It's BIG SOBA time. Nissin EU has a line of Cup Noodles that are like the UFO yakisoba (fried noodle) versions you would get in Japan. While I was in the UK I picked up the original Classic version which is like the standard yakisoba noodles you would find in Japan. The official website lists a variety of different flavours like Chilli, Teriyaki, Yakitori Chicken, Sukiyaki Beef, and even Peking Duck. The smaller supermarkets near Borough Market where I was staying unfortunately didn't carry any of the other flavours other than Chilli. Still, I was very interested in what the classic would taste like.
I was wondering why they called it Soba instead of Yakisoba. I'd guess that it is a catchier name. The "yaki" in front of the soba just means fried. These days, soba usually refers to buckwheat noodles, but going back in time, Chinese style noodles were call Nankin soba or chuka soba. These noodles would eventually evolve into Tokyo style "shoyu" noodles and become the grand-daddy of all ramen.
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There is a bright orange lid on the top of the cup made of hard plastic. Underneath is a cup of dark grey (almost black) plastic with a very high quality black printed wrap that is stuck on flawlessly. I could barely find a seam.
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I brought back three varieties of noodles to review and I thought I would start with the big one! I wasn't sure if the Classic Big Soba was going to be a Japanese style yakisoba, but I was kind of hoping it would be. These Big Soba's are the size of the large cup noodles, maybe even a tad bigger. Unlike in Japan, the cups are made of a thicker plastic, which is also thicker from the Hong Kong style Big Cup Noodles. I guess the changes in packaging depend on the region and who can manufacture the cups. These cups also come with a firm plastic lid with drain holes in the rim.
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| Katsu Curry, Big Soba Classic, and Ramen Masters Tonkotsu. |
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| The
front of the cup. It is a very attractive packaging with the Soba in
bright white
ink-brushed letters against a black background. A bright red dot in the
O shows the Japanese sun from the flag too.
You know it is Cup Noodles too from the classic white on red logo at the
top too. The tasty looking fried-noodles are shown at the bottom. |
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Taking the lid off reveals another lid!
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The second lid is the actual foil lid that seals the cup and it has directions on how to drain the water from the cup after rehydrating the noodles. Plenty of warnings here around hot water!
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The back of the cup. Preparation directions and step by step diagrams. The instructions are in English, Italian, and Spanish (no French or German?) and coincide with the diagrammed step to the right. Nutritional information at the bottom.
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Another portion of the back of the cup with ingredients and allergen warnings. I'm not sure how these cups are sold throughout Europe, but I guess these are only for GB, Spain, and Italy. Interesting to know.
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Inside the cup are your ramen noodles, lots of cabbage, and chicken meat (I thought they were tofu or soy protein).
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It also comes with a big packet of sauce.
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I filled the cup with boiling water to rehydrate the noodles, put the plastic lid back on, waited three minutes, then drained all the water out.
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This left all of the noodles, cabbage, and chicken bits. The noodles look great.
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I added in the sauce and then mixed it in thoroughly with the noodles.
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When I opened the sauce packet the smell immediately reminded me of classic yakisoba sauce for fried noodles. This was a good thing! My first bite of the noodles let me know it was a pretty authentic taste. It had the tangy, sweet, and savoury taste of yakisoba sauce that coated the noodles in flavour. It might have been a bit sweeter than classic yakisoba sauce, but it was very good. If you are looking to taste Nissin's UFO noodles or another kind of yakisoba, you are getting an authentic taste experience from this. The noodles were nice and chewy with a nice bite to them that wasn't too soft or too brittle too. As usual, like in other instant yakisoba bowls, the cabbage and bits of chicken kind of disappear into the mass of noodles to give you the occasional surprise treat. This Cup Noodle gets a two thumbs up for being tasty, and I wish I could try a few of the the other flavours too, although I am a little nervous about that.
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The fully prepared noodles.
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Closeup of the noodles.
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