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.
#1949: Bamee Oriental Style Instant Noodles Shrimp Flavour (Tom Yum)
Shrimp? Tom Yum? Indeed. Let’s crack it open! By the way this one’s made in Thailand for the European marketplace.
#1948: Sichuan Baijia Artificial Pickled Cabbage Fish Flavor Instant Vermicelli
I’ve been checking out a few of these Baijia varieties recently, and they’ve been interesting. When I first started reviewing, I generally found the flavors and varieties to be pretty horrid, but after a few years , I’m starting to come around. Pickled cabbage and fish, eh? Well, let’s have a look.
#1947: Prima Taste Singapore Laksa Wholegrain La Mian
So Prima Taste has recently come out with wholegrain varieties. It was explained to me that wholegrain noodles can tend to be brittle or crumbly – so to prevent this, Prima has created a superfine powder. Indeed, the curry whole grain la mian was absolutely wonderful stuff! The noodles were perfect and had a kind of rustic, artisan kind of character to them. The point of wholegrain noodles is to promote a healthier alternative to white flour. Not only that, these are not fried noodles. Instant noodles are now starting to attempt to please the consumer with more healthy options. Pretty cool! I’m very curious how this laksa does! Let’s dig in and find out!
Brazilian Noodles From My Cousins
Got a package yesterday! I was recently in California and saw my cousin Mike O. I asked him if the next time he visited Brazil if he could possibly look for some noodles I’ve wanted to review. As it turned out, his wife Adriana O. was currently down there and he’d let her know. Well, turns out she found some and he sent them to me once she returned!
#1946: Nissin Raoh Shio Ramen
Here’s another one I got from Casey in Hong Kong – thanks! Nissin’s Raoh is a premium line of fancy Japanese ramen. Shio translates to salt – here’s a little about shio from wikipedia:
#1945: MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Masala Flavour
Here’s the last of the Bangladeshi varieties I was sent by Thai President Foods after my trip to Thailand in May 2015. Let’s take a look!
A Package From The Northeast
A couple of weeks ago, I posted an urgent call for instant noodle varieties. I’ve gotten a great response and this is one of them. A guy in Arlington, MA named Colin contacted me and offered some varieties! Let’s see what he sent!
#1944: Wei Lih GGE Noodle Snack Wheat Crackers Hot Spicy
Here’s one I got at the 99 Ranch down in Pleasanton, California a couple of weeks ago. So the GGE stands for Good Good Eat, as in ‘everybody loves good good eat.’ Yeah, I know – kind of weird. But hey – this is a Taiwanese snack noodle and they can be pretty interesting (see Leisure Meatballs). Anyways, let’s crack this bag open and look inside.
#1943: New Touch Sugomen Niigata Seabura Shoyu Ramen
Here’s the last of the January box that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! This one looks really fancy – I like the pic on the bowl with that nice looking broth! Let’s have a closer look!
#1942: Ibumie Always Mi Goreng Perisa Sambal Udang
The last of the Ibumie Always Mi Goreng varietals I found at 99 Ranch recently – or I should say my lovely wife say them. Udang means prawn and sambal is wondroud spicy stuff of dreamsLet’s check it out!
#1941: Unox Good Noodles Tandoori
Here’s one of the few I have left that were sent by James B. of the Netherlands – thanks again! I’m real curious whether this will have a strong tandoori chicken flavor or just a nice spicy mixture. I guess there’s only one way to find out! Let’s crack open the pack and have a look!
#1940: Nissin Cup Noodle Pasta Style Bolognese
Here’s another one sent by Casey P. from Hong Kong – thanks again! So bolognese… Wikipedia?
#1939: MAMA Instant Noodles Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum Flavour
Another one from the big batch I got after our Thailand trip from the MAMA noodles people. Thanks again! So this has been one of my favorites in the past – the regular Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum has been on my annual top ten list in the past – but this is the Myanmar version. I’ve noticed in some varieties a little but of a smoky taste – wonder what we’ll find here? One way to find out – let’s check out this shrimp creamy tom yum!
#1938: Nissin Donbei Kamodashi Soba
Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! It says in the leaflet sent with the box that this has a duck flavor and a sweetness to it. Let’s check it out!
#1937: MAMA Chicken Soup Flavour Cup Noodles
Here’s another one that the folks at MAMA in Thailand sent me. This one’s from Myanmar – chicken flavor! Let’s check out this chicken!
A Long Time Travelled Package From Japan
Today I heard a beep and then a knock at our door. The beep usually is the postman about to knock and then ask for my signature. Today, I received a package from Wesley of Japan! This is something he shipped back on December 18th, 2015 (it’s February 11th, 2016 today) and we weren’t sure it would ever make it here. But it did! Let’s have a look!
CarJEN Sends Bags & Treats!
So every time I do a Top Ten list, I try to let the companies that make that list know. I usually post directly on their Facebook page a congratulatory message. Well, CarJEN’s J.J. Snek Mi Perisa BBQ made the new Top Ten Instant Noodle Snacks list, and I saw something neat on their page!
#1936: Fortune Rice Noodle Coconut Curry
Found this one at the new Win?Co Foods store in Edmonds, Washington. I thought ‘ooh – rice noodles and curry’ and so I got it. Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1935: Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Oleum Sesami
Today, we bid a fond farewell to the Love Cook Meet The Manufacturer. Been nice to try some new varieties from Taiwan lately! Oleum sesami is the scientific term for sesame oil. Very curious about this one! Let’s take a look!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1934: Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Spicy Sauce
Ah now here we go – spicy! Spicy sounds good today – it’s been cold, rainy and windy lately – not a very nice combo. Every morning Miles wakes up and I wheel his bassinet over to the window to spend a few minutes looking outside – usually it’s a cloudy day. But that’s weather in Washington state for you – winter’s like that. Spicy sounds good – let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1933: Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Authentic Sauce
So you might be wondering what ‘authentic sauce’ might be. I think this will be more like a soy based variety – with a few added spices. I think this is also referred to as Taiwanese sauce. The second review is ready to go!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1932: Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Shallot Flavor
To start things off, I thought something sesame sounded good. Today alsol marks the start of regularly using my new camera/copy stand setup. I’m hoping this will allow for much higher quality photos! I suppose we’ll see! Anyways, let’s check out this noodle from Taiwan!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Love Cook 2
A couple weeks later, I received another box…
A new bowl! Hooray! Really nice – thank you so much!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Love Cook 1
A box came in the mail from Love Cook! Let’s look within…
Wow what’s in here? Pictures of suggested garnishes (always helpful), a CD with them as well. Also, a card.
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Love Cook
Interview With Love Cook * Product Samples From Love Cook 1 * Product Samples From Love Cook 2 * Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Shallot Flavor * Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Authentic Sauce * Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Spicy Sauce * Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Oleum Sesami
#1931: Bonasia Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour
Here’s another one that was sent to me from Thailand by the Thai President Foods folks. This is made in Hungary. Let’s have a look!
#1930: Koh Thai Island Of Flavours Lemongrass Instant Noodles Soup
Another one from James B. over in The Netherlands – thanks! I thought this one looked really interesting; it’s made in Singapore specifically for Koh Thai brand in The Netherlands. Let’s crack this one open!
#1929: MAMA Instant Noodles Minced Pork Flavour
The next to last Cambodian variety I got from the Thai President Foods folks back in May of ’15. Minced pork! Let’s crack it open!
Re-Review: Paldo Kokomen Spicy Chicken Flavor
You know, I just saw this one at the local HMart a week or so ago and thought it would be nice to have it again. Kind of weird to be doing a re-review when I’m getting close to the 2,000th review, but hey, like I said it sounds good. This has been a popular one for a while now since it slammed onto the scene. I think it was a comedian named Lee Kyung who made this spicy chicken variety a big hit. Anyways, let’s crack it open and dig on in.
#1928: Bamee Oriental Style Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour
At the local grocery store, they have this deal. It’s called ‘Cheep Chicken Monday,’ and you get 8 legs and wings for $4.99 on Mondays. It’s a pretty good deal – as long as the deli has a big mound of it, you know it’s fresh and hasn’t been sitting. It’s good stuff – thought I’d use some with this variety. Let’s check it out!
Urgent Need For New Varieties To Review
Dear Readers,
I took a look in my noodle hamper to find a horrifying scene: I’m low. Really low. On instant noodles I haven’t reviewed. Without new varieties to review, this site will grind to a screeching halt.
#1927: Marutai Kogashi Negiiri Tonkotsu Kagoshima Ramen
Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! From the description, this almost sounds like it might be a vegetable tonkotsu, but I don’t know. Says lots of cabbage – interesting! Let’s hit it up!
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!
#1926: Nissin Bowl Noodles Hot & Spicy Chicken Flavor Less Sodium Ramen Noodle Soup
Here’s a new one from Nissin – a lower sodium version of their Hot & Spicy chicken bowl! Not many lower sodium varieties cross my desk usually – this one is 30% lower than the regular Hot & spicy chicken bowl. Let’s check it out!
#1925: Prima Juzz’s Mee Creamy Chicken Flavour
This is the third and final variety of the Juzz’s Mee I got from Prima a while back. So far, the other two were extremely good and I’ve been looking forward to this one. I’ve always been fond of creamy chicken instant noodles – a couple companies here in the Us have made creamy chicken variants that have been some of the best chicken varieties I’ve tried. I’m very curious about a Singaporean take on creamy chicken – so let’s have a look!
#1924: Sichuan Baijia Broad Noodle Artificial Beef Flavor
So the last one of these broad noodles I tried I made incorrectly (yeah, it happens once in a blue moon) and I’ll re-review it soon. See, the first one was a broth free variant and I just assumed that the rest would be. Well, it looks like the one I tired first was the exception to the rule. Anyways, let’s have a look at this beef flavored variety from Sichuan Baijia.
#1923: Conimex Oriental Noodles Teriyaki
Another one sent by James B. from the Netherlands. Thanks! So these Conimex variants have been interesting. The last one I had was a green curry whose only similarity to green curry was, well, a green hue. Let’s see what kind of teriyaki we have here!
#1922: Mie Sedaap Instant Cup Mi Kuah Rasa Baso Spesial
The last of the Mi Sedaap varieties I got quite a while ago at Asian Food Center down on Aurora and 130th. Let’s crack this one open – so few Indonesian varieties cross my desk these days!
#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!