Do you like poodles? Yes? Everyone does. And what rhymes with poodle…..that’s right…NOODLE!
After such a smooth intro, how can you not read on? I want to tell you a little about Mr Lee’s Noodle offerings – a gourmet, gluten free, rice noodle cup that’s ready and waiting for you.
Mr Lee is actually a real man and he decided to create this line of noodles after he was diagnosed with cancer and needed to create something raw, clean and full of ‘no nasties’ to help him through alongside chemo. He loved instant noodles but because a fair wadge of them are full of chemicals and additives, he didn’t want to mix that with his medication so he made his own! Thankfully Mr Lee was given the clear from cancer – HOORAH – and he decided to launch his healthy noodle pots to share them with the world.
When he says ‘no nasties’, what does he mean? Well they’re gluten free which pleases the gluten intolerant amongst us, there are no artificial ingredients and even the packaging itself is entirely recyclable. So far there are six flavour options available:
- Dragon Fire Mushroom
- Hong Kong Street Beef
- Penang Chicken Curry Laksa
- Shaolin Monk Vegetables
- Tai Chi Chicken
- Warrior Fighting Shrimp
All of the above contain different freeze dried ingredients and a nicely sized Vietnamese noodle nest to cover one of your meals of the day.
My first sampling of Mr Lee’s noodles was the Hong Kong Street Beef. I was a bit sceptical of how a noodle in a cup can actually taste fresh, and as I opened the packet and poured in my boiling water I still wasn’t sure. However after the three minute wait was up, the whole cup was filled with noodles and the broccoli and chilis had been brought to life. The beef, although in tiny cubes actually tasted like beef which sounds strange but is actually pretty impressive for this kind of product. I’m assuming this is all down to the freeze-drying process they use.
This reminded me of a kind of pho but with only a few veggies and little cubes of beef. It did taste really good and fresh. Slightly spicy, especially at the end and with one chili rating I am thinking the three chili may be too spicy for me!
Moving onto the Tai Chi Chicken, it seemed rather mild to me but then it is a zero chili rating…however, when I got to the bottom I discovered all the flavour was trapped there. I think because the noodles do swell up and take up a fair bit of room it means stirring is a little more tricky. So make sure you do stir these things properly if you can so you don’t get the little shot of flavour at the end as I did. The ginger taste was great when I got it through though, so I am regretting my poor preparation of this one!
The final noodle I’ll report back on was the Shaolin Monk Vegetable pot which I found a little bland but you could still taste the freshness there and it was very colourful with all the veggies. Listed amongst the ingredients is Chinese 5 spice so maybe it could have done with a little more of that, but it was still a nice lunch just not as flavoursome as some of the other options.
Packaging wise I was super pleased with these – the outside was thick enough to let me hold the cup the entire time I ate the noodles. straight from the point of pouring in the boiling water. The branding is also very attractive with simple designs to match their clean ingredient list.
My verdict is these were pretty nice and definitely taste as fresh as I’d imagine a noodle cup can do. The fillings were of a good quantity and if you prepare them correctly (doh, silly me) they’re flavoursome. Priced attached approximately £3 I’d say that’s quite a standard work lunchtime kind of spend (it’ll get you a subway or most of a boots meal deal, that kind of thing) but if you’re comparing to a pot noodle you’re going to think you’re paying more. The key difference here is the quality of ingredients and the fresh flavour, plus they are healthy and none of the pots will put you above 240 calories of your daily allowance.
You can get your hands on a Mr Lee’s Noodle Cup by checking out their website or by stumbling upon one of their noodle kiosks. I’d pick these over any noodle cups I’ve had so far that’s for sure – the Hong Kong Street Beef being my favourite of the six.
Forked by Stefpuff
Twitter/Instagram: @mrleesnoodles
fork my piehole 