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Now here’s one I haven’t seen since 2011 and thought could use another taste. I really enjoy tom yum and was wanting to review a Wai Wai variety, but the others they had at Evergreen Asian Market weren’t what I was looking for. So here we are – let’s cook it up!
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this over from Australia! I haven’t reviewed one of these in such a long time, and I remember they were pretty darn good. I’m also going to guess this is pretty spicy as well. Let’s cook it up and give it a try.
A long time ago, I went to JD’s Market in Lynnwood, WA. I found a few neat things, including pizza instant noodles from Pakistan! Well, I just realized years later on a recent trip (like a few weeks ago), I picked up a pack whose flavor is chicken pizza! It’s a wellspring of unique pizza flavor in the instant noodle way. Let’s give it a try!
What a weird day it’s been – let alone week. So a friend had a Facebook group that went from 200 members up to 39,000 in 5 months. He didn’t have the time to administer the group and asked if I wanted it. Nobody’s ever handed me 39,000 people to govern before. So I said yes. The group keeps growing, and today it hit 50,000 members! That’s a decent sized city! He offered Thursday and this is Monday. I wonder if it will keep growing… I guess we’ll see! If you want to join, it’s here.
Here we go with another variety made in Serbia! Wow – pretty cool. Vegetable though. Hmm I wonder what this one will taste like – let’s find out!
I’m pretty thrilled – this is the second variety I’ve got from Serbia – and I found it semi-locally in the next town over! Pretty rad. Well, let’s give it a try!
What a lovely surprise! I went to JR’s Market over in Lynnwood, WA when we were out getting Halloween costumes for the kids (it’s across the parking lot from the Halloween store) and found this and quite a few more varieties. I figured this was from Nepal as it’s a Chaudhary Group noodle, but after examining this one it’s from CG Europe – from Serbia! So this is another country I’ve not reviewed anything from, which is pretty neat!
Okay so there’s Wai Wai in Thailnd, then Wai Wai in India, which I suspect is an exponentially larger affair. However I think they are part of the same company. It’s uncanny – Thai instant noodle companies have names with repeating syllables.
Here’s yet another one from Colin – thanks, bro! So this is an export version (obviously from all the languages on the front) and a very standard taste – chicken. This one is by CG which stands for Chaudhary Group. Here’s a little info from Wikipedia –
Here’s another one that was sent by Marvin R. of Fort Worth, TX – thanks again! So you may have seen Wai Wai before coming from Thailand. This is a Wai Wai for India – by the Chaudhary Group. Let’s have a look!
I want to send a huge thank you to Marvin R. of Texas for sending me this – the second pizza flavored instant noodle I’ve EVER reviewed! The first one was from Pakistan – this one’s from India! Not only that, but this one’s a proprietary food! Let’s check it out!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Thai Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition really has been a long time coming. After trying over 150 different Thai instant noodles throughout the years, I thought it was about time for a Top Ten Thailand list. If there is one thing that is ubiquitous when Thailand is mentioned, it’s tom yum – whose flavors figure strongly in this list. So print out a copy and run to your local Asian grocery and get some tasty Thai noodles! Hopefully there will be a 2017 edition of Top Ten Thai Instant Noodles as well – if you are an instant noodle manufacturer in Thailand, please contact me about doing a spotlight of your products! Also, I’ve decided that I will be sharing the add-ons I use in each variety here – note that all tasting/reviewing is done PRIOR to anything being added out of fairness. Hope you enjoy the first ever The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Thai Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition.
Here’s one I found at the 7-11 next to our hotel when we visit Thai President Foods in Bangkok back in May! I think the first time I tried a tom yum flavored instant, I didn’t like it. Through the years, I’ve gained a serious love for the flavor – the chilli, the shrimp, the lemongrass. It all comes together so well and the place where I had some of the best of course was in Thailand. Really hope to return someday with my sons and have them try all the amazing foods there! Anyways, let’s check out this cup!
Here’s another one my sister got for me while up in Canada a couple of weeks ago! Thanks, Sue! I’ve been really hoping to try more rice vermicelli lately but been having trouble sourcing any from around here and hoping to find some manufacturer who might want me to review some of their stuff! The top ten rice noodles list this year was a lot of fun and definitely want to make it a yearly kind of thing! Anyways, let’s check out these crab flavored noodles from Thailand!
Here’s another one I got at a 7-11 in Bangkok in May. Yep – they have 7-11’s there!
Everyone (well maybe not everyone) has heard of tom yum, a very tradition Thai soup. If you don’t know about it, here’s something about it from wikipedia:
Here’s one sent to me by Marvin R. – thanks again! This was one of a series I’ve been looking for for a long time. I kept seeing them online, but only looked to be available in Thailand. These are now available here in the USA and the last one I had (tom yum shrimp) was pretty good. Let’s check it out!
Usually if I’m really trying to get my hands on some noodles to review, I’m going to find a way. There have been a couple though which have eluded me for a while. This is one of them – Wai Wai’s Quick Zabb. There are four of these varieties, all with a different main color and different character. They’re kind of like Powerpuff Girls, but a little meaner looking. I’m stoked – got all four at a store only 5 minutes away yesterday! Sometimes walking down that noodle aisle you’ve been down a million times before with no luck pays off. Let’s check it out!
Here’s a little pack of Wai Wai noodles!
Here’s the sticker put on by the distributor.
Hey look – Tom Yum Shrimp! I really like Tom Yum – spicy, lemon, and shrimp! Let’s check this one out.
I reviewed this one years back – in the first 50 reviews. Back then I reviewed it as a soup. Recently, it was brought to my attention that these could be made in a different way – drained. Sure enough, on the back of the package are instructions on how to make them this way. I have deemed this worthy of a new review! Here we go.
Wai Wai? Because, because! I know, pretty stupid but I like to say it. I thought I’d reviewed this one before but lo and behold it stands unreviewed! This is a Thai variety and should be something interesting I hope. Let’s check it out!
Here’s something new I found at H Mart. Casserole huh? Beef sounds good. By the way – underneath the sticker on the front it says ‘Beef Flavour.’ Let’s check it out.
I can’t even imagine how long ago I last reviewed anything from Wai Wai – pretty stoked on it! Let’s try seom Thai noodles!
Whoa what’s this?
Okay I cam read that. I figured I should pick out an orange one of some kind for Halloween…
So here’s the second one of these Wai Wai packsI got recently. Says it’s very hot!
So here’s some Wai Wai noodles. Let’s see how they are! One thing I should mention first is that it’s a little smaller than most packages of noodles and only calls for 300cc of water.
So Wai Wai not some of this stuff today eh? Crab flavour. Haven’t eaten a whole lot of crab in my life. Curious how it will taste…
Wai Wai? Because because I’m done with folding laundry and it’s lunch. So I’m making some of this stuff. By the way – notice that little dude on the packaging? Apparently there’s a celebrity chef in Thailand called McDang and he has a kind of guide to the best stuff. So this stuff is supposedly good according to McDang.
So here are Wai Wai instant chicken flavor noodles. Hmm.
I really liked the packaging of the sachets. The ‘essence’ was interesting to be sure. The chili packet wasn’t used as my 5 year old had this bowl of noodles but i opened it and tried them. Spicy sun peppers – nothing shocking. Then, a blue packet with oil.
So here we go with some Wai Wai. This stuff is made in Thailand and the noodles can be eaten straight out of the bag like a bag of chips. This was a much smaller package than usually seen here on ramenrater.com. In fact, the directions call for a mere 1 1/3 cups of water [320cc] instead of the usual 2 to 2 1/2 cups.
Wai Wai: Oriental Style Instant Noodles
Stars: *
Notes: One star. It reminds me way too much of their other ramen, called ‘Sour Soup.’ This is pure gut-wrenching heartburn ladies and gentlemen! Make sure you have some Tums and a bed available for the next day or so.
Wai Wai: Tom Yum Shrimp Flavor
Stars: **
Notes: Some pretty damn hot noodles! On the back they have put this style’s motto: ‘Softer Noodles,
Quicker To Be Served.’ It was true, these cooked up quickly, but they were insidiously hot, and
this annoyed me. Also, not even a hint of shrimp flavor.
Wai Wai: Tom Yum Chili Flavor
Stars: **
Notes: Some pretty damn hot noodles! On the back they have put this style’s motto: ‘Softer Noodles,
Quicker To Be Served.’ It was true, these cooked up quickly, but they were insidiously hot, and
this annoyed me.
