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Browse all instant noodle reviews from Noodle Journey. I’ve covered hundreds of different flavors from brands like Nongshim, Samyang, Nissin, A-Sha, and more.
I’m wrapping up this year’s Marutai Marathon with something I’ve never reviewed on the channel before and, honestly, something I’ve never even eaten at a restaurant. This is Marutai Fukuoka Seafood & Pork Tsukemen, a dipping-style ramen that’s very different from the soup bowls I usually gravitate toward. This one marks my first real exposure to tsukemen in any form, so I'm going into this curious about both the eating experience and how well that style translates to an instant product.
Next in this year’s Marutai Marathon with a style of ramen I’ve never reviewed on the channel before, which is always exciting. This time around, it’s Marutai Yokohama Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen, a product based on iekei-style ramen that originated in Yokohama. This is part of Marutai’s long-running Local Series, where they attempt to replicate famous regional ramen styles from across Japan, and it appears to be a newer entry in that lineup.
Dongwon Cheese Topokki is the other Korean rice cake variety from this manufacturer that I found recently at Walmart, and given how delicious I thought the Spicy and Sweet flavor was, I figured I'd better try this one too so I know what to stock up on next time I find myself in a Walmart. This variety leans into one of the other more popular preparations of tteokbokki/topokki: a rich and mild chili, cream, and cheese sauce.
I’m moving on from the Marutai x Sapporo Ichiban collaboration products and into some of the newer Japanese Marutai releases that started showing up this past year, starting with something completely new to me: Marutai Chilled Chinese Noodles, also known as Hiyashi Chuka. This is my first time trying this style of dish, and while it’s currently December and absolutely freezing outside, this is a Marutai product and part of my annual countdown to Christmas tradition, so it still fits right in. The focus here is whether the base flavor itself is worth buying, which means I’m reviewing this exactly as it comes in the package, without adding any extra toppings.
I’m kicking off my annual December Marutai tradition with a Sapporo Ichiban x Marutai Tonkotsu Ramen mega-review! These are three collaboration products that, from what I can put together, are manufactured by Marutai with Sapporo Ichiban/Sanyo Foods acting as the North American distributor: Hakata-Style Original Tonkotsu, Kagoshima-Style Creamy Tonkotsu, and Kumamoto-Style Garlic Tonkotsu ramen. This whole holiday marathon started in my first year on YouTube when my wife bought me 12 Marutai varieties and I did a 12-days countdown, and now this is what December looks like on the channel and website. Marutai is my favorite instant ramen company, and I’m always excited to catch up on new releases.
I'm a big fan of Mama noodles. They're cheap, they're flavorful, and there's something about those thin, chewy noodles that I really enjoy. These Mama Artificial Chicken Flavor Noodles are one of the more easy-to-come-by packs here in the US, and I'm pretty eager to see what Mama can do with such a simple flavor, especially considering the chicken flavor is entirely artificial.
Momofuku Sesame Miso Noodles mark the first major shift in the Momofuku noodle lineup in quite some time, and I am reviewing them today because this flavor launches alongside some big changes to the entire brand, which I covered in my September 2025 news post. Basically, Momofuku has a new manufacturing partner and has made adjustments meant to improve sauce coverage and reduce spice. I enjoyed a couple of the old Momofuku recipes but always wished for a few improvements, and this new direction promises to address those.
It's honestly been a little while since I had Korean rice cakes, and even longer since I reviewed one, and so when I spotted Dongwon Spicy and Sweet Topokki at my local Wamart (of all places), I figured I'd give them a try. There's also a Cheese version of this that I'll be reviewing soon, if not in the next post. Sometimes written as tteokbokki, topokki are the tube-shaped rice cakes you'll see in the images below, and they can be served in a variety of different sauces, although I think this "spicy and sweet" sauce is the most typical presentation. Why am I reviewing rice cakes on a noodle website? Because this is a very noodle-adjacent product, found right next to the instant noodles in any Asian grocery store (or in this case, the noodle aisle at Walmart).
Samyang Buldak Taco Ramen is one of the biggest instant noodle releases to come out during the several months I was on hiatus, and the amount of hype surrounding it online made this an obvious choice for a new review. Tex-Mex ramen mashups are having a moment right now, and the idea of Buldak exploring that trend with a taco flavored option feels like something that was bound to happen eventually. The product description calls this a savory gentle heat built around toasted cumin, chili, and a rich taco flavor, which sets an expectation that this will land far outside the typical Korean flavor profile. With all of that in mind, I approached this review fully expecting something new but not necessarily something very intense in terms of spice.
Maruchan Mennosuke Tategata Kamodashi Soba is a neat flavor that I got out of the final ZenPop box last year. Buckwheat soba noodles with a duck and bonito broth! That's not something you really see in the USA at all. Will it be gamey like duck? Smoky and fishy like bonito? Read on to see