Invented in Japan in the middle of the last century, cup noodles are saviours for the lethargic and a curse to health buffs. When hunger strikes, the prospect of having a hot meal ready in three minutes is hard to resist. Janice Leung finds that some are more worth the wait than others.
Tokachi Niitsu Sapporo Ramen
With the status of Japanese ramen now closer to haute cuisine than fast food, most would doubt that a cup noodle that takes a mere four minutes to cook could even come close to the real thing. But Hokkaido-based Tokachi Niitsu Seimen shoots cynics down with a large, liquid pack of deliciously rich miso and pork soup, and thick, bouncy noodles made entirely with wheat from Hokkaido, finished off with a generous sprinkling of spring onion. The only let-down was the meat - tiny specks of what looked like sliced pork belly that were chewy and dry. While the most expensive of the lot, it is still far cheaper than that sold at some ramen joints in town and tastes a lot better.
HK$28, city'super, citywide
Sau Tao Ho Fan Abalone Chicken Soup Flavoured
This bucket-shaped, waxed paper bowl comes with a handy plastic cover that will stay on tightly while the noodles are cooking. Aside from that, however, these ho fan (flat rice noodles) produced by well-known local noodle brand Sau Tao are a flop. The noodles, rather than being light, smooth and slippery, leave an unpleasant, starchy residue on the teeth. Despite promising the richness of abalone and chicken, the soup, which comes in powder form in a separate sachet, is a thin, salty solution. It might have been because we added too much water - but with the suggested water level indicated unhelpfully on the outside of the bowl, we'll never know.
HK$6.80, ParknShop, citywide