I thought maybe a whole wheat ramen noodle might pair well with Szechuan flavors. These look really interesting and to be honest, I have a partiality to whole wheat noodles. Let’s have a look!
Category: United States
#2609: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad Thai Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth
So Pad Thai might immediately come to mind as that noodle dish with lots of thick peanutty sauce and some meat and veggies popular here in the United States. But you might not know it but pad Thai simply means Thai noodles, and they’re able to be used in anything. Today I’m going to juxtapose them with a Pho broth, broth from Nona Lim. Let’s get started.
#2608: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Hakata Ramen + Thai Curry & Lime Broth
I thought it a no-brainer to pick Hakata Ramen to try with the miso. The other I’ll try with it will be the Tokyo Ramen. Anyways: Hakata Ramen. What is it, Wikipedia?
#2606: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Spicy Szechuan Broth
So for this Meet The Manufacturer, things are a little different. Nona Lim makes noodles and broths, so you can mix and match them. First, we’ll start with these Pad See Ew Rice Noodles. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Pad See Ew –
#2605: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth
So for this Meet The Manufacturer, things are a little different. Nona Lim makes noodles and broths, so you can mix and match them. First, we’ll start with these Pad See Ew Rice Noodles. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Pad See Ew –
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Nona Lim
A great big box of samples! Let’s crack into it and see what Nona Lim has sent!
Product Samples From Nona Lim – United States
A foam cooler.
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Nona Lim
Interview With Nona Lim * Product Samples From Nona Lim * Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth * Nona Lim Pad See Ew Rice Noodles + Spicy Szechuan Broth * Nona Lim Hakata Ramen + Miso Ramen Broth * Nona Lim Hakata Ramen + Thai Curry & Lime Broth * Nona Lim Pad Thai Rice Noodles + Vietnamese Pho Broth * Nona Lim Whole Wheat Ramen + Spicy Szechuan Broth * Nona Lim Tokyo Ramen + Miso Ramen Broth * Nona Lim Laksa Rice Noodles + Thai Curry & Lime Broth
Unboxing Time: Gourmet Ramen Club
Happy Friday! Today we have a box from the nice folks over at Gourmet Ramen Club, a newcomer to the subscription instant noodle box world.
Unboxing Time: Snackoo Subscription Box
Here’s something new! A start-up company in San Francisco called Snackoo asked if I would like to check out their boxes – and of course, I said yes.
Unboxing Time: Samples From Maruchan
Today, I’m happy to be unboxing some samples from Maruchan!
Unboxing Time: Samples From Maruchan – United States
Maruchan has recently come out with some new additions to a couple of their ranges. Two new bowls from Taste Of Asia and a new Instant Lunch. Check out the video as I unbox them for your viewing pleasure! Thank you very much to Maruchan Consumer Affairs for sending these my way – really appreciate it!
Meet The Manufacturer #2586: Blount Chicken Ramen Bowl
Here’s the second and final product of this Meet The Manufacturer review series of Blount Fine Foods products. So this is one you’ll find in the refrigerated section at the supermarket and looks very fancy. Indeed as I said in the last review, I really like the little cut out on the front as seen above with the steam coming off the bowl.
Meet The Manufacturer #2585: Blount Thai Inspired Coconut Chicken & Noodle Bowl
I’ve reviewed many fresh varieties in the past and this is a new variety from a brand I’ve never reviewed any products from before! What’s more, it’s a company in the United States. I must say that the packaging is rather striking; it’s thick cardboard and the little cut out of the bowl and steam coming out above it is really neat.
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Blount Fine Foods (2 of 2)
I really wasn’t happy with the photos I took of the coconut bowl when I took them, so I asked if they’d be able to send another. They were really nice and did! Thanks!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Blount Fine Foods (1 of 2)
A big box – a big box that’s cold! Let’s see what’s inside.
Product Samples From Blount Fine Foods – United States
A foam cooler.
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Blount Fine Foods
#2578: Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Vegetable Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup (New Recipe)
I think this is the last of the new versions of the Cup Noodles from the USA. They changed the recipe last year to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Cup Noodles. Here’s a little from Wikipedia about the history of Cup Noodles –
#2569: Yamachan Yokohama Tonkotsu Shoyu
So this is the last of the three fresh varieties sent to me by Yamachan – thank you again! First off, Yamachan is pretty easily found in the United States – I’ve not only seen their products in Japanese/Asian supermarkets but at higher-end domestic grocery stores. Here’s a little from Wikipedia on Tonkotsu and Shoyu Ramen –
#2559: Jackpot Teriyaki – Beef Ramen
On June 22nd, we met my sister up in Tulalip, Washington to check out the outlet mall. It’s kind of a misnomer; you think outlet mall, you think cheap prices, right? Well, these are outlet stores for stuff like Coach, Burberry, etc – so you can get overpriced things that are still overpriced but not as cool as if you got it currently for this season. Ugh.
#2557: Yamachan Sapporo Miso Ramen
I contacted Yamachan a couple of weeks ago and they had new varieties for me to review! I did a Meet The Manufacturer with them a long time ago and their stuff is really great. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about miso –
#2563: Yamachan Tokyo Shoyu Ramen
Here’s another fresh variety from Yamachan. Yamachan’s in Southern California. So this is a fresh noodle (must be refrigerated) and is a shoyu variety. Shoyu translated to soy sauce, but it’s definitely not just a soy sauce flavor. Here’s a little from Wikipedia on Shoyu style ramen:
#2544: Lipton Cup-a-Soup Chicken Noodle With White Meat Instant Soup
Okay so I’m guessing what you are thinking right now. He must be out of varieties to review. Nope. Actually, I saw this on the shelf and thought about the uncountable times that people have called domestic instant noodles Cup-a-Soup. This could be due to the fact that Nissin Cup Noodles here in the USA were called Cup ‘O Noodles up until 1993. Yep – sounds kind of alike, doesn’t it?
#2541: Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
Rounding out the Cup Noodles Very Veggie range is Spicy Chicken. All I can say is that if it’s anything like the other two this will be a no-brainer. I still am beside myself on these; these are just about the best thing I’ve seen come from the United States in a long, long time. So Very Veggie has 1/2 cup – which is one full serving – of vegetables. Let’s check it out.
The Ramen Rater On 92.9FM KISM Bellingham, Washington
Just did a radio show this morning called the Brad & John Show. Check it out below!
‘Discovery Of Ramen’ Children’s Book On Kickstarter
I heard about a book coming out soon called ‘The Discovery Of Ramen.’ The book can be found on Kickstarter currently – here’s a little information about this book and what’s special about it:
#2538: Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie Beef Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
This is the second variety I’m trying of the Very Veggie range from Nissin Foods of America. Soon as I heard about these products I was extremely curious. Will they have enough vegetables? Will these vegetables be good?
#2535: Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
When I read about this new product line in my news feeds, I was very curious. For years, I’ve though that the amount of vegetables included with instant noodle varieties in general was way too slim. Of course, vegetables cost money to put in there and so that’s something to consider.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
After a few years, I thought I ought to update this list. I thought I even ought to change the name a little. Honestly, not a huge amount of instant noodles from the United States cross my desk these days and of those that do, not many are 5 stars. Nonetheless, there are some changes in the past few years that I thought were noteworthy and so here you go! These are the best instant noodles from the United States out of the 2,500+ varieties of instant noodles I’ve reviewed thus far.
New Very Veggie Cup Noodles From Nissin
I saw an article mentioning a new product from Nissin Foods America which focused on a lot of vegetables and thought ‘it’s about time.’ I’ve had a ton of instant noodles in my time and honestly very rarely have I been satisfied with the amount of vegetables in them. I dropped a line to my contact over there and boom – a day later here are samples. Let’s see what’s in this box!
#2611: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Tokyo Ramen + Miso Ramen Broth
Thought it would be logical to try these Tokyo Ramen noodles with the Miso Ramen Broth – I mean, it makes sense. These noodles and broth are Vegan, however, I’m going to lay it on thick with some toppings that will not be so Vegan. Let’s give it a go!
#2607: Meet The Manufacturer: Nona Lim Hakata Ramen + Miso Ramen Broth
I thought it a no-brainer to pick Hakata Ramen to try with the miso. The other I’ll try with it will be the Tokyo Ramen. Anyways: Hakata Ramen. What is it, Wikipedia?
Binders Full Of Women? Nope – Noodles
Since my 200th review or so, I’ve been keeping the packaging from the instant noodles I review. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. First, it’s kind of a physical representation of the varieties I’ve sampled. Also (and more importantly), the bar codes are on them all. These can be added as tags to the posts and be added. I started adding bar codes in the tags around review 800 or so. The Ramen Rater apps all have bar code scanning capability and so adding these in makes the app more functional for the site. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of tedious work to do in that area. Anyways, Someone asked about how I store my noodle packaging and was curious to see some binders, so here you go!
The Ultimate Instant Noodles Collection
Okay so some of you may be wondering – and some have asked as well: what do you noodle holding pens look like? Well, they’re next to my desk – actually next to and under.
#2513: Pringles Nissin Top Ramen Chicken Flavor Potato Crisps
Well folks, the United States has started to see the light. There’s nothing I love to see more than a tie-in/crossover product and this is something I’ve seen zillions of times overseas but really never before here.
Pringles Top Ramen Chips & Where To Get ‘Em
Pringles Top Ramen Chicken Flavor Potato Crisps
Okay so you may have seen that there are new Pringles Top Ramen Chicken Flavor Potato Chips on the market. This is a pretty surprising thing for the US – less so elsewhere. Apparently, the only place you can buy them in stores is at a place called Dollar General. There aren’t any in Washington State, so I had to look elsewhere. I found an eBay Seller who has them and at a very reasonable price. Some people are selling six cans of Pringles for $99! That’s $16.50 per can! Egad; what has this world come to… Anyways, yeah I don’t think they currently have any in stock but I asked and they said that they were going to restock again ASAP!
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
So today it’s the fifth annual The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. On my other lists, I exclude varieties that no longer are on the market. On this list, everything’s fair game for the bottom ten. As I say in the video presentation, if you like some of these, there’s nothing wrong with you – I just find these detestable personally. These are my least favorite varieties of the over 2400 varieties posted to date. Without gurther ado, the bottom ten.
Product Samples From Yamachan (Take 2)
I got a box the other day with refrigerated samples that t had thawed. Yamachan decided to send another box – this time with overnight shipping to make sure everything stayed cold.
Samples From Saraga – Columbus, OH
So a reader sent me an image of the 2016 Toip Ten list image that was at a grocery store in Columbus, OH called Saraga. They hadn’t asked to use it and so I got on their case a bit, although asked if we could work together. As a kind gesture, they sent some Korean noodles!
New Samples From Yamachan (Take 1)
Yamachan let me know about some new varieties! They sent some on ice – let’s check ’em out!
#2470: Myojo Udon Japanese Style Noodles With Soup Base Hot & Sour Flavor
Here’s one that comes by way of a reader named Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! So I’ve reviewed a slew of these packets of udon in the past. It’s been a while though – don’t know that I’ve ever seen this hot and sour either. Udon is a lot different when it comes to noodles than your standard instant – here’s a little from Wikipedia –
Re-Review: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles & Beef Flavored Soup
There are some varieties that I hear people raving out about a lot and I start thinking ‘I should re-review this one.’ Well, today’s the day. I even have a little story about these which is sort of funny.