My favorite Korean ramyeons

And because I do not have any good topics on mind, I decided to share with you some of the Korean ramyeons that I have tried and would like to recommend to all of you. Lately, I have been eating some ramyeons because they are nearing their expiration dates. I mentioned before that we had a lot of items that are to expire for March and I would buy some of them for me and the new staff to try. Also, it is my way to help increase the sales even if it means that it will also increase my spending. But I must say that since I came back, I have been controlling myself not to use my card. I almost had a heart attack when I saw my statement of account from February 16 to March 15. Oh let us not talk about it as I do not know where to get some money to pay for those. LOL.

Before we start let me ask you this, do you know the difference of ramen and ramyeon/ramyun? I know about ramens are for Japanese and ramyeons are for Koreans. I found out that I was correct however, ramens are actually made fresh and broth is thicker while ramyeons are those from instant noodles cup and tend to be spicier than ramen. Correct me if I am wrong but it was something that I have learned before when I worked in a ramen restaurant. Though I still spell some instant noodles as ramen as I am used to that spelling. LOL.

Also, if you are a Kdrama fan, you would not miss a drama without them eating ramyeon. But did you know that if you ask someone in South Korea if they want to have ramyeon with you means more than just eating ramyeon? I am not sure if you saw or heard it from some Kdramas but it means something more intimate. I forgot from what drama I saw that but I will let you know once I remember it.

And now, without further ado, let us start with my favorite Korean ramyuns. I know I have said that I will make a review on the different Korean ramyuns that I have tried but I will just be choosing some of my top picks as some of them taste almost the same for a regular person like me who is not a certified food critic.

Here are my favorite Korean ramyeons (not in order):

Nongshim Shin Ramyun

- this was probably the very first Korean ramyeon that I have tried in the market. Spicy and flavorful.

Jin Ramen (spicy)

- I only found out about Jin Ramen from a Youtube influencer. She cooked a budae jjigae on her vlog and she used Jin Ramen. There are 3 choices for Jin Ramen, mild, spicy and veggie. Because I love spicy foods, I always choose Jin Ramen spicy whenever I make budae jjigae though if spicy is not available, I would go for mild. Jin Ramen veggie is not available in a nearby Korean grocery at our place.

My dad also loves Jin Ramen. He said that the noodles of Korean ramyeons are much better and tastier than what we have here in the Philippines. I do not know what his criteria for instant noodles but he also loves the Nissin cup noodles in Japan. I guess I have to differentiate it next time.

Cheese Ramen

- Of course I have to mention @keeneek because I found out about this ramen through her. If I remember it correctly, I think she commented on one of my noisy posts when I uploaded a photo inside a Korean grocery store near our house and then we talked about ramens. She mentioned that Cheese Ramen was her favorite. Was it spicy or regular? I forgot but she included a photo of the packaging when ahe told me about it. So when I saw it, I bought it right away. I was actually thinking about keeneek when I saw that ramen. Upon going home, we tried it right away and my mom and I loved it. If you are fond of cheese and ramen, you have to try this one although even if the regular one, there is a slight kick into it. How much more if it was the Cheese Ramen spicy? LOL.

Though you can still try the Real Cheese ramen also from the same brand, Ottogi. My brother said that the Real Cheese ramen is just like the Cheess Ramen without the kick. I have not yet tried it as I prefer some spice but since both are from the same brand and I am guessing that Real Cheese ramen also tastes the same.

Mac & Cheese

- Again for the people who loves cheese. You might want to try Ottogi's Mac & Cheese. Yes from Ottogi again. I know there is a Mac n Cheese from Kraft but honestly, I did not liked it as I find it a little saltier and cheese was not that good compared to this one. Also, this is not your ordinary macaroni and cheese because it would not be a ramen without the curly noodles.

Doshirak

- This is something that I have only tried recently. It was recommended by one of the staffs in the store. She said that it was good and she was wondering why no one is interested in buying it even if they would recommend it to the guests. When I have tasted it, she was right. Noodles was thinner compared to other Korean ramyeons. It has the right level of spiciness and there are a lot of instant vegetables and meat on it. I know that instant is not healthy byt I was just surprise to see that in an instant ramen. This was really good and I am glad that I have tried it.

Bulgogi Beef Ramen

- Move over Lucky Me Pancit Canton and Nissin's Yakisoba because my brother has a new favorite, Bulgogi Beef Ramen. I remember when we first tried it and my brother and I were saying that it was delicious. It was saucey and flavorful. We even recommended it to some of our guests and they have also loved it.

Those are my favorite Korean ramyeons. I love spicy foods but I never enjoyed eating those Samyang spicy ramens like the ones that has been trending before for spicy noodle challenges. I first tried it last year when my brother brought home their Korean ramyeons available at their store for us to try. I only had a few of it and my mouth was on fire. We tried the Cheese Buldak. I bought the times 2 spicy that I planned on having it as a challenge for Christmas game but it did not push through. My mom and our helper were not up for the challenge even if I told them that there was a prize money. LOL. Well even if I will be the player, I would not risk eating that spicy noodles.

Have you tried any Korean ramyeons? What are your favorites? With the ramyeons that I have listed above, what is it that you want to try or have tried?

March 24, 2022

P.S. lead image is a photo of a Korean ramyeon that my brother brought home last year for us to try.