#2670: Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle

#2670: Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle - China - The Ramen Rater - instant noodles

I picked this one up on a recent trip to Canada. Ok, so you might be wondering about this one. It’s made in Shanghai, China. Nongshim has factories all over the place and I’ve found that the different factories have slight variances in flavors. In the USA, this product would probably be coming from their Nongshim America factory in California. Hop the border though and most of the products up there come from China. It’s funny because they also have ones from the United States there as well. Anyways, Kimchi time! Let’s check it out. ...see full post

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Travel, Arrival & Exploration

Travels: Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Travel,. Arrival & Exploration

Day 1 & 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6 * Day 7

Taiwan 2017 Day 1 & 2: Travel,. Arrival & Exploration

Off I Go

On November 14th, 2017, my wife drove me to Seattle International Airport. My main impetus for the trip was to do an awards show at the Taiwan International Food Expo – the first food show I’d ever been invited to. They asked if I’d come and do a little awards ceremony for the top three from The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition list that came out in September. I was definitely all in for doing this for sure – after visiting Taiwan last year I was keen on visiting again. This time was different – it was my first time travelling alone. I was a little pensive about this (I’m legally blind) but I have flown to Taiwan 3 times previously and so thought hey – I can do this. Oh – and a week before I broke my pinky toe. That was really annoying but broken toe be damned – I was going! So I got to the airport around 11pm, went through security, grabbed some drinks and snacks and headed to my gate. Hopped on the plane just after midnight. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2665: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2665: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor

Today, we say goodbye to the Olagafood Meet The Manufacturer series. Overall, it’s been a fun and tasty experience! I want to thank Davin over at Olagafood again for everything – also want to thank Jonathan at Waroeng Jajanan for supplying garnish and insight into this series! Much appreciated! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2664: Maitri Instant Noodle Vegetarian Soup Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2664: Maitri Instant Noodle Vegetarian Soup Flavor

Here’s another vegetarian one from Maitri – this one being an instant noodle with broth. As I have to remind people, I won’t be coming out with a top ten vegetarian list. I wish I could, but it’s just a point of so much contention I should go a little into it. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2662: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Curry Flavor

Meet The Manufacturer: #2662: Alhami Instant Noodle Chicken Curry Flavor

So you’re probably going to say ‘so what gives – this is the second Alhami Chicken Curry one you’re reviewing. Key differences I see from the packaging are the work flavor and the word flavour. To me, this denotes two different markets that these will be in most likely. The second is this one’s shiny back and the other isn’t. Shiny backs are tough to scan as you’ll see below. Well, let’s get to it – it’s chicken curry time! ...see full post

Unboxing Time: Samples From Yum Yum Thailand

Unboxing Time: Samples From Yum Yum Thailand

A little while back, a fellow from Yum Yum of Thailand contacted me. A friend had done a news story on German television about instant noodles (yes, they love instant noodle in Germany, too!) and he gave them my info to see if they’d like to do something with me. After a while, I’m happy to announce I received a really big box of different varieties! So today on Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater, we’ve got Yum Yum samples. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2656: Mikka Noodle Snack Roasted Corn Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2556: Mikka Noodle Snack Roasted Corn Flavour

Whenever I see the word ‘corn’ on anything Southeast Asia, I always think of when I was at the airport in Penang, Malaysia. There was a little snack stall in there and it mentioned ‘corn in a cup.’ I thought this was the most fantastic thing; what could that possibly be? Our host looked at me like I was high and said plainly ‘it’s corn – in a cup.’ ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2655: Alhami Instant Noodle Prawn Flavour

Meet Ther Manufacturer: #2655: Alhami Instant Noodle Prawn Flavour

I really like prawns – especially the big ones. Mantis prawns are really big – had those in Malaysia. The river prawns in Thailand are spectacular and prepared right they’re just as succulent as can be. I don’t know much about prawns in Indonesia. Let’s ask Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2653: Mikka Noodle Snack Sambal Balado Chilli Sauce Flavour

Meet The Manufacturer: #2653: Mikka Noodle Snack Sambal Balado Chilli Sauce Flavour - The Ramen Rater - Indonesia - Olagafood

Not only does Olagafood make the vegetarian Maitri and the Alhami varieties, they also make snack noodles. Snack noodles are an interesting thing that’s found everywhere in Southeast Asia. Literally, they’re seasoned instant noodles which are crunchy and tasty, usually sold in small packets – often (like this one) in a strip of them connected by perforations. Here’s a little about Sambal Balada from Wikipedia – and some other sambals! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #2651: Alhami Mi Instan Mi Goreng Spesial

Meet The Manufacturer: #2651: Alhami Mi Instan Mi Goreng Spesial Special Fried Noodles - Indonesia - The Ramen Rater - instant ramen noodles

Today we get this Meet The Manufacturer series started! It’s been a long time since doing one with an Indonesian company – in fact, I rarely get any new Indonesian varieties across my desk. We start with one of the most recognized dishes from Indonesia, Mi Goreng. Here’s a little about it from Wikipedia – ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Olagafood

#2646: Ching’s Secret Schezwan Instant Noodles

#2646: Ching's Secret Schezwan Instant Noodles - India - The Ramen Rater - Ranveer Ching

I remember the first time I heard about Ching’s Secret – I was very curious about this whole concept of Chinese food in India. As it turns out ‘Desi Chinese’ is kind of like American Chinese food insofar as Chinese bringing their food to a foreign country and adapting it to the tastes of the locals in order to sell more of it. This is a four pack and I would now like to make a formal complaint. ...see full post

#2645: Happy Noodle Noodles With Minced Pork & Chinese Mustard Blend

#2645: Happy Noodle Noodles With Minced Pork & Chinese Mustard Blend - Taiwan 0 The Ramen Rater

Alright, so here we go! I’ve been curious about these since they showed up in the mail.

The box is interesting – kind of looks like a tissue box in a way but definitely nothing like that inside. There are four packages inside and they are accompanied by four sachets. Let’s take a look at this unique variety from Taiwan! ...see full post