Unif Tung-I Ramen Noodles - Artificial Beef Flavor

Despite the very similar names, this pack of noodles is not to be confused with Unif Tung-I Instant Artificial Spicy Beef Noodles. I suppose that most people remember the colors and decorations of the packaging and are unlikely to be confused. I didn't realize how similar the names are until I typed them up. I would never get these two confused since their packaging is so different.


Even though these noodles are not indicated as being spicy, they do have a mild spiciness. In fact, the broth is nearly identical to the Tung-I Instant Artificial Spicy Beef Flavor Noodles. I think they use the same seasoning oil, but you get a smaller packet in this version. The noodles themselves are very delicious in this pack. They are quite thin and soft, yet packed with nutty deliciousness.


I was very happy to find that these noodles do not contain any imitation beef. The textured vegetable protein that ramen manufacturers use to simulate beef never tastes good. This pack makes a decent bowl of noodles and I give it the edge over its TVP-filled cousin.

Unif Tung-I Ramen Noodles - Artificial Beef Flavor - 7.5/10

Unif Tung-I - Instant Artificial Spicy Beef Flavor Noodles

The packaging for these noodles has changed subtly since 2006. It appears that Unif is now producing and distributing these noodles for Tung-I. On the back of the package, I was surprised to see that this pack originated from Vietnam rather than Taiwan. The theme and graphics for the wrapper haven't changed much, so these are still very recognizable based on the crazy cow and red and white striped borders.


The flavor of these noodles is very nice. The broth is intense with beef flavor and has a high oil content. It is quite peppery as well. The texture of the noodles is not as deeply fried as before, but the noodles are thin and pretty flavorful.

I was disappointed that these noodles no longer contain bits of carrot like they used to. That was one of my favorite parts previously. This pack also now contains chunks of textured vegetable protein, which I always detest in my noodles. The flavor of these noodles is still very nice, but the overall quality has unfortunately slipped a little bit. I am still happy to eat these once in a while, but probably not as often as I used to.

Unif Tung-I - Instant Artificial Spicy Beef Flavor Noodles - 7.0/10

Asda Smart Price - Prawn Flavour Instant Noodles

It's not a very good sign when your instant noodle packaging is semi-transparent and you can see the flavor sachet through the outside wrapper. Nevertheless, I took my chances with this one. This is part of Asda's Smart Price range. Similar to Tesco Value or Sainsbury's Basics lines, the Asda Smart Price range is a low cost line of products. The packaging is restricted to one or two colors to reduce cost as much as possible.

These noodles were disappointingly limp and tasteless. The noodles themselves were quite gooey and starchy and didn't have the springiness illustrated on the packaging. There was barely any flavoring at all, especially not prawn flavoring. It tasted like a weak salt broth.


These noodles were terrible, but luckily my expectations were already very low. They didn't taste bad, but there was just no taste or texture to them. I will definitely not be getting these again.

Asda Smart Price - Prawn Flavour Instant Noodles - 0.5/10