Mama Tom Yum, Shrimp instant noodles

Mama's noodles were produced in Thailand but come to us from Camberley, Surrey (where I used to work for Ford as it happens)! The noodles are okay quality but the soup base is gorgeous... really sour! Then we have the chilli powder and the hot lemongrass powder. I threw the lot in and I have to say this noodle soup was hot. Very hot! Sadly aside from the sourness this killed most of the flavour. This is not entirely a criticism however as it tasted lovely, brought blood to my cheeks and went down extremely well. The salt content was a tad unhealthy but I rarely bother with these types of things. Would most certainly have these again but those wanting a less 'scorchio' noodle soup they may want to be wary of adding all the chilli powder!

 If they were a computer game: Always Sometimes Monsters. Okay, so this game was released on Steam this week and I have to say I'm rather taken with the choices it offers in terms of character and gameplay. With these noodles you may decide to opt out of one or t'other of the additional flavour packets. Certainly worth checking out; both the game and the noodles!

If they were a rock band: The Clash... hot tunes though their latter material may leave you with a sour taste!

Good Bean Vermicelli Tom Yum Kung Flavour instant noodles

Good Bean Vermicelli Tom Yum Kung Flavour instant noodles

Erm... it's not often that I'm lost for words but these noodles are strange! I'm used to delicious Vermicelli noodles but this soup had the oddest texture; they look opaque like see-through noodles which sadly my photograph does not show that well.

Impressively the addictions of dried veg, chilli sauce, powdered soup and soy sauce made for a tasty soup; really liked the dried bits of shrimp and fish cake. The smell of the soup is overwhelmingly of lemon leaves while the taste is both equally sour and hot; a lovely after burn! Though of an odd texture I would certainly have these again, absolutely delicious and suited our rather chilly and wet weather in Blighty.

Still unsure as to whether 'Good' is an appropriate name for a noodle company; nowt wrong with excellent!

 If they were a computer game:  A Walk In The Dark, an odd platform game where you play a cat trying to rescue his female owner from a demonic land (a lot like VVVV and Super Meat Boy); well worth checking out!
If they were a rock band: sleepmakes waves; a post-rock band from Australia making huge tunes reminiscent of Mogwai at their best. Check them out! Not to everyone's taste but worth a punt to try something different. 

sleepmakeswaves - one day you will teach me to let go of my fears

VINA ACECOOK KING CHEF Authentic Kimchi flavour noodles

VINA ACECOOK KING CHEF Authentic Kimchi flavour noodles

I reviewed King Chef Seafood with Kimchi flavour at the beginning of the month and gave them a rave review. These noodles are just Kimchi flavour ('Korean Food Style'), no seafood while packed full of veg and dried shiitake mushrooms. One of the reasons I was so keen to review these was that I recently saw some people from Hong Kong and one of them gave me this long elaborate explanation of how Kimchi was made. She expounded the importance getting the leaves of Korean cabbage and soaking in large amounts of salt before hanging to dry and then drying with salt. You then marinade with various spices and Korean chillies. wikipedia suggests that these spices include: 'brine, scallions, spices, ginger, chopped radish, garlic, shrimp sauce [or] fish sauce'. The process is finished by fermenting them for a couple of weeks in jars; the longer the better though this is down to preference I believe. A long and ardous process considering you can buy it in powdered form but I'm guessing there is a world of difference between fresh Kimchi and bought Kimchi; I'm not intending to make my own nonetheless.

The noodles in this were of a very high quality; thick and tasty. The veg were noticeable in giving various different texture and flavourt while the dried mushrooms made the dish. Most exciting was the afterburn however; a lovely full sensation of chilli and pepper that lingered on the tongue long after they were finished. Fantastic stuff and I was almost ready to force another bowl down once I was done. Recommended!!

 If they were a computer game: Batman: Arkham City; the best of the three games though a fighting style not all gamers appreciate. (The third in the Arkham games, Origin, is dreadful btw!)

If they were a rock band:Fall Out Boy; not a band to everyone's taste but a good back catalogue of albums from emo rock, pop and punk stylings.

VINA Acecook Háo Háo Shrimp & Onion flavour noodles

VINA Acecook Háo Háo Shrimp & Onion flavour noodles

Ahhh damn... my thumb got in the way!!!

I was terribly disappointed when opening these noodles as they didn't look great; the soup, veg and Dao (palm oils with chilli) sachets cheered me up however. They tasted nice if you like onion soup and that was the overriding flavour,. Slightly hot aftertaste but no flavour of shrimp whatsoever though I could detect the labellings 'artificial chicken flavour'. Acecook Vietname JSC had struck again and while I've been pleased with previous noodles these were very bland; one for those basically wanting crappy thin noodles in a a sweet onion soup. On a brighter note they would have been perfect on a cold winter day.

If they were a computer game: Call of Duty; you know what you are going to get and popular enough not to mess with the formula. Getting a bit stale in my opinion however.
If they were a rock band: Crosby, Stills & Nash; okay but missing something. In the case of this band - Neil Young.

NONG SHIM Seafood Ramyun

Regular readers will know that I reviewed NONG SHIM's Shin Ramyum Noodle Soup previously and gave it a glowing review. These noodles were just as expensive but just as tasty. The packet of 'Vegetable flacks' contained the dried fish cake that can be seen in the picture as well as a healthy dose of seaweed. My wife complained that the noodles stank but I see this as the ultimate compliment to a seafood noodle soup. It tasted heavily of assorted fish but also a hot aftertaste that cleared my sinuses well. Not as hot as NONG SHIM's Shin Ramyum Noodle Soup but just as filling. Recommended to those that enjoy seriously fishy soup and don't mind hot sauce!

If they were a computer game: My current favourite game is Killing Floor but these were more like ORION: Dino Horde; not as good but just as worth playing with a great variety of gameplay!

If they were a rock band: Rammstein; some good tunes but not to everyone's taste!

King Chef Seafood with Kimchi flavour

 King Chef Seafood with Kimchi flavour

King Chef noodles are 'Korean Food Style' but on further investigation appear to be produced and imported from Vietnam as part of Acecook Vietname JSC. A huge conglomerate I would imagine!

 See here!

I'll get my rant in quickly however... I don't get the whole No MSG! thing, MSG is lovely and tasty! I do understand however that some people are allergic to mono-sodium glutamate and that it can be a serious allergy. Myself, I love it... King Chef is also a dreadful name for any company producing food!

These noodles were thick and gorgeous and the sachet of dried seaweed and carrot really added to the flavour of the hot paprika soup. Kimchi is a flavour made from fermented vegetables and added to the richness of the soup. I love seafood soups, seawood and fermented veg so was in absolute heaven; the hot aftertaste was just the icing on the cake! I could honestly eat these every day for the rest of my life! Reminded me a lot of some of the misu soups I've had, but now way as overpowering. 

If the rest of the noodles I got are this good I will be very happy!

If they were a computer game: Portal 2; not to everyone's taste but certainly one of the most creative computer games of it's generation.


If they were a rock band: A Day To Remember; solid rock tunes with a harsh metalcore vibe, the fermented veg with the paprika works equally well!

Pokka Milk Coffee

While I was at the Vietnamese supermarket I picked up one of these drinks, very expensive for £1 but worth trying. It is in fact a cold coffee drink with milk. The only instruction is to shake the can before drinking, it's not fizzy thank goodness! Tastes very nice if a tad sweet for my taste. Made in Singapore but shipped from Japan at this price I'll not be running to get another but as an occasional treat this would go lovely with a dark chocolate bar. If you haven't tried it then I very much recommend it.

If this drink were a computer game: Super Meat Boy; very much an individual taste for gamers due to it's difficulty but great for a quick thrill!
 
If this drink was a rock band: The Rolling Stones; been around for years but still sounding great!