Super Noodles - Mild Mexican Chili Flavour

One thing that I love about Super Noodles is that they sometimes have very festive packaging. This package makes you feel like you are in a Mexican cantina, enjoying an ice cold margarita and some delicious tacos al pastor. From a practical point of view, the brightly colored packaging grabs your eye in the supermarket aisle and makes you just a little bit more likely to try this flavor out.

Upon my first bite, I was expecting strong flavors of cumin, chili, onion, and garlic. While all of these flavors were indeed there, they were quite mild. Looking at the picture of the noodles, you can tell that the flavoring is not as strong as it could be. As usual, the Super Noodles themselves are quite high quality. They have just the right amount of inherent flavor and springy texture needed without being bland or soggy.

I thought that these noodles were pretty good, but I wished that they had kicked up the flavor a few notches. I guess I should have placed more emphasis on the word "Mild" on the package rather than focusing on the wildly festive sombrero. While I did enjoy these noodles, I probably won't be getting them again as there was nothing particularly great about them.

Super Noodles - Mild Mexican Chili Flavour - 5.0/10

Tiger Tiger Cup Noodles - Thai Spice Satay Style

There was no way I could resist this pack of noodles with its catchy slogan: "Unleash the Taste". Knowing that there was a fork inside, I could barely contain my excitement as I ripped open the box to discover...a cheap plastic cup inside. Why couldn't they just sell the cup like every other brand does? I guess they feel the need to add some additional useless packaging in order to stand out from the crowd.

I love a good satay, but these noodles didn't resemble satay in the slightest. The soup seemed to contain corn starch or some other thickening agent because it quickly became one gluey and starchy mess. The taste was quite bland and didn't have much good flavor at all.

It is very rare that I am tempted to throw away a partially eaten instant noodle, but in this case I was strongly tempted to do so. Nevertheless, I forged on for the sake of this review. There is nothing good to say about these noodles except that they have attractive packaging. I will definitely be avoiding anything of the Tiger Tiger brand in the future.

Tiger Tiger Cup Noodles - Thai Spice Satay Style - 0.0/10

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention this: the fork inside was pathetically small and completely unusable.

Tesco Instant Noodles - Chow Mein Flavour

Tesco's line of instant noodles are color coded so that you can grab the flavour you crave at a glance. The packaging is fairly plain but has the cute quirk that the second "o" in "Noodles" is shaped like a mouth slurping a noodle. It's small touches like this that sway my decision when I am picking out a pack of noodles.


Unlike most noodles reviewed on this site, the Tesco instant noodles are meant to be eaten dry. The typical method of cooking involves adding a relatively small amount of water (~300mL) to a saucepan and cooking the noodles until all the water is gone. I believe the dry noodle style reflects the British and Irish palate where noodle soups would be very rare at Chinese restaurants. It's a shame since noodle soups would be the perfect thing to warm up in the cold weather of the British Isles.


The Tesco instant noodles are undoubtedly high quality. They maintain their springiness yet are soft in the mouth. The chow mein flavouring and nicely subtle and contains hints of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and onion. It is fairly unassuming but also unmistakably Asian in flavour. Overall, this is a pack of noodles that I am happy to slurp whenever I am looking for a basic pack of noodles that is not too flavourful.

Tesco Instant Noodles - Chow Mein Flavour - 7.0/10

Nong Shim - Japanese Style Udon Noodle Soup

Udon noodle soup is one of my favorite fresh dishes, but instant versions of udon have usually sorely disappointed me. I understand the difficulty in manufacturing a noodle that can have 12 months of shelf life, yet reconstitute into the billowy soft noodle that udon requires. I was very interested to see how well Nong Shim could do, since their other offerings are mostly top-notch.

The noodles came in a vacuum-sealed package and seemed to be partially dehydrated. They were certainly not dry and rock hard like the typical ramen package, but they were still much stiffer and drier than udon noodles should be. The thickness of each noodle seemed right, unlike Samyang's halfhearted attempt at udon where they just used their regular instant noodle.


Upon tasting the broth and noodles, I almost had to throw this one in the garbage. The noodles are not soft at all and remain stiff with a strong wheat flavor. The texture on each one is grainy like a ramen noodle, not silky smooth like udon should be. In addition, the broth tasted like soy sauce rather than the delicious umami-loaded seaweed broth that udon should have.

I really don't think it is possible with today's technology to make an instant udon noodle soup with a long shelf life. The udon noodles are just too delicate to stand up to the partial or full dehydrating that long shelf life requires. I would recommend going with a fresh udon package instead. Another option is to buy fresh udon noodles from your local Asian grocer and then making your own broth from scratch or buying a udon broth base. I have tried both of those options and they have both come out vastly superior to the Nong Shim Udon noodles.

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Nong Shim - Japanese Style Udon Noodle Soup - 0.0/10

Teumsae Ramyon

When I was purchasing these noodles at the local Korean grocery store, the cashier warned me that these were particularly spicy. I shrugged him off, since I have eaten countless packets of spicy Korean instant noodles and lived to tell the tale. Teumsae is a noodle bar chain in South Korea specializing in fresh ramyon bowls, and they have decided to produce an instant noodle that customers can make and enjoy at home. The "Teumsae Dishes" page on their website has priceless poorly translated quotes, including the following ones:

• While two people eat it, nobody knows even if the other dies.
• Chewy squid and the smoothe (sic) mussel conveys the freshness of ocean and the spicy taste makes your stuffy heart cooly
• It is well known among the young people especially, the young ladies, for it gives double pleasure of fantastic taste and exciting feeling of sauce dipping.
• Have a cool summer with the Ice-ramyun to fill the sultry summer body with cool energy.

Upon tasting the broth, I quickly concluded that these were undoubtedly the spiciest instant noodles I have ever eaten. There is little you can taste except the intense heat radiating from the broth and noodles. The flavor of the broth really did remind me of some noodle bowls that I've had at Korean restaurants. Of course the noodles don't taste as good as fresh noodles, but they did have the typical thick chewy Korean instant noodle taste that goes well with spicy broth.


People could save a lot of money on their heating bills if they started eating these noodles! They will definitely warm you up and probably require you to find something to wipe the sweat away from your brow, even if it is freezing outside. I couldn't say it better than Teumsae's own website:

• It only has never forgetting taste from various spices to turn you into 20 years of Teumsae love, right from the moment it touches your tongue.

Teumsae Ramyon - 8.5/10

Paldo - Hwa Ramen

The Chinese character for fire is displayed prominently on the front of this package, leaving no doubt the intended flavoring of these noodles. I like this package; it conjures up a mental image of a hot coal or something else too hot to even hold. It is a little odd that the packaging proudly boasts that these noodles are now "with soy peptide". But perhaps that is not weird for the Korean consumers that these noodles are targeted towards.

Without a doubt, these noodles truly pack a hot and spicy punch. The broth is cough-inducingly and sweat-provokingly spicy. As with all Paldo noodles, they are thick and chewy with not a lot of flavor. But your tastebuds will be numb anyways upon sipping the broth. The advertised "soy peptide" refers to these small vegetable protein cakes that are included. As usual, I think these things are just weird and don't taste particularly good. I really don't know why they seem to be popping up everywhere in these instant noodle packages.

This is a good pack of instant noodles to pick on a cold day when you need something to warm you up. Trust me, this one will definitely warm you up although it won't provide much besides heat. I rather enjoyed it and also thought the packaging was quite fun and unique.

Paldo - Hwa Ramen - 7.5/10

Jin Ramyon - Mild Taste

These noodles have nearly the identical packaging as Jin Ramyon - Hot Taste except that the color scheme has been changed to blue instead of red. Here, they have also used a slightly different picture that includes a couple slices of beef. The raw egg yolk is still prominently in the picture. The package also proudly advertises that this pack of instant noodles is MSG Free, which is quite an accomplishment because these things are usually full of MSG.


The noodles were thick, chewy, and flavorless as I expected from trying the Hot Taste of these noodles. The biggest surprise was that the broth was a little bit spicy. I had been expecting a flavor completely devoid of heat but actually there was a pleasant peppery spice to the soup. In fact, the broth tasted quite good, combining flavors of pepper, soy sauce, mushroom, and beef. Much better than the Hot Taste flavor made by these guys.


I wasn't thrilled with this pack of instant noodles since the noodles themselves are quite disappointing. However, the broth was a pleasant surprise and was definitely flavorful and savory despite having no MSG. I recommend the Mild Taste much more than the Hot Taste for Jin Ramyon.

Jin Ramyon - Mild Taste - 5.5/10

Jin Ramyon - Hot Taste

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why ramen manufacturers choose to put pictures of raw eggs on the front of their packages. But Ottogi Ramyon, makers of Jin Ramyon have chosen to do just that. In Korean cuisine, it is customary to crack a raw egg into your boiling hot soup at the dinner table. In that case, though, the egg cooks immediately and doesn't sit on top of the soup looking raw.

Ottogi Ramyon has very little distribution in the US and I've only seen them in one supermarket in my life. This is typical of many imported ramen, however, since it is difficult to compete with such tight profit margins on instant noodles. The noodles here were thick and chewy but lacked flavor. The broth was spicy, but not nearly as spicy as some of the other Korean instant noodles that I've had recently. In fact, it was a little disappointing that the broth wasn't spicier, since I had been expecting a real sweat-inducing lava soup.


There isn't much that's exciting about these noodles. The broth is mildly spicy, but not especially flavorful and the noodles themselves are quite forgettable. There are much better Korean spicy instant noodles so pick up another pack.

Jin Ramyon - Hot Taste - 3.0/10

San Francisco Curly Pasta Noodle Soup - Extra Hot

I was really surprised to discover these noodles were made in the USA. I have never seen them before despite having been to countless American grocery stores and Asian markets. Finally, I found them in a Korean supermarket and decided to give them a try. Here's the website for SF Curly Pasta if you'd like to check them out, they've got some cool pictures of their ramen factory.

Although these are American made noodles, they still have the description printed in 4 languages (English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese). Maybe they plan on exporting this package to other countries. Since I picked these up in the Korean supermarket and there is a picture of two chilies on the front, I expected these to be quite spicy. Sure enough, they were cough-inducingly spicy! The flavor of the broth really reminded me of Korean instant noodles.

True to their name, the noodles themselves are very curly. Instant noodles are purposely curly so that they can be packed tightly together, but these took curliness to a new level! I suspect that the curliness appeals to Americans who would have an easier time eating these noodles with a fork. For an Asian person eating noodles with chopsticks, the curliness doesn't make a difference in ease of eating. I enjoyed the curliness in my mouth as well, since I tended to get more flavor in each bite.

This noodle soup was powerfully spicy with nice hints of onion and mushroom. I rather enjoyed it, but to be honest, it is one in a sea of very similar spicy Korean instant noodles. Oh wait, this one wasn't even Korean, it's American!

San Francisco Curly Pasta Noodle Soup - Extra Hot - 6.5/10

Paldo - Stir Fried Kimchi Noodles

I usually think of Paldo as one of the cheaper and lesser Korean brands. I got this pack from the Korean supermarket and it looks quite different from every other Paldo pack I've ever had. Notice that this one is different from the Paldo Kimchi Flavor that I already reviewed. The package proudly indicates that stirfried kimchi is inside, which really intrigued me as I've never seen anything like that before.

The kimchi came in a very large packet that was well sealed to prevent any possible leakage. Inside was a lot of liquid and the kimchi itself. This was quite unusual because vegetables are almost always dehydrated in instant noodles. This saves on weight and also prolongs the shelf life.

There were quite a few pieces of kimchi in the package; the kimchi pouch contained its own weight measurement and claimed to contain 40g of it. You can't really see all the kimchi in the picture because it tended to sink to the bottom. I think next time I try this one, the kimchi should be added right at the end so that it doesn't get buried during the stirring process.

The Paldo noodles are typical Korean noodles. They are thick and chewy and provide a tasty contrast to the spicy soup. I thought that the flavor of the broth and especially the kimchi was a little bit too sour and bitter. The appeal of kimchi is that it is able to combine many different flavors, including spiciness, saltiness, savoriness, and a hint of sweetness. However, I felt that the flavor in these noodles was too sour and didn't really taste like kimchi. That was a shame, because the included kimchi was an interesting idea and I really wanted to like it.

Paldo - Stir Fried Kimchi Noodles - 3.5/10

Sapporo Ichiban - Original Flavor

Sapporo Ichiban seems to be one of the most popular brands of instant noodles in the US. I see them everywhere, even in the local convenience stores and grocery stores. I got these from the Korean supermarket, even though they are not Korean. Sapporo Ichiban is a Japanese company, but they are so popular in the US that they have their own manufacturing facilities here. As you can see, this package has no Japanese writing on it since it is the American edition designed to compete with the likes of Nissin, Top Ramen, and Maruchan.

I think Sapporo Ichiban is the best of the bottom-tier of ramen. By bottom-tier, I mean the ones that you can find in the American grocery store. Sapporo Ichiban's noodles are thick, chewy and nutty with good flavor. In the case of Original Flavor, the broth has a good savory identity. It tastes mostly of soy sauce with hints of onion and beef. There is just one foil seasoning powder packet that makes these noodles quick and easy with a minimum of unnecessary oil.


You can't go wrong with Sapporo Ichiban because their noodles are tasty and filling. The broths are plain yet have enough variation to keep them from being boring. If you're not feeling too adventurous, then I recommend Sapporo Ichiban to give you a decent fix of ramen.

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Sapporo Ichiban - Original Flavor - 7.0/10

Unif Tung-I Ramen Noodles - Chinese Onion Flavor

When I cooked these noodles and started eating them, they seemed a little familiar to me. It turns out I already blogged about them about a year and half ago! I decided to write a review anyways, though, in case my opinions had changed. I would like to mention that these are quite similar to the Unif Tung-I Instant Rice Noodles - Chinese Onion Flavor that I tried recently. As you might expect, the only difference is in the noodles themselves.


I am very familiar with Unif Tung-I's ramen noodles and I consider them to be a typical example of Taiwanese instant noodles. They have a nice nutty flavor and are deeply fried, which gives them a crispy brittleness out of the package that you wouldn't see out of Korean, Japanese, or other common instant noodles. However, upon cooking, the noodles become extremely soft yet keep some of their nutty flavor. I happen to enjoy Taiwanese instant noodles, but definitely don't expect the chewy noodles that you would find in Korean, Japanese or American instant noodles.


The broth for these noodles tastes salty and mild with a firm onion flavor. It is subtle and there is not a lot of flavor, but the taste is still satisfying and inoffensive. If you like fried red onions, you will like the flavor of these noodles. These instant noodles are a decent snack if you are looking for something that will not overwhelm your tastebuds. One and a half years later, though, I think I've discovered some better options that you could treat yourself to!

Unif Tung-I Ramen Noodles - Chinese Onion Flavor - 5.5/10

Myojo Chukazanmai - Oriental Flavor

Myojo Chukazanmai is one of those brands that fans of fresh Japanese ramen really enjoy. I was really surprised to see that this brand had an "Oriental Flavor". Usually, you'd only see that flavor applied to a generic Asian-style broth for a really cheap instant noodle like Cup Noodles or Maruchan Instant Lunch. I would have figured that Myojo Chukazanmai could have picked all their flavors out of the pantheon of Japanese ramen flavors, including Shoyo, Shio, Miso, Tonkotsu, and countless others.

I really had no idea what this broth was going to taste like, since it was marketed only as the generic "Oriental Flavor". It ended up tasting like garlic and sesame, which was quite nice. There was also a slight flavor of creamy nuttiness, not unlike what you would get in a Tonkotsu broth. The noodles in Myojo Chukazanmai's offerings are thin and chewy and seem undercooked despite how long you cook them. They are not fried very deeply and are similar to the fresh noodles you would get in a ramen restaurant. They also taste a little bit starchy, which helps add to the "fresh ramen" taste.

Altogether, this was a decent bowl of ramen. To be honest, I prefer the more "instant" tasting ramen noodles. In other words, the ones that taste like they have been fried in palm oil. I'd leave the fresh ramen to the places that actually make it fresh! But if you are in a place where you just can't get access to a ramen restaurant, then I would recommend this to you when the craving strikes.

Myojo Chukazanmai - Oriental Flavor - 5.5/10

Indomie - Soto Mie Flavor

This pack of noodles is made by Indomie and is imported from Indonesia. The flavor is "soto mie", which is a type of noodle soup common in Indonesia. I don't know too much about it, but Wikipedia's page has a little bit more information on Sotos.


Indomie's instant noodles usually have very strong and complex flavors. I am not familiar with Indonesian cuisine at all, and the closest thing I can think of to Indomie's flavors in general is Thai cuisine. They are usually a mix of spicy, sweet, sour, and salty all in one. With that said, I was surprised to discover that this packet had a relatively simple flavor. The broth tasted mostly of lime with a little spiciness and a curry taste, probably from turmeric. However, it was mild to the point of being bland and wasn't a particularly savory or interesting flavor.


The noodles themselves were also boring. Much less flavorful than the typical Japanese and Korean noodles, these were bland and did nothing to improve this dish. I never noticed how bland these noodles were in the past, because they were always coated with Indomie's superb blend of sauces and spices in Mi Goreng Rasa Baso Sapi and Mi Goreng. While those were delicious offerings, I would suggest staying away from this one. You might enjoy it if you enjoy the original dish on which this is based. It remains to be seen whether or not any of Indomie's noodle soups are good, or whether they only excel at dry noodles.

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Indomie - Soto Mie Flavor - 2.0/10

Unif Tung-I Instant Rice Noodle - Chinese Onion Flavor

This pack of noodles comes from Taiwan and contains rice noodles (mifun) instead of the usual ramen. Note that these noodles are different from rice vermicelli, in case that is what you are looking for. It is quite small (62g) but rice noodles tend to absorb a lot more water than ramen noodles, so it feels like you are eating more than 62g. The flavor of these is based on fried red onion, which is a very common ingredient in Chinese dishes such as fried rice and fried mifun.


The rice noodles are very soft and don't really have much flavor, especially compared to ramen noodles. In this case, they are pretty much tasteless filler to provide contrast with the strongly flavored broth. That's not to say that they seem out of place, however; mifun is commonly used in this manner in Chinese cuisine.


The broth is nice and savory, tasting of pepper and fried red onion. As you can see from the picture, there is a good amount of scallions and fried red onions, which adds a little color and variety of texture. I like the broth, but it is almost boring because this is such a basic and common flavor. But that is just my own personal preference, so if you like the flavor of fried red onion, then you should definitely try this pack!

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Unif Tung-I Instant Rice Noodle - Chinese Onion Flavor - 6.0/10

Nissin - Chili Flavor

At first glance, these seem to be the same pack of noodles as the Nissin Demae Ramen Spicy Flavor that I found very disappointing. However, you might notice that the packaging is completely different, which led me to suspect these were completely different noodles. To be honest, I don't know what the difference is between the Nissin and Nissin Demae lines, but I suspect Nissin is manufactured in Japan while Nissin Demae is manufactured in Hong Kong. The American branches of Nissin products are called Top Ramen and Cup Noodle and I suggest you avoid those at any cost.

I was surprised to see the vertical orientation on this bag of ramen, which is quite unusual for Nissin and ramen in general. I can't think of another flavor of Nissin that comes in this orientation. The picture looked quite appetizing despite the presence of an obviously undercooked egg. The packaging contains a beef theme as opposed to the seafood theme found on the Nissin Demae Spicy Flavor wrapper.


When I ate the Nissin Demae Spicy Flavor, my big complaint was that the broth was barely spicy. Thankfully, the Nissin Chili Flavor is very spicy even though the broth appears brown. The noodles themselves are Nissin's standard noodles, which seem to be the same whether they are from Nissin or Nissin Demae. I like these noodles; I would characterize them as being slightly crunchy, medium thickness, and possessing a mild flavor. I recommend this flavor highly for someone that likes Nissin's noodles and is looking for a spicy meal to warm them up.

Nissin - Chili Flavor - 8.5/10

Nissin Demae - Curry Flavor

Here comes another flavor in the veritable pantheon of Nissin Demae's lineup. It's curry flavor! I expected this one to be fairly straightforward since the powder packet should just contain mostly curry powder. Also, there should be no subtlety to this flavor: just make it taste like curry!


As you might expect, the curry flavor ramen tastes fairly strongly of curry. In addition to this, however, there was also a hint of lemon and creaminess as well. It seems that Nissin Demae likes to give their broths a creamy texture. It's an interesting idea, but I think it is mostly unnecessary for a simple curry flavor.

The noodles are Nissin Demae's standard noodles, which I tend to enjoy due to their slight crispiness. They definitely have a palm oil taste to them too, which makes them very distinctly Nissin Demae flavored. The curry flavor is OK, but is not really a bold flavor like I usually prefer from ramen. However, I would definitely recommend this one if you like curry or just want something mild. I realize that curry is not usually considered a mild flavor; in the world of ramen, however, it is relatively tame compared to some of the extreme fiery or seafoody choices.

Nissin Demae - Curry Flavor - 5.0/10

Ve Wong Noodle - Vegetarian Flavor

"Vegetarian Flavor" and "Instant Noodles" are not words that should go together, but I bravely picked this one up from the local 99 Ranch Market anyway. It's made by Ve Wong, which is a noodle company based in Taiwan.

As you might expect, the powder packet contained a fair amount of dried seaweed and carrots which magically plumped up when water was added. The weird thing that there were some TVP chunks as well. TVP stands for "textured vegetable protein" and is used as a cheap meat substitute. But why would they be including it in something that was meant to be vegetarian flavored anyways??

The only way I can think of to describe these noodles is that it is a spinach soup. In other words, not very good. I wasn't expecting much from these noodles, and they certainly didn't deliver much. But at least it didn't repulse me like some shrimp or crab flavored noodles. From now on I will be sticking to noodles that taste like meat, hot & spicy, miso, udon, etc...

Ve Wong Noodle - Vegetarian Flavor - 3.0/10

Nissin Demae Miso Flavor

Sometimes you're just not in the mood to set your mouth on fire or consume an entire 120g ramen. In those times, Nissin Demae is a good reliable brand that will provide a tasty meal in a manageable portion.



The miso flavor comes with two spice packets. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two, since they are both brown powders. Nevertheless, the result is fragrant and flavorful. It doesn't taste anything like miso - but since when were ramen flavors supposed to taste like how they are advertised?

The picture on the front of this ramen shows veggies and meats. The miso flavor would definitely be a great base upon which to add toppings. The packets lack dried veggies, such as green onions or carrot flakes, that provide needed color and texture to many other ramens. But on the whole, this is a thoroughly solid ramen that should be a staple in every Ramen Lover's pantry.

Myojo Chukazanimai - Soy Sauce Flavor

Well, this one was quite different from anything I've ever tried before. I suspect this is what Japanese instant ramen is really intended to be, but I can't say for sure since I've never been to Japan. But I suspect Nissin is a bastardized and mass produced version of what the Japanese consider instant ramen.

The packaging here is noticably different than the usual instant noodles. The Myojo Chukazanimai comes in a thin and flat package. As I opened it, I was definitely expecting something different than the usual experience. The biggest difference between this one and other instant ramen is in the noodle quality. Myojo Chukazanimai's noodles were much chewier and flavorful then the usual fare. In fact, they reminded me quite a lot of the fresh ramen I have had at various restaurants...which is a good thing, of course.

The soup had strong flavors of soy sauce and onion. There was a slight hint of sesame oil as well. I felt like the soup's flavor was too strong, but I know a lot of ramen restaurants serve soup that is just as strong as this stuff. This was the closest approximation I have ever had to the fresh ramen that is served in a restaurant. So if you like that kind, you will probably like this kind too!

Myojo Chukazanimai - Soy Sauce Flavor - 6.0/10

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