A big thank you again to Pher Engi for sending these all the way from Australia – much appreciated!!! To be honest, I’m curious what this will taste like. Soy sauce flavor? Not a clue. I guess only one way to find out!
Tag: oriental
#4525: Nissin Top Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup – United States
Back in mid 2018, I reviewed this right after their ‘new recipe’ change for review #2910. Around that time, it seemed that US manufacturers decided to change the product names of economy pillow packs that were initially known as ‘Oriental’ flavor to Soy Sauce. The term ‘Oriental’ has come under fire in recent years, hence the change. What does Oriental mean? Basically it derives from Latin, meaning ‘of the east’ – the opposite being Occidental being ‘of the west.’ From what I’ve gathered from running the Ramen Junkie facebook group for a while as this has come up from time to time is that many things and businesses will use the term; ‘insert city name here’ Oriental Market for example, however it isn’t a term to be used for people, at least that’s what I found. I read an L.A. Times article about this very subject that I thought was very interesting – you can read it here. One particular quote from the author I found fascinating was ‘A funny thing I noticed is that my Caucasian colleagues, not my Asian colleagues, are most eager to remove Oriental from public discourse.’
Re-Review: Myojo Ippei-chan Yomise-No Yakisoba Oriental Flavor With Mayonnaise – Japan
I was contacted by a reader recently asking about this one. I told him hey – maybe I’l re-review it for you. So, here we are. Oriental flavor? I’m leaning towards shio yakisoba as it’s very blue, but people in export markets may not be familiar with sho. Well, let’s see what can be done.
#3463: Wai Wai Brand Oriental Style Instant Noodles – Thailand
Okay so there’s Wai Wai in Thailnd, then Wai Wai in India, which I suspect is an exponentially larger affair. However I think they are part of the same company. It’s uncanny – Thai instant noodle companies have names with repeating syllables.
#3394: Nissin Top Ramen Soy Sauce Bowl – United States
This is the third and final variety of the new Top Ramen bowls – Soy Sauce. Originally called oriental flavor, Nissin decided to change it over to soy sauce flavor. It’s kind of interesting; I’ve been to Asia a handful of times and seen the term oriental all over the place, however here in the states I’ve heard of some discontent with the term, possibly the impetus for this change. Anyways, let’s give this one a try!
#3349: No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix – Canada
Hey look – another one found at the Real Canadian Superstore up in Richmond, BC! It’s been over a month since we visited our wonderful northern neighbors. I really like Canada. It’s like a totally different country! Hoping next time we go we leave early enough to go to some shopping then head over to Stanley park. That place is neat – a beautiful park in Vancouver. Anyways, yeah – I like Canada! Let’s give this beefy beff a try.
#2910: Nissin Top Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
Well would you look at that! Top Ramen. An American original. You might be thinking ‘aww that’s Japanese,’ but this stuff is as American as it gets. The flavor is made to appeal to the local market. What bums me out is when I say ‘an American original’ all I can think about is my favorite political show which is no more. My dad used to watch The McLaughlin Group for years and I finally hit an age after he was gone that I checked it out and got hooked on it. I’d torture poor Andy and make him watch it all the time. But Dr. McLaughlin died a couple years ago, and they ended the series long run. I would be curious how it would have been if he would have stayed alive longer – how the show would be these days. Anyways, I’ve gone way off track. So soy sauce is known as Shoyu in Japan. This is a kind of Shoyu ramen. Let’s check i tout!
#2423: Ve Wong Kung-Fu Instant Oriental Noodles Soup Artificial Onion Flavor
Another one sent by Colin. I haven’t had any of this brand in quite some time! I should also say I’ve not had an onion flavor instant in quite a while too. Very curious about this one – let’s have a look! NOTE – I just was looking for info on this one and as it turned out, I reviewed it in 2010! It was review #99. I’ll still slap a new number on this one though. What’s funny is if you look at the packaging on it from back then, it says ‘New.’ It still says new! I’m sorry, but this isNOT new.
#2034: Fantastic Noodles Oriental Flavour
Here’s another one sent by Jen from Australia – thanks again! So this one’s an Australian brand. I’ve seen these around for a long time but never before have been able to get any to try. Today, it’ll be Oriental flavor. Okay, so what is Oriental flavor? Of course I should know; I’ve tried over 2,000 varieties! I’m The Ramen Rater! Well, hate to break it to you folks, but I haven’t the slightest idea what Oriental flavor is. My best guess would be a flavor that’s good, but not really definable. Another guess is a vegetarian accessible variety that shouldn’t make meat eaters say ‘eww – that’s for the plant eaters.’ What odd about this flavor is that the term Oriental evokes racist tones that offend some people from Asia. So, either the companies don’t know this or don’t care. Anyways I’m not a fan of offending people – if I ever start a noodle company this flavor won’t be on the menu. Alright enough with the pleasantries – let’s crack this cup open and see what we’ve got here.
Re-Review: MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Hot & Spicy Flavor
Just to begin with – Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!
Someone was commenting about the different between this one and a more recent review of a MAMA hot and spicy variety from Bangladesh. Then they said they ordered some on Amazon and got a different version from either of those – the Oriental Kitchen pack version! Wow – lots of different kinds. This one is more along the lines of ramyun in it’s noodles being much thicker (the kamaboko and peppers are also kind of a dead giveaway). Let’s check it out – last time I had it was for review #159!
#1952: Ve Wong Kung-Fu Brand Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Beef Flavor
Here’s one I thought would be a re-review. I was on the 99 Ranch Market noodle aisle and though ‘hey this would be an interesting one to check out to test my new camera setup.’ Well as it turns out, I’ve never reviewed this one – very strange! As for my new camera setup, it’s been a rough go. I’ve never used DSLR in the past – only point and shot. It’s a pretty steep learning curve and the first day I had this thing I was ready to chuck it out the window! But after some time I’m starting to get the hang of it. Lightbulbs, lenses, f-stops, ISO settings and shutter speeds. It’s a lot to juggle and I still don’t think I’ve found the sweet spot yet. But I’m still working on it! Anyways, let’s check out the interesting looking beef variety from Taiwan.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1333: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Oriental Flavor
I asked my wife to pick today’s variety and she picked this one. I was thinking – what is Oriental flavor? Well, the French version tells us. I tried Google’s auto translate and it thought it was Spanish for ‘nice.’ In French, bonito means bonito. So, what does bonito mean? Simple.
#1015: Tradition Oriental Style Ramen Noodle Soup
It’s amazing; can go to a supermarket nearby and find something new! This one’s a Kosher instant from Tradition. It also looks to be vegetarian. I was asked if I could mention if an instant contained meat products or not, so I think I’ll be doing that.
#1009: Western Family Instant Noodles In A Cup Oriental
Here’s another that we got in Canada on my birthday. Here in the area I live, Western Family is a store brand, but never have I seen an instant noodle of theirs. Honestly, I haven’t seen any store brand instants here – not that they don’t exist. Well, let’s check out these noodles in a cup!
#944: Wai Wai Brand Oriental Style Instant Noodles (Dry Version)
I reviewed this one years back – in the first 50 reviews. Back then I reviewed it as a soup. Recently, it was brought to my attention that these could be made in a different way – drained. Sure enough, on the back of the package are instructions on how to make them this way. I have deemed this worthy of a new review! Here we go.
Meet The Manufacturer #889: Yamachan Ramen Rich Shoyu Ramen
This is the last of the samples I got from Yamachan Ramen! Must admit I’m sad to see them go! Very tasty fare and it’s been a lot of fun! This one’s shoyu. Let’s give it a try.
Re-Review: Ve Wong Kung Fu Artificial Chicken Flavor Instant Oriental Noodle Soup
The other day we walked over to 99 Ranch Market and my son bought some kamaboko and three packs of instant noodles. This is one of the packs he picked out.
#777: Mr. Noodles Oriental Flavour Instant Noodles
How awesome – Canadian instant noodles! Thanks go to Mark K. and Erika L. for getting these to me! I asked my wife to pick which one to try first – she said with a resounding note of certainty, “Oriental.” Indeed, it shall be the first one of these I sample.
#633: Mr. Udon Oriental Udon Noodle Seafood Selection
Assorted seasfood eh? Trout and octopus? Sardine and shrimp? Crab and sea cucumber? Not sure but Let’s find out.
#630: Ve Wong Kung-Fu Artificial Mushroom Pork Flavor Instant Oriental Noodle Soup
Here’s one that has been in the noodle bin since the trip to California my wife and son and I took in July! Time to eat. Mushroom pork just didn’t sound too good, but you know me, I have to try it.
Re-Review: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Oriental Flavor
Such a classic – almost as American as it is Japanese! Actually, this packet was made in California. Just like rival Nissin, Maruchan has a huge southern California factory. Here’s a re-review of this standard that probably everyone has had once in their lifetime.
#560: Myojo Soy Sauce Flavor Ippei-Chan Japanese Style Soup Noodles
Had a hell of a day today. Tried my bus card but it didn’t beep (figured the reader was at fault) so hopped the bus. Well, the fare cops had me get off the bus and checked out my card and it was screwed up. The fare cop said don’t worry just hop back on and get a new one at the bus station. Thinking ‘hey that went well ,” a different fare cop pulls me off the bus further down the line! Ugh. Long story short, I eventually got to the bus sttion and got a new card that won’t work for 24-48 hours… But I got to and from work and now I’m home – and hungry. This sounded especially good.
#477: Mr. Udon Oriental Udon Noodle Malaysian Beef Flavor Artificially Flavored
One of four packs I got at a Big Lots store. Pretty cheap too.
Two packets – powdered seasoning and ‘dried flake’ – veggies.
#459: Gefen Oriental Style Ramen Noodles Imitation Chicken Flavor
So here’s one I got from Ramen Rater contributor Michael M. from Staten Island, NY. He said he found some of these down the aisle with kosher foods at his grocery store. Well, let’s give it a try!
Where To Get It: OC Market Poultry & Rotisserie in Anaheim, CA
This place was awesome! Quite a few varieties of noodles I hadn’t seen before – pretty much the full line of FF bowls and even a Sunlee square bowl. Not only that, but the woman who was at the register was really nice and actually talked to us! A lot of the time at checkouts at Asian groceries I find that the people working there don’t make eye contact or even speak to us at all. One other thing – the place smelled really good – I think that it’d be an excellent place to eat in as well. Highly recommended!
#427: Koka Mi Hai Cua 2 Crab Flavour Oriental Style Instant Noodles
Look at the angry little crabs! They’re saying ‘eat the noodle soup!’ I’m agreeing with them and thusly, I portend to make said soup and have it for breakfast.
#419: Myojo Ramen-Desse-Shio Japanese Style Soup Noodles Oriental Flavor
So here’s another of these great Myojo bowls – hopefully I like this one too!
Two packets – a lot of powder and some kind of oil…
#418: iNoodle Udon Noodle Soup Oriental Style Flavor
So here’s something new from the fresh noodle section. Never heard of this brand before and looks interesting.
#412: Maruchan Midori No Tanuki Instant Soba Bowl
Okay so here’s something completely different for the most part. You’ll possibly remember my review on Maruchan’s Kitsune Udon? Well, this looks the same except its in a bowl whose label has more of a green label. I found the name after a search on Google as all I could read was Oriental Noodles. So something interesting I found was what this stuff’s title translates to – green raccoon! Here’s an except from a page on thisnext.com:
#391: Myojo Hyoubanya no Chukasoba Japanese Style Noodles Oriental Flavor
So on our recent trip to the new Bellevue Uwajimaya, we got a 5-pack of this stuff. My lady Kit really enjoyed the Myojo Charmela stuff so I thought maybe this would be something she would like too.
Re-Review: Tat Hui Koka Mi Hai Tom 2 Prawn Flavour Oriental Style Instant Noodles
So I reviewed this one a really long time ago and thought it really needed to be brought out again. I don’t even remember what score I gave it, but it’s being prepared no doubt a little different this time and so we shall see how it fares. I remember liking it a great deal.
#319: Maruchan Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
So my son is over today and he loves noodles too, so I get a bite of his and get to review it while he gets to eat it. It’s a fair deal I think! So here’s Maruchan Oriental – and yeah; it is a surprise that I haven’t reviewed it isn’t it?
#286: Myojo Hyoubanya No Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles Oriental Flavor
#255: MAMA Oriental Kitchen Spicy Seafood Cup
So here’s something new – MAMA’s Oriental Kitchen… Let’s try…
#179: MAMA Kimchi Flavour Oriental Style Instant Noodles
Some Kimchi flavor from Thailand! Should be interesting. I’m going to doctor it up today with quite a few ingredients. One thing kind of interesting is that there is currently a cabbage shortage in Korea, where Kimchi is so widely consumed. Here is an article about it – thanks for the info Kit!
#178: MAMA Clear Soup Oriental Style Instant Noodle
So some more of MAMA’s stuff. Very thin noodles – VERY thin!
Chili powder, powder and seasoned oil.
#162: Myojo Chukazanmai Japanese Style Noodles With Soup Base Oriental Flavor
So I got these noodles yesterday up the road at 99 Ranch and wow everyone else wanted to be there at the same time! Was absolutely amazing how many people were in that store all at once! Surprisingly, it took maybe 8 or so minutes to get rung up and on my way home with some nice noodles that were on sale!
#115: Ottogi Miso Ramyon Oriental Style Instant Noodle
Another package of Korean ramen. This looks interesting – Miso flavor…
This is a trip – both are powder packets. I usually see a powder and an oil but rarely two powders.
#65: Nissin Top Ramen Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
So after years of reviewing instant ramen noodles, here it is. Finally. Hold onto your coiffure taming device: oriental flavor. I have always considered this to be the most boring of all flavors as it really isn’t that adventurous. We’ll see if it stays in that realm of blandness as I review the latest instant noodles for ramenrater.com.