Detailed instant noodle reviews and ratings – watch, read, and discover your next favorite.
Today's entry in my big pile of Buldak noodles is a newer, limited-time bowl product with one of the weirdest names that I've ever seen: Samyang Buldak Hotter Than My Ex. Maybe this has caught your attention if you've seen it online; there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what this product is supposed to be, so I figured, why not? Let's do a review of it.
These are brand new from Nongshim and I'm willing to bet a lot of you who clicked on this review have been waiting for these for months. They're finally here, but there is a major issue you should know about so make sure you read through the whole intro (or watch the video linked above) and I'll talk about it. Welcome to the mega review of Nongshim's KPop Demon Hunters Shin Ramyun Cups.
Working my way through my big backlog of Buldak (the bi-weekly Buldak big backlog binge, if you will) today's review is one of the newer flavors that I teased a while back. This is Samyang Buldak Swicy Sweet & Spicy Ramen.
Today's review is from a brand that is the largest instant noodle manufacturer in China. And despite that pedigree, this is the first time I'm trying one of their products: Kang Shi Fu Braised Artificial Beef Flavor Soup Noodle. Kang Shi Fu is also called "Master Kong" according to most online retailers and the Wikipedia page for this company. But I do have a colleague in the noodle review world who says that Kang Shi Fu and Master Kong are actually separate companies and that there's some sort of stolen branding mascot thing going on between the two of them. I don't know which of those things is correct and I really don't have a dog in the fight of Chinese manufacturers stealing each other's trademarks. So I will just say that 99% of the time you can find this product and many other products under either name, Kang Shi Fu or Master Kong, if you're looking to buy any of their flavors online.
Samyang is really embracing the Mexican-Korean fusion trend lately. In the past, we've seen the brand release flavors like Corn, Habanero Lime, and Taco. Now, the company has finally released a flavor that many viewers have been asking me to review: Samyang Buldak Birria Spicy Ramen. If you aren't familiar with birria, it is a Mexican stew traditionally made with goat and slowly simmered in a rich consommé broth, though more commonly (especially in the US), it is often made with beef or sometimes chicken. While birria tacos have been around for a long time, birria went viral in the last few years because of people making "birria ramen" by mixing the meat and consommé with ramen noodles. I live near a phenomenal Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant, and I thought the Tapatio Birria Ramen was excellent, so I have a bit of a bias and high expectations for how an instant version should taste.
The Nissin Cup Noodles Wings limited-edition lineup has officially landed, bringing a trio of chicken-wing-inspired flavors to the instant noodle aisle. Released just in time for the "Big Game" (and I’m being careful with the phrasing so the NFL lawyers don’t come after me), these cups aim to replicate a sports bar experience with popular chicken wing flavors translated into instant ramen cups. This mega-review tackles the entire lineup: Spicy Buffalo with Ranch, Garlic Parmesan, and Lemon Pepper.
This is the first mega-review of 2026 and it covers the full launch lineup of Nongshim Ramyun Chef, a brand-new product line positioned as restaurant-quality instant noodles. The four launch flavors are Beef Bulgogi, Braised Beef, Curry Chicken, and Creamy Garlic Chicken. Nongshim is framing this line as globally-inspired dishes executed using Korean ramyun, with three of the four of the flavors leaning hard into fusion territory.
Samyang Buldak Sweet Ramen is a bowl-only (currently) Buldak product aimed squarely at people who like the flavor of Buldak sauce but find the original versions a little too intense. This bowl released around the same time as the Taco flavor and not long before Samyang introduced “Swicy,” a very similar-looking but still distinct product. Sweet is positioned as a toned-down, slightly sweeter take on the classic hot chicken sauce rather than a major departure from the formula.
This review kicks off 2026 with one of Nissin’s most aggressive novelty flavors to date: Nissin Cup Noodles Dill Pickle Flavor. Nissin has leaned hard into gimmick releases over the past few years, clearly designed to grab attention on social media, and this one fits that pattern perfectly. Even knowing that, I couldn’t skip it since I've reviewed every other one Nissin has made, for better or for worse. Some of these oddball flavors have surprised me in the past, while others have been among the worst things I’ve ever eaten. This one very much felt like it could go either way.
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.