Tag: south korea

#2234: Paldo Bibim Men

SPECIAL ELECTION MESSAGE

I wanted to take a second to talk about the events that have happened concerning the Presidential election here in the United States. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting the outcome we’ve seen here. I live in Washington state – a very Liberal state – where Bernie Sanders won over 80% of the votes for the primary. Personally, I think we’d have a different President today if the DNC hadn’t played politics and made it impossible for him to win. Our delegates here all went for Clinton – even though the people voted otherwise. I decided not to vote for either Clinton or Trump as I didn’t like either of them. My friend Raffael over at Happy Souper in Germany has posted a review – and he mentioned people there are kind of freaked out about our new President. I guess we’ll see what happens. I’ll keep reviewing noodles. I did this video a long time ago – wish he would’ve gotten the nomination.  ...see full post

Re-Review: Samyang Foods Fresh Jjajang

Okay so I guess karma will get you. I dunno. Let me explain… So I got this pack along with a couple others at HMart a week or two ago (great store, HMart by the way) and they had one of this series in single packs to buy, but the other two were in 5 packs that were around $9 each. Well, I went to the trouble of opening a couple of the 5 packs and taking out one each . Now, I’m unsure if this is truly a horrible thing to do; I’m sure they just put them on the shelf with the others that are sold in singles. Plus hey – I got them at HMart (there – the third time I mentioned HMart! Ooh a fourth!), so if you want to get these you can find them there. Well, as it turns out I reviewed this one in May and now I’m reviewing it again! Wasn’t my plan to do a re-review today but here we are. So perhaps the pulling of single packs from the multipack is why this happened. But probably not; I’m just getting old. Anyways, this is a jjajang/zha jiang (black bean sauce) noodle. Let’s hit it! ...see full post

#2187: Pulmuone Non-Fried Ramyun Noodle (Crab Flavor)

Crabby crab from South Korea! This one was sent to me by colin from the east coast – thanks! Not a lot of ramyun I’ve seen out there with crab as a main flavor. In fact, I think this might be the first ramyun I’ve seen in this vein. You might say ‘hey – you’ve reviewed noodle that have crab flavor before’ but this is ramyun. ramyun is strictly a South Korean thing – it’s really has to do with the noodle gauge and the chewiness. Originally it was beef broth and spicy, but different things have come into the mix during the years – like crab! Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

New Samples From South Korea’s Paldo Food

First, I want to send a special thank you to Yongmin Park for sending me product samples! See, every year I do the Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles list and each year it’s starting to seem like I get fewer and fewer products to try from South Korea. People have been getting grumpy about the list too – see, it’s only for products made IN South Korea, not elsewhere. Let’s have a look inside and see what awaits! ...see full post

#2161: Nongshim Chal Bibim Myun

After perusing Nongshim America’s website, I saw these noodles I hadn’t heard of before. A quick message to my contact at Nongshim and these magically arrived in a couple days! This is what you would call a Summer variety – the noodles are served cold with a spicy sauce. It’s made in South Korea, but definitely in packaging for the United States. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition

Seems like it wasn’t that long ago I came out with the first Top Ten Rice Noodles list – was thinking I might not do an update since I hadn’t reviewed a ton of new ones in the last year but since a couple were definitely worthy, here it is. Here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition! ...see full post

#2094: Nongshim Champong Noodle Soup Spicy Seafood Flavor

There’s been a lot of hub bub coming out of South Korea lately – all the big companies have brand new Jjajang and Jjamppong varieties it seems. They’re all going a little more premium than their old offerings. This is awesome for me, well – as long as I can get my hands on them. I finally was able to score this one at the local South Korean grocery. Let’s crack it open and see what we’ve got here. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2016 Edition

Instant noodles sold in bowls are very popular as they provide a certain convenience to those ‘on the go.’ They’re great to pack in a bag for a trip or for the office at lunch. These are the best of the best that I’ve tried out of my over 2,060+ reviews to date. With that, open lid halfway, pour in some boiling water, stir – and enjoy! ...see full post

#2062: Ottogi Ramyon Sabor Mariscos

Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader from back east – thank you! He went to Mexico recently and sent me a ton of varieties that he found there. You’d think with Mexico being next door I’d be able to find more varieties, but actually it’s been really hard. This one’s made in South Korea for the Mexican market. Instant noodle are hugely popular in Mexico, and with spicy flavors coming out of South Korea, it’s a pretty good fit. Let’s have a look! ...see full post

#2049: Ottogi Ramyon Sabor a Res

Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader from back east – thank you! He went to Mexico recently and sent me a ton of varieties that he found there. You’d think with Mexico being next door I’d be able to find more varieties, but actually it’s been really hard. This one’s made in South Korea for the Mexican market. Instant noodle are hugely popular in Mexico, and with spicy flavors coming out of South Korea, it’s a pretty good fit. Let’s have a look! ...see full post

Re-Review: Paldo Kokomen Spicy Chicken Flavor

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You know, I just saw this one at the local HMart a week or so ago and thought it would be nice to have it again. Kind of weird to be doing a re-review when I’m getting close to the 2,000th review, but hey, like I said it sounds good. This has been a popular one for a while now since it slammed onto the scene. I think it was a comedian named Lee Kyung who made this spicy chicken variety a big hit. Anyways, let’s crack it open and dig on in. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Snacks Of All Time 2016 Edition

Instant noodle… snacks? Yeah! Snacks of all kinds have come from instant noodles – candy, crunchy bits, you name it. They’re popular all over Asia and also the United States; have you ever taken a pack of instant noodles, crushed them and added in the seasoning and shaken the bag up and eaten them like potato chips or popcorn? Well, this is popular elsewhere as well! Let’s check out my favorite instant noodle snacks from over 1,900 reviews. Enjoy! ...see full post

#1892: Ottogi Cheese Ramen

I’ve been wondering when I would find this one for a long time and finally, I have. It was at the local HMart in Lynnwood, Washington on 184th street – if you live in this area, you should definitely check this place out! Anyways, cheese powder and spicy South Korean ramyun – I mean how can you go wrong here? Not only that, you’ve got the added bonus of a little character with a block of cheese on it’s head vomiting cheesy goodness into the bowl with a smile on his/her face. Sounds tasty! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1827: Nongshim Zha Wang (Jjawang) Noodles With Chajang Sauce

Being a superfan of all things instant noodle, I have newsfeeds I check daily on my phone pertaining to them. I saw an article about Nongshim’s Jjawang in the Korea Times New York edition. It mentioned with it’s release, jjajang variants are flying off the shelves in NY and NJ. I figured hey – I better find this stuff! ...see full post

#1754: Paldo King Bowl Super Spicy Pan Stirfried Noodle

Here’s an interesting one I hadn’t seen before. First off, the pull tab is at the top of the bowl. My wife saw this one at a local Korean grocery called GMart. It’s funny; GMart used to be KSMart and before that it was Paldo World. A Mile or so away from GMart is Hmart. The #1 on my spicy list is by a grocery chain in South Korea Called EMart. As if that all wasn’t confusing enough, there’s a new Asian Food Center store in 130th and Aurora – where the old KMart used to be! Anyways, let’s check out this one from Paldo. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition

As many might know, I started The Ramen Rater (click to see the old site) in 2002 and did about 60 reviews. Then, I turned my attention to spicy hot sauces with The Sauce Rater. In 2010, I resumed my instant noodle reviewing. I’ve long been a fan of the spicy side of things – strong heat and good flavor are a couple of my favorite things. Let’s have a look at the absolutely hottest varieties I’ve found in my over 1,700 reviews of instant noodles from around the world in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition. ...see full post

#1702: Samyang Foods Seafood Noodle

Here’s a seafood cup that screams seafood. I’ve mentioned before that certain colors seem to be universal when it comes to instant noodles – red for spicy or beef, green for pork (not sure why) and yellow for chicken. Well, blue is for seafood and this cup’s text is certainly blue enough. This is a Samyang Foods product for the Japanese market. Anyways, let’s crack it open and see what makes it tick. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2015 Edition

Another year’s gone by and here we are again with the new bowls list. A lot of really interesting ones this go around and some old favorites. At the point of putting this list out, I’ve almost hit 1,700 reviews. Of those, these are in my opinion the best tasting and the most memorable varieties. With that, allow me to present The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls 2015 Edition. ...see full post

#1678: Nongshim Shin Black Spicy Pot-Au-Feu Flavor (New Edition)

It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed Nongshim Shin Black – and it’s gotten a packaging facelift. This is made here in the USA in Rancho Cucamonga, California! This is the ‘flagship’ of their new line of ‘Black Class Noodle Soup’ varieties. This one’s got neww clothes – but is it still the same underneath? Let’s have a look at this dressed up pack of Nongshim Shin Black noodles! ...see full post

#1674: emart Dare You! Habanero Ramen (New Packaging)

This was sent to me by Anders E. from South Korea – thank you very much! For some time new, eMart’s Dare You! Habanero Ramen has topped The Ramen Rater’s Spiciest Instant Noodle Of All Time lists. There’s a really good reason for this too – it’s violently hot. Heat is measure in SHU – Scoville Heat Units. Here’s what wikipedia has to say about the Scoville test: ...see full post

#1658: Choripdong Hurricane Rice Cake (Topokki)

Topokki time! Okay so you’re probably thinking ‘what? Yesterday he reviewed rice porrige and now it’s rice cake?!’ Well, this one has topokki (Korean rice cake) as well as noodles in it. One thing to note as well – see where it says to keep it refrigerated? I saw pallets of these where I got it that weren’t. To be honest, I think putting that on certain instant products that have these kind of fresh noodle packs inside is a way to give the illusory guise of something less shelf stable, making one think it’s higher quality. Honestly though, that kind of thing doesn’t really phase me. So! What is topokki? Wikipedia for ya – ...see full post

#1650: Ottogi Sesame Ramen Korean Style Instant Noodle

I’ve gotten a good amount of comments about this one. Ottogi Sesame Ramen seems to have filled an interesting niche in the noodle market! It’s pretty neat stuff – it has something called an ‘egg block.’ It is basically dehydrated egg that when introduced to the boiling water springs to life! I’ve had the bowl version (also known as a king cup) before, but never reviewed the pack. Let’s check out Ottogi Sesame Ramen! ...see full post

#1643: emart Dare You! Habanero Jjajang Ramen

This was sent to me by Anders E. from South Korea – thank you very much! I was aware of the regular habanero ramen – the one that’s been #1 on my spicy list for a while now. But this one – jjajang ramen – it sounds pretty dang spicy. Especially if it’s anything like the other Dare You! ramen. For those of you not familiar with jjajang, here’s what wikipedia has to say about it: ...see full post

Paldo’s Rabokki Comes Out West

Wasn’t expecting this one today – what’s inside?

One of my favorite Korean foods is tteotbokki (pronounced tah-bocky or tah-pocky). They’re like little tubes made from rice and thick and chewy. Usually it’s accompanied by a spicy sauce, egg, fish cake and more. Well, this is rabokki – ramyun with tteotbokki sauce! I had this a few years back and was really bummed it wasn’t available here in the United States. When I got this package in the mail I contacted my friend at Paldo and found out that indeed it will be on shelves here soon! Awesome! ...see full post

#1601: Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja (New)

A big thank you to reader Anders E. of South Korea for sending this along!For a long time, Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja was my absolute favorite ramyun from South Korea. They even made it here in Rancho Cucamonga, California for a while with the subheading of ‘flamin’ hot and nutty.’ Jinjja Jinjja means ‘really really.’ Well, they stopped making them. I’m not exactly sure why; some people said that South Koreans aren’t big fans of pork broth. Nevertheless, Nongshim has brought Jinjja Jinjja back – here’s a little something I found on Nongshim’s South Korean website: ...see full post