If you’ve thought ‘hey I wonder what a Funyuns and Maruchan Instant Lunch had a baby, what would it taste like?’ then you’re a very strange individual. But that’s what we have here. Granted, these aren’t the product of some strange snack mating ritual, but hey it’s a snack nonetheless. I’ve seen them just about everywhere lately. I’ve also seen people’s thoughts on them, ranging from dislike to completely evangelism. Well, here’s an unboxing time of the product accompanied by a taste test. Thank you to @officialfunyuns and Maruchan for scooting this my way!
Category: United States
Maruchan Sends New Yakisoba Varieties
Maruchan USA reached out to me recently and asked if I’d like to be among the first to try their new Yakisoba varieties – and of course my answer was yes. They sent a mega box of stuff and here we’ll delve into this range.
#4929: Maruchan Yakisoba Spicy Chicken Flavor – United States
Well, a couple reviews ago I started with how my back was screwed up from doing a lot of work on the weekends setting things up. Well, it still is sore, and today I planned on walking a lot but there were three D’s that kind of ruined that plan… Damn cold, damn windy, damn rainy. So, damn. I walked to the local store and got a couple things including this one to review. I don’t think I’ve reviewed it in a great while, so here it is and here I go.
#4928: Choi Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the second one I got yesterday. I walked over to Lake Forest Park – about three miles from here I’m guessing. The store I got it at is called Albertsons. It’s weird; I’ve noticed different stores have different moods. This particular store is weird. I waited for a cashier at the check out for a couple minutes who finally appeared and told me they were busyt talking to another employee about their father’s salmon recipe. ‘Great’ I thought; ‘I have been waiting here…’ Then she starts talking about lawn implements and asks me how to fix her lawnmower. I just want to buy this instant noodle and leave. What also is strange at this store is that you get halfway towards the back, cellphone reception disappears. But yeah; the store is strange – it’s like when the new guy in towan walks into a saloon in a western and the music stop and everyone looks at him. Anyways, I’ve reviewed the pack version and it was quite good. Hoping this one is as good if not better. Let’s find out.
#4927: Snapdragon Tonkotsu Ramen – United States
This last weekend I redid my desk and mounted my computer underneath it. It went really well, but jacked up my back. Yesterday, I decided to take it easy (well, I didn’t) and walked to another town and got a couple varieties to review. This was one of them. Hopefully it’s enjoyable. We shall see…
#4926: Bulramen Carbonara Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Stir-fried Ramen – United States
Here’s the last one I found on our recent run over to HMart. Well, all the other iterations of Bulramen haven’t been my favorites, that’s for sure. Hoping this one does a little better but not expecting it to. But I’ll give it a chance.
#4924: Pamana Champorado Chocolate Rice Porridge – United States
Here’s one that you might find on an instant noodle aisle. It was sent by James from Lakeside, California. It looks like I’m just about out of varieties to review at this point here in February 2024… Hmm… That kind of works out alright as tomorrow is Friday and I’ve done 3 varieties a day every day this week and a couple days last week, trudging towards the big 5000. Chocolate rice porridge is most certainly not ramen, but it’s worth a look. So let’s look.
#4920: Fire Bull Stir-Fried Ramen – United States
Okay so I found this at HMart and I believe (could be wrong) it’s from the same people that make Bulramen. It’s certainly made in South Korea, but for sale in the United States and packaged for that reason. Anyways, let’s try some beef flavor noodle.
#4919: Nissin Cup Noodles Campfire S’mores Ramen Noodles In Sauce – United States
Well, here we go again – and I like that. This is a fascinating newcomer to the range of unique Cup Noodles for customers in the United States. Pumpkin Spicy, Breakfast, Everything Bagel, and now some s’mores. I really enjoy these new varieties to try – they’ve been popping off with new and unique varieties in Japan for years – neat to see new stuff here in the USA! I’m really curious how this one will be. Let’s give it a go.
Noodle Revolution – Noodles Made From Egg Whites!
I kept seeing these on Amazon and so I decided to reach out to the company for samples, which they kindly sent – thanks! Noodle Revolution is really a fascinating product. These are noodles made almost entirely from egg white. I’ll show you what I did with them in this unboxing. You can purchase them here. The ramen style thicker, vermicelli thinner. I thought upon stirring, the vermicelli would just turn to mush and break up, but that certainly wasn’t the case. Not at all rubbery, with a good mouthfeel and softness. I was really impressed by this – check em out!
Homiah Sends Their Awesome Chili Crunch Varieties!
Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of different additions to instant noodles and chili oils, pastes, and crisps have become a bit of a thing more people are becoming interested in, as have I. This one is a Malaysian type – hae bee hiam. Really great stuff and I’ll go into it here. You can pick up some from Homiah! Big thanks to Homiah for sending some along in anticipation of my upcoming new list!
#4917: Bulramen Big Bowl Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor – United States
Another find at HMart. Found the pack versions there as well. The packs were certainly underwhelming; both insofar as flavor and heat, however the noodle was pretty good. Let’s give this one a shot.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2025 Edition
Instant noodle cups are pretty easy to find, take up a small amount of room, and – especially for camping folks – is easily dealt with when done. I’ve had people come to me with tears in their eyes exclaiming ‘Sir! It says 2025 – but it’s 2024!’ Well, it’s the second half of 2024, so this list will be active more of 2025 than 2024. Honestly, I adopted this way of doing things when a couple of people made very good points about it. Unfortunately, once I let the genie out of the bottle on this way of doing things, rolling it back was quite impossible. So, there you go.
#4915: Maruchan Wonton Ramen Noodle Soup Chicken Flavor – United States
This is the second variety I’ve found recently. The other was spicy, this one is not. If all goes well, my daughter will get to try this one for lunch – first day of ‘mid winter break’ for the kiddos today.
Ramen Bae’s New Kimchi Mix and Beef Mix Dried Ramen Toppings
When I initially heard about Ramen Bae and their products, I was very curious. Since then, I’ve tried their great array and I’m very impressed. Here’s three new offerings that are really quite good! Let’s check ’em out.
#4908: Nongshim Noodle Salad With Sesame Vinaigrette – United States
Hooray for cold noodles! Nongshim has flirted with a few cold noodle varieties – they had a buckwheat zaru soba a few years ago. I think their Doong Ji is really good as well. This one’s new and I am guessing somewhat akin to a hiyashi chuka soba. Let’s give it a whirl.
#4906: MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Mi Goreng Flavor – United States
Yes, made in Thailand but most definitely packaging for export to the United States. I reviewed this waaaaaaay back – September 2010. I’m guessing a few changes have occurred in the last 13+ years. Let’s give it a try as I see people trying this from time to time.
#4905: Maruchan Wonton Ramen Noodle Soup Hot & Spicy Chicken – United States
Was surprised to find this where I did but there it was so I got this and the non-spicy version. Maruchan had a bit of a fanfare about this – that it was bringing back something people were clamoring for. I completely expected their often asked about tomato flavored Ramen Noodle Soup, but this ain’t that which I think really disappointed a lot of folks. Regardless, this sounds interesting so let’s give it a try.
#4903: Ramen Bae Dried Ramen Toppings – Classic Seafood & Vegetables Mix – United States
Here’s the second variety they sent. This one has bits of seafood as well as a vegetable mix – let’s give it a try with a seafood instant.
#4902: Ramen Bae Dried Ramen Toppings – Veggie Mix – United States
Was asked by a reader if I’d tried this product before and I hadn’t, so I reached out to the company and they sent some samples – thanks! A lot of the questions I getg regularly are about what to add to instant noodles to spruce them up. Dried vegetables come up from time to time, so this sounds like a good bet. Let’s find out!
Maruchan Prison Ramen Noodles Sent Anonymously
It’s only been a couple of times I’ve been sent instant noodles that are available only if you get in trouble and go to prison. Both times have been from folks who work in correctional institutions and want to remain anonymous, so thank you anonymous donors! This video below will go over four varieties you might have never heard about unless you have been to jail/prison. They have a lot of clear space on them to dissuade folks from trying to hide stuff in them to bring in – drugs, weapons, etc. I’m really excited to receive these and not have to go to prison to try them – I’ve tried contacting Maruchan’s distributor in the past and gotten a firm ‘no’ as to getting samples. ‘You’re saying I have to go to prison to sample the product?’ ‘Yes. We won’t send you any.’ Rude! Well, again thank you to my anonymous friend who sent me these and didn’t make me adopt a life of crime to give them a taste. If you’ve had to be on ice for a period of time and tried these varieties, how did you prepare them? I’ve done prison ramen burritos aplenty, but I kind of want to do something different. Please comment below with the particular variety and what you did with them. On with the video!
Great Donations From James Of Lakeside
Well, the kids are back in school and now I have a lot of time at home. I have a few things to get done – I’ve taken the last few weeks off of reviewing – in fact, I haven’t done a review since May 28th! But I’m going to get back into it very soon – possibly tomorrow… It’s nice – I go on a big kick of reviewing for a while then slack off. Even though I’ve been skipping my reviing as of late, I’m still over 100 reviews ahead, which is nice. These nice varieties donated by James will be among the first to review, and should be posted in maybe November or December. Let’s take a look!
#4890: Pamana Ube Champorado Ube Rice Porridge – United States
Here’s one that came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! These can be found with the instant noodles however certainly aren’t. These are made in the US but for the Filipino crowd here. Let’s get it started.
#4886: Yoko Street Tan Tan Ramen With Ground Chicken – United States
Here’s the third of the Yoko Street fresh varieties they shipped – figured I’d better cook them up quick as they’re fresh. This one sounds particularly nice! Let’s get started.
#4885: Yoko Street Curry Chicken Udon – United States
Here’s the second of the three varieties that Yoko Street sent me – thanks! This sounds quite interesting – curry! I’m a curry junkie, so I have high hopes. Let’s cook it up!
#4884: Yoko Street Pork Ramen (Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen ) – United States
Yoko Street reached out to me recently and asked if I’d be interested in sampling their ramen products. They ship fresh and so that sounded interesting. I’ve seen quite a few of these kind of everythig you need setups in past years but it’s been a little while – so of course I was interested. Well, let’s put it together and give some tonkotsu shoyu a try!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2024 Edition
This is a list I come out with every year – what’s different this year is now there’s a new rule: only one product per company. Seems fair to me – and also a way for more things to be seen. I don’t think it’s a bad idea and honestly, I think insofar as this list goes, it won’t be very hard to pull off. Anyways, here we go with The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2024 Edition!
#4876: Saymyeon Kimchi Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s one I think came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks! This is the second of two from this brand. Sounds good – let’s give it a go.
#4872: Pocas Bowl Noodle Soup Spicy Beef Flavor – United States
Here’s one that came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! This is the second of two varieties he sent. Let’s give it a go!
#4871: Snapdragon Spicy AF Ramen Super Spicy Noodle Soup – United States
Okay so yes, these are made in Vietnam but made for the US market. Interesting name for starters – kind of surprising. That aside, I’m kind of curious about thsi one. I’m guessing it isn’t going to be AF’ing spicy as the nomenclature connotes. I am noticing in the ingredients this stuff employs capsicum oleoresin which is extractive of peppers. Let’s find out – an eating video at the bottom.
#4859: Paldo Gompaghetti Korean Beef Flavored Noodles – United States
This one came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thank you again, sir! So, this is a combination of gomtang, a creamy beef soup, and instead of being a soup, this is a dry version, so there’s your paghetti part of the name. It sounds good, and apparently milk can used instead of water which I intend to try. Let hit it up – I’m expecting good things.
Myojo Sends New Udon & Fresh Ramen Samples
I’ve been a fan of Myojo USA’s varieties for awhile now and when I saw some new varieties on Instagram, I asked to try and they were kind enough to send them along. I’ve tried them all and attached photos of the finished bowls to the video – full reviews will be coming soon! Big thanks to Myojo USA for sending them over!
#4852: Saymyeon Janchi Noodle Soup – United States
Big thanks to James from Lakeside, California for sending this along! Never heard of this brand before, nor this variety. Let’s give it a try!
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition
You know, this list while very exclusive isn’t one that brings me great joy. I really like instant noodles and the people who produce them, but some varieties just give me real disgust. I just can’t stand them, don’t recommend them, and wish they were different so I would like them. These are the ones I really, really dislike. This list is current as of review #4830. Be sure to check out announcements below – lots of neat stuff going on! With that, allow me to introduce you to The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition.
#4848: Pocas Bowl Noodle Soup Vegetable Flavor – United States
Here’s one that came from James of Lakeside, California – thanks! This is one I’d never seen before. It looks to be a spicy vegetable – and looks interesting as well. Let’s give it a try!
Kari Kari Chili Crisp Unboxing & Review
I was minding my own business, doing a little research… Then I found this Kari Kari chili crisp. Turned out they’re based in Seattle, which is next door. I asked to give it a try and they sent some! Now, your question may be at the outset: how does it compare to Lao Gan Ma? I can say I’d rather have this any day. Check out the video below. You can get it here. Also – check out Time Warp – a bar with arcade and pinball games and instant noodles on Capitol Hill in Seattle!!
#4835: Assi Spicy Seafood Noodle Bowl – United States
This sounds interesting. I know there are Assi grocery stores around the US here and there… This sounds from the name like either a jjambbong or a kind of ganjjambbong – let’s find out what we have here.
#4823: Omsom Saucy Noodles Coconut Lemongrass Curry – United States
Well, this is the last of the products from this brand that I have. I think this is all of them. This sounds good in name. What I expect is a kind of sauce with a light sweetness, maybe a seafood element, a a little heat and lemongrass bite. I’m hopeful we don’t have yet another one that has a strong Italian vinaigrette element to it, but it won’t surprise me. My mind is open – and hopeful.
#4821: Omsom Saucy Noodles Garlic Black Pepper – United States
This one’s a little different from the last two I tried. The last two at the top mentioned Vietnamese rather than Chinese on the packaging. So far, no good for this company insofar as my reviews. The last two scored very low – rather non-nom – and I’m hoping there’s going to be one that I like as these were pretty expensive. With an open mind, let’s give it another go.
#4819: Pamana Ginataang Mais – United States
Finishing up a week of reviewing today (it’s Friday for me) in early October, 2023. It’s pretty nutty – I’m now over 200 reviews ahead, and I’ve got a feeling this is coming out in late March of 2024, maybe April. While this isn’t ramen, it’s another thing you might find on the noodle aisle. It’s a Filipino porridge made in the United States. Let’s give it a try!