Ramen Express by Chef Woo Beef Flavor Ramen Cup Review | Noodle Journey

I wanted to get back into some Chef Woo reviews, starting with this Ramen Express by Chef Woo Beef Flavor Ramen Cup, and the main reason I’m doing these right now is because, from all appearances, the company’s not doing so great financially, and whatever help I can provide by showcasing their products (as long as they’re decent), I’ll do. I like most of what I’ve reviewed from them, and I would really hate to see the most affordable of the high-protein “healthy” ramen companies go out of business. So here we go.

The Verdict:

I’ve reviewed Chef Woo noodles before, but believe it or not, Ramen Express by Chef Woo is a different product line from the same company. As best as I can tell, the Chef Woo noodles are more nutritionally complete, boasting a higher protein level than your average instant noodle. These Ramen Express noodles don’t have the added protein and come in both packs and bowls, while the Chef Woo line only comes in cups. Both product lines appear to be vegan.

As far as “healthy” instant noodles go, Chef Woo’s are among the better ones I’ve tasted (which is an admittedly low bar). That said, while these have infiltrated supermarkets all across America, they have had some inventory issues this past year, so I can’t guarantee these are as easy to find as they used to be. I paid $0.90 for this cup at one of my local supermarkets, and this Beef flavor also comes in pack form.

Inside, you’ve got a block of wheat noodles (sourced from the USA), a broth powder, and a hefty assortment of dried veggies. The broth is vegetarian, so the artificial beef flavoring is a mix of yeast and maltodextrin along with salt, sugar, vegetable powder (made from onion, garlic, and chives), and some additional “spices.” The vegetable flakes are onions, carrots, peas, and corn. This has a sodium count of 1120mg. There is a lower sodium pack version available if that’s too much for you, but this review will only focus on this cup.

Noodles:

These are remarkably solid for a cup product. They aren’t the high-protein noodles available in the other Chef Woo line, so they’re missing that extra sort-of stiffness that comes from the pea protein and other additives, but they still cooked up firm and bouncy in the microwave. No weird high-protein aftertaste either. I like these.

• 7/10

Spiciness:

Nothing spicy here.

• 0/10

Overall:

While I do like some of the other Chef Woo products (Baja Chili in particular is one of the best, I think), I was totally prepared for a boring, generic beef cup with this review. Imagine my surprise when this medium-sodium MSG-free broth turned out to be legitimately tasty! At its base is a standard salty, vaguely beefy soy flavor, but the included vegetable flakes imparted some killer veggie flavor into it, in particular the onion. The vegetable flakes are so generous that they turned what could have been a mediocre beef broth into something I was enjoying way more than I could have anticipated, and they rehydrated perfectly. The onions are really the saving grace here – plentiful, tender, and strongly flavored. If you aren’t a big fan of onion, you’ll want to steer away from this, but for me, that onion content turned this from passable and potentially forgettable into something I would buy again. I’m hoping I’ll have a similar experience with the other Chef Woo flavors when I get to them. Recommended if you want to try something in a cup that isn’t Cup Noodles or Instant Lunch.

• 7/10

Continuing the Journey

• The closest thing Chef Woo makes to this in the high-protein noodle market is Chef Woo Braised Beef Flavor Ramen.
• If you want a different beef ramen cup with high protein, you may like Nissin Cup Noodles Protein Rich & Savory Beef Flavor.
• Not quite as “health-focused” as Chef Woo, but similarly cheap, is Roland Beef Flavor Noodles Cup.