The Han Kitchen Budae Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 142
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The Han Kitchen Budae Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 142

The Han Kitchen Budae Ramyun is the last of the three Han Kitchen products I currently have. Han Kitchen is an Australian company with noodles manufactured in South Korea for global export. You should be able to find this one online as well as in H Mart and other Asian grocery stores. This flavor is their take on budae jjigae, or Korean army stew, a dish born in the 1950s by combining American military base rations like Spam, hot dogs, baked beans, and American cheese with Korean ingredients like kimchi, rice cakes, and gochugaru. It’s a concept I really enjoy, though I know it can be polarizing.

The Han Kitchen Pocha Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 141
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The Han Kitchen Pocha Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 141

The Han Kitchen Pocha Ramyun is the second of three products from The Han Kitchen I’m reviewing. Han Kitchen is an Australian brand owned by ByAsia, with its noodles manufactured in South Korea and now starting to show up more often in the U.S. I found a four-pack at Yamibuy for $5.99, and they’re also available in H Mart and other Asian markets. This is my first time seeing “pocha” used on a noodle product, and after some digging I learned it’s short for "pojangmacha," which means a tent or stall that sells street food in South Korea. The name doesn’t describe the flavor directly - no tents were ground into powder to make this broth - but according to Han Kitchen, this is their take on a spicy red ramyun soup in the same vein as Nongshim Shin or Ottogi Jin.

The Han Kitchen Gomtang Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 140
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The Han Kitchen Gomtang Ramyun Review | Noodle Journey Episode 140

The Han Kitchen Gomtang Ramyun is a milky beef bone soup with thick, chewy Korean noodles. I’m starting a trilogy of reviews from this relative newcomer to American markets because I want these on the books as they start popping up in more places. It’s been a long time since the Paldo Premium Gomtang review back in Episode 6, so this is a good chance to see how another take on gomtang measures up.

Daebak Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor Noodles Review | Noodle Journey Episode 139
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Daebak Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor Noodles Review | Noodle Journey Episode 139

Daebak Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Flavor is one of those infamous social media challenge noodles, and it kicks off my 2024 reviews. The cup even includes hashtag instructions for filming yourself eating it, underscoring how much of a gimmick this product is. My goal here isn’t to chase clout but to find out if this is actually worth eating outside of the challenge setting.

Samyang Hot Pepper Jjambbong Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 133
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Samyang Hot Pepper Jjambbong Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 133

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 Review | Noodle Journey Episode 132
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Samyang Hot Pepper Jjajang Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 132

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 Ramen Soup Review | Noodle Journey Episode 131
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Samyang Nagasaki Jjambbong Ramen Soup Review | Noodle Journey Episode 131

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.

Ottogi Snack Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 123
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Ottogi Snack Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 123

Time to review Ottogi Snack Ramen, a product that is actually marketed as a snack instead of a full meal. I’m going in wondering whether this is worth choosing over Ottogi’s full-size Jin soups I like, and what the flavor actually is. The main conceit of this product is the cooking speed - it's a true two-minute cook time thanks to the super-thin noodles in here. I’ve seen a cup version of this as well, but I’m reviewing the pillow pack here.

Samyang Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine Review | Noodle Journey Episode 122
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Samyang Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine Review | Noodle Journey Episode 122

Today's review is Samyang 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.

Nongshim Potato Noodle Soup Review | Noodle Journey Episode 121
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Nongshim Potato Noodle Soup Review | Noodle Journey Episode 121

Today I’m reviewing Nongshim Potato Noodle Soup, a Nongshim variety that puts the potato starch content of the noodles front and center. While Nongshim’s noodles often include a little potato starch for chew, this recipe leans on it as a primary ingredient. Despite the name, this is not gluten-free; there is wheat gluten in the noodle. The packaging also does not make it clear what kind of broth this is, so I’m going in curious to see how this flavor hits me.