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

Indomie Mi Goreng Barbeque Chicken Flavor Review | Noodle Journey Episode 179
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Indomie Mi Goreng Barbeque Chicken Flavor Review | Noodle Journey Episode 179

Today I've got something from Indomie that I had a while back before I started the channel, and I thought it was time to give it a proper review: this is Indomie Mi Goreng Barbeque Chicken Flavor. I've really slept on reviewing stuff from Indomie, and for that I apologize; it kind of gets lost in the shuffle of all the other varieties I have in my queue, but I'm hoping to fix that going forward. I grabbed some packs of Indomie's other exported varieties like this one, because I always hear everybody talk about the regular Mi Goreng or the Hot & Spicy flavor, but never so much the other ones.

A-Sha x Hot Ones Ramen Noodle Bowls Mega-Review | Noodle Journey Episode 178
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A-Sha x Hot Ones Ramen Noodle Bowls Mega-Review | Noodle Journey Episode 178

Today's review is A-Sha x Hot Ones Ramen Noodle Bowls, a collaboration between two very well-known brands: A-Sha and Hot Ones. The flavors are Taiwanese Tingly Pepper Ramen, Sizzling Chili Garlic Ramen, and Fiery Hot Tonkotsu Ramen. I've got to say, Target has really upped its instant noodle game these last few weeks; not only did they start carrying Buldak Yakisoba, but now they also have these three bowls available nationwide.

Samyang Buldak Korean Fried Chicken Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 177
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Samyang Buldak Korean Fried Chicken Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 177

I wasn't planning on doing another Buldak review so soon, but something pretty cool happened, and I was just able to get my hands on Samyang Buldak Korean Fried Chicken Flavor after months of searching. This is a flavor that came out earlier this year and is sold by Samyang in China and possibly other spots in Asia; I can't confirm for sure either way. I have been looking for this since I learned it existed because I love most Buldak flavors, and I want to review everything I can that is Buldak-related.

Samyang Buldak Yakisoba Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 176
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Samyang Buldak Yakisoba Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 176

The American export version of Samyang Buldak Yakisoba Ramen recently made its way to the USA in one of the most unlikely of retailers, having been available in other countries like South Korea and Australia for over a year. Out of the blue, it started showing up at Target stores in the USA just a couple of weeks ago. That's right everyone, at the time of this filming, I couldn't find a single other American store that stocks this flavor in packs, not even my local Asian markets.