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.

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.