Mention Daruma Ramen within earshot of anyone from Fukuoka, and you’ll likely get an enthusiastic thumbs up for a ramen shop a bit off the radar but unanimously beloved by the locals. 7 and i Holdings now feature Daruma instant tonkotsu ramen, #006 in their exclusive regional ramen series. And yes, it’s plenty good.

Curry is a staple, if relatively underrated dish in the pantheon of Japanese cuisine, and Nissin Cup Noodle’s variation on the theme is right up there in terms of popularity as an quick instant ramen fix. It’s not the sort of thing that rameniac eats every day, but when you’re hungry, it’s best not to ask too many questions and just slurp it all down.

From the murky waters of Toyama City, Menya Iroha’s Kuroshoyu ramen is on the rise! This little package of nama noodling is an eclipse in a bowl, a black lagoon of… well, you get the point. Black shoyu ramen. Now I’ve seen everything but the Loch Ness Monster.

A rameniac fails when Kujiraken prematurely closes up shop at the Mitsuwa food fest! What to do? Sulk and fume? Absolutely. But then he gets down to business with a bowl of instant Kujiraken Kaoridashi Shio ramen! Not bad for a consolation bowl. Not bad at all!

It sure wouldn’t seem so, but this is instant ramen! Tokachi Nitsu must be employing some state-of-the-art technology in assembling wonders such as Menya Miyabi Yaki Shoyu, a thoroughly respectable replicant of famed noodles from Sapporo’s “Ramen Republic” ramen stadium. If it looks real and tastes real…

No one knows how that box of Manshuya Ga Ichiban Kurume ramen ended up in rameniac’s stash, but when he cracked it open and sucked down a bowl, he got this phone call that he would die in seven days. Naw, just playing. But it sure feels that way, when tonkotsu is so rich it’s practically pure molten lard!

Okay, so technically it’s “not really ramen,” but rameniac goes island hopping anyway with Myojo Okinawa Soba! Think of it like your cousin from the islands who’s a bit out of touch from living in the middle of the ocean; Okinawa Soba is fishy, squishy, and a noodly good time, brah!

Multi-packed instant ramen has come a long way from the days of Sapporo Ichiban. Nissin’s “Ramenya-san” lineup of plain-wrapped perennials are a step closer to what an instant noodle quick fix should be, and Yokohama Chukasoba is non-fried to boot. Can something be both good and good for you? Here’s a step in the right direction!

For everyone who’s ever shoved a square peg through a round hole, for everyone who believes in the abominable snowman, this one’s for you. Tokachi Nitsu Seimen-brand Nana Ramen contains seven of the greener things that make you tick. Hug a tree, hold a yoga pose, because vegetarian instant ramen is finally here!

Every time rameniac visits Japan, he has a few boxes of Taiho Mukashii Ramen sent home. Produced in Kurume Taiho’s very own instant noodle factory, this titular bowl of “old-style” ramen is seasonally available outside of the motherland. Taste the Ariake sea in every slurp of this top-notch treat!

Every great ramen shop deserves an instant noodle version of itself. Nissin Foods and 7&i convenience stores have teamed up to bring us Ippudo Karakamen, a decided spin on a Hakata-style classic. Does it rehydrate into something worthy of the Ippudo name? That’s the ¥398 question, isn’t it?

An entire nation falls into a burning ring of fire with that standard of Korean slurping, Nong Shim Shin Ramyun instant noodles. Can the spicy stuff go the distance like Anh Jung Hwan and the 2002 World Cup squad? Be the reds and carry them to victory!

It’s unofficial Santouka week here at rameniac! After a quick slurp in West Los Angeles, our hero cracks open a bowl of Nissin Santouka Toroniku Tonkotsu Shio just for the sake of comparison.

What’s red and lime green and steamy all over? Acecook’s Super Cup Noukoku Tonkotsu instant ramen, that oversized perennial in the distinctive paper carton. Styrophobes rejoice, your time is nigh!

Rameniac celebrates the Lunar New Year by pigging out on some Tung-I Chinese Beef Ramen Noodle! Does this Taiwanese offering  have what it takes to hang with the big boys of instant slurping?

Nissin Cup Noodle Seafood is the Rolls Royce of the seminal Cup Noodle line, loaded with choice ingredients and available in regular and “BIG” sizes. Does it hold its own on the instant noodle shelf? Let’s find out!

The Momofuku Ando retrospective love-in continues with a look at the venerable instant noodle founder’s 35 year-old seismic-shifting, styrofoam-clad second son, the original Nissin Cup Noodle!

Which came first? The chikin ramen or the egg? Who cares? Rameniac launches the instant ramen section with an excessively picture-heavy sonnet to the original instant noodle, Momofuku Ando’s Nissin Chikin Ramen!