Unif-100

Name: Unif-100 Variety: Artificial Shallot Beef Distributor: Uni-President Enterprises Corp. Noodle: Ramen Flavoring: Large powdered soup base + spiced oil with concentrated beef stock + large dried vegetable packet Preparation: Standard Notes: Cooking directions in Chinese, English, and ... French?

Alex:

In the same way that Nissin offers their premium Demae line as an alternative to the lower grade Top Ramen, so Unif has a premium line of their own, the Unif-100 series. This heartier version of Tung-I might qualify as a super-heavy weight at 125g, for for the purposes of a level paying field, I'd consider it a contender with the rest of the premiums.

The dry noodles gave off a scent, not unlike clean corrugated cardboard, that took me back to many a childhood dinner party spent running around the stock room of Sea Garden in Seattle's International District. Generous allotments all around, from the noodles themselves to the palpably weightier veggie packet.

Not that I think I'm rebounding, but with the overpowering Mr. Kon experience still fresh in memory, this ramen was precisely the balance I was referring to in that review, and which I was hoping I might soon run across. The heat came primarily from the chilies in the veggie packet, (and not the oil, like in many of the Chinese varieties) giving the soup a flavorful spice, and reducing the harsh pepper-edge. The rest of the vegetables were, dare I say, crisp?

I am generally hard pressed to give a generic "spicy beef" packet an above-average review, if only because of cop-out factor. It's much too easy to mask poor ingredient quality with intense spice, but Unif-100 clearly has no need for such nefarious practices. Here is a well conceived meal that balances flavor, garnish, and soup-noodle integration. Hooray, Taiwan!




Anne Marie:

康师傅 (Mr. Kon)

Name: Mr. Kon Variety: Spicy Hot Pork Rib Distributor: Guangzhou Ting Yi Food Co., Ltd. Noodle: Ramen Flavoring: Large powdered soup base + concentrated liquid pork stock + dried vegetable packet Preparation: Standard Notes: Only brand so far that bothered to print an expiration date

Alex:

Winner, for the most overzealous package design! This behemoth struck me as something like a Chinese interpretation of American barbeque, with a consistency and (vaguely) flavor like baked potato soup. No false advertising here: the bottom two thirds of my bowl looked exactly like the ladle full of crushed red chilies on the package.

At 108g, (see the Vifon review below for comparison) this package had by far the biggest quantity and widest variety of seasoning we've seen yet. It's all about value. That being said, the flavor onslaught was so intense that I couldn't even finish the soup. That's a first, too.

You get quite a bit from Mr. Kon, but I did not find the taste of the unrestrained sauce-frenzy enjoyable at all. I'd recommend looking for something a bit more balanced.

1/2


Anne Marie:

Unif Tung-I Ramen Noodles

Name: Tung-I Variety: Chinese Beef Distributor: Unif / Uni-President Enterprises Corp. Noodle: Taiwanese ramen Flavoring: Powdered soup base with shallots and green onion + spiced oil packet Preparation: Standard Notes: Cross-cultural concept ramen

Alex:

Another Taiwanese brand, emulating Chinese flavors, borrowing Japanese packaging techniques.

This is very similar to the saimin I grew up on in Hawaii - noodles infused with palm oil that comes out in the boiling process, making the steam doughy smelling. The soup base bore a heavy similarity to Sapporo Ichiban, in that the reliance on salt for flavor was minimized, allowing the green onion to contribute meaningfully. I had almost forgotten about the spiced oil, which had a latent warming effect at the base of my tongue. ^_^ Yep, that's right, I did it. Happy noodle face. All that's missing is a slab of fried tofu or sliver of kamaboko.

1/2


Anne Marie:

I enjoyed the concept of the flavored noodles and found it added the slightest bit of interest to the Ramen. I expected it to have a spicier effect so was a tad disappointed, but had I not known or expected the flavored noodles, I likely would not have been let down. The broth itself did have a strong beef flavor, and the entire meal was certainly palateable, but I did not find the flavors refreshingly unique. I enjoyed this Ramen variety, but was not excited or blown away. Hence I found it a good basic beef flavored option.

Vifon Mi Chay

Name: Vifon Mi Chay Variety: Vegetarian oriental style Distributor: Vietnam Food Industries Joint Stock Company Noodle: Ramen Flavoring: Powdered soup base + dry vegetables + oil packet Preparation: Standard Notes: Picked this up in the uber-economy bin at Ranch 99. Also, JSCs still exist?!

Alex:
I'll have to preface this by saying, our first Vietnamese candidate is entering the running a bit behind the eight ball. This packet from Vifon is a representative of the "economy" weight class (there is such a thing in the ramen world, believe it or not) at a slim 70g net weight.
Initial signs gave me a "thar be dragons" kind of vibe:
- Packaging: so thin and crinkly I could see the noodles through the ink
- Oil sachet: a pale yellow suspension with white fibers floating in it
- Vegetable sachet: wait, those are vegetables?

Not to form too many preconceptions, we gave it a fair shot. The final product was, simply put, Cup Noodles in a bowl. My nose can't possibly mistake that slightly tangy, slightly fried aroma that wafts out of the styrofoam cup after peeling back the paper lid. Must be more than a few common ingredients. The noodles proved insubstantial, at best. For those familiar with Japanese bento, imagine trying to pass off a bowl full of heated rice somen as ramen. I thought the vegetables had completely disintegrated into the soup base until a rogue corn kernel lodged, shallowly, in my throat.

I have to be somewhat forgiving, in that the flavor was fine. It was just exactly the same as Cup Noodles, which, if you do the math, is even cheaper than econo-ramen. I wasn't all that impressed, especially considering the promise of three-packet flavor.





Anne Marie:

There really is absolutely nothing remarkable about this particular instant ramen. While cooking, it smelled exactly like the inside of a Jack in the Box eggroll. Alex disagrees with me, but I disagree with him in that I did not find the smell comparable to Cup Noodles, though perhaps that is because I am mostly familiar with their chicken flavor and the broth did not have a strong chicken smell to me at all. The noodle quality was decent, but the sauce lacked flavor. Completely bland, it didn't even taste like I was drinking flavored broth, but rather water that something slightly more flavorful had been cooking in for a bit. The taste wasn't a bad taste, it just was so strikingly insubstantial that I was surprised three packets could make such a weak showing. If you're interested in eating ramen for the pure texture of noodles in broth, perhaps you would enjoy this product.

1/2

Nissin 出前 (Demae) Ramen

Name: Demae Ramen Variety: Tokyo Shoyu Distributor: Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. Japan Noodle: Ramen Flavoring: Dry soup base + liquid shoyu concentrate + dry nori topper Preparation: Standard Notes: Packaging looks and feels high quality

Alex:

Back to roots for this Japanese candidate. It seems that the Nissin of Top Ramen and Cup Noodles fame is actually the American arm of the parent Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. Japan - producer of this line of premium ramen, not typically available in the States.
I was struck first by the soft *puff* of air upon opening the liquid seasoning and smooth, homogeneous pour. The stuff just seemed fresher than I've seen in other varieties that insist on separating the oil from the concentrate. Also of note: sheer quantity of noodles far greater than average.
Noodles had a real full-mouth feel, being thicker and more substantial than the poor American analogue, Top Ramen. The real plus for me was two facts about the nori (shaved seaweed) packet:
1) Sealed separate from the dry soup base
2) Legitimate, fresh, aromatic wafers that took up the soup well

Despite being in keeping with Japanese minimalism, I was surprised at the very conservative flavor of the soup, and was perhaps expecting a little more pizazz from a "premium" variety.
This is the kind of quality I would expect from a name like Nissin Japan. A timeless classic in the world of instant ramen, if there ever was one.





Anne Marie:

Overall a very pleasant Ramen experience. Although I wouldn't characterize the noodles as the highest quality I've tried, they certainly didn't have that slightly overarching starchy taste that can detract from the flavor of the broth. The broth itself at first seemed rather subtle, but then I realized that the flavors weren't bland they were just less pronounced. A softer Ramen broth, but with much more interest than your run-of-the-mill chicken broth.

I appreciated the dried nori shavings (a generous amount as we split it between two bowls), and liked the contrast between the warm, soft noodles and broth with the slightly crunchy nori. My one complaint however is that I did not try the soup before adding the nori. I relate it to how I never put soy sauce on good sushi b/c I find the sauce overpowers the natural flavor of the sushi. In that way I think the nori slightly overpowered the taste of the Ramen. It still tasted quite good, yes, but it took a little bit away from the natural flavors of the Ramen. Next time I'll leave the nori off and add it for select bites.

Jah Jan Mien

Name: Jah Jan Mien Variety: Mi Tuong Fried Soybean Distributor: Wei Lih Food Industrial Co., Ltd. Noodle: Flat ramen Flavoring: Dry miso packet + soybean concentrate in oil Preparation: Decant and mix Notes: "One pack, two taste!"

Alex:

This is my first foray into Taiwanese ramen territory. The first thing that entered my mind, actually, was my mother's homemade sukiyaki - heavy on the takenoko - with a scent like delicate bamboo shoots in light soy sauce. I think it was the nostalgia (and not the flavor) doing the talking, though.

There was a sheen of oil on the surface that I thought might be either spicy or flavor packed, but I think it was just oily. Though I did enjoy the miso-soup-like taste for about 80% of the bowl, turns out there were many insoluble ingredients in the packet of concentrate that gave the soup a gritty finish. I found the flatter noodle texture to be pretty easy going, and offset the denser soybean cloud towards the bottom rather nicely. This packet might make a nice alternative appetizer course for a more substantial bento box or donburi-style lunch.




Anne Marie:

I enjoyed the different texture of the noodles in this Ramen (flatter and thinner, thus making the noodles seem to be of higher dough quality than other Ramen noodles). In terms of broth flavor, I again appreciated the two packets, but was not blown away. The Taiwanese flavor is notably different than your typical packaged Ramen, so I appreciated the variety, but I did not find the spices and oil tastes to be interesting enough. I would eat this type again, but I likely would not choose it out of a crowd of other, better varieties. I would like to try more Taiwanese or similarly flavored Ramens to compare their quality to this one. Good, but unremarkable.

Indo Mie Instant Noodles

Name: Indo Mie Instant Noodles Variety: Rasa Soto Mie Distributor: Indofood Noodle: Ramen Flavoring: Powdered "bumbu" sauce + Chili powder + Minyak spiced oil Preparation: Standard Notes: Halal-friendly cuisine

Alex:

"Soto Mie" is the name of a common brothy fare, popular in many of the peninsular and island nations of southeast Asia that I would liken to pho in taste and clarity. The Indonesian varieties have a reputation for impressive flavor, scaled by the complexity of preparation. This 3-seasoning sachet from Jakarta-based Indofood is no exception.

Distinctive ginger and coconut milk flavor take the spotlight, with pleasing highlights of lime. The chili tends to lurk in the back of the throat. The size and power of the flavor dwarfs the physical quantity of seasoning. I appreciated this frugality.

The thin soup was both rich and smooth, and as pleasing to smell wafting out of the bowl as it was to sip. Olfactory potency further evidenced by my involuntary urges, in 2 minute intervals over the past hour, to smell whatever of the oil remains on my hands.

The only obvious room for improvement is in noodle quality. The gauge of the noodle is, to use the Japanese classics as a benchmark, close to Nissin's Top Ramen. Something closer to the girth of Sapporo Ichiban could easily have made this a five-stick meal.




Anne Marie:

I actually would not purchase this Ramen variety a second time. It's not that I'm not a fan of ginger, I just appreciate it as an accent flavor as opposed to the main event. The overall Ramen quality was good for what the flavors were, but it just did not please my palate. I found the lime tasting like a lemon and I spent most of the time trying to figure out whether I really was tasting citrus or if the ginger had just gone bad. The chili added a bit of a bite, but not enough to counteract the main flavor. The taste also lingered in my mouth far too long, overpowering the other flavors in the soup. If you love ginger, perhaps you'll appreciate this manufactured ginger flavor, but it wasn't my cup of tea.