#1186: Nissin Sabor A Carne Sopa Instantánea Con Fideos

I read an article recently about Nissin starting to sell instant noodle in Colombia, so I shot an email to my friend Scott over at Nissin Foods USA and asked if I could maybe get some samples. He sent some! Thanks, man! This is pretty much identical to beef Top Ramen, but packaged for the Colombian market. Speaking of Top Ramen, Nissin is having a neat contest (here’s a link). Neat prizes and it’s easy. Anyways, let’s check it out! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013

Earlier this year, people from Taiwan voiced their displeasure with not being included in the 2013 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. They came in droves, shouting the praises of their beloved varieties. They were equally unhinged by having two varieties listed in my Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list. Two were included there. After all of this outcry and seeing the pride and passion about their noodles, I thought it was a must to do a Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list; these people are easily as interested in noodles as much as I am! This new list encompasses all of the Taiwanese varieties that I’ve reviewed thus far. So, without further ado, I hope you will enjoy The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 edition! ...see full post

#1184: Sapporo Ichiban Pokemon Shoyu Ramen

Here’s another one from the folks at Record China news in Japan – thank you! My son is a really big fan of Pokemon. He’s got every one’s name, what they evolve into and all Pokemon lore stuffed in that PokeDex brain of his! If any of you reading have kids that like Pokemon, you know of what I speak. Well, I’ve wanted to get some Pokemon noodles for him and this is the first! I know there are more out there and hopefully I’ll find them sooner or later! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

Re-Review: Saigon Ve Wong Kung-Fu Mì Tôm Chua (Sour Shrimp Flavor) Instant Noodles Vietnam Flavor

I recently got a nice box of samples from Duncan T. over at Gemini Food Corp in California. I’d already reviewed them, but I definitely wanted to re-review this one for sure. I last had this in my 97th review – over 1000 reviews ago. Curious about what I’ll think of it these days; it got a low rating at that time and looking at it now makes me think it can’t be that bad! But I guess we’ll see. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1178: Nongshim Shin Black Spicy Pot-au-feu Flavor Premium Noodle Soup

You might be thinking, ‘hey – didn’t he already review this?’ Nope – I reviewed the Shin Ramyun Black cup from South Korea. This is the one that is manufactured here in the United States in Rancho Cucamonga, California.So what is this ‘Pot-au-feu’ flavor? I consulted Wikipedia and found this: ...see full post

#1177: Mi ABC Mi Instan Rebus Rasa Ayam Bawang (Onion Chicken Flavour)

Another one sent by my friend in Indonesia – thank you! A little translation. So it’s onion chicken flavor – rasa means flavor, bawang is onion and ayam chicken. Mi instan is instant noodle, but rebus? Rebus translated to boiled and here I think refers to the noodles being ‘cooking noodles.’ As I’ve mentioned in the past, what makes a noodle ‘instant’ is the fact that you can put the noodle block and seasonings in a bowl, add boiling water and then cover for a few minutes, stir and eat. Anyways, let’s check out this Indonesian variant. ...see full post

#1176: Maruchan Old Style Shio Ramen

Here’s another I got at T&T Supermarket up in Burnaby, BC. Took a bit of research, but yep – old style shio ramen is what this is. Shio means salt. – but this isn’t a bowl of saltiness. Shio is light and savory stuff! By the way – did you know that salt was a way to pay people in the past? That’s where the term ‘worth your salt’ and the word salary come from! It brings out flavors, but was also used as a way to keep meats for longer when freezers and refrigerators weren’t around. Anyways, let’s check this one out! ...see full post

VIDEO: Grand Tsukemen Fest Live Chat

I was invited by Brian over at Ramen Adventures to take part in a Google Hangout to discuss the upcoming Grand Tsukemen Fest in Japan. I’ve never had tsukemen before, but I sure a lot of you have. Tsukemen is different from traditional ramen in that you have a bowl with broth and toppings and then a bowl of (usually) cold noodles. It sounds really good to me! Here is a video of the chat which includes an appearance by the reigning Grand Tsukemen champ! ...see full post

A Wonderful Package From Record China News Of Japan!!!

I did an interview with a news agency in Japan recently called Record China –

  • September 3, 2013 – Record China – 米国のラーメン通、日・中・韓の即席麺を斬る<前編>「欧米人には韓国のものがイチバン」 – Japan Part 1 – Link
  • September 3, 2013 – Record China – 米国のラーメン通、日・中・韓の即席麺を斬る<前編>「欧米人には韓国のものがイチバン」 – Japan Part 2 – Link

They sent a box of amazing goodies from Japan I’ve been hoping to finbd for a while! ...see full post

#1173: Pop Bihun Spesial Goreng Spesial

Here’s another one my friend from Indonesia sent me – thanks! This is a departure from the norm for me – very rarely have I had Indonesian varieties of rice noodles. I think I’ve had them maybe thrice before. This one’s by the Indofoods people – makers of Indomie Mi Goreng. Let’s see how it translates to a rice noodle variety! ...see full post

#1166: Unif Man Han Feast Sichuan Chili Eel Flavor Instant Noodle

Here’s one from T&T Supermarket up in Vancouver, BC! Many Taiwanese extolled the virtues of these Man Han Feast varieties, especially a beef version. I had the Spring Onion Eel flavor a while back and this is the only other one I’ve seen available in North America. So what does Man Han Feast mean? Wikipedia says: ...see full post

Re-Review: Ottogi Bekse Curry Myon

I’ve had a hankering to re-review this one since I had the cup version and really liked it. Made me think maybe I was a little tough on this one when I reviewed it as #121. But now I’m looking through the archives and I gave it a 3.5/5.0 stars, which isn’t bad, then I re-reviewed it and gave it 3.5/5.0 again. Funny, I didn’t think I’d re-reviewed this one… Well, I guess it’s a re-re-revie; I already took the pictures of everything, right? Let’s give this one another peek. ...see full post

Please Vote For The Ramen Rater For Best Food Blog In Western Washington!

Hey everyone! Thanks to those who have voted so far! The contest is the KING5/Evening Magazine BEST In Western Washington – an annual list of the best of the best of Western Washington state here in the USA. I would be extremely thankful if everyone would vote for me – this would really help the site out a lot! Click on the above image or here to vote. I was on Evening Magazine (a local TV show) earlier this year – Jim Dever and a cameraman came into our little apartment and set up a miniature film studio here in Edmonds, WA (the clip is below). ...see full post