A-Sha x Hot Ones Ramen Noodle Cups Mega-Review | Noodle Journey Episode 189
by Noodle Journey -

A-Sha x Hot Ones Ramen Noodle Cups Mega-Review | Noodle Journey Episode 189

I’m revisiting this A-Sha x Hot Ones Ramen Noodle Cups collaboration products, this time focusing on the ramen noodle cups rather than the bowls reviewed back in Episode 178. While the branding might suggest these are the same products in different packaging, the recipes are completely different. The lineup includes Sweet Chili, Garlic Chili, and Smoky Chili, all built around air-dried Taiwanese-style noodles and broths that are clearly derived from hot sauce bases rather than traditional ramen soup.

A-Sha Hello Kitty Hand Pulled Style Noodles with Friendly Scallion Sauce Review | Noodle Journey Episode 187
by Noodle Journey -

A-Sha Hello Kitty Hand Pulled Style Noodles with Friendly Scallion Sauce Review | Noodle Journey Episode 187

I know I said the last review was the last one of 2024, but this is a very last-minute entry to close out the year, and not one I originally planned to review. After Christmas, my wife and I made one of our usual trips to Target to check out the clearance aisle, and this six-pack of A-Sha Hello Kitty Hand Pulled Style Noodles with Friendly Scallion Sauce immediately stood out. These were marked down significantly, and given the A-Sha brand is a solid one, it felt like something worth reviewing right away before the opportunity disappeared.

Nissin Raoh Fugu Dashi Yuzushio Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 186
by Noodle Journey -

Nissin Raoh Fugu Dashi Yuzushio Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 186

I’m wrapping up 2024 on the channel (or rather, I intended to but something else came along) with one of the most unusual instant ramen products I’ve ever reviewed, and that’s saying something. This is Nissin Raoh Fugu Dashi Yuzushio Ramen, a limited-edition Japanese release built around pufferfish extract. Yes, that pufferfish. The famously venomous one that requires special licensing to prepare safely in Japan. Any time a product like that shows up in instant form, curiosity alone makes it impossible to ignore.

Marutai Shijimi Clam Soy Sauce Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 185
by Noodle Journey -

Marutai Shijimi Clam Soy Sauce Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 185

I’m closing out this year’s Marutai marathon with one of the more unusual flavors I’ve come across from the brand: Marutai Shijimi Clam Soy Sauce Ramen. This one immediately caught my attention, not just because I love clams, but because Marutai is positioning this as a nutritionally dense ramen built around shijimi clams, which are often associated with vitamins and restorative broths in Japan. I’ve reviewed seafood-forward ramen before, but this is one of the few where clams are clearly meant to be the star rather than a background note.

Marutai Ganso Nagahama-ya Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 184
by Noodle Journey -

Marutai Ganso Nagahama-ya Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 184

Continuing on with my run of Marutai reviews this year is my third tonkotsu review in a row, and this one is a collaboration between Marutai and a long-running ramen shop in Fukuoka called Ganso Nagahama-ya. I reviewed several Marutai restaurant collaborations last year, and they ended up being some of the best instant ramen I’ve ever had from the brand, even if they were a bit more expensive than usual. This particular shop is known for a very traditional, no-frills tonkotsu style, and the goal here is clearly to replicate that experience as faithfully as possible in an instant format.

Marutai Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 183
by Noodle Journey -

Marutai Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 183

I’m continuing my annual December Marutai marathon with another tonkotsu variation (Marutai's specialty, one could argue), this time Marutai Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen. In the last review, I covered a very straightforward yatai-style tonkotsu, and this one builds on that foundation by adding soy sauce as a central flavor element. On paper, this might sound redundant next to other Hakata-style soy sauce tonkotsu options Marutai already sells, but I still expected this to be both flavorful and well-executed based on their track record.

Marutai Yatai Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 182
by Noodle Journey -

Marutai Yatai Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 182

I’m kicking off 2024's Marutai December marathon with a flavor that’s been around for a while but is new to me: Marutai Yatai Tonkotsu Ramen. This is now the third year in a row that I’ve turned December into a bit of a tradition of revisiting my favorite Japanese instant ramen brand, and as long as Marutai keeps releasing new varieties, I’m happy to keep doing it. This particular tonkotsu isn’t part of Marutai’s usual lineup of regional variations. Instead, it’s meant to represent a more straightforward, food-stall-style tonkotsu experience.

Chef Woo Ramen Noodles by Chef Ramsay: Shiitake Mushroom Chicken & Black Garlic Beef Review | Noodle Journey Episode 181
by Noodle Journey -

Chef Woo Ramen Noodles by Chef Ramsay: Shiitake Mushroom Chicken & Black Garlic Beef Review | Noodle Journey Episode 181

Ramen Noodles by Chef Ramsay are a pair of brand-new ramen cups that just launched in the US (at the time of review) under the Chef Woo branding, created in collaboration with Gordon Ramsay. These are plant-based ramen cups positioned as a higher-protein, lower-sodium alternative to traditional instant ramen, and they’re notable not just because of the celebrity name attached, but because Borealis Foods (the Chef Woo parent company) is clearly aiming these at a health-conscious audience. Given Gordon Ramsay’s past public opinions about vegan food, this collaboration is at least a little surprising, which makes it all the more interesting to see whether the end result actually holds up.

Paldo Hwa Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 180
by Noodle Journey -

Paldo Hwa Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 180

I’m trying Paldo Hwa Ramyun today, another shin-style Korean soup that’s been sitting in my pantry for a while. Every so often I hear people on Reddit mention this as an alternative to Shin, but I never got around to cooking it until now. I don’t know exactly what “Hwa” translates to in Korean, and I’m not totally confident I’m pronouncing it correctly, but I was interested to see how this stacks up against other Korean red chili soups in Paldo’s lineup. I can’t say what really differentiates this from something like Namja or Flamed Beef just by looking at it, but it definitely fits into that same family of deep-red spicy Korean noodle soups.