The Definitive Source For Instant Noodle Reviews Since 2002
I noticed some neat clothes shown on an instagram I follow and asked where they were from and found a out about digitaleats.co – lots of neat shirts, hats, and more with a definite food theme. Lots of ramen, bubble tea, and other great designs – check it out over there and be sure to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER at checkout! Neat ideas for the ramen-centric who are still looking for holiday gifts and gifts for anytime! Let’s check ’em out!
In this box are two different varieties of ramen – one miso, one shoyu. The noodles appear to be the same, just the sachets are different. Let’s kick off this short Meet The Manufacturer series with some shoyu!
In this box are two different varieties of ramen – one miso, one shoyu. The noodles appear to be the same, just the sachets are different. Let’s kick off this short Meet The Manufacturer series with some miso!
For this short form series, Nishiyama Seimen sent a single box which contains 4 servings. Two of the servings are miso, and two are shoyu, depending on the soup base sachets used. Let’s check it out!
Found this one at the Asian Family Market on 130th & Aurora in Seattle. They’ve got a lot of premium varieties – this one is in a little box which is pretty neat. I’ve had some from this brand in the past I really didn’t like but I’m hopeful – I mean, they’re mentioning night market in the title and night markets are really, really cool – at least when I visited Taiwan. Let’s check it out!
I have this and one more fresh variety that I need to cook up of these great Myojo USA refrigerated varieties – they’ve been extremely good! My wife has been a fan of yakisoba for a long time as have I, but my daughter could be heard while I was finishing up the reviews that day I tried the savory miso version. ‘Mama, can I have another bite?’ She’s definitely one for repetitiveness, and like a happy broken record, I want to say I heard her say it a good couple dozen times. Curious how they’ll like this one – I think they will!
Well, didn’t I just hit one of those big numbers a few weeks ago? Well, much earlier than I hit my 4000th review, the video at the bottom of this one got published. See, my episodes of Instant Noodle Recipe Time come out sooner that the posts they’re for. It’s nice having things staggered a bit to be honest. Well, the epiosde at the bottom of this review is my 1200th episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time! A couple interesting things about this episode are the fact that I’m sure the kitchen will be incredibly hot – tomorrow (I get the posts ready for the review the night before) is probably going to be the last ultra hot day of the summer (if we’re lucky. Today it got up to 93F here if not hotter. It’s also kind of humid. We also have a lot of smoke from forest fires. So, I’ll be slaving away in a hot kitchen tomorrow – I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you for watching the show.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
Another one of the fresh varieties sent directly by Myojo USA – thank you very much! I was curious about what I saw on the package insofar as how to garnish it. Looks to be pork belly and rice cake from what I’m reading – the fish cake is fried. Hmmm… I do have some kamaboko I could fry. Yeah – I’ll try that. Let’s check this one out!
I recently got couple more varieties from Aces of their Sriracha Ramen Noodle Soup range – this lobster and an extra spicy! First, the lobster. Let’s check it out!
Here’s one that came via Exotic Noods – check ’em out and use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
Another one from the guys in California. You don’t often see revision numbers on food products, but these guys put them on there. To me, it shows they’re always striving to improve on products and upgrade them when possible. Pretty cool! Let’s give this new version a try!
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
Saw there was some neat new things going on over at Myojo USA so I contacted my friend Taku-san and he sent some great fresh varieties! I’ve had a ton of different yakisoba varieties but never have I seen a miso flavored one. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s another one I found at Asian Family Market in North Seattle at 130th & Aurora. This one is konjac and being konjac noodle, it’s exceedingly low in calories – it’s saying it’s 16 calories for 100 grams. Like I said – way low cal. Let’s check it out – by the way it’s a cold noodle!
I thought hey – it’s the last day of November – perhaps I should do a roundup of subscription boxes I regularly test out with prices and coupon codes – maybe people would like that. Well, let’s find out! I regularly get samples of four different boxes. The prices listed in the video are a snapshot from November 28th, 2021 and so could change. You can use the coupon code THERAMENRATER on any of these for a discount. If you’d like me to check out other subscription boxes that you know of, drop them a line and tell them to contact me!
So my daughter Mimi and I were at the local 99 Ranch Market and she saw this one and asked if I’d tried it. Honestly, I don’t think I have and if I have, it was over ten years ago, so looks like a good shot for a new review. I should point out that this brand, Ve Wong, isn’t pronounce ‘vee’ wong, but ‘way’ wong. Found that out in Taiwan! Let’s check it out.
I’ve seen a lot of these Yopokki variants lately and this one definitely piqued my interest and my wife loves tteokbokki and cheese – and then there’s ramen in there too! It’s a win, win, win! Found this at Asian Family Market on Aurora and 130th in North Seattle – rad store – go check it out! Let’s crack this big pack open and see what dwells within!
You know, I was going to make this review #4000 – and I thought that would be pretty darn cool. But things change and I decided not to, obviously. Well, I’m glad I made the change as this was a mukbang and the spiciness didn’t result in any screaming or anything truly noteworthy – other than this one is impressive for other reasons – let’s check it out!
Are you a slacker? Can’t think of getting your friends and family for the holidays? Well, this might save you from wanton regret and inaction that may cost you dearly… Check it out! It’s Exotic Noods! A box every month of absolutely awesome noodles from around the world! Use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
Some neat stuff here from Vietnam! I spoke with this company about nine years ago and they got back with me recently! Better late than never – they’ve got some really interesting varieties! Let’s check them out.
If you like noodles to be wide, this is for you! Biang Biang noodles are like belt noodles – very wide and have a very nice texture. Worth a look if you can find them. These came direct to me from Taiwan – let’s have a look!
The day before Thanksgiving I didn’t have anything ready to go for review, so I decided why not crank out a loaf of bread? I used Lai Noodle, a product from Hi-Lai Foods of Taiwan. They’d just sent a ton of great samples and so I thought it would be interesting to try. Here we go!
There’s a new variety of Hi-Lai noodles that just came out – Sesame Paste flavor. They sent samples of it, as well as the variety which is on this year’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time list, their original Lai Noodle. Both varieties are Vegan friendly as well! Let’s have a look.
Who’s house? Run’s house? I’m curious how this will go – it’ll either be good or bad. Let’s have a look at this one.
Here’s one I found at the local grocery store. The shoyu I tried previously wasn’t bad, so hopefully the miso will be good and not a boatload of red miso. Warning – there will be corn in this. If you’re not afraid of corn, smooth seas ahead. But if corn freaks out your tender sensibilities, turn back!
Formerly the Made In The USA list, The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time still is comprised only of varieties manufactured in the United States. This year’s list is comprised of all the best varieties from the United States in my reviews up to number 3,950. These varieties are mostly easily found as they’re not imports. Lots of great stuff to try here as well as links to find it on Amazon. I’ve also included some announcements at the bottom so make sure to check those out as well. With that, let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2022 Edition!
Yesterday we found ourselves in Bellevue and about to go home, Kit asked me if there was anywhere we should go over there before we left. I looked to see if there were any Asian grocery stores I’d not been to and found a few, but one had a name that stood out. S-Mart. Yeah – if you’re familiar with the film ‘Army Of Darkness,’ you know why this piqued my curiosity. It seemed that Korean grocery stores usually have a letter followed by the word Mart. It was only a matter of time; we have an HMart nearby, and a GMart (formerly KS Mart), and there’s more of them. Well, we decided to shop smart and shop S-Mart. That’s where I found this one – something I’ve never seen before. It always floors me – I’ve been to tons of Asian grocery stores in this area and then whammo – one that has a variety I’ve never seen around here. In fact, I found a few of them. Let’s give it a try!
Getting down there! Almost out of these Thai Chef varieties. They’ve been pretty good, too! Let’s try this chicken pillow pack version.
Big thanks to Daniel at www.exoticnoods.com for sending this one over. There’s been a noodle drought lately! Very uncool, but people have been kind enough to help! Check out Exotic Noods and use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s crack this one open and give it a try!
I’ve never made a pie before. I know they make pie crusts you don’t have to make yourself. My mom used to get them and put pudding in them and they ended up really good. I thought I’d try my hand at making a pie, but of course it’s not going to be that.
Vite Ramen is a fascinating phenomenon – instant noodles married to healthy ingredients. It’s pretty fascinating! What’s neat is they keep coming out with different versions of their products – always on a mission to improve. Well, let’s give this one a try! Don’t forget to look at the scan of the back of these below – it’s pretty impressive!
The reactions I’ve seen to this stuff range from curiosity to disgust. Personally, I find it to be something really awesome. You see, I spend a lot of time with instant noodles. A lot. When I see something like this, I see something that’s a shift. This really is a risky proposition, but the reward is high. Look at SPAM – they did pumpkin spice SPAM. Is it good? No clue – but I do have one my wife got me. This however is good and very easily obtained if you want to do the legwork. But not for long – this is only available at Walmart stores – specific ones – and so if you get on it quickly, you can enjoy some – or not. What’s nice is they’re only 88 cents apiece which is very reasonable, especially for a limited edition specialty item. Rest assured though – people will sell them for a great deal more on eBay once they disappear.
In August, Nissin announced that they would be producing a pumpkin spice flavored Cup Noodles product. This is really quite daring; very different and out of the norm, but a risk worth the reward. Pumpkin spice is an extremely popular flavor, and even for those who abhor it, it gives them reason for tantrums. Such an emotional response to something like this is worth a lot. ‘You hear they made a pumpkin spice Cup Noodles?’ ‘What? That’s ridiculous!’ Then they tell someone who tells someone – that’s gold right there. As Momofuku Ando once said ‘when you hear what consumers are saying, you’re hearing the voice of God.’
Alright – so the Nissin Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice Flavor is now appearing exclusively at Walmart stores around the country. People’s reactions have been ranging from inquisitiveness to utter disgust. If you’re inquisitive, I’ll tell you right now you should go out and get some because they’re not going to be around for long. I asked for some samples and Nissin USA sent me one. Just one. They were apologetic, but they didn’t have many left – it’s a very limited run.
I often get samples of www.japancrate.com’s Umai Crates – they’re boxes full of Japanese ramen and extras – and one of those extras are recipe cards. I thought hey – here’s an interesting one and decided to share it today. By the way if you want to get an Umai Crate, check out the Japan Crate site and use THERAMENRATER as a promo code at checkout for a discount! These would make really great holiday gifts for people who are into Asian food and culture – lots of neat stuff to find in these boxes.
It’s been a really interesting week for me! Foremost, I hit my 4000th review. Then, while I sort of expected the Top Ten Taiwan list to make the news over there, what happened is that the Taiwanese media has gone crazy with my annual global top ten list – which came out in April! Well, two Taiwanese varieties made that list and this is one of them – ultra premium tasty stuff! Let’s check it out!
This review is dedicated to my mother, whom we lost since review 3000. She is missed every day.
When I saw this variety at our local 99 Ranch Market, I definitely wanted to try it out and so I contacted the manufacturer. I was a little confused, but a lot enthused! Thai food from Taiwan? But I remembered I did have some really great Thai food while I was in Taiwan in 2017. Thai Town is a Thai restaurant in Taiwan and looks like they have some very good varieties of food to try. They, like many other restaurants, have branched out to create varieties you can make at home. This one sounds right up my alley. Thanks to the folks at Thai Town for sending some packets over! Let’s give this one a try on the cusp of my 4,000th reviews.
