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This is one found during a Saturday hunt for more varieties for review. Found it at a store called S-Mart in Bellevue, Washington (yeah like in Army Of Darkness!). This is one by the same company that actually sent me a pallet – 400lbs of samples!!! Let’s check it out and give it a try!
Lots of people enjoy bowls full of noodles from around the world. They often come with a utensil, and all you need it hot water. For a quick meal, they’re hard to beat insofar as convenience. Some bowls however go above and beyond a utilitarian sense and are truly gourmet. This list is comprised of my favorite bowl varieties from all reviews up to #4120. All scoring is done prior to garnish being added. Do you want me to review something I haven’t? Drop me a line! With that, let’s peruse my top picks on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2022 Edition!
Today, we combine a noodle made in Hong Kong with a broth concentrate from the United States. I decided this would be a great venue to try out the homemade chashu we made this weekend – I’ll include the recipe in a video below as well. Let’s give this combo a try!
After one very turbulent year, The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time is back. My mother died, we had an auto accident, the kids missed in-person schooling, and of course the pandemic. It’s been a really rough go but we’re back. Vaccines are rolling out everywhere and hopefully we can all get back together someday son. One thing I’ve found inspiration and enjoyment from during these times is a book I’d been hoping to find was sent to me by a noodle company exec called Momofuku Ando Speaks. It’s a book of quotes (kind of like the Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition if you’re a Star Trek fan) by the inventor of the instant noodle. I’ve been reading one on my show Instant Noodle Recipe Time every day – a lot of fun and a very interesting perspective. Little things like that have been really important as of late. Today, I’m proud to announce the show hits its 1000th episode!
Hey this sounds great – spicy seafood! I’m in; let’s give it a try!
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains scallop. To prepare, boil noodle for 4 minutes in 500ml water. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Was going through the box of remaining Sau Tao varieties and found this one last night. The others (shallot and chili) were both really great so curious that original means – maybe soy sauce? Let’s find out!
Today we’ve got another variety from Hong Kong’s Sau Tao. This one pairs the super tasty Tom Yum Kung with their Instant Noodle King noodles – which are really good. Let’s take a look.
I’m really not a mushroom fan, so I thought I’d see how much I disliked the variety. It’s pretty rare there’s a mushroom instant that I actually like, but it has happened… Let’s check this one out!
I had this one a while back but the packaging was a little different, so this one gets a new review. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the laksa and ton yum kung flavor profiles coming from Sau Tao – so much that they’ve been on the Top Ten for 2 years now. What’s more is they pair them with a myriad of noodle varieties. Let’s do up some laksa!
Time for more lobster from Sau Tao! This is one of the many varieties that came to my door a couple of months ago on a pallet. Yes, a pallet. Four hundred pounds of noodles. That’s a lot! Let’s crack it open and have a look.
Still have a ton of these varieties of Sau Tao noodles. This one features a huge pack of noodles with two blocks. Made in a process that includes soda water which causes the noodles to end up quite large. Let’s check ’em out!
I like how the characters have wheels! This is another one of the ‘trolley noodle’ varieties – still unsure what kind of trolley they’re referring to. Let’s give it a try.
Decided to start off the week with a couple Sau Tao varieties today (you should be seeing the second one tomorrow). They sent a ton for a Meet The Manufacturer series (okay, not a literal ton – just 400lbs of samples). Let’s check out their QQ Rice Vermicelli!
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.
This yeah has just been rough – for everyone I know. After the hardest part of it for me – the passing of my mother – I took a week off from walking after doing 1,000,000 steps on my Fitbit in June and dove in to working on top ten lists. I did four of them, all current as of review 3545. This list hasn’t been updated since 2017. I’ll be rolling out lists here and there for the next couple of months and maybe do this again a little ways down the road. Here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition.
Recently, I finished a Meet The Manufacturer series with Sau Tao. They shipped a whole pallet of samples of a myriad of different styles and varieties. A PALLET! Well, the upshot is that I still have so many different styles and varieties to review! Here is one of them.
Yeah I know – just did a Meet The Manufacturer series with Sau Tao. But they send a ton of different varieties and they’re taking up room in the bedroom so Going to be fitting a couple in every few days until I’ve gone through all of those too I think. It’s spicy time – let’s give these a try!
We come today to the last of this series for now. It’s crazy though – I have so many more varieties I still need to get to that I think I’ll be switching back and forth with them for a bit o time honestly. This one’s hot and sour – let’s give it a try.
Still just surprised with all the different varieties. Here’s a nice wide-style noodle from Hong Kong – Let’s cook some up!
There are so many varieties these folks make and I’m glad because this has been one of the most varied Meet The Manufacturer series yet. This is a flavor however I could revisit with a different noodle pairing repeatedly with enjoyment, as well as their Tom Yum Kung. Laksa is a tasty thing! Let’s make this one and see how this pairing goes as we march towards review 4000.
Pork rib flavor, eh? I think I tried this one previously but prepared it incorrectly (hey, it happens – I’m not perfect). By previously I am thinking at least five years if not seven… I think it’s time for a new number and a revisit, don’t you?
I’m still just amazed how many different styles of noodles this company has – they sent so many! This is a unique pack, too. Ten packs, ten sachets. Shall we give it a try?
First things first – this is big. The noodle blocks are physically really big. I’ll let you watch the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time below so you can understand more fully. But E-Fu – let’s look on Wikipedia for more info –
Tis time for beef on the trolley! I never found out anything really as per why these are called trolley noodles, but hopefully will at some point. Let’s give them a try.
I’ve had a lot of Taiwanese dry noodles in my day, but never any hailing from Hong Kong as far as I can remember. Maybe, but I don’t think so. These noodles are without a broth – they’re from simple ingredients, too. You boil, drain, add in some ingredients, stir and eat. These are also considered mix noodles. Let’s mix it up and see what we get!
QQ is an interesting term when it comes to noodles. Michelin defines it as “QQ is the bounciness associated with fresh handmade fishballs, glutinous rice balls, and certain types of noodles. The term originated from Taiwan, where Q sounds similar to the local word for “chewy”, but it’s evolved to mean a little more than that.”
Okay, I know what rice vermicelli is, but I’m unsure about Xiao Qiao. Let’s ask Wikipedia –
I thought it would be a good plan to look up Jiangnan cuisine in order to impart a little more info about this variety aside from the XO Sauce reference – if you’re interested in that, look at yesterday’s review – but I found that Shanghai is in Jiangnan and got a list of notable seafood dishes from there you might find interesting and truly wonderful from Wikipedia –
Oh sweet – XO Sauce! If you don’t know what this delightful flavor is – here’s something from Wikipedia –
Hey this sounds neat – but what are Trolley Noodles anyways? All I can surmise after doing some research is that Trolley Noodles are akin to cart noodles. Basically, hawker style. Let’s open this laksa flavor variety up and take a look!
To start things off, I grabbed something randomly ou of the massive pile of samples I have here. These are ho fan rice noodles – thin and flat. Wikipedia had this to say –
I’ve had the pleasure of working with quite a few companies on these Meet The Manufacturer series over the years. This was a very unique experience – I’ve tried many products from the company in the past but never had access to such a wide range. They send an enormous 400 pound pallet of their products! This is an interview that I conducted with Sun Shun Fuk, makers of the Sau Tao range of products.
You like noodles? Well, a company participating in Meet The Manufacturer (you’ll start seeing reviews soon) decided to go big. They sent a 400 pound pallet from Hong Kong! Sun Shun Fuk, maker of the Sau Tao range of noodle products (and 2 years in a row Top Ten lister I might add)thought perhaps I’d like a lot of samples! What follows is the unboxing of the century!
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Despite all the tumultuous and unnerving events of our current age,, I am happy to announce that I’ve got a new list for our year, 2020. In the past fe hundred reviews I’ve done this past year there have been some real standouts and of course many have remained. These are my absolute favorites of reviews 1 through 3487. It’s hard – I feel like I should be doing a top 20, or even a top 50 at this point, but the sheer amount of time that would take with being a stay at home father of two while trying to get in a few hours of exercise every day just isn’t in the cards. I’m hoping in the coming months to come out with the regular top tens and maybe some new ones, but it’s a tough juggle these days.
Well, what have we here? This one contains a broad flat noodle made with rice. The straight noodle ramen variety from this range is on the 2019 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time – super tasty stuff! Let’s give it a try!
This is my list of my all time favorites (compiled up to review #3132). These are the best and most memorable varieties – some you’ll be able to find easily, some you won’t. In the images you see, you’ll see garnished bowls of noodles. Note – reviewing is done BEFORE products have anything externally added by myself, and I follow directions on the package – for better or for worse. I should also note that going forward, the official last day for companies to submit varieties to be considered for the annual top ten will be January 31st. That’s enough – let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition!
Found this up in Canada at Osaka Supermarket at Yaohan Centre in Richmond, BC. I must admit that the first time I tried one of Sau Tao’s Tom Yum Kung varieties I was kind of surprised. Tom Yum from Hong Kong? That’s a way for Thailand! But one of my favorites lately has been their straight noodle variety. This one’s a rice vermicelli – sounds interesting. Let’s check it out!
This is my list of my all time favorites (compiled up to review #3132). These are the best and most memorable varieties – some you’ll be able to find easily, some you won’t. In the images you see, you’ll see garnished bowls of noodles. Note – reviewing is done BEFORE products have anything externally added by myself, and I follow directions on the package – for better or for worse. I should also note that going forward, the official last day for companies to submit varieties to be considered for the annual top ten will be January 31st. That’s enough – let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition!
Here’s another one I got up at the new T&T Supermarket up in Richmond BC that’s at Lansdowne Centre. Or is it Lansdowne Mall? Either way, it’s a big T&T inside what used to be a Target store. Oh – and sad parents can rejoice – TOYS R US IS STILL IN CANADA. Also, if you go to the Walmart in Richmond, you will often see Teslas, Ferraris and the odd Buigatti. It’s like a mirror universe. Let’s check this one out!
Here’s one I found at PriceSmart Foods up in Richmond, BC in July 2017. They had a ton of these and they sounded interesting. These are from Hong Kong – not a place I would think of when it comes to laksa. Here’s a little about laksa from Wikipedia –
