The Definitive Source For Instant Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Udon is a very popular noodle in Japan and around the world. It’s characterized by being really thick. My wife’s a big fan of udon – they’re her favorite noodles! But what is katsuo dashi? Well, katsuo is the Japanese name for Skipjack tuna, a variety which is popular all over Asia. Dashi on the other hand is a little less simple. Here’s what Wikipedia had to say
Thought a neat one to start with would be this. It’s kind of like a twist on yakisoba and spaghetti and sounded really neat. Let’s have a look!
A week or so ago, Yuji contacted me with a tracking number – samples were on the way! I saw the mailman drive by and ran outside and got this package.
Interview With Takamori Kosan * Product Samples From Takamori Kosan * Takamori Tomato Spaghetti Napolitan * Takamori Katsuo Dashi Udon * Takamori Yaki-Udon Mild Spicy Sauce * Takamori Yakisoba * Takamori Shio Yakisoba * Takamori Chanpon * Takamori Curry Udon * Takamori Hiyashi Chuka Lemon Sauce * Takamori Futomen Yakisoba * Takamori Hiyashi Udon Bonito Sauce * Takamori Yaki-Udon Roast Soy Sauce * Takamori Sukiyaki Style Noodle Stew * Takamori Red Pepper & Garlic Peperoncino
Here’s one that came to me by way of Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thanks! Spicy garlic – that sure sounds good! This pack hold four little blocks. The blocks have the flavoring infused into the noodles! Let’s check it out!
Well folks, it’s that time again. Since the last list, I’ve reviewed another 335 varieties – almost one a day This list reflects the ones I’ve reviewed in the last year as well as those reviewed before that – 1,365 varieties in all. It seems to get tougher each time – so many good ones! Here’s this year’s list – the best of the best. With that, I present to you The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition.
Here’s a neat one I got at Fujiya up in Richmond, BC during this year’s birthday trip! This is a snack ramen – basically cooked and dried ramen that’s crunchy and tasty! I really like finding new ones to try as eventually I’m thinking a top ten list of snack ramen noodles will be produced. Anyways, let’s have a look!
Here’s some more noodles I picked up last July in Canada. It’s been a while now, so I’ll tell you the story of the July trip. I saw a blog post from a guy up in Vancouver, BC who was talking about my top ten list. He had a really neat little graphic icon that looked cool, so I tried to figure out where it was from. Finally, he was the one who let me in on it. It was a graphic someone had made of my top ten list! I was curious to find out where it had come from…
A co-worker named Joan at my wife’s work recently went to Hawaii and went out of her way to find something I hadn’t tried yet! She looked through the Big List and lo and behold, I hadn’t tried this chow mein! Thank you very much! These are fresh noodles, usually found in the cold section. They’re also a broth free variety. You might be more familiar with them as yakisoba, a noodle dish that can be found at little teriyaki joints all over. Let’s give this a try!
I’ll admit when I first saw the packaging, I thought this stuff was called Spaz! I kind of wish it was as that would be exceedingly humorous, but I digress… This is Tarako Spaghetti; so what is tarako? Wikipedia tells us:
I can honestly say that I want to eat ramen. Every day. Well, if not ramen, ramyun, udon, mi goreng, mee and every other kind of instant noodle out there! It’s fun! Sometimes it’s hard to decide which one to review though, and so my wife was kind enough to pick one out of the bin and toss it to me this morning – and this is it. Let’s have a look! Most people here in the US think of Maruchan as making their instant packs and ‘Instant Lunch’ cups, but they make a varied line of products over in Japan with more traditional flavors from the region. But to start things off before any reviewing, today is Valentine’s Day – happy Valentine’s Day to all! My wife Kit and I spent a special day yesterday in Seattle yesterday…
This one was sent to me by Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thank you again! Curry – and cheese? Been very curious about this one, that’s for sure. I like curry a lot – one of the flavors that’s always strong and varies so much from culture to culture. Let’s see how it pairs with cheese and noodles in this cup.
I got an email a few weeks back from a fellow named Hikaru T. from Courrier Japon magazin. He was interested in doing an article about my Top Ten list and asked if that’d be alright. I usually ask for a couple copies of the finished product and some cool instant noodle from the country where the magazine is. Well, he said okay and so here is the box that arrived today!
Hey check this happy looking guy out! I’m thinking he’s happy because today’s my sister’s birthday! Happy Birthday Sue! This looks like one she’d probably like. Last year, I made her some birthday noodles – maybe I’ll see if she wants to have some again this year! The happy guy on the package’s name is Kumamon, a mascot that the government of Kumamoto, Japan invented. Let’s check these out.
Momofuku Ando (安藤 百福) – (March 5, 1910 – January 5, 2007)
Today is January 19th, 2014 – and you know what that means? Momofuku Ando Day! In 1958, Momofuku Ando invented the very first instant noodles and started Nissin Foods. I do a special video every year to commemorate the occasion (see below). First, here’s what the Nissin Foods USA website has to say about the man:
It’s only a few days until Momofuku Ando Day, and what better time to introduce the very first Japanese Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list? In 1958, Momofuku Ando initially brought these convenient products to the world. At first seen as an overpriced novelty, they’ve grown in popularity; 100 billion instant noodle products were enjoyed in 2012! Here are my favorites, manufactured in the instant noodle’s birthplace of Japan.
This one came by way of Courtnay N. of British Columbia, Canada – thanks! Got help translating from Scott A. – thank you! This looks like an interesting one – let’s check it out!
I’ve been really wanting to review this one before now but I decided to do it for the Christmas review quite a while back. I don’t usually barge in with a different review during Meet The Manufacturer, but it’s Christmas so here it is. The ABC President Meet The Manufacturer will continue after Christmas. For now, let’s check out this cup. I’ve had cups that have come with little doo dads before; a ticket for a contest, a sticker, a little card… But this is something completely different. A little model kit! Let’s check it out!
Wow thank you to Scott A. and Mari S. for help in translating the name of this one! Making this one for the kid – he’s unsure about it, but hopefully he’ll want to eat it! Let’s check it out.
Was digging through the box today and decided I’d better get on this one. I couldn’t really find a lot about it other than the Google translation from Nissin Japan’s site. It mentions something about being special for the rainy season. Also mentions seaweed. Let’s give it a try!
Wow a noodle review on Thanksgiving? Yeah – although I did it yesterday and scheduled it to auto-post… Rest assured as you read this I’m probably helping make Thanksgiving dinner up at my mom’s. Sesame ramen eh? I bet turkey would go good with it… I’ll do some kind of turkey recipe soon. Let’s check this one out.
Wow look at that! Huge, isn’t it? This is probably the largest noodle package I’ve ever seen! It was sent by the folks in Japan at God Of Patena. Let’s see what’s in this mega ramen package!
Here’s one I got early this year the MBS TV station sent to me after I did the God Of Patena TV show! Thanks again – hope to be on again someday! Let’s check it out!
This was sent by Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thank you! She offered to find a Pokemon cup for my son but couldn’t find one, so this is an Ultraman cup! Awesome! It’s really small – smallest sized noodle cup I’ve tried yet! Let’s check it out!
I asked my wife Kit if she’d pick which instant I’d review today. Well, this is what she picked! We got it at Uwajimaya in Seattle in July at some point (the reason I know that is because the first review I did of this brand was July 20th). I used to end up with a big haul of new stuff every time I’d hit Uwajimaya, but these days they’re a little farther and fewer between. What’s great about these is that they’re much like the first instant noodle I ever got at Uwajimaya a long time ago, just smaller. Let’s check it out!
Yakisoba is great but add some mayo with wasabi? Man that sounds really good! Let’s have a look at this one!
Hey this looks really good! It’s a foggy day here and I can hear the ships out in the sea blowing their horns in the distance. Time for seafood! Let’s check this one out!
Review #1200! Wow – only 800 to go to #2000! By the way if you’ve got a second, can you vote for The Ramen Rater in the Best of Western Washington contest? Trying to get first place in the food blog category! Here’s the link. So here’s an interesting one I picked up in Canada. Took a bit of figuring to tell what it was for sure – let’s check it out!
Robert F. of Hoboken, NJ was kind enough to send one of these – thanks! Very curious how it will be… Only one way to find out!
Here’s another one from Scott over at Nissin USA – thanks! These are neat little cups. They’re made in the EU for the European market. Let’s check it out!
Here’s one sent from Japan by Ichiro Yamoto of Yakantei! Thank you! This one was a little tricky to translate – I want to thank Courtnay N. of Canada and Mari S. of Tennessee! Tan tan men is more widely known as dandanmian. It heralds from China and is named after a pole street vendors would use to carry their wares. It’s usually a spicy broth with oil and minced pork affair. After some research, I figured out who the woman on the lid is. She’s part of AKB48 – here’s what Wikipedia says about them:
Here’s another one from the folks at Record China news in Japan – thank you! My son is a really big fan of Pokemon. He’s got every one’s name, what they evolve into and all Pokemon lore stuffed in that PokeDex brain of his! If any of you reading have kids that like Pokemon, you know of what I speak. Well, I’ve wanted to get some Pokemon noodles for him and this is the first! I know there are more out there and hopefully I’ll find them sooner or later! Let’s check it out!
Here’s one that my friend Scott A. sent me – thanks again! Been a long time since I’ve had any of the Chukazanmai varieties – fancy shmancy stuff – let’s check this one out!
I did an interview with a news agency in Japan recently called Record China –
They sent a box of amazing goodies from Japan I’ve been hoping to finbd for a while!
Here’s one my lovely wife got me during a birthday trip to Richmond, BC on my birthday! I really like this packaging; very retro! Let’s check it out!
This one was sent to me by the folks at MBS TV in Japan after my appearance on “God Of Patena.” Thanks! This one is interesting; it has a squarish shaped cup! Let’s check it out.
First I want to thank Ken P. from twitter and Mari S. on facebook for help withe translation! Donbei is a kind of personalized donburi. The east is usually more of a salty flavor than the west as well. Many little difference! Pretty neat! Let’s have a look.
Here’s another I got at T&T Supermarket up in Canada recently. This one’s frozen! Chanpon is a special thing; seafood and pork are sauteed and special ramen noodles and a little broth is added. Sounds awesome – let’s check it out.
Here’s one I received from Mika in California – thank you! I really like yakisoba and this looks interesting. I read that this is considered ‘the soul food of Japan’ – let’s check it out!
A reader named Mika from California contacted me long ago about a variety I hadn’t reviewed.
