Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
The second of the Fitmee varieties sent by Empire International – thanks again! I sampled the first a couple days ago and was very impressed – it was a kind of buldak dry version that was pretty good and only 150 calories! This one has a soto flavor and is – get this – only 60 calories! What’s soto? Here’s some info from Wikipedia –
Yep – new stuff from Nissin USA! Cool stuff in this box! Let’s take a look!
The third of the Vite Ramen offerings. The first time around when I sampled the prototypes, this was my favorite – curious how I’ll like it this time around as full fledged version 1.0! I should mention that I hear that there will be an updated version coming soon – 1.1? 2.0? Not sure but definitely will be giving the three another go when they update them. Let’s get started.
Here’s something pretty fascinating. First off, thanks to Empire International for sending these over! This is from Indonesia, is only 160 calories for the whole package, and… yeah. It’s konjac (pronounced like cognac).- These noodles are incredibly low cal and I’ve honestly had mixed resilts. I’ve had them that are horrible before – thicker noodles. But recently tried some that were thinner and they worked well. These are dry, and I haven’t tried them that way before, so we shall see how it goes. Let’s find out!
A few months ago I did a Meet The Manufacturer series on Vite Ramen, but the packs I tried were prototypes and not this, the finished product for version 1.0 (version 1.1 will be coming soon and I’ll be giving that a try when it comes out). It’s a neat concept brought to life by Tim & Tom Zheng.
No, this is NOT noodles. But it’s a tie in that’s for sure. These are little surimi (fish) sausages to enjoy as a snack, flavored like Buldak Bokkeummyun. I’ve seen these all over recently in different ways – some packs call them ‘Kid’s Bong’ and they come in a variety of flavors. These sounded interesting! Couldn’t resist. Let’s take a look!
Here’s one I’ve been wanting to get a hold of for a long time! These samples include the 9,413SHU Teumsae.
One of my favorite styles of curry would have to be green curry. It’s very different from the others – a kind of crisp and savory flavor rolled into one. This is really exciting to try – curry from Taiwan in collaboration with a company from Thailand. Very curious. Been waiting a couple weeks to hit this up, so let’s go!
Here’s one that was in a box from Zenpop. Their monthly boxes feature a slew of varieties from Japan – use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount! Here’s what they have to say about this one – “The seabura (pork back fat) broth is so delish and addictive, don’t you agree? Its thin noodle is smooth, so the richness of the soup mixes very well together. Toppings are sesame, wood ear mushrooms, scallion, and pickled ginger.”
Here’s one that came by way of World Ramens, a new business specializing in international instant noodle subscription boes. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
A huge thanks to MLats for shooting this over! Love it when readers come through with varieties I’ve never gotten the chance to try and really want to.
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
Often I’m asked ‘do you know of any kind of healthy noodles out there?’ Yes I do – and these be them. These are full of protein, low in sodium, and have 25% of all your vitamins and minerals. Sound good? Let’s take a look!
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘The rich and deep flavor of the soup is created with beef, onion, garlic, miso and other spices and seasonings which all keep a perfect balance together. topped with four kinds of ingredients including diced potatoes which are the hidden stars of this dish,’
Like colorful things? Looks no further! These are a trip to be sure – and there are some tasty treats other than noodles in here as well! Let’s check em out!
Okay, alright. It’s another Buldak spicy thing and this time its not topokki and ramen, it’s just topokki. What’s exciting about this is that this is the export version. I’m usually not happy about getting export versions; I want the local versions; te ones that people in their respective countries find at the store. But what’s cool is that this is now available in the United States – and I’ve seen it here recently. This is original Buldak Bokkeummyun flavor – there’s also a Carbo version as well. For those of you who are asking ‘what’s a topokki?!’ here’s a little info from Wikipedia –
This is the last of the four varieties sent to me by Ramen Hero – I will say I’ve asked if they want to send more. I really love working with this product – it’s a lot of fun for me. Not only that, they’re really quite good. Hopefully it’ll pan out – and I’ll also find out how that fancy seaweed is done up!
I usually try to review at least two varieties a day and yesterday I did the last two Ramen Hero varieties and it was a lot of fun. It’s pretty neat to be able to do up all the garnish that came with it – and the printed seaweed was really neat, too!
Dig on ramen? Check out one of these neat Zenpop boxes! Use the coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount!
Two weeks. Two long weeks. I haven’t done a review in two weeks!! Our apartment got remodeled, plus I had a sinus infection that basically knocked out my sense of taste. Yeah – that wasn’t cool at all. But I’m back – back to walking, and today back to reviewing. The remodel is done and I’m enjoying my noodles once again!
Big thanks to Nick Bizarro – I found Maruchan Texas Beef Ramen Noodle Soup on eBay a little while back and asked if anyone wanted to buy them (it was a 24 pack and I only wanted two) and he did!
I got an email asking if I was interested in trying overnight delivery ramen. Hey – why not, right? So, here we are! Ramen Hero is based in the Bay Area and serves a few surrounding states at the time of this post – check their site for current service area. You pick your ramen, pay, and they’ll overnight you a set of ingredients to make a bowl of ramen at home – including garnish! Not bad. Let’s give this one a try – they send four and since they’re perishable, I’m going to do them over the next couple days.
I often end up at 99 Ranch Market to pick up mung bean sprouts, other produce, and other things once every week or so. It’s a chain of Asian markets that started on the west coast but after looking at their site, they’ve popped up all over the United States – which is good – they’ve got lots of neat stuff.
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
This is an interesting one. Made in China for the US market. I found this one at a Fred Meyer supermarket here in Lynnwood – the last place I’d expect to see something like this. It’s nice to see stores expanding these kinds of things. Let’s give it a try!
Some new stuff just arrived! Perfect timing too, as it’s Singapore’s 54th birthday!Let’s check it out!
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Pirikara means little bit spicym and Kenchin refers to a soup dish containing sauteed carrots, burdock root, and various vegetables, The soup is shoyu based kelp, bonito and shiitake mushroom broth, Yawataya Isogoro’s shichimi (7 spice) is one of the most popular shichimi seasonings in Japan, and it has a history of over 270 years in production. This udon introduces you to the special shichimi from Yawataya Isogoro and Kenchin soup. Especially, burdock and shiitake mushrooms in the cup taste delicious, we hope you enjoy this one of a kind udon.’
So mornings can suck sometimes. Waking up 2 hours late for example. With that, I better get a move on!
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
After years of resisting the common practice of naming these lists after the year ahead, I’ve finally decided I’d conform with societal norms and start doing this with this list. So, there won’t be a 2019 edition (although between you and me that’s what this is as it’s coming out in 2019 and not 2020, but whatever). All lists going forward will be this way. My brain will be okay with it eventually, kind of like how I used to lose my mind when people would pronounce sriracha ‘sirracha,’ which IS the correct way to do s. Time heals all chunks of illogic I suppose. But anyways, these are my favorite and most memorable cup varieties from my reviews up to number 3,180. Let’s take a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2020 Edition.
So I’m in the ‘First Taste Club,’ so when a new product from Nissin Foods USA drops, I get a sample. Here we go!
First off a big thanks to Chris G. for picking these up and sending them after his whirlwind trip around Europe! This one’s from Portugal which is pretty neat. What flavor is it? Caril translates to curry. Let’s give it a try!
Hey look – another Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater! This one came today and we brought it inside set up the lights, shot the video, edited it and boom here it is! Lots of neat stuff in this box! Check it out! Get yours here: http://bit.ly/umaicrate
Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for extra discount!
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This yakisoba just debuted from Myojo as their first umakara miso flavor. Umakara is a word mixture of umai (delicious) and karai (spicy). Kogashi ninniku means roasted garlic, so this yakisoba offers you irresistible tastes of kogashi ninniku with umakara miso flavor to fill your appetite! The kara miso paste (orange packet) add it as you like, you can maybe start adding little by little to see your preference of spiciness.”
So when Yamachan contacted me about a gluten free ramen, I was interested. Really? How does that work? Well, only one way to find out! One thing is these are konyak noodles. I’ve had thick gauge konyak and really disliked it. I have to admit though seeing the gauge of these I’ve got hope. Let’s check it out!
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Kimchi chige flavor soup is made up with savory seafood, veggies, and bonito broth. Plus added garlic so that you can feel some umami in the spicy soup. Sourness and spiciness of kimchi goes well with the soup and soft texture of tofu toppings to whet your appetite.”
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This super cup contains 1.5 times the normal amount of noodles! Okinawa has a few famous dishes but this one is the most unmistakable for anyone visiting the islands. Yummy chewy noodles in a slightly sweet and spicy dash is perfect for summer.”
