Noodle Journey Episode 122: Samyang Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine

Today’s review is Samyang’s Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine, the first product I’ve found from their new Tangle line. Samyang is marketing Tangle as Korean-inspired pasta (“K-pasta”) that marries premium, air-dried noodles with Korean-flavored sauces in a twist on Italian pasta. The name “Tangle” comes from a Korean term for firm, elastic texture; the noodles here mimic fettuccine in width and bite, and the format aims to be a hearty one-pot fusion meal by pairing those noodles with a substantial plant-based flake packet. There’s also a Kimchi Rosé flavor in the line that I still haven’t been able to track down, so this bowl sets my baseline for what Tangle is supposed to be.

I paid $7.99 for a four-pack at H Mart. Bowls do exist but I haven’t seen them at the time of this review; as with most new products, expect broader availability online and in Asian groceries as distribution ramps up. Sodium is 1,600mg per pack, with 15g of sugar to boot. Inside are some great-looking air-dried noodles fortified with onion, garlic, and yeast extract (and no egg despite this being a pasta-inspired noodle), plus a sauce pouch with yeast, MSG, corn syrup, soy sauce, garlic, shiitake mushroom, chili pepper, ginger, and “artificial grill” flavoring, a powder packet with cream, butter, and black pepper, and finally a flake packet with carrots, bok choy, and textured vegetable protein that mimics beef flakes. That makes it vegetarian but not vegan. The instructions boil the noodles and flakes for 4½–5½ minutes (for this review, I split the difference at 5), then add the sauce and powder directly to the noodle water. The on-pack method does not call for draining or reserving water, so the sauce stays looser than a true Alfredo. I was prepared for the more watery sauce going into this, and I’ll have some thoughts on that below.

Noodles:
Firm, flat, and convincingly “pasta-like.” Excellent chew, great bite, and a premium feel that’s right up there with the best instant noodles I’ve had from Samyang. These remind me of A-Sha’s noodles quite a bit.
• 10/10

Spiciness:
A very, very tiny bit of heat at the back of the throat from the chili pepper/black pepper combo. It’s noticeable if you’re looking for it, but I’d consider this an extremely gentle spice level.
• 1.5/10

Overall:
The flavor lands exactly where “bulgogi Alfredo” should: a balanced sweet-and-savory base with plenty of onion and garlic, a little mushroom umami, and a faint char-grilled note from the artificial grill flavoring. The TVP chunks are nicely seasoned and add a convincing, beef-like chew, while the carrots and bok choy rehydrate well and round out the bowl, even if they are not the stars. The weak point for me, besides a level of sweetness that I think might not appeal to some folks, is the sauce consistency; mixing sauce and powder into the full noodle water yields a brothier, looser finish than the word “Alfredo” suggests. It is still delicious, but a noodle like this would really benefit from a thicker, clingier sauce. As cooked strictly by the instructions, I’m happy with it and would buy it again, but if you tweak the cooking method by draining water or reducing the sauce separately, I can see this pushing into even higher-score territory.
• 8.5/10

Notes since filming:

This is tied with Indomie Mi Goreng as my wife’s favorite instant noodle product of all time. I personally liked the Rosé a bit more, but this is a hell of a good product. This was also relaunched with new packaging in mid-2025, so I will keep an eye out at my local stores in case there was a recipe change that warrants a re-review.