Mysterious Kung Fu Monk Noodles

Or yet more noodle reviews.
All my hard work deciding which noodles to buy from my local Thai grocery seems wasted.
I'd just discovered the very lovely Mama flat rice beauties.
Don't have them anymore!
Instant Rice Porridge.
Gone (always seem to be waiting for a delivery - bah!)

Word Of Warning

• If your grocer says Product B is just like Product A.
• They are LYING.
• Mama Rice Soup is nice but it is not Instant Rice Porridge

So now I've started reviewing the noodles in the Chinese grocers in town.

Number 1 -

Great Packet (the mysterious monk is on the front surrounded by clouds/steam) - plus 5.
Aargh - vermicelli - I'm not a fan - minus 10.
They were Sweet Potato noodles - plus 5 for novelty.
But they weren't special - no points
As they were from Sichuan I expected "Hot and Spicy" to be thermonuclear, it wasn't - no points

Grand total - no points
Not buying them again

Near Noodle Perfection

Clear Thin Tom Yum w/ big flat rice noodles.

If this was creamy 11/10

-2 for non creamy-ness

9/10

Shrimp Tom Yum

Thin but OK

-2 from the score for Creamy Tom Yum

Beware Of The Bean Noodle

The usual strange pink soup - Instant Yen Ta Fo!

I don't like bean vermicelli.

4/10

Landscape = Rice Noodle

The packet disappointed.

The contents didn't.

Not what I'd call instant but 3 mins medium microwave worked well

Ace, big flat rice noodles and nice delicate clear soup.

7/10

Yentafo - Not Impressed

I found this one in my pending tray at work with this review.

Rubbish Thin Synthetic

Not Tom Yum Yum @ all

2/10

I guess I didn't like it.

Where Tom Yum came into it I'm no longer really sure.

It's clearly labeled Yen Ta Fo.

The picture even looks like rice noodles in red soup.

Pa-Lo Duck Flavour

Cinnamon Duck(?)

Better - Not too hot

6/10

Moo Is Not Cow!

Moo Nam Tok - Waterfall Pork

Grilled Meat/Chilli/Lime

9/10

Tom Yum Pork

I like - It's Tom Yum

2 points less than Creamy Tom Yum

Vermicelli Yentafo

Yum (No 2nd yum)

+1 for rice

Yentafo -> Red Bean Fish

Rice a bit al dente

5/10

Pepper Pepper And More Pepper

And would you like pepper with that?

Another V Black Pepper + Black Pepper

+1 for being Wholewheat

3/10

Stir Fry for Shit Drinkers

Pad = Stir

Kee = Shit

Mao = Drinking

Or Drunkards Noodles

Not Bad

Not Soup

6/10

Holy Basil

Congee Magic

I know this is supposed to be about noodles but ...

Here's a discovery from hanging out in SE Asian grocers.

Instant rice porridge/congee/jook/jok.

I wanted to try it in Hong Kong but was too wary of the idea of savoury rice gruel and the establishments purveying it.

Bit too ethnic on both counts.

Idiot.

This stuff is terrific.

Not really in the survey so 15/10.

The winner so far, but 89p.

Noodle-istic

Claims to be shrimp creamy tom yum.

I suspect thats Thai for sour soup.

Here's a recipe

Very Hot - yum yum

7/10

Next packet I had got this comment.

Damn Fine Soup

8/10

So I guess thats a 7.5/10

Brand New Fun!

In which your author searches for a cheap, acceptable snack.

Instant Noodles (and associated soups) have become a favoured snack recently.

Tiger Tiger make some very nice ones but they're a guinea from Sainsbury's.

The Thai grocers nearby has many different ones available (25p a kick) but I've no idea what they are like.

So I've decided to work through the dozens on offer to find some good uns.

Pictures are essential as most have no useful english (but some excellent engrish).

Plus the packaging - especially the calligraphy is wild.

I'm not sure which way the influence has gone but Rick Griffin anyone?

So first off, the one above.

Not good

Thin white pepper soup.

Noodles ordinary.

2/10

(I can feel a marking scheme coming on)