Symington’s Naked Cantonese Style Hoisin Duck
Symington’s Naked Cantonese Style Hoisin Duck instant noodle cup.
Welcome back to my regular self-punishment segment of “Let’s try this probably terrible instant ramen from Europe”, this time featuring Symington’s Naked Cantonese Style Hoisin Duck instant noodles. The UK company Symington’s has multiple product lines and brands, ranging from instant noodles to pasta sauces and assorted cooking sauces. Asian style instant noodles are under the Naked brand, but they also have instant pasta under the Mug Shot brand, which can be easily prepared in a mug for a quick snack.
The Naked brand instant noodles come in a quite premium feeling instant noodle cup, so you would expect to get a high quality product here. That feeling is quickly betrayed once you open up the lid, but maybe I am getting ahead of myself here.
Let’s find out if Symington’s sold us a Symingdon’t product, or if this one betrays the trend of European instant noodles ranging from barely edible to “eh, not awful”.
Yum, pre-broken instant noodles with no visible seasoning.
Content
One look inside does not promise a lot. You have to search the soup powder under the pre-broken down noodles. The noodles not containing any mentioned palm oil or other fat means for me that they are probably dried, not fried. Good dried noodles that only need to soak in how water are a miracle of technology, that can often be found in Japanese premium instant noodles.
The bowl does not contain any duck, despite the “Hoisin Duck” name, so I guess this instant cup would qualify as vegetarian. The egg in the noodles makes it non-vegan.
There are a few bits, very few fits of freeze dried carrots and green onion.
Broken noodles like these probably hurt Japanese and Italians equally.
Preparation
The packaging provides the following simple instructions
Fill up to the line inside with boiling water.
Instantly stir everything around.
Wait for 4 minutes and mix every now and then, repeatedly.
The slightly starchy soup-sauce covers the noodles well. If only it also had flavor.
Review
I can confidently say that this is either the worst or at least in the top 3 worst instant ramen I have ever tried.
The soup is completely flavorless. A slightly starchy soup with a faint hint of flavor in the background. And that flavor is food coloring with a touch of caramelized sugar. There is no salt, there is no soy sauce flavor, really just…nothing. I don’t think I have ever had any kind of instant product that was more flavorless. At least give me some salt and msg!
And what is up with those noodles? Why are they completely broken down? I am guessing you are supposed to eat this with a fork or a spoon, which would make sense for the European market. But they are not only cut to bits, they are also simply terrible. Awful texture, awful flavor, just awful overall.
I feel like every word more here is really unnecessary. The company “Symington’s” should really be ashamed of this product. It has nothing to do with Hoisin Duck flavor, it’s not Cantonese style, it doesn’t remind me of anything I have ever had anywhere in Asia.
Terrible, terrible product. Shame on you, Symington’s.
0 out of 10
