Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Bistro Korean Gochujang Beef is the third and currently final product I’m reviewing from the Ramen Bistro line, and it’s also supposed to be the spiciest of the three. Since this flavor originally came out in 2024, Nissin has launched its Top Ramen HotPot Fusions line, which also features a spicy Korean beef variety. I wonder if this variety uses the same flavoring as that one, or if it will be a different recipe. Let’s find out!
The Verdict:
| Product: | Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Bistro Korean Gochujang Beef |
| Origin: | Japan (Manufactured in the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 6.5/10 |
| Spice Level: | 5.5/10 |
| Overall Score: | 5/10 |
Just like the other two flavors in this line, you should be able to find this one in supermarkets across the USA for under $2. That’s pretty comparable to Nongshim Shin Ramyun cups, so if you buy Shin regularly, this might be a nice change of pace if you want to track it down, depending on how this review goes.
In the cup, we’ve got chili-infused cup noodles, broth powder, and dried vegetables. The broth powder contains gochujang red pepper paste, soy sauce, beef fat, garlic, onion, shrimp powder, and various spices. The dried ingredients are soy protein, carrot, shiitake mushroom, minced garlic, and white onion. The sodium content is 1260mg for the whole cup.
Noodles:
Same noodles as the last two Ramen Bistro varieties. Not great, but far better than normal Cup Noodles. I wish these were in more of Nissin’s products.
- 6.5/10
Spiciness:
Noticeably on the hotter side of medium, just shy of something like Shin Ramyun. A pretty standard spice level for a Korean-style ramen.
- 5.5/10
Overall:
When this was resting in the microwave at the end of its cooking time, I thought, “That smells good. This one’s going to be a winner.” My wife even walked by and said it smelled so good it was making her hungry. The problem is that the taste did not live up to the aroma for me (or my wife, for that matter). Once again, just like the Japanese Miso flavor that preceded it, I found this to be a bland broth in desperate need of seasoning. The aroma promised a savory beefy treat, but my tastebuds got very little of that, with the spice level overpowering the nuances of the flavor – with one exception. See, in the Japanese Miso flavor, I added a pinch of MSG and the broth magically shifted from mediocre to delicious, but with this one, there’s an underlying aftertaste that I just could not figure out, and it was not pleasant. It was a little bitter and funky, but I have no idea what it was. I could hazard a guess – the cup does list three different types of yeast extract that I highly suspect might be to blame – but ultimately I don’t have the words to describe it other than “weird aftertaste.” I was really hoping that this would be similar to the really tasty HotPot Fusions Korean Spicy Beef flavor, but it falls way short of that. Once again, the flake content was plentiful, but I got more than a few pieces of soy protein and mushroom that felt tough and undercooked. I wouldn’t call this inedible, but I would call it disappointing.
- 5/10
Continuing the Journey
- For some much better Korean spicy beef noodles, check out Nongshim Shin Black Ramyun or Ottogi Jin Ramen Spicy.
- If you want something different and spicy from Nissin, read or watch my review of Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok Bowls.
- One of my current favorite spicy beef options from China you might want to check out is Kang Shi Fu Braised Artificial Beef Flavor Soup Noodle.
