Category: United States

#1955: Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Umami Soy Sauce Flavor

Here’s the last of the three different Nissin Raoh varieties Nissin Foods USa sent me – thanks again! These have been availble overseas for a very long time, however they are now being imported and distributed in new packaging and with slightly different ingredients for easy import into the United States. This would be known as shoyu over in Japan (shoyu translates into soy sauce). Shoyu is a very popular variety of ramen – here’s a little on it from wikipedia: ...see full post

1951: Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Noodle Soup Hearty Chicken Flavor [New Package]

Ahh the last one of the new cup versions from Nissin Foods, USA. Thanks again to the folks over there for sending them along! We’re all familiar with the old style cups – they had a cardboard outer packaging with the foam cup underneath in plastic wrap. This is much different – a little bigger and free of all the extra cardboard and plastic wrap, making it a little more eco-friendly. I still haven’t spotted this one in the ‘wild’ yet – I hear that they’re only available to start with at the Super Walmarts – the ones with the regular big Walmart stuff and the grocery store as well. Anyways, chicken’s baking in the oven to add to this one, so let’s check it out. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Snacks Of All Time 2016 Edition

Instant noodle… snacks? Yeah! Snacks of all kinds have come from instant noodles – candy, crunchy bits, you name it. They’re popular all over Asia and also the United States; have you ever taken a pack of instant noodles, crushed them and added in the seasoning and shaken the bag up and eaten them like potato chips or popcorn? Well, this is popular elsewhere as well! Let’s check out my favorite instant noodle snacks from over 1,900 reviews. Enjoy! ...see full post

#1921: Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Noodle Soup Chicken Flavor [New Package]

Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.

Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re now microwavable! Yes, I’m sure many of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out! ...see full post

#1917: IbuRamen Mi Goreng Bento Noodles In A Box Hot, Sweet & Sour Flavor

The last time I had one of these, I found something fascinating inside. The sachets all say Mexi Ramen on them, a brand I have reviewed once in the past (actually it was my 500th review). The package said it was MexiRamen. This one is clearly mentioning mi goreng, a Southeast Asian delicacy, and Bento, a Japanese style meal. Let’s crack this box open and have a look inside. ...see full post

#1910: Nissin Chow Mein Premium Savory Sauce And Restaurant Quality Noodles Pad Thai Flavor

Today I’m reviewing something new that the folks at Nissin Foods USA sent recently. Pad Thai is a popular dish people get at Thai restaurants – pretty accessible for people in the United States since it’s usually not super spicy and is kind of like an Asian alfedo. Well, technically, it’s nothing like that but I think you know what I mean – it’s something that people aren’t extremely scared of, and a lot of the time, the first time Thai food taster will try it, like it, and decide they like Thai food but only order it when they go out for Thai food. Sad but true, especially when there are so many amazing flavors of Thai food out there. But it’s kind of like Chinese food – it’s Americanized so they get repeat customers. Americanized Thai food is very tasty though – I will definitely say I enjoy it. Let’s give this Pad Thai a try! ...see full post

#1891: Nissin Cup Noodles Homestyle Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

It’s pretty rare for me to hit a regular old supermarket here in the USA and find something I’ve not reviewed before, but it happens from time to time. I found this one at a WinCo Foods in Edmonds, Washington. It used to be a Top Foods a while ago but I think they’ve all but gone out of business and WinCo moved in. WinCo is kind of weird – imagine a big grocery store but kind of like Costco but not Costco and kind of cold and you have to bag your own groceries. Oh – and there are tons of signs everywhere in this really basic font. It almost seems like a weird government experiment – but I digress! This is a new one from Nissin – looks tasty for this cold weather. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1875: Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Ramen Artificially Flavored Tonkotsu White Chicken Broth

On a recent trip to the Uwajimaya in Bellevue, WA I spotted this one. This is made in the United States and sounds really good. Tonkotsu is characterized by a milky white broth – usually pork, but this one is chicken! It sounds really good and seeing this is my wife’s Friday, I thought I’d surprise her by making her a bowl. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1864: Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Umami Tonkotsu Flavor

I got some new samples from Nissin USA a few weeks ago (thank you!) of some varieties of Nissin’s Raoh from Japan that are now available in the USA. Raoh (meaning King( is a premium line. At this point, you can only get them on Amazon. Not sure if that will change though. So Umami. This is something interesting – first, let’s have a look at what wikipedia has to say about umami – ...see full post

The Ramen Rater: How I Review Instant Noodles

Here’s a video of me reviewing an instant noodle for an upcoming review. I did it for a TV show in Japan, but they didn’t want to use it so I made them another one. This is the beginning to end of a review – I do this pretty much the same way every time, although it’s a little different when it comes to cups and bowls – I either take pictures of the sides if they’re not able to be removed or scan them, as well as the lid. Hope you find this interesting and enjoy it! ...see full post

#1857: IbuRamen Mi Goreng Bento Noodles In A Box Shallot Teriyaki Flavor

Again, my wife has a keen eye for noodles. She saw these and asked if I’d tried them – I hadn’t! Don’t know what I would do without her! So these are very interesting – IbuRamen – sounds like Ibumie – in fact, on the back of the package it says it’s made in Malaysia. The Mi Goreng font looks like Ibumie’s as well (and Indomie’s, Salam Mie etc). Mi goreng is Southeast Asian , however Bento is Japanese. What’s more, there’s a Mexican reference; wait, where? Let’s look inside. ...see full post

#1852: Myojo Udon Japanese Style Pre-Cooked Noodles With Soup Hot & Spicy Flavor

My wife and I were at the grocery store the other day and she saw this series by Myojo. ‘Have you tried these yet?’ she asked. It’s funny – she finds lots of varieties for me that I never even notice – it’s pretty awesome! Since she’s a fan of udon, I thought I would make her some today. Let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

#1850: Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Umami Miso Flavor

I got some new samples from Nissin USA a few weeks ago (thank you!) of some varieties from Japan that are now available in the USA. At this piont, you can only get them on Amazon. Not sure if that will change though. So Umami. This is something interesting – first, let’s have a look at what wikipedia has to say about umami – ...see full post

#1824: Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup

I’ve seen this one online a few times recently, but never in the store – until a couple of weeks ago, that is! I really liked the pack version of this one – made the 2014 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list – the first vegetarian one to do so. The pack was made in South Korea – but this cup is made here in the United States at Nongshim America down in sunny Rancho Cucamonga, California. I went and visited Nongshim America in 2012 – was really neat – big factory and nice people! Let’s check out this cup and see how it compares to the pack version. ...see full post

#1821: Myojo Udon Japanese Style Pre-Cooked Noodles With Soup Beef Flavor

My wife and I were at the grocery store the other day and she saw this series by Myojo. ‘Have you tried these yet?’ she asked. It’s funny – she finds lots of varieties for me that I never even notice – it’s pretty awesome! Since she’s a fan of udon, I thought I would make her some today. Let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

Vote The Ramen Rater For Best Food Blog!

Image by Steven C. - Thank you!

Hey everyone! I’m hoping you have been enjoying the website and my reviews! I was hoping you could do me a huge favor. There’s a yearly contest (longtime followers of the blog will remember it from previous years) called KING5’s BEST Of Western Washington. Basically, it’s a local contest where people can vote for their favorites. I’ve been in the Best Food Blog category for a couple of years now and hoping this year could be a little different – I really want to win this! The only downside is that you have to sign up and give your email address. Well, this year you can do so and tick a box during the process to ‘opt out’ of receiving any junk mail from them. It would mean a great deal to me if you could spend a minute and vote! It doesn’t matter where or what country you’re in, and if you’re a manufacturer, get everone at your factory to vote, please! You can do so by clicking here. Thank you very much! ...see full post

#1802: Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Noodle Soup Beef Flavor [New Package]

Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.

Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re now microwavable! Yes, I’m sure many of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out! ...see full post

#1800: Crystal Noodle Soup All Natural Hot & Sour

Wow – review #1800. I must admit my surprise on how quickly I’m closing in on #2000. I haven’t reviewed one of these Crystal Noodle varieties in quite a while. I was talking to a friend of mine about instant noodles we weren’t particularly fond of and he mentioned his wife really liked these. We both agreed that Crystal Noodle was one of our least favorites. I figure though hey, you never know. This might be the one I really like! Let’s have a look. ...see full post

#1786: Nissin Chow Mein Premium Savory Sauce And Restaurant Quality Noodles Sriracha Flavor

Here’s a new one from Nissin Foods USA – Sriracha flavor Chow Mein! Sriracha is kind of interesting. First, the way to pronounce is ‘sir-racha’ drove me nuts for the longest time, but I finally have conformed (under protest). Also, Sriracha is a place in Thailand (went there in May), however the Sriracha sauce me know here in the states isn’t a popular condiment there. It’s a bit of a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Wikipedia had this to say: ...see full post

#1765: Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Noodle Soup With Shrimp [New Package]

Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.

Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re ot microwavable! Yes, I’m sure maky of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out! ...see full post

A Thank You To Some Great Local Businesses

I wanted to let people know about some pretty neat places around where I live. I live in a small town called Kenmore which is at the north end of Lake Washington. We moved here in March and really have enjoyed it a lot so far – my wife has commented that she’s felt at home here quicker than any of the other places we’ve lived which is really nice! Anyways, I wanted to give a quick shout out and thank you to some businesses around here that you should check out if you’re in the area! ...see full post

#1753: Thai Smile Garlic Rice Noodle Soup Bowl

I’m happy to report that this is the first post I’m doing using my new computer setup. Took a while to get everything all happy but now it’s quite happy as am I. Anyways, we found these in Lynnwood, WA at a store called BigLots. I’ve found varieties there in the past – kind of like a liquidation place. This one seems to definitely be for the western market although made in Thailand. Let’s check it out. ...see full post

#1741: Myojo Udon Japanese Style Pre-Cooked Noodles With Soup Chicken Flavor

2015_7_25_1741_001

My wife and I were at the grocery store the other day and she saw this series by Myojo. ‘Have you tried these yet?’ she asked. It’s funny – she finds lots of varieties for me that I never even notice – it’s pretty awesome! Since she’s a fan of udon, I thought I would make her some today. Let’s check ’em out! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2015 Edition

What do corn dogs, sandwiches, burritos and instant noodle cups have in common? They’re all portable. People can’t seem to stay in one spot for very long; they want to carry their meals with them as they move about. Since the inception of the instant noodle cup in the early 70’s when Momofuku Ando saw people using coffee cups and hot water to steep their instant noodles and brought this concept to market, the noodle cup has become a ubiquitous icon in the daily lives of billions. Today, I present the best of the instant noodle cups I’ve tried in my over 1,700 instant noodle reviews. With that, please enjoy The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2015 Edition. ...see full post

#1698: Maruchan Instant Lunch Chicken Tortilla Flavor Ramen Noodles With Vegetables

In the last two weeks, I’ve been reviewing varieties from far away – but today it’s time to have one from here in the United States! This is Maruchan’s new variety – chicken tortilla! Got an email from a friend at Maruchan telling me they had a new Instant Lunch variety that they’d like to send me. So, here it is! Sounds like an interesting one – let’s have a look! ...see full post