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Marutai Seiyoken Tonkotsu Ramen is the first of three restaurant collaboration products I'm reviewing in a row from Marutai, supervised by Seiyoken in Kurume City, the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. Unlike the Local Series packs I’ve reviewed before, these are part of Marutai’s “Famous Store Ramen” line, meant to replicate specific restaurant recipes. This one promises a light yet rich tonkotsu broth made with a liquid soup packet instead of the usual powder for a more authentic experience.
Marutai Oita Chicken Paitan Ramen is the newest entry in Marutai’s “Local Series” of stick ramen, released for the 15th anniversary of the line. This product replaces the Miyazaki Chicken Shio and Oita Chicken Yuzu Shoyu flavors, both of which appear to have been discontinued since I reviewed them. Those were solid entries very typical of Marutai's quality, but they were on the lower end of my rankings compared to the rest of the series, so I’m excited that Marutai introduced something that should be more interesting in their place. This recipe is from Oita and features a creamy chicken paitan broth, which marks a contrast with Marutai’s previous clear chintan-style chicken offerings.
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.
Trader Joe’s Thai Noodle Bowls come in three flavors, Garlic Sauce, Red Curry, and Peanut Satay, and I’m diving into all of them in this review. I’ve tried other Trader Joe’s instant noodle products before, like their Squiggly Taiwanese noodles and ramen cups, but those weren’t particularly impressive. Trader Joe’s usually rebrands products from established manufacturers, but I’m not sure who made these bowls. Each is sold exclusively at Trader Joe’s for about $2.50, although third-party sellers on Amazon list them for a steep markup.
Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Momosan Ramen is the second flavor in the Sapporo Ichiban x Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto collaboration, following the Tokyo Chicken variety. While that one impressed me, this tonkotsu faces tougher competition. I’ve reviewed many premium tonkotsu ramen before - from Marutai’s lineup to Itsuki’s vegan version to even Sapporo Ichiban’s own bowl tonkotsu - and they’ve all set a high bar. With Morimoto’s name attached, this one has a lot to prove.
Sapporo Ichiban Tokyo Chicken Momosan Ramen is one of two collaborative flavors developed in collaboration between Sapporo Ichiban and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, promising a unique take on chicken ramen. I just reviewed Sapporo Ichiban’s standard chicken flavor as a baseline to compare this one against, and I’m expecting something much more complex here. I’ve actually been to Morimoto’s Philadelphia restaurant (still the most expensive and best meal I’ve ever had) so I’m holding this to a high standard. Momosan, Morimoto’s more noodle-centric venture, is behind these packaged offerings, and this Tokyo Chicken flavor claims to be an exclusive Morimoto recipe.
In the bowl today: Sapporo Ichiban Chicken Ramen. I’m reviewing one of the most common ramen varieties you’re likely to see in the supermarket, and I’m doing it while I’m not feeling 100%, so a savory chicken soup sounds perfect right now. I had never tried Sapporo Ichiban noodles before launching the channel, but now that I have, I’m always happy with how good these noodles are for the price. I’d walked by them in grocery stores for years and never knew they were better than similarly priced noodles until I had my first bite of their original soy sauce flavor.
Today I’m trying Trader Joe’s Mee Krob Snackers, a crispy noodle snack that takes its inspiration from the Thai dish mee krob for its sweet-and-sour profile. I do not get to Trader Joe’s often, so when I spotted these, I immediately grabbed a bag to see how well a cluster of crispy noodles works as a snack.