Detailed instant noodle reviews and ratings – watch, read, and discover your next favorite.
Samyang Tangle Kimchi Rosé Tangluccine is the second entry in Samyang’s “Tangle” fusion line, following the excellent Bulgogi Alfredo from Episode 122. I’ve been looking for this one for months, and it’s been a hot item since release, so I was excited to finally track it down. This series reimagines Korean flavors through Italian-style pasta using wide, air-dried noodles that resemble fettuccine.
After a surprisingly not horrible experience with Mike’s Mighty Good Kimchi Ramen, I wanted to see what a company that actually makes decent noodles could do with the same concept. Nongshim Kimchi Noodle Soup seems like the perfect follow-up, since I’ve already made it clear how much I love both kimchi and Nongshim’s products in general. This one feels like a natural fit with their other products.
I recently hit the milestone of 1,000 subscribers, and to celebrate, I’m finally compiling the first-ever Noodle Journey Top 10 Instant Noodles list. Over the course of this channel, I’ve reviewed a massive variety of noodles, but these ten are the absolute best-in-class for their categories, in my humble opinion. These are the varieties that blew me away when I tried them and that I keep stocked regularly in my pantry for when I’m not filming reviews. This list is in no particular order. These are simply the major varieties that are easily obtainable and represent the pinnacle of my own instant noodle universe in 2024.
Samyang Buldak Tom Yum is hot off the presses, launching in the U.S. in January 2024. I may even be the first to do a full review of it on YouTube, since I couldn’t find any others when I filmed. While Buldak varieties pop up constantly in other countries, like Basil Cream Udon in Korea or Yakisoba in Australia, this Tom Yum flavor is, at least for now, exclusive to the U.S. market. I picked mine up from RamenMall for $1.99 a pack, though stock has been fluctuating quickly. At the time of this review, it hasn’t hit stores near me yet, but it should roll out to Asian groceries and other online sellers soon.
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 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 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 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 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.