Noodle Club
Mi Goreng Rendang Spicy Beef Flavour
Review by Liz Hudson
Overall: B+
Packaging: B
The packaging on this product is pretty decent. The cover art displays a fairly accurate depiction of the noodles. The flavoring comes in four convenient packages that must be mixed together. This is a nice feature because it allows the consumer to decide how much of each flavor to add to the meal.
Noodles: A-
These noodles are very average quality ramen noodles. They're pretty great though because they only take 3 minutes to boil.
Flavor: A-
The flavoring that comes with these noodles is quite tasty. I mixed all of the flavoring together, as the package suggests, and found the flavor to be quite appealing. It sort of tastes like beef I guess, but it's definitely spicy. The spice is very mild, though. It's not a meal that will make your eyes and nose water.
RC Brand Onion Noodle Soup Bowl
Review by Nick
Packaging: D+
Although it did come with a bowl and fork (great if you there aren't any clean utensils or if one is eating on the go) there was far to much packing for it to be a convient and easy meal. The noodles were encased in plastic, along with three separate flavorings. The flavorings needed a knife or scissors to access, and often times the consumer does not have something like this handy.
Taste: D-
Although the meal did boast three separate flavorings, which I assumed were all supposed to go in, the taste was horrible. Onions and noodles are not meant to go together. The noodles tasted fake and almost plasticy. I also got an outsider to test the meal who confirmed my experience. His reaction: "It was shitty, it needed more MSG"
Final: 3/10, would not eat again
Review by Sos
Packaging : B+
Firm bowl, lid that snaps closed, but its made of plastic. Four ingredient packs : noodles, oil, dry flavor base, dry hot spice base. I like the control one has when ingredients are separated; I use only half of the spice and sometimes half the flavor if I have had enough salt for the day.
Noodles : C+
Bleach white, thin type. Absorbs the water quickly, but didn’t bloat. Noodles filled the bowl nicely when fully constituted. Flavor and texture where fine, but nothing special.
Flavor: B
I enjoyed the prominent onion flavor, albeit not fresh. Salt content was under control. There was a slight stale after-taste. Few bits of vegetable matter for texture though I could have used more. The oil added something to the flavor, but did not stain or smear.
Overall: B
RC Brand Chicken Flavored Noodle Soup Bowl
Review by Gage Houston
Packaging: B+
The package the noodles came in was very nice. All the ingredients came in its own little baggy and came with a little plastic fork that came in handy.
Noodles: D
The texture of the noodle was poor. They never really got soft, always stiff
Flavor: C-
The flavor of the noodle was just...not very good. It might have been better if it was taken with a different a sauce.
Overall: I rate this complete package of noodles a C-.
Hengshun Noodles
Review by Caps
Packaging : A
In terms of presentation, Hengshun looks very impressive. The noodles are shaped like giant crab cakes and the package is replete with Chinese characters. In addition, there is what looks like a Chinese version of Bob's Big Boy holding a bucket of steaming noodles. His tongue is dangling out of his mouth as if to say, "So yummy!"
Noodles: D
Yellow-white, thin and pasty.
Flavor: F
This is the type of noodle the State should serve in prison. The epitome of blandness, Hengshun Noodles seem to be immune to all condiments and flavor additives. After eating these noodles you discover that the Chinese have a wicked sense of humour. The Chinese Bob's Big Boy on the package isn't eager to devour a steaming bowl of deliciousness . Rather, the silly grin and lolling tounge is some glimpse of masochism or mental deficiency.
Overall: D-
Review by Liz
Overall: C+
Packaging: B
The packaging looks very promising. There is an image of cooked noodles on the front that looks like something you would find in a real Chinese restaurant. There's also a creepy Chinese boy holding a bowl of noodles with his tongue sticking out. He looks like he's about to slurp up the whole bowl.
Texture: B+
After being fried, the noodles weren't chewy but they weren't too crisp either. I liked the curly texture of the noodles.
Taste: C+
My mother prepared the noodles by frying them in butter and soy sauce. They tasted pretty good, actually! I could tell that all of the flavor came from the soy sauce and butter, though. I can't imagine what they would taste like plain, but who eats noodles plain anyway? When my mom sampled them, she said that they tasted a little bit like cardboard but I disagree.
Sun Voi Banh Pho Rice Stick Noodle
Review by Liz Hudson
Texture: A-
The noodles had a nice smooth, chewy texture. The noodles were also pretty long which made them fun to slurp.
Taste: C+
The Banh Pho noodles were pretty bland in the taste department. Alone, they are almost flavorless. They tasted great with Siracha Hot Sauce and I would imagine they would be good with vegetables and soy sauce.
Packaging: A
On the Sun Voi noodle package, there is an elephant. I love elephants.
Overall: B-
Review by Caps
Texture: B
The noodle has a similar consistency to linguini and can be served al dente.
Taste: C-
Although more flavorful than Hengshun Noodles (review upcoming), there isn't much taste to these rice noodles. I agree with the previous reviewer that Siracha is a good additive. Double fermented soy sauce, used in moderation, also made eating this noodle more enjoyable. I suspect it would also benefit from Thai spicey peanut sauce. But what Thai noodle wouldn't?
Packaging: B+
Sun Voi comes in a straightforward, clear, plastic wrapping. The logo consists of an Asian elephant standing before a fiery red sun. It looks mean, probably knows Muay Thai kickboxing, and I'm guessing could easily hand Babar or Mr. Snuffleupagus a major ass-whooping if provoked.
Overall: B
Sapporo Ichiban Chow Mein
Review by: Marybelle White
Packaging: A+
The packaging is great! First of all, the package is mostly a picture of the chow mein, which is how it should be. It does a great job of saying, “Look at this chow mein! This is what it’s all about!” Secondly, it says “chow mein” in great, big Japanese letters with smaller English words underneath to translate. It shows that the noodles you’re getting are really authentic Japanese and haven’t lost pride in their heritage! They’re proud to be Japanese; but at the same time, they respect english speakers. Another great perk to the packaging is the little pan in the corner that says, “Quick Cooking!” These are instant noodles, so anyone buying them probably wants something quick cooking. They’re smart to include that. The cooking directions on the back include easy to follow pictures, and there are only two simple and easy to open flavor packets.
Noodles: A
They cook quickly and have the perfect, wavy texture. They’re also a bit salty--but not too salty--and add good flavor to the dish. The only possible downside is that they aren’t as thick as chow mein noodles should be. This isn’t a problem for me, but it technically is kind of false advertisement.
Taste: A+
I am obsessed with these noodles! At first I was worried because when I began mixing in the flavor pack, it smelled sweet and the noodles turned this kind of odd brown color. The smell stays the whole time, but you get used to it. The funny thing though is that the noodles taste nothing like how they smell! They’re slightly sweet, but in a delicious way that doesn’t bother me! The seaweed flakes are wonderful and add a great flavor that isn’t usually present in other instant noodles. Also, they are very filling due to the fact that there are a lot of noodles! They definitely don’t skimp out on quantity. But as good as these noodles are, they don’t taste much like traditional chow mein. But they’re still absolutely delicious nonetheless!
9.5/10; would DEFINITELY eat again!!!
Indomie Chicken Curry Flavour
Review by: Marybelle White
Packaging: A-
These noodles are made from the same people who make the Mi Goreng BBQ Chicken noodles, so the packaging is impressive. It is bright yellow, which is the color I imagine when I think of curry so I think it was a smart and impressive packaging color choice, BUT there is also a fair amount of red, so it kind of reminds me of McDonalds, which is not a plus in my book. Like the BBQ noodles, it also has a “pow” bubble with the list of seasonings and nice large print that’s easy to read. There are less seasonings in this one, but they also have easy to open sachets with ridged sides. The biggest down side to the packaging is the picture of the noodles: it makes them look extremely unappetizing. First of all there’s a hardboiled egg with a yolk that has a multitude of colors: yuck. Second, the chicken in the picture has nasty, wrinkly, bumpy skin: double yuck.
Noodles: A
See Mi Goreng BBQ Chicken noodle review.
Flavor: B
As a top three instant noodle choice, I thought it was going to be much more impressive; but it was still pretty good nonetheless. The curry flavor didn’t taste much like the curry I’m used to, but you can definitely tell it’s supposed to be curry. This one only has three flavoring packets which I think works to its advantage; any more and the flavour would probably be too over the top. It has good flavor and nice spice to it. But overall, these noodles aren’t anything too special. Also, I can’t think of anything that can be added to them to make them taste better, so they’re sorta stuck at their slightly-above-mediocre flavor (which is kind of a què làstima).
Overall: 7.5/10; would eat again.
Mi Goreng BBQ Chicken
Review by: Marybelle White
Packaging: A
The creators of these noodles picked a very nice color of blue for the packaging; it’s cute and eye catching. The bright yellow “pow” bubble that contains a list of various seasonings the package contains is also very nice. Plus it‘s nice to know exactly what kind of flavors are included before buying the noodles. The seasoning packets had ridges along the edges which made opening them a simple task. Another pro is the writing is large and easy to read. It lost a few points though by including both mushrooms and an egg in with the picture of the noodles. I am not a big fan of either of those ingredients and would not like to have to picture my noodles with those things on them while I’m eating.
Noodles: A
You can’t go wrong with these noodles. They’re simple and traditional ramen noodles. The texture is great as is the fun, wavy shape and they don’t take long to boil. They also have their own slightly salty flavor that enhances the overall taste of the dish.
Flavor: C+
For being in the top three instant noodles, I expected more. There were five different seasonings, but most of them were unnecessary. The BBQ sauce and chili sauce were overpowering and I couldn’t taste any of the other flavors. Also, the BBQ sauce was too sweet for my taste; I prefer a more savory sauce when eating my noodles. I suppose next time I could alter the flavors--since there are enough separate packets to do so--but it IS supposed to be BBQ flavored, so if I’m gonna do that, I mind as well just buy some different noodles. On the other hand, my mom absolutely loved these noodles. So I don’t discourage anyone to write these noodles off without trying them first.
Overall: 6/10; Would eat again if offered, but not buy out of free will.
Mi Goreng BBQ Chicken Noodles
Review by Liz Hudson
Packaging: B-
The package is very basic looking. The bright blue theme would probably discourage me from buying these noodles in a store. The noodles are presented nicely, but they are accompanied by a disgusting, fake-looking egg. Inside, there are five different flavorings packaged in an easy to rip satchet.
Noodles: A-
The noodles inside are typical good quality ramen noodles. They're pretty long and they have a curly texture. They are not soggy or chewy like other noodles I have tried.
Flavor: A
The flavor was great! The package suggested mixing all of the seasonings together, but instead I emptied all of the three liquid flavorings and about half of the powder Bumbu Seasoing into a bowl and mixed them with the noodles. The result was phenomenal! The Chili Sauce really made it worthwhile. After a few bites, I dumped my bowl of white rice into the mix because the flavor was so good. I ate these noodles really quickly because they were so delicious. The Chili Sauce left my mouth with a pleasant tingle for minutes after I finished my dinner.
Overall: A
I would absolutely eat these noodles again and I encourage others to try it!