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The first thing I noticed about this one was toward the top where it mentioned it has real beef and real pork. I so seldom come across varieties from the Philippines that this was a real score. I think I found it up in Canada but I’m not sure. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about La Paz Batchoy real quick –
Alright so this one’s a little confusing. The bar code on this correlated with review #3035, however there are some distinct differences in the packaging. #3035 doesn’t have side panels and the lid is different. I’m unsure about this one so it’ll get a new review. Let’s give it a try!
There’s been a lot of comment in the Instant Noodles – The Ramen Rater Facebook lately concerning ramen vs pasta. This most certainly is pasta. However, a chicken macaroni soup from Malaysia definitely an interesting thing. Plus it’s instant. Let’s give it a try!
Thanks again go out to The Fat Hipster on YouTube for sending these along. This one feature a rapper that I’ve never heard of. Boosie is on the lid so you’ll see him below. Anyways, I’m hoping this is really a spicy one. Let’s find out!
This is your basic chicken instant noodle. It’s from ABC who I just did a short series on. We’ve been out of chicken lately and this morning I ducked out of the rain into the store and got some. $1.99/lb! That’s not bad, really. Let’s chicken it up!
You might be saying ‘gosh, you’re reviewing a lot of Sau Tao stuff!’ Well, yes I am – as I have a lot of different varieties in a couple boxes in our bedroom currently. I’m trying to review things that are big to shrink things down so they’ll fit in the hampers.
The second of three new single pack varieties from Hakubaku. They’re a pretty neat company – they’ve sent me lots of different products. One I’ve really liked is their Mochi Barley. They also make barley tea as well. The ramen I’ve tried before, but not this specific flavor – it’s brand new! Let’s give it a try!
Well, this appears to be the last of the Peruvian contingent I’ve had on hand. Thanks to the reader that sent it in! So this is basically a chicken noodle soup variety and sounds pretty nice for today. Got chicken thawing right now and so it should be a nice diversion. Let’s give it a go!
Here’s one fro Jame in Lakeside, CA – thanks again! This is an interesting one – oatmeal soup? Hmm!
This is one that came from a My Ramen Box. My Ramen Box (www.myramenbox.com) is yet another of the ramen subscription boxes out there and features varieties from around the world as well as neat little add-ons. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for 50% off your first box!
Today’s the third and last say I’ll be reviewing three varieties brought to me from Israel by my brother Moshe. I didn’t know I had a brother until I took an Ancestry DNA kit my wife got for me (I was kind of hoping I might be 1% Asian descent, but that was most certainly not the case). Well, I got to see him for the second time in person yesterday, and this visit, our mother came and visited with him as well – something we never had expected. He was adopted in 1955 and my sister and I didn’t know anything about it – so this is a big deal for us!
This one came in a special ‘First Taste Club’ box from Nissin Foods USA – pretty snazzy. So, what’s the big deal? Well, it’s Top Ramen, in a bowl. It also comes with vegetables. It also comes with… teriyaki sauce? I’m very curious about this one – let’s cook it up and ruminate on this…
I can’t thank my readers enough. When one went on a visit to Europe and kept updating m on varieties he’d found and asked if I wanted to try hem while I was there – that’s really jumbling. Thank you! This is from Spain. Barbecue chicken flavor. Let’s give it a go!
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!
This came by way of Robert over at www.dadbert.com – thanks! I’ve never seen hide nor hare of this variety ever before – anywhere. Test market in Kentucky? Perhaps. It looks like these are a meat version of the Very Veggie really; lots of meat instead of vegetables. My thought – screw it – I mean put lots of meat AND vegetables in there. In fact, screw that – do a retort pooch with meat and vegetables – now you’re talking! Nissin – you’re here in the United States already – use real meat! Retort pouches are the salvation – they shall bring a whole new age to the domestic instant noodle industry in America! At least that’s my vision. Let’s check it out!
Here’s the second of the two initial varieties of the Momosan Ramen range from Sapporo Ichiban. These feature a collaboration with Iron Chef Morimoto , one is a tonkotsu and this is the Tokyo Chicken. Let’s crack into it and give it a try!
Here’s something really cool thanks to one of you great and kind readers! This came from Chris of Pennsylvania. He recently took a trip to Europe and got me some noodles – totally didn’t have to do that, so it is much appreciated – thank you! Let’s crack open this box and have a look inside!
It’s been so long since I’ve seen a Nongshim product that’s been in an individual pack I’ve not tried it’s making my head spin. I used to get samples from them all the time, but not in quite a while. I miss them! I found this at a Fred Meyer store in Lynnwood, Washington last night! This looks like an interesting new concept for them – make it wet or dry. The name was a little confusing to me at first – I thought it was just called Pop then looked a little closer and thought Pot Por Pan? Ahhh – Pot OR Pan.. That makes more sense. I think I’m going to try pot today. Let’s check it out!
This one might be a bit of a surprise to you – insofar that I haven’t reviewed it, that is. Well, two other brand have these ‘bowl noodle’ style products from South Korea as well. This is Samyang’s entry into the fray of this form factor and style. Don’t get me wrong – one that’s been popular for years is their Yukgaejang bowls which look almost identical – except the name. They recently sent a bunch of these in different flavors – let’s give chicken a try!
Found this one up in Canad at a market in Richmond, BC called China World. I’ll be the first to admit that I like chicken, but abalone just isn’t my thing usually. Hopefully this one will be pretty good. Let’s find out!
So it happened. A date night. These are pretty rare for us and a lot of fun! So we decided to give another ramen joint a try. Tonight, it’s Jinya Ramen Bar in Bellevue, Washington.
The second review in this series was the bowl version of this one. Steeping vs non-steeped. Let’s take a look!
Well, here we are again. I goit one of these bowls a long time ago and guess what happened? I opened the retort pouch and spilled it all over my leg and on the floor! Was crushed; hard to find this one and I had only one of them. Egad! Luckily, TTL sent all of these for Meet The Manufacturer (thank you again!) and now I can give it another go. I should note I didn’t spill anything this time – let’s give it a go!
I thought I ought to start at the beginning. I’m pretty sure this and the rice wine spring chicken varieties are the first that TTL shared with the world and it just made sense to go with those to begin Meet The Manufacturer. Here’s a little about Shaoxing wine, featured in this variety from Wikipedia –
When I think of rice wine, my mind immediately goes to sake from Japan. I was surprised to find that there are many different kinds of rice wine – here’s a pretty extensive list from Wikipedia –
Interview with TTL * Product Samples from TTL (1 of 2) * Product Samples from TTL (2 of 2) * TTL Hua-Diao Dongpo Braised Pork Instant Noodle * TTL Sesame Oil Chicken Flavor With Rice Wine Instant Noodle * TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle * TTL Spring Chicken With Hua-Diao Liquor Instant Noodle * TTL Hua Diao Pickled Vegetable Beef Instant Noodle * TTL Carbonara White Wine Carbonara Instant Noodle * TTL Spring Chicken With Hua-Diao Liquor Instant Noodle * TTL Sesame Oil Chicken Flavor With Rice Wine Instant Noodle * TTL Pickled Vegetable Beef With Hua-Diao Liquor Instant Noodle
I know a lot of people are really into Trader Joe’s. What I’ve seen is that they find brands and products they think would be good with their packaging and then get the company that makes it to do a private label for them and sells it under their name. I think that’s what it looks like here. In fact, maybe these should be known not as Trader Joe’s but Trader Mike’s – as everything looks about the same as this one. Yup – I’m pretty sure these are made by Mike’s Mighty Good. Anyways, let’s have a look and give it a try!
Today I review the last of the three Vite Ramen varieties. The first two were quite good and actually quite fascinating! Definitely something different – and good different. Let’s check out the third variety from Vite Ramen – Soy Sauce Chicken.
This one was sent by Robert Z. over at www.dadbert.com – he’s a good friend of mine who has just entered the blogging world with his really technical and awesome cooking recipes – be sure to check out his site! Anyways, he found this one in Kentucky, and I suspect this is a test market for these. They’re not mentioned anywhere to speak of, and so I wanted to give these a try as soon as possible. This new line looks to have a LOT of meat in there! Let’s crack it open and take a look.
Here’s another of the Russian varieties that were found in Uzbekistan and sent by the kind folks at halalfoodblog.com – thank you! They’re in Singapore – so to sum up: Some nmice Singaporean folks visited Uzbekistan and found Russian instant noodles then mailed them to me here in the United States. Truly a well-traveled pack of noodles! Let’s take a look!
Here’s the last of the three new Big Bowl varieties Samyang Foods sent me. As you can see, they are big bowls. Also, you might be thinking ‘hey – this doesn’t look like a very South Korean variety!’ Well, this is what is called an export variety. Let’s take a look!
Okay – guess where I got these? Yeah – Canada. At the Real Canadian Superstore. These are made in Bangladesh. So, are they a Bangladesh product, or something geared this way for Canada. This is always a tricky thing for me to figure out and ultimately, I have to just pick. The pack mentions that it’s a product of Bangladesh and has many languages, however the Nutrition Facts are designed for Canada – in English and French. So I’m going to go with this is an export product and labeled just for Canada, but it’s not made in Canada. One thing also to note is the absence of Canadian mentions – made by so-and-so for insert Canadian company here. Usually, this would make it Bangladesh, but then there’s the bar code – it’s a 12 instead of 13 digits. Leaning Canadian again. But then if you look at the commercial at the bottom, this package is in English instead of the local language. I’m slapping a Bangladesh label on it. Let’s check it out.
Found this one at the Real Canadian Superstore in Richmond, BC. Was impressed – ended up with a ton of varieties from there. Kind of like a super Walmart but real and Canadian! Well, these are called No Name so that’s kind of funny. Let’s check ’em out!
This pack comes by way of Artur P. and his kids Vincent and Xavier of Illinois – thank you again! This is the first Ukrainian instant noodle I’ve ever reviewed! I know there are a lot of different varieties from Ukraine but just like other European varieties, they’re very hard to come by for me. Let’s open this spicy chicken pack up and have a look inside this РОЛЛТОН (Rollton) variety!
Got an email from Blount Fine Foods the other day about a new product they’ve got – Beef Pho! It was packed on ice and sent overnight – so I had to open it as quickly as possible. Let’s check it out!
On August 25th, 1958, Momofuku Ando’s mission of creating the instant noodle was complete. Today we mark the 60th anniversary of the birth of its invention.
Here’s another one that was sent by a University student working on her master’s thesis. She asked me to review a set of six instant noodle varieties by Vedan. Sure! I’ve tried this before in an export version and really didn’t like it. Let’s give this local variety a try.
Here’s another neat one from Zenpop.JP. Thank you! So Zenpop has all sorts of monthly boxes including ramen boxes. Nine instant ramen in one box for a good price – check ’em out and use coupon code RAMENRATER at checkout for a discount! Here’s what they had to say about this one –
Yesterday, I needed a new pair of pants. I’m not into ultra fashionable stuff – like paying $100 for jeans, so we went to Walmart. Walmart is an interesting place – you’ll see some interesting people there – especially at the one in Lynnwood, Washington. When we got out of the car, there was the sound of some guy at the other side of the parking lot screaming obscenities at someone or some thing – unsure. But that was entertaining. In the store, we g ot to see a lady with a very small dog barking at everyone and every thing ( apparently, if you have an ’emotional support’ dog you can bring it with you, but this dog needed emotional support and was definitely not providing it for anyone). I did get some new pants, and they were extremely cheap. $16 for pants. It’s been a while since we’ve been to Walmart so I thought a trip down the domestic instant noodle aisle might be in order. Surprisingly, they had a very small amount of them, however they did have this pack. Creamy Chicken has been one of my absolute favorites for a very, very long time. I am curious to see whether or not they’ve changed the recipe as that seems to be a popular thing to do in the US instant noodle market right now. Let’s crack open this new package design and give it a try!
Okay so this one was found up in Canada at China World. It was apart from the instant noodles and looked really odd where it was sitting to be honest. So let’s crack it open and give it a try.
