Ilumi Sweet Chilli Rice Noodles

I have been a bit uncertain about rice noods in the past because they can be a bit bland and chewy, but if left long enough they are fine. On the whole, given the choice, I would always go for a wheat nood than a rice nood, but, clearly, if someone has an issue with eating wheat then these gluten free noods are a decent alternative. Just remember to leave them long enough to soften. And keep the lid on so the noods say warm!

The sauce is good. There's a bit of heat, but mostly it is a savoury sweet sauce, quite tomato based, and really quite edible. Nice one.



Date: Set 2018    Score: 7

MAMA Tom Saab (Hot & Spicy) Flavour

I like the noodles in this - they absorbed the water very well, and are quite chewy and tasty with a wheaty flavour. The flavour of the sauce though is quite strong and artificial - rather overwhelming. It has some spice, but not too much as we didn't add the extra chilli powder.  We ate this with spring onion, raw mushroom and a boiled egg chopped into it. It made an OK lunch, though the chemical/artificial flavour was not that great, and we won't be knowingly eating this one again.

Score: 2

Mama's best

Yum Yum Kimchi Flavour

Made by the Wan Thai Foods company in Thailand this is a very tasty noods snack. The noodles didn't fully absorb the water, so remained a little firm, with some liquid. This is more to the Asian taste than the British, however, the overall taste and mouthfeel is very good. The flavour is sort of onion and soy sauce - mildly savoury and gentle. We ate this with spring onions, raw mushrooms and boiled egg chopped in. It makes a satisfying and tasty lunch.


Score: 7

Ilumi Singapore Style Rice Noodles

I like these rice noodles, and I like the sauce. I didn't use as much water on this one, stopping well before the line to make a thicker more British style sauce, and I liked that. This is a decent savoury sauce. I am tempted to get more of these, but in our house we are feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the amount of plastic we buy, so we prefer not to buy throwaway plastic containers.

So - nice noods, shame about the container.


Score: 7

Ilumi Tom Yum Rice Noodles

I picked up a bunch of Ilumi rice noodles from Tesco. This is the second one we've tried, and I like this. Good lemony flavours. Bright and citric.

I'm not a fan of rice noodles, but these work well, and the flavouring is fresh, and feels natural.

If it wasn't for the plastic, I might be tempted to buy more of these Tom Yum.


Score: 6

Ilumi Vietnamese Style Beef Pho Rice Noodles

I picked up a bunch of Ilumi noodles at Tesco as they are doing a deal. I was a bit reluctant as I'm getting fed up of the amount of one-off plastic we buy, but my curiosity at trying a new noods company got the better of me. 

I'm not a fan of rice noodles, but - to be fair - these were quite acceptable. Made up as directed, this is a little watery in the Asian style (Europeans like their noods to be a bit dryer and stodgy), and we wondered if we'd need spoons, but by the end there was actually very little juice left, and we simply drank that out of the cups. This is not an exciting flavour - it's mostly onion with a bit of Marmite. I was saddened to read that they used real beef extract. Why? There is no beef flavour here at all. It seems pointless and cruel to include beef extract for the sake of it. There's bits of dried veg, which work at adding a bit of texture and interest. And there's chilli (of course). It;s not too hot, so just gives a spicy warmth to the onion and Marmite water.

We thought this was quite acceptable.


Date: May 2018   Score: 5

Beef flavoured

Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy

Yeah, its spicy, and that's about it  really. Unimaginative packet of noods from the normally excellent Nissin. It's edible, and has savoury bits, and is spicy hot without burning, but there's not a lot going on to catch or hold your attention.


Score: 5

Nifty Nissin noodles

Lidl Vitasia Stir Fry Noodles Sweet & Sour

Though Lidl seem to have changed the name of their instant noodles from Vitasia to Newgate, these "straight to wok" dried noodles still use the Vitasia name.

This is not a regular instant nood, as you have to pour on hot water, then stir fry. Not the first time I've had instant noods with those instructions. It's a little fussy to cook, so is barely instant, but at the end it is a rather decent product. Chewy and pleasant noodles, and an attractive sauce. We popped some tinned mackerel in tomato sauce on top of ours, which made for a pleasant lunch.  OK - but a bit fiddly to make.


Score: 4

Mug Shot Sensations Mediterranean Pasta / Moroccan Cous Cous

We tried these two little beauts. The Moroccan Cous Cous is, of course, not a noodle dish, but it's in the Mug Shot range, which is essentially the same thing - an instant dish in a pot.

The Mediterranean Pasta sucked big time. The pasta was dull, and the sauce was insipid and dull. The little crunchy things in the plastic at the top were intended to brighten it up, but the crunchy bits soon became soggy and just made it a bloody ugly mess.  Never again!

Score: 1

The Cous Cous was quite tasty, but the seeds didn't work well. We quite enjoyed it, but would have preferred it without the seeds.

Score: 4

Symington's