Back in the summer of 2019, when Dave and I worked at the same place in the city centre, we set ourselves something called the Noodle Cup Challenge. The idea was to eat our way across the entire noodle cup shelf at 186 Oriental which is a brilliant Asian supermarket here in Bristol. Sadly, redundancy got in the way before we could end our challenge but we got a good way through. Noodle cups are great for work lunches because they’re portable, quick to make and much cheaper than other takeaway options such as supermarket meal deals and food stalls. Probably the main downside is the packaging. Whilst the cups themselves are recyclable, they often include plastic sachets and forks which aren’t. We tend to save the forks for making omelettes and things that don’t like metal or I often chuck them in my handbag in case I need one when I’m out!
First up, is this JML artificial pork stew noodle cup. JML is a really big name in the Chinese instant noodle market and they have a lot of products on the market, including a wide range of noodle cups / bowls. They stand out with their bright coloured packaging although I couldn’t tell you what each flavour it is from the colour alone, it doesn’t seem to bear any resemblance!
The noodles
Each bowl is one portion but seriously, they’re big portions and will easily keep you filled up until dinner time. This one came with three sachets containing powder seasoning, dehydrated vegetables and a semi-solid fragranced oil. The flavour was good. It was floral and not at all spicy and developed as I went. Because of that, I enjoyed drinking the broth once I’d eaten all the noodles. I particularly enjoyed the pieces of cabbage and onion which rehydrated with the hot water. The noodles were springy and quite firm, despite soaking in the liquid for several minutes (with the foil lid down) before eating. In all, really tasty and a nice change from the usual high spice level of the noodles I tend to eat.
JML (and other Asian instant noodles) often have artificial meat flavouring. Although the word itself might seem unappetising, I wouldn’t let this put you off. Plus, many of these are vegetarian (but not all). This one is. Having read through the ingredients list, I couldn’t see anything in there which derived from meat, dairy or seafood although it did contain egg so this isn’t vegan.
Scores on the doors
- Flavour – 7/10
- Texture – 5/10
- Ease of making – 8/10
Total: 20/30
Buy again? Yes
This JML artificial pork stew noodle cup was from 186 Oriental on Park Street in Bristol but I’ve seen them online in plenty of places too. We paid £1.20 in July 2019. For more instant noodle reviews, head to my Noodle Reviewooodle page!
Dave