Indomie Instant Noodles Vegetables Flavour

Indomie are a decent noods company, if rather variable with their flavourings and the quality of the noodles; this is a decent packet of instant noodles. It sounds boring, and some vegetable flavour noods do end up tasting like dish water, but this works. Sure, it's not exciting, but it is savoury enough, warm and comforting, and with a sprinkle of the enclosed dried chilli, it can be reasonably lively. Vegetarian, and decent value at 60g.

Indomie noods

Nissin Demae Ramen Sesame Flavour

This didn't do well on our family taste test. Nobody placed it first, and some of us placed it last. Ho hum. 

  

The taste test

Date:  Aug 2023    Score: 5 

I like Asian noodles. I also like British noodles. But British noodles are clearly slag snack, while Asian noodles are proper food. You could eat something like this in an Asian street noodle bar. It tastes like proper food. British noods are slurpy and soft with a glutinous comfortable stodgy sauce, while Asian noodles are firm and excellent with brilliant, alive flavours that delight and wake you up! The flavours here are rather strong, and become a little less interesting the nearer you get to the end, but are still grand and serious and very welcome. I do like this. 


Date: Lockdown March 2021  Score: 8

Produced under license in Hungary, this is all veggie with a savoury sesame and peanut butter flavour (though no peanuts appear to be used).  It's all good, though the flavour tends to group in the same range, so there isn't much in the way of interesting contrasts. I like Nissin.

Date: Jan 2016  Score: 7 

Yummy.

Date: June 2014  Score: 7

Nifty Nissin noodles

Pot Noodle Brazilian BBQ Steak

I know there are better noods out there, but I still have a fondness for the ol' Pot, and with this beiong a World Cup promotion, I couldn't let it go, even if it is over-priced  at £1 for 90g. Typical UK instant noodles - floury and bland, with a thick floury sauce. We Brits do love our comforting stodge! The sauce is herby and tomatoey with a little kick of spice, and sweet enough to be very forgiving of any faults.

Would I buy it again? No. But I did enjoy the moment. And all veggie. A little consolation for the boys going home. Eh, boyo?

The best of the slags

Sainsbury's Chicken Flavour Pasta

61g. Made in the UK. Veggie. Nothing special, but soft, comforting and edible.

The best Chicken flavour instant noodles

Sainsbury's own brand noodles

Sainsbury's Cheese Flavour Pasta

Cheap pot from Sainsbury's which does exactly what it says on the pot. It's a cheese flavour pasta. The pasta takes a little while to soften up, and the cheese sauce lacks impact, but it's cheap and cheerful and is fairly edible. There is a mild cheese sauce flavour. Nothing dramatic.

Sainsbury's own brand noodles

Lidl Newgate / Vitasia Speedy Noodle Chicken & Mushroom Flavour (cup)

Cheap cup noodle from Lidl. Something of a Pot Noodle clone. If you like Pot Noodle Chicken & Mushroom, you'll like this.
Date: June 2014  Score: 5/10

British floury pot noodle. It's edible and acceptable.
Date: Sept 2015   Score: 5/10



 

It's acceptable rather than awesome. Not much to say. Good news is that it doesn't contain chicken. But it is bland, so I had to add salt. 


Date: April 2022    Score: 4 

The best Chicken flavour instant noodles

Nissin Demae Ramen Miso Tonkotsu Flavour

Yummy. I think Nissin are excellent value for money and very tasty noods. The noodles are firm and tasty, and the sauce is savoury and interesting, with an aroma of sesame oil. Made in Hong Kong with no animal or fish products. 100g for 40p.

Miso is fermented soy beans which is commonly used as a soup flavouring; Tonkotsu is a thick broth made from pork bones - sometimes miso and and tonkotsu are mixed to flavour a noodle soup (ramen).


Score: 6

Nifty Nissin noodles

Indomie Instant Noodles Shrimp Flavour

Rather bland noodles and flavour. Not much going on here. To be fair I didn't put in much of the chilli powder, but other than making it hotter, I don't see how that would have improved the general flavour anyway.

Not a good one. But at least no animals or shrimps were hurt in the making of this production.

Score: 3

Indomie noods

Nissin Demae Ramen Seafood Flavour

This just about works. There's a dried fish sauce and crabs sticks flavour. Acceptable rather than delicious. The noodles are OK - firm, but perhaps a little heavy. It's good value 100g for 40p. Contains meat and fish. While not bad, there's nothing about this that makes me want to buy it again. And it contains meat.

Date:  June 2014    Score: 4

Tried these again. I'd forgotten they contain meat. Checked, and yep, there it is - bits of dead pig. The taste is not worth killing a pig for. Seriously Nissin, get some perspective. Other noodle companies manage to make tasty seafood noodles without having to put pork in it. Pork! Way to offend half the world's population, eh?

Date: Oct 2017   Score: 3

Here we are again. Yep, forgot about the powdered pig (ugh!). What has powdered pig got to do with seafood anyway? Unremarkable noods. The noodles are good (as always with Nissin), and the flavouring is actually judged about right for strength (some flavourings are either too weak or too strong - this is just right, which is usually the case with Nissin), and the taste is fishy (without being more refined than that - just a vague "fishy" flavour), and unremarkable. Pretty Ok noods to be fair, just not delicious. And containing pig when it doesn't need to. 


Date: June 2021 (still in lockdown)   Score: 4 

Nifty Nissin noodles

Wai Wai Thai Pad Char Flavour

I like the noodles - nice texture and flavour, just right for me. And I like the flavour of the sauce  - sweet, tangy, and savoury. My complaint is that it's just a little hot for my palate, and it stings a bit. Good value at 27p for 60g from Tradewinds. Pad Char is baby clams, though there are no fish or meat ingredients - the flavour comes from sugar, basil, garlic and chilli. Made in Thailand.


Score: 5

MAMA Pad Thai Stir Fried Flavour

37p for 70g. These are rice noodles, so not my favourite. The noodles are tasteless and the texture is like plastic. The sauce, however, is quite tasty, and apart from shrimp is veggie. Made in Thailand. In my last purchase from Tradewinds I did end up with rather a lot of rice noodle packets. I don't really like rice noodles, so I will be avoiding them in future - though I still have a few to work through!

Score: 3

MAMA's best

Wai Wai Sour Soup Flavour

Very hot. I mixed it with tuna and onion to flesh it out, but it still remains too hot.

Date: Nov 2023. Score: 4

Contains shrimp, but is otherwise veggie. Very hot. Too hot for me - though I liked the lime and coriander flavours. Made in Thailand by Thai Preserved Food Factory Co, who are marketed in Nepal and India by the Chaudry Group.

Date:  

Score: 5

Lidl Newgate / Vitasia Speedy Noodle Beef & Tomato Flavour (cup)

Cheap and cheerful UK noods from Lidl. All veggie and all floury and stodgy. Comfort food. Quick and easy. Spoon it down and think of England.
Date: June 2014   Score: 4/10

Floury, sweet, more tomato ketchup than beef. It's edible rather than attractive.
Date: Sept 2015  Score: 4/10

Beef flavoured

Lidl Newgate / Vitasia Speedy Noodle Spicy Curry Flavour (cup)

39p for a 90g pot from Lidl. Unbelievable value. Made in the UK from soya, these are typical UK stodgy noodles in a typical UK floury paste with a British chip shop curry sauce flavour. If you like Pot Noodles you'll like these at 1/3 the price. There's nothing special here, but they do the job. Cheap and cheerful and easy to make. Classic pot noods.

Date:  June 2014   Score: 6/10

I'm not tasting any significant difference between the Newgate brand noodles and the Vitasia brand. I haven't been able to check contents, and the label doesn't state where they are made, but they are very British in flavour profile. I think Newgate is the new brand name for Vitasia, and they are made to the same recipe, perhaps even by the same company. I like them.

Date: Sept 2015   Score: 6/10

***

Best curry flavour instant noodles

MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Green Curry Flavour

The noodles are great, and this is packed with flavour. My problem is that it tastes very salty, and there's just a touch too much chilli in the mix for my delicate tongue. I love it, but in small portions....

Date: Jan 2019   Score: 6

Typical MAMA nood - a decent and tasty product. Probably a little better tasting than the average. Good sharp lime notes, and a warm, spicy but not aggressive sauce. All veggie ingredients, easy to make, and a low cost.

Date: June 2014   Score: 6

Best curry flavour instant noodles

MAMA's best