Detailed instant noodle reviews and ratings – watch, read, and discover your next favorite.
It’s time for something vegan-friendly from Korea, so today I'm checking out Samyang Vegetasty Noodle Soup, a product that’s been around for years under different names but is finally becoming easier to find in the US. It’s Samyang’s answer to Nongshim Soon, a mildly spicy vegetable ramen made for those who want a full-bodied Korean chili broth without animal products.
Samyang Sutah Ramen is another product from Samyang that isn’t part of their Buldak line but still aims to satisfy fans of spicy Korean noodle soups. Before trying it, I tried to find out what “Sutah” means and couldn’t locate much official information beyond an old 2011 review on The Ramen Rater's website. In that review’s comments, a reader explained that Sutah comes from Chinese characters meaning “hit by hands,” implying a handmade noodle style, though the noodles here are machine-made like most others. It seems Samyang is using the name to emphasize noodle quality rather than literal production methodology.
Samyang Tangle Kimchi Rosé Tangluccine is the second entry in Samyang’s “Tangle” fusion line, following the excellent Bulgogi Alfredo from Episode 122. I’ve been looking for this one for months, and it’s been a hot item since release, so I was excited to finally track it down. This series reimagines Korean flavors through Italian-style pasta using wide, air-dried noodles that resemble fettuccine.
I recently hit the milestone of 1,000 subscribers, and to celebrate, I’m finally compiling the first-ever Noodle Journey Top 10 Instant Noodles list. Over the course of this channel, I’ve reviewed a massive variety of noodles, but these ten are the absolute best-in-class for their categories, in my humble opinion. These are the varieties that blew me away when I tried them and that I keep stocked regularly in my pantry for when I’m not filming reviews. This list is in no particular order. These are simply the major varieties that are easily obtainable and represent the pinnacle of my own instant noodle universe in 2024.
Samyang Buldak Tom Yum is hot off the presses, launching in the U.S. in January 2024. I may even be the first to do a full review of it on YouTube, since I couldn’t find any others when I filmed. While Buldak varieties pop up constantly in other countries, like Basil Cream Udon in Korea or Yakisoba in Australia, this Tom Yum flavor is, at least for now, exclusive to the U.S. market. I picked mine up from RamenMall for $1.99 a pack, though stock has been fluctuating quickly. At the time of this review, it hasn’t hit stores near me yet, but it should roll out to Asian groceries and other online sellers soon.
Samyang Hot Pepper Jjambbong Ramen is the second product in the company’s hot pepper line, following the Jjajang variety I reviewed last time. Like that one, it’s easy to mistake this for a Buldak product, but it’s from a separate lineup with this "Hot Pepper" branding. And indeed, Samyang has made more than a few spicy takes on this flavor already: Buldak Jjamppong is its own thing, and an excellent one, while Samyang also recently released a Nagasaki Jjambbong that was outstanding. Both of those were perfect 10s for me, so I am eager to see how this compares.
Samyang Hot Pepper Jjajang Ramen is part of a smaller Hot Pepper product line from Samyang, separate from their famous Buldak products even though it’s often mistaken for them. There’s also a Hot Pepper Jjambbong companion product in this line, which I’ll be reviewing next. This one has been available in foreign markets for a few years but only recently hit export packaging for English-speaking markets, so you’ll start seeing it in Asian grocery stores and online. You should be able to find this online for around $10 for a five-pack.
Samyang Nagasaki Jjambbong is a new find I picked up at H Mart for $9.99 a five-pack, and it immediately caught my eye with the promise of a creamy, spicy seafood broth. This style of soup traces back to Nagasaki, Japan, where champon was first created in 1899 by a Chinese restaurant. The Nagasaki version stands apart with its mild, milky broth made from chicken and pork bones combined with seafood, pork fat, and vegetables. With this pack of noodles, Samyang is adapting that style into a Korean jjambbong with a spicier kick, while still keeping the creamy broth profile intact.
Today's review is Samyang Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine, the first product I’ve found from their new Tangle line. Samyang is marketing Tangle as Korean-inspired pasta (“K-pasta”) that marries premium, air-dried noodles with Korean-flavored sauces in a twist on Italian pasta. The name “Tangle” comes from a Korean term for firm, elastic texture; the noodles here mimic fettuccine in width and bite, and the format aims to be a hearty one-pot fusion meal by pairing those noodles with a substantial plant-based flake packet. There’s also a Kimchi Rosé flavor in the line that I still haven’t been able to track down, so this bowl sets my baseline for what Tangle is supposed to be.
Today's review is Samyang Bulgogi Ramen Soup, and I’m happy to finally cover a new Samyang product that isn’t another Buldak flavor. Bulgogi is something you'll find in Korean barbecue: thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and onion, sometimes with Asian pear for sweetness, then grilled or stir-fried. As a noodle bowl, that translates to those marinade flavors adapted into a soup, since bulgogi itself isn’t served as a soup.