Detailed instant noodle reviews and ratings – watch, read, and discover your next favorite.
This is my first time reviewing a soba noodle product, and I’m kicking things off with something from one of my favorite Korean companies. Nongshim Guksu Soba with Gochujang combines Korean sweet-and-spicy chili paste with Japanese-style buckwheat noodles, creating a chilled noodle dish that’s a refreshing change of pace. And the most interesting part? It comes with two different preparation methods: cold sauced noodles or cold noodle soup. Naturally, I'm reviewing them both.
I’m taking a look at a Nongshim variety that completely slipped past my radar until recently: Nongshim Guksu with Beef Bone Extract. The packaging boldly advertises a hybrid of beef and umami dashi flavors, and I picked up a four-pack on sale for $3.99 at my favorite Asian market, marked down from the usual $5.99. Oddly, I haven’t found it on Amazon, but some Walmarts carry it, and other Asian online stores or eBay may have listings.
I’m revisiting a flavor I tried a long time ago: Nongshim Ansung Noodle Soup, also known as Ansungtangmyun. Back then, I wasn’t in serious reviewer mode, so this time I’m taking a closer look. Despite its lower prominence compared to Shin, this one is still easy to find in stores like Wegmans or online for around $5 to $10 per 4-pack. The name “Ansung” refers to the small Korean city where this recipe originated, and the import version usually bears the original Korean name instead. According to Nongshim, this is a mildly spicy miso soup with beef extract and shiitake mushrooms, and it definitely piqued my curiosity. Read all about the history of Ansungtangmyun here: https://nongshimusa.com/homev2/our-products/meal-noodle/ansungtangmyun/
I'm checking out a somewhat different flavor, Paldo Kokomen, a clean and spicy chicken noodle soup that’s a little more interesting than your average chicken broth. I don’t usually go out of my way to review plain chicken soups, because they tend to be a bit boring, but this one has an interesting backstory and flavor profile. Kokomen was the result of an amateur cooking contest in South Korea back in 2011, and the recipe became so popular that Paldo turned it into an instant noodle product.
I'm reviewing my first octopus-flavored product: Paldo Bul Nak. Not to be confused with Samyang’s Buldak, this Korean noodle combines a buldak-style sweet and spicy sauce with actual powdered octopus. And yes, it's real octopus, not just flavoring. In Korean, “bul” means fire and “nakji” means octopus, so this is literally “hot octopus.” Expect heat.
I'm back with Nongshim Tonkotsu Ramen with Kuromayu, this time from one of my favorite South Korean brands! While tonkotsu is traditionally a Japanese pork bone broth, here we've got a Korean company making their interpretation of it with this Kuromayu (black garlic oil) variety. For anyone unfamiliar, kuromayu is made by charring garlic in sesame oil, giving it a deep, bitter, smoky flavor that’s common in tonkotsu ramen, with the word "kuro" literally translating to "black." This isn't the same as fermented black garlic (which is also a valid ramen topper if you so desire), but rather has a different flavor profile.
I'm checking out a fairly unique Korean ramen today: Ottogi Sesame Ramen. Unlike most instant noodles that merely contain trace amounts of sesame, this one puts it front and center as its defining flavor. And despite how prolific Korean instant noodles are, this is the only widely available one that openly markets itself as “sesame ramen” (that I am aware of, anyway). Dandan noodles use sesame paste, but those are Chinese. Nissin Demae has a sesame ramen, but it’s Japanese. Ottogi seems to have the Korean sesame ramen space to itself, which makes this an interesting instant noodle entry.
After enjoying several spicy black bean noodles like Samyang Buldak Jjajang and Nongshim’s Angry Chapaguri, I’m shifting gears and reviewing Paldo Jjajangmen, a basic, non-spicy entry in the world of black bean sauce noodle products. This one seems to be the go-to option for folks who want a rich black bean sauce without the heat. It’s widely available in 4-packs for $6–$10 online or at local Asian grocery stores, but be careful of price gouging on Amazon. According to Reddit, this version is often considered superior to Chapagetti due to its rich sauce and substantial veggie content. And with a 7-ounce pack weight, this is one of the heaviest instant noodles I’ve ever reviewed, most of that coming from a seriously chunky liquid sauce packet.
I’m following up my review of the regular Buldak Cheese with this one, Samyang Buldak Quattro Cheese Ramen. After getting radio silence online when I asked others what the difference was between the two, I’m taking it upon myself to compare them directly. My hope is that this one turns up the cheese in both flavor and texture.
I'm diving back into the world's most popular spicy noodle product line to try Samyang Buldak Cheese Ramen, one of the more popular Korean instant noodle flavors around. This sets the stage for my review of the newer Quattro Cheese version in the next video/post, so I can directly compare the two. Cheese in Korean noodles remains a polarizing topic, but I'm firmly on the pro-cheese side.