Say what? What. This is what. What is it? Well, it’s noodles but it changes color; kind of. There’s food coloring in the noodle block, and so once you introduce boiling water or microwave and stir, it changes to either pink or blue – at least so far. There might be green as well – I really don’t know. Purple? Mauve? Chartreuse? Taupe? Taupe is not magical. Remember that. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of anything like this and that’s saying something. Very cool and unique! Let’s check it out!...see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Sometimes the cutest monsters have the strongest bite! This cute cup features yummy yakisoba with a creamy carbonara-style sauce. But don’t be fooled! The sauce has a bit of Korean sweet and spicy flavor that will creep up on you if you’re not ready for it!”...see full post

Well kids, here we are. It’s kind of funny; I’ve had many a pizza flavored instant noodle – from places likePakistan,Serbia,Brazil, andIndonesia to name a few. Nothing from the United States though. All these others employed a standard fried wheat noodle and were indeed the ‘standard’ instant ramen style noodle. In this one for the US, the term ‘ramen’ is doing some incredibly heavy lifting. I feel partially to blame to be honest – I’m The Ramen Rater – but I do not only review Japanese varieties like shio, tonkotsu, miso and shoyu, but try everything from everywhere. So, is this something that is called ramen, or is it ramen? You be the judge. Rather, I will after I sample it. Let’s begin....see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Let’s take a fall break with a quick trip to Toyama, with a beautiful mountain painted with all of the fall colors this time of year! This black shoyu ramen is a famous Toyama variety that combines dark, deep soy sauce, pepper and chicken for tasty soup full of flavor!”...see full post

This should be interesting! This is like a yakiudon that’s microwavable – sounds kinda neat! Let’s just cook it up!...see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Get a deep, rich taste of fall with this tasty miso ramen pack from Do・Miso, a popular Tokyo ramen shop.! The soup for this bowl is made up of a tasty blend of 5 different red miso types with accents of garlic and spice for an even deeper flavor!”...see full post

My5000th review was of the chicken version from this brand. Why? It was a brand I’d not seen, I got it locally, and when I found it I was surprised to find it as well and excited. I saw a post in the Ramen Junkies group showing this beef version, and I could tell from the shelf picture it was from the same place – a discount store called Dollar Tree. So, I thought I’d look to see if they have it and they did. What I find interesting is that I thought these were made in China – they’re not. These are made in India, and a sirloin flavor, which connotes beef seems very out of character.  Once again, I review another McTrader product. Let us begin....see full post

Dragon fruit? Yeah – dragon fruit. These came by way of James of Lakeside, Californias – thanks again! What an interesting this. I tried the spicy seafood version awhile back and they were pretty darn good. Let’s try these out....see full post

Here’s my next to last of these varieties and I have to say I’ve enjoyed them so far. Nice chewy noodles, good Taiwanese style flavors. These are made for Momofuku, a restaurant founded by David Chang. A-Sha Dry Noodle is making these, so if you like their products, you’ll like these. Let’s cook it up!...see full post

Holy cow – what a week. On Tuesday, we had a huge storm – a bomb cyclone. Areas around here had gusts equal to hurricane force. The cyclone sucked air out to sea, which made winds go the opposite direction they usually do – causing power outages… We had just shy of a 2 day power outage. It sucked. Well, I’m back. Let’s do it up!...see full post

Thank you to James from Lakeside, California for sending this along! He also sent a bulgogi sauce version but my wife absconded with it – and I let her. I generally don’t get anything noodle related that she’s all over so I figured that’s fair. Tteokbokki and rice cakes in a tubular shape, usually with a lot of tasty sauce and other toppings. It’s freaking wonderful. This one comes with two servings. Let’s give it a try!...see full post

Found this at S*Mart! Yup – shop smart, shop S*Mart! Well, let’s give this one from Samyang in South Korea a try!...see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Next up is a tasty bowl of liquid gold straight from Yokohama! This Tan ramen, different from Tan Tan Ramen. This pack feature thick noodles in a deliciously light salt broth with chicken and pork for umami and napa cabbage and cabbage to soak up that soup! Yum!”...see full post

After going to the dollar store in search of something – which I found – I was on my way home and passed by a little free food pantry. People just put food in there and you just take it out. I found this one in there. I have put plenty of noodles in there in the past, so when I find something, I feel happy to abscond with it. I’m happy to not have to pay for a multipack of these, so thank you random donor. I’ll put some cool stuff in there shortly. Let’s cook this…...see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Next up, let’s indulge in the deep umami of miso. Combined with Chicken and pork stock for a flavor explosion, this cup of noodles balances its richness with sweet sake lees and bits of corn culminating to a hearty, yet refined ramen. It’s complex, pack-a-punch taste is perfect for a cozy meal!”...see full post

Well, here’s the hottest of the A-Sha Hot Ones trifecta of cups – let us see how hot this sucker is!...see full post

Big thanks toThe Fat Hipster for sending this along. This is an instant noodle for hikers and campers. So if you’re neither, think of carrying tons of stuff for a multi day outdoor trip. You will need food. Do you want to carry something heavy or light? When you’re done, do you want big trash to lug around? Well, this is a solution. These packs aren’t huge, they’re light, and unlike a foam bowl, this is also the cooking vessel and folds up for disposal away from the trail. Sounds interesting. I’m very curious about this, so let’s get to it....see full post

Here’s the second of two varieties of noodles by Fly By Jing. The sweet and spicy were pretty good – let’s try this one....see full post

A couple of years ago, I found out aboutLao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp.  A crunch, oil, and a little spiciness. I dubbed it ‘Love Sludge’ – it was so good that I evangelized it to all my friends. Since then, the enamor has most certainly worn off. I don’t know if they changed the recipe, but the last couple of times I’ve gotten some, it’s ended up in the bin, not completely used. Well, I thought a list of alternatives to Lao Gan Ma that are out there that not everyone’s heard of (nor I myself) would be neat. So, I started sending a few emails, asking for samples, and here’s The Ramen Rater’s Chili Crisp Roundup & Buyer’s Guide. I figure 14 varieties is more than enough to show a landscape of flavor and textures that are out in the wild – and I’m sure there are many more. With holidays coming up, if you’ve got a ramen junkie or chilehead to get something for, there’s a lot of different things here that will work that they might not have tried. These are in order of when I received/bought them. Each one has a link to where you can get them. If I end up with more, I will be happy to add them at the bottom. With that, let’s get oily!...see full post

What’s in a name? A lot of characters, that’s for sure where this one is concerned. I really like yellow curry and the previous version of this was rad. Let’s see how this new package version goes....see full post

Hey look at this! I have to say the Ippudo collaborative instant ramen I’ve had in the past has been exemplary, so I’ve high hopes for this one. Let us begin....see full post

Ahh curry. I will admit I’ve loved curries of all types since I was a kid. I still do – just last week I made green curry with chicken, onion, and bell pepper. Well, this one has graced the Global Top Ten many times – it’s strong noodle and rich broth always please. This new version is different – instead of a soup paste and premix (coconut powder) sachet, there’s two soup base which are infused with coconut milk. Very curious about this change. Let’s give it a look!...see full post

I’ve been saving this one a little while and thought hey today’s the day. Well, today IS the day! Tonkotsu time!...see full post

So I got this from two sources. First, from Nissin in a promo box for National Noodle Day. Second, one from James from Lakeside, CA – thank, man! These are very popular with my daughter – she tried the one in the pictures here and the other gets opened for the review. Well, she liked it – let me have a try…...see full post

As today is April 1st (April Fools Day), I was lucky enough to have a neat box of odd varieties my wife got me arrive yesterday. These can be found online at Walmart or you can just drag your smelly ass into a Walmart store. It should be known that while launch dates are usually on the boxes, Walmart rarely adheres to them when it comes to putting things out on the floor as I’ve found regarding previous exclusive things. With that being said, I’ll show you the quartet and let you know my initial thoughts. I should also mention – this isn’t a joke, it’s a real thing. But you shouldn’t be too surprised....see full post

Well, this is the last of all the big trays I have currently, and this gets drained off. A massive jjahangmyeon! Spicy jjajangmyeon isn’t usually my cup of tea, but we shall see. Let’s cook up a monster....see full post

Big thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this along! This is called an MRE – meal ready to eat – well, sort of. You do neet hot water of course, but it’s a heavy plastic bag that’s got a ton of stuff in it, including instant noodles. Let’s take a look....see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “What’s that? Something is appearing from the fog! It’s… a tasty bowl of tonkotsu ramen! With tasty, thin noodles and a flavorful yet mild tonkotsu broth from Hakata, this tasty bowl is otherworldly! You can even use it to make Hakata’s unique variation, yaki-ramen!”...see full post

This one definitely has potential to be good – real good. That noodle on the package looks superb and so I’m crossing my fingers. Let’s crack it open and give it a try!...see full post

Found these at S*Mart in Bellevue, Washington. Yup – shop smart shop S*Mart. Anyways this is a green chili mi goreng . Not my first rodeo as other brands have done this before over in Indonesia. Let’s cook it up!...see full post

Hey it’s Monday. A windy, rainy Monday on November 4th – my mom would’ve been 89 today. This is a variety of dry noodle from A-Sha for the Momofuku restaurants. Really looking forward to this – and I’ll be adding something neat into it. Let’s give it a go!...see full post

This is the second of three and yup – will be a mukbang. I think I’m in the mood for a mukbang today – last night was Halloween and it rained – poured – and so something hot sounds good. Still raining today. Let’s give it a go....see full post

Found this one at S*Mart. Shop smart! Shop S*Mart! So all I know is that at the end it says it’s xiao mian (chow mein) so it’s brothless. Peppers floating in the aether imply heat. Chongqing is regional. Okay, let’s muddle…...see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These are discontinued, however you can find their stuff atMiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “This ramen treat is a true safe haven from all the things that go bump in the night! This ramen features a tasty salt base with hints of pork for umami. The real star, however, is the onion oil and pepper oil with hints of garlic, chili and black pepper for tons of flavor!””...see full post

Hey big thanks to Daniel over atExotic Noods for sending this over! I am a big fan of coriander (cilantro) and this one seems to have a lot of it. It’s funny; the coriander we get here in the stores is so dark and I try to find it a lighter shade but it’s never very healthy stuff. I don’t know why. Anyways, Let’s give this a try....see full post

Well, I think it’s time for a break. I’ve done quite a few reviews this week and I’m so far ahead. As I write this it’s May 2nd, 2024. Weather’s getting nicer. I might do some more soon though as there’s a lot of rain in the forecast… But anyways, I had one the other day that mentioned Shaxian style noodles and this one sounded interesting as that one the other day was incredible! Well, let’s give it a go!...see full post

A big thank you to James from Lakeside, California for surprising me a while back with this extra huge instant noodle tray. It’s like four full sized packs of noodles. Will I eat the whole thing? Yeah, I don’t think so. Anything that requires almost a liter and half or water to steep it is going to be pretty crazy. This one was going to me a contender for review #5000. Let’s gie it a try!...see full post

Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! IThese boxes are discontinued but you can get neat stuff over atMiauMall! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Nissin isn’t done with their own birthday celebration! This tasty snack pack features fried ramen that you eat as is. This special birthday pack features a tasty flavor powder with the flavors of cheddar, gouda, cream cheese, garlic, basil and more to recreate that pizza taste. *This is ramen snack and no cooking is required!”...see full post

Well this is a little different – but cool. Hot Ones is a YouTube show where celebrities go on and do an interview while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. Gorden Ramsay practically cried and had a tantrum. Anyways, these are in a series – there’s three cups and three bowls. I’ve got the cups, so I’ll be trying them (yes, mukbang) in short order and seeing how they go. These are made in Vietnam for the US market. Let do this....see full post

Here’s the first of a slew of A-Sha varieties. This one is a collab between Momofuku, a hoidy-toidy restaint chain and A-Sha. While made in Taiwan, this is specifically for the US market. Shall we?...see full post

James from Lakeside, California emailed me the other day on some packs he found at Grocery Outlet and sent my way. These are very very interesting in that they’re got clear stuff going on, common prison named flavors, and so on. Watch the vid and maybe check you local Grocery Outlet should you have one. Thanks again man – awesome find!...see full post