Tag: noodle

Ramen Rater News

So here’s what I currently have to review – 20 different packages. I am pretty sure there should be lots more out there to pick up no problem. I still go out on my daily trips to the local asian groceries. I try to only get a single pack of noodles but it can be hard as they’re so cheap. With the advent of the city of Edmonds’ no single use plastic bag law, I had to dig out my backpack to carry things in. Irritating… ...see full post

#67: Maruchan: Ramen Noodle Soup Lime Chili Shrimp Flavor

So this looks to be one of the more exotic flavors out there as far as the more ‘domesticated’ ramens go. What I find curious is whether this is marketed towards the Hispanic or the Filipino populations. The combination of chili and lime are popular in both cultures and products marketed with a pepper and a green lime are very common. ...see full post

#54: Hua Feng Noodle Expert Spicy Instant Noodles Spicy Seafood Flavor


Hua Feng Noodle Expert: Spicy Instant Noodles – Spicy Seafood Flavor
Stars: ***
Notes: This stuff’s actually quite different – it comes in a round cake of noodles, and fits quite snugly into the cooking pot. After cooking it, it really sucks up water and basically turned into a big bowl of seafood spaghetti! Wasn’t too shabby with some roman peasant bread left over from mother’s day. ...see full post

#53: Indomie Chicken Flavour Cup Noodles


Indomie: Chicken Cup
Stars: **
Notes: A little too salty for my taste; was missing some important things like really tasty flavor and seasoning oil. I suppose that’s the trade-off when having a small cup-o-noodles style cup. However, one of the coolest things in the ramen industry is the Indomie Folding Fork, which is included. It just folds and snaps into place! Sturdy too. So yes, it’s worth it for the fork. ...see full post

#52: Indomie Chicken Curry Flavor


Indomie: Chicken Curry Flavor
Stars: ****
Notes: Ah now this stuff is classy. First off yes, it tastes like curried chicken. There’s oil, cabe [chili powder], fried onions, and bumbu sauce [the powdered base]. Another fine Indomie product to be sure. Best with a couple small pieces of BBQ pork on the side, a fried egg on top and some pickled ginger garnish. Get it here.
...see full post

#51: Indomie Curly Noodles With Grilled Chicken Flavor


Indomie: Curly Noodles With Grilled Chicken Flavor
Stars: *****
Notes: This has to be the penultimate achievement in the ramen producing world. First off, these noodles are great; they are flat and curly with an unsurpassed, fine  character. The package comes with a myriad of flavorings, including sweet soy, bumbu sauce, seasoned oil, chili powder, and finally, an extra special packet. After boiling the noodles and mixing with the seasonings in a bowl, you add 1/2 a cup of boiling water to this packet and stir – it’s a soup base. This stuff is really good – especially when you put two fried eggs on top of the ramen, then pour it over slowly. Fried shallots on top of that with a bit of shedded pickled ginger makes the scene complete. I can’t recommend any ramen more than this one. This is top! Get it here.
...see full post

#45: Indomie Mi Goreng Sate Satay Fried Noodles


Indomie: Satay Fried Noodles
Stars: *****
Notes: This is the stuff that really got me into ramen. First off, five seasoning packets.
Second, by displaying sunny side up eggs on the packaging, I of course had to
try it for breakfast and quite enjoyed it. This is truly the alpha and omega of
the ramen hunter’s holy grail. The first ramen I found that required the noodles
be drained, then added to the dry bowl with the seasonings/oils and stirred. An
extremely spiritual experience. Get it here.
...see full post

#44: Indomie Rasa Ayam Spesial Special Chicken

NOTE – there is an updated re-review of this pack – much better! 12/09/2011


Indomie: Special Chicken
Stars:****
Notes: Beats the living hell out of the domesticated ‘Top Ramen Chicken’ flavor. Although it does lack a soup base as do all of Indomie’s products but the special curlies, it’s very chickeny and great with eggs and even better with a bit of chicken. Get it here.
...see full post

#43: Kim Ve Wong Brand Jaopai Series Vegetarian Instant Noodles Mixed Flavor Bowl


Kim Ve Wong Brand Jaopai Series: Vegetarian Instant Noodles Mixed Flavor Bowl Stars: ZERO
Notes: Never thought it possible to give a zero star rating to noodles, but this one gets it for sure. Sometimes, the noodles I try are almost too hot to eat, but I eat them anyways. However, these noodles weren’t at all palatable; they were horrid. A bowl with a retort pouch and a sesame oil packet and base. Very nasty, due to the low quality retort pouch innards. I wouldn’t wish this stuff on my worst enemy. Perhaps tasting the food they make prior to allowing it to leave the factory might be a good tip.
...see full post

#42: Ve Wong Kung Fu Chicken Flavor


Kung Fu: Chicken Flavor Stars: *
Notes: Well, as far as this stuff goes, I can truthfully say NOTHING SPECIAL GPING ON HERE. I really was hoping I would be able to beat up bad guys and work it like Jackie Chan after eating it, but this was not even remotely the case. Basically a bowl of chicken flavor noodles. Very much like your standard Americanized noodles you’d find in a big supermarket. ...see full post

#41: Little Cook Pork & Mustard Stem Bowl


Little Cook: Pork & Mustard Stem Bowl Stars: 1/2
Notes: This stuff is bad – very bad. Boasting great flavor because of fresh meat and
vegetables [retort pouch], the freshness wasn’t there. As with many bowl noodles,
the ramen’s quality is overlooked and the retort pouch is added. The pok was
spongy, like wet pork rinds and had a bitter, almost sour coffee taste. ...see full post

#38: Lucky Me! Pancit Canton Citrus Flavor


Lucky Me: Pancit Canton Citrus Flavor
Stars: ***
Notes: This was something new for sure – citrus ramen? Well, it didn’t taste all that
extremely fruity. I ate it without any adulterants [veggies, chicken, eggs etc]
and found it to be quite good – was like the way lemon juice highlights a good
salmon dish. Was definitely lime juice doing all the marketing here. ...see full post

#37: Lucky Me! Pancit Canton Hot Chili Flavor


Lucky Me: Pancit Canton Hot Chili Flavor
Stars: ***
Notes: I was quite ill with horrible seasonal allergies when I tried this flavor, but
it was about perfect. What I found odd was that since ramen packs that
say hot chili usually live up to the name – not this one – not hot at all. I
suppose it could be due to the fact that I was sick and couldn’t taste much… ...see full post

#36: Lucky Me! Itnok Chicken & Egg Flavor Nutrition Noodles


Lucky Me: Itnok
Stars: ***
Notes: This is some really decent stuff. A very tasty chicken broth and very curious noodles round out this small bag. It seems this may be a children’s style of ramen also. I wonder what Itnok means – could it be the sound of the chicken emoting sheer joy being told it will be ground into a flavorful spice sack and packaged with a smiling likeness of itself? I’m hoping so, as if it were an unhappy chicken, Bock Bagok would be the name, ...see full post

#34: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Shrimp Flavor


Maruchan: Noodle Soup – Shrimp Flavor
Stars: **

Notes: I don’t know why, but the ramen companies that cater to the U.S. customer really dropped the ball here – there’s only one packet and the noodles are of very poor quality. However, this type of ramen’s saving grace is it’s ability to be used to make a bastardized version of ‘Spaetzel,” a Scandinavian dish. Get it here.
...see full post

#32 & #33: Koka Mi Hai Cua Crab Flavor and Prawn Flavor


Mi Hai: Crab Flavor and Prawn Flavor Stars: *** 1/2
Notes: This is some really decent stuff – not a whole lot to it, but definitely tastes like crab and prawn.
The noodles are better than expected too. One note though, it does tend to give me extremely bad
heartburn. I don’t like that. ...see full post

#31: Myojo Ippeichan Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles


Myojo: Ippeichan Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles
Stars: ****
Notes: This stuff was way cool – it comes in a box with four seasoning packets. So ya take em’ out and fill it up to the line with boiling water for 3 minutes. Then, you drain it [the lid has very keen drain spouts] and mix in the flavors. There’s vegetables, nori, soba sauce and this very odd packet of mustard mayonnaise. Wish that Dijonnaise tasted half as good. So yeah – very good box of ramen, and lives up to it’s claim of being Japanese style. [AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B0028PDFQG”]
...see full post

#29: Namchow Mee-Jang Tom Yum Shrimp Bowl


Namchow: Tom Yum Shrimp Bowl Stars: *** 1/2
Notes: Just polished it off a minute ago. Not extremely complicated but a very satisfying bowl.
Upon opening the packaging, the consumer is greeted by two small but very clear pouches
of which one contains a mix of chili oil/seasoning oil, and the other a base with
dehydrated meat ad vegetables. After leaving it to steep with some boiling water, the
end product is a bowl full of bright red broth and some really greasy noodles. Wasn’t a
really hot bowl; on the contrary, it was very citrussy flavored. But very very greasy. I
can’t begin to describe how greasy it is! A worthy bowl of noodles on it’s own. ...see full post