Meet The Manufacturer series. This sounds interesting – 20 grams of protein in a cup noodle? That’s pretty good – calorie count isn’t too bad at all either. Let’s see how it tastes!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From LonoLife – United States
Jesse over at Lonolife sent some samples recently to try out of their new chicken and beef bone broth instant noodle cups! 20g of protein per cup is pretty impressive! Let’s check them out!
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With LonoLife – United States
A while back I was contacted by Jesse Koltes, COO at LonoLife about a new high protein bone broth noodle cup he was developing. Well, it’s done and here’s an interview I did about the products he’s got! They’re all high protein for those looking to add more of that essential to their diet.
Ramen Forever: A New Book Of Ramen Art & Lore by Yarrow Slaps
A couple of years ago, I got a message from someone who was going to publish a book about ramen and asked for an interview. I almost never turn down an interview so I did one and forgot about it long ago. Well, I got an email saying the book had been published and was asked where a copy could be sent. Well, it arrived! Let’s open it up and check it out!