Detailed instant noodle reviews and ratings – watch, read, and discover your next favorite.
Moving on from the previous review of Paldo Cheese Ramyun, I’m continuing the cheesy Korean soup run with Ottogi Cheese Ramen. I haven’t had this one before, but I’ve had great luck with Ottogi’s Jin line, so if this is basically Jin-style red chili beef broth with a cheese packet, I’m optimistic.
I’m kicking off a cheese-centric trio of reviews with Paldo Cheese Ramyun. I’ve had this variety once long before the channel/website even began, so I’m curious how it holds up now, especially next to other cheesy Korean options I’ve covered. This is a soup noodle, not a sauce noodle, so the cheese is meant to round out a classic red-chili beefy broth rather than be a creamy sauce.
I’m reviewing one of the most popular vegan instant noodle options out there: Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup. Since I tend to cover a lot of spicy, meat-based varieties, this feels like a good opportunity to check out something milder, vegan-friendly, and easy to find in the US. Vegans deserve solid noodle options too, and this one has been hyped online for years. It’s long overdue for a spot on my review list. As with most Nongshim products, my expectations are high, so I’m curious to see if it lives up to the praise.
I’m back with the second half of the Doong Ji Naengmyeon line with Nongshim Doong Ji Naengmyeon with Gochujang Sauce, this time swapping out the chilled beef broth for a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. Fans of the channel might recognize this pairing from my review of Nongshim’s Guksu Soba in Episode 85, where I loved the sauce, and from the previous review's naengmyeon noodles, which I mostly liked. Given that history, I’m expecting a solid showing here. Naengmyeon is a cold noodle dish made with ultra-thin brown noodles, while this gochujang sauce is a sweet and spicy blend built on red pepper paste and other savory elements.
It’s another hot summer day, so I’m breaking into something cold for this review: Nongshim Doong Ji Naengmyeon with Chilled Beef Broth. I first saw this style of noodle in a video from Esther Choi, where she prepared naengmyeon for Sean Evans, and it piqued my interest. I’ve tried other cold noodles before, like Nongshim’s Guksu Soba and Paldo’s Bibimmen, but naengmyeon is new territory for me. These thin, chewy noodles are typically made with wheat, buckwheat, and potato starch, and they’re traditionally served in a tangy, chilled broth, often as a refreshing follow-up to Korean BBQ. This one swaps in a beef-based broth, which should make for a very interesting experience.
This review is a bit of a departure. Rather than noodles, I’m trying an instant rice cake cup: Pororo Cream Tteokbokki. This licensed product, featuring the popular children’s character Pororo the penguin, appears to be marketed toward kids, but it works just as well as an accessible way for anyone to try tteokbokki. While the manufacturer is unclear to me (some online sources list Paldo, others MUKKO), I picked this up as an import from South Korea for $6 (I know, I overpaid, but I needed to hit an expedited shipping threshold). US shoppers can sometimes find these for $3–4 at Asian grocery stores or online.
For Episode 101, I’m following up my Shin Gold review with the other recent addition to the Shin lineup: Nongshim Shin Green Ramyun. Released in the US in 2022, this variety started out as a Kroger-exclusive before finally making its way to other markets. This one takes Shin in a completely different direction: a certified vegan spicy mushroom and fried tofu soup. While many instant noodles happen to be vegan, Nongshim went the extra step to have this one officially certified, making it a notable option for vegan noodle fans. I’m not vegan myself, but as a mushroom fanatic, I was eager to see what they had done here, especially since early feedback from others has been very divided.
I’m marking the 100th episode milestone with a fitting choice: one of Nongshim’s two new additions (at the time of this review) to the Shin lineup, Nongshim Shin Gold Ramyun. Since starting this channel with reviews of Shin and Shin Black, it only feels right to celebrate with another Shin variety. This one is a spicy chicken ramyun that promises a rich, flavorful bone broth while keeping the same core appeal that’s made Shin products some of my all-time favorites. The classic Nongshim balance of taste, portion size, and availability is here, and it’s just as easy to enjoy straight from the pack as it is dressed up with add-ins.
I’m wrapping up my current stash of Buldak products with something you don’t often see in US supermarket aisles: Samyang Buldak Jjamppong Ramen. Jjamppong is a spicy seafood soup that originated in Nagasaki, Japan, before being adapted into various regional styles. The Korean take leans toward a red chili broth similar to Nongshim’s Neoguri, which I loved back in Episode 25. This is Samyang’s super-spicy version of that style, and one of only a handful of Buldak varieties that are soups rather than stir-fries.
I’m finally reviewing the second-to-last Buldak flavor in this marathon, Samyang Buldak Cream Carbonara Ramen, after months of hunting it down. This flavor, released in the US in 2023 alongside Quattro Cheese and Habanero Lime, proved far harder for me to find than its siblings. While the others were easy to spot online and in local Asian markets, Cream Carbonara was elusive for me, selling out quickly at YamiBuy and not restocking in what I would consider a reasonable amount of time. My local store even had an empty shelf tag for weeks before replacing it with regular Carbonara. The breakthrough came when I spotted a random case of it sitting on the floor at H Mart, hidden under other boxes.