#3269: Vite Ramen Vegan Mushroom Shio Instant Noodle Soup – United States

#3269: Vite Ramen Vegan Mushroom Shio Instant Noodle Soup - United States

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. ...see full post

#3268: Fitmee Konjac Fried Korean Noodle – Indonesia

#3268: Fitmee Konjac Fried Korean Noodle - Indonesia

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! ...see full post

#3266: Samyang Foods Hot Chicken Flavor Sausage – South Korea

#3266: Samyang Foods Hot Chicken Flavor Sausage - South Korea

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! ...see full post

#3265: Mom’s Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry – Taiwan

#3328: Mom's Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry - Taiwan

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! ...see full post

#3264: Acecook Seabura Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3264: Acecook Seabura Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

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.” ...see full post

#3258: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Curry Ramen – Japan

#3258: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Curry Ramen - Japan

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,’ ...see full post

#3257: Samyang Foods Buldak Hot Chicken Flavor Topokki – South Korea

#3257: Samyang Foods Buldak Hot Chicken Flavor Topokki - South Korea

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 – ...see full post

#3256 Ramen Hero Classic Tonkotsu Ramen – United States

#3256 Ramen Hero Classic Tonkotsu Ramen - United States

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! ...see full post

#3254: Mom’s Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Red Curry – Taiwan

#3327: Mom's Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Red Curry - Taiwan

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! ...see full post

#3253: Ramen Hero Classic Miso Ramen – United States

#3253: Ramen Hero Classic Miso Ramen - United States

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. ...see full post

#3252: Shin Horng Lukang Thin Noodles Ginger & Sesame Oil Flavor – Taiwan

Shin Horng Lukang Thin Noodles Ginger & Sesame Oil Flavor - Taiwan

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. ...see full post

#3249: Sapporo Ichiban Pirikara Kenchin Udon – Japan

#3249: Sapporo Ichiban Pirikara Kenchin Udon - Japan

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.’ ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2020 Edition

Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups OF All Time 2020 Edition

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. ...see full post

#3245: Myojo Umakara Spicy Miso Yakisoba – Japan

#3245: Myojo Umakara Spicy Miso Yakisoba - Japan

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.” ...see full post

#3244: Yamachan Ramen Z Miso Flavor Ramen – United States

#3244: Yamachan Ramen Z Miso Flavor Ramen - United States

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! ...see full post

#3243: Sapporo Ichiban Pickles Kimchi Chige Ramen – Japan

#3243: Sapporo Ichiban Pickles Kimchi Chige Ramen - Japan

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.” ...see full post

#3241: Acecook Super Cup Okinawa Island Soba – Japan

#3149: Acecook Super Cup Okinawa Island Soba - Japan

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.” ...see full post

#3240: Tseng Noodles Spicy Dolar – Taiwan

#3147: Tseng Noodles Spicy Dolar - Taiwan

Recently, I heard about a variety from Tseng that I guess has been around for a little while but I’d never heard of it. A lot of confusion for me about this one. The biggest issue is the variety itself – what the heck is spicy dolar anyway? Nothing I could find on Wikipedia or elsewhere. But dolar must be a pretty common concept because there’s a restaurant in Canada I saw in Richmond that mentions it – something like Dolar Hotpot or something. Well, let’s check it out! ...see full post