Detailed instant noodle reviews and ratings – watch, read, and discover your next favorite.
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.
Today I'm trying out the Korean import of Nongshim Angry Chapaguri Bowl, a product that blends two existing Nongshim classics: Chapagetti, their mild black bean noodle, and Neoguri, their spicy seafood udon. This mashup has gained global popularity thanks to its appearance in Parasite and seems to be a staple in Korean instant noodle culture, often referred to Ram-don. While the original hack required mixing the two packs, this pre-packaged version offers a more convenient alternative, with an increased spice level (hence the "Angry").
I’m diving into what might be the most polarizing Buldak variety: Samyang Buldak Corn Ramen. It’s drawn some harsh reactions online, which bumped it to the top of my curiosity list. I usually enjoy the Buldak product line for its spicy, flavorful reliability, but corn in Korean ramen? And a corn-flavored sauce no less? That’s new to me.
In this review, I'm checking out the counterpart to the last review, this time trying Ottogi Jin Ramen Spicy. This is the counterpart to the Mild variant I reviewed in the previous episode, and while the core formula is nearly identical, the spice level promises a different experience. If you haven’t checked out the last review yet, go do so first, since there’s some overlap between the two reviews.