Review: Jin Ramen (Hot)

Sorry for not posting this sooner.  I've been sick this week with the cold.  So what does the doctor recommend?  RAMEN.  It'll warm you up, provide (some?) nutrients, and it saves time, which you could use to recuperate.


 During one of my many trips to the local Korean market, I picked up this ramen.  Seems okay.  I never heard of it before.  The packaging is nice.  So I gave it a shot.

I'm not quite sure what Jin (진) means in this context.  I hope it means "cold remedy."

First thing's first: check how to cook this bad boy.  It seems simple enough.  But what's with the 2nd step?!  

This is what the contents are: standard noodles, flake pack, and MSG soup pack.  (Finger not included.)

Believe it or not, I can boil water without burning the apartment down.

Insides of the two packets.

Don't forget to set the timer (and get a haircut...)!

And here's the finished product!

And here's the finished product finished off.

1. Noodles: 4 - Not too thin like in the last review.  Despite my crappy stove, cooking the ramen for 4 minutes according to the directions yielded good noodles -- not underdone, not all puffy.  
2. Soup: 3 - The packaging doesn't technically lie.  I suppose to some people this would be considered "hot."  To me, this soup is nothing special.  It serves its purpose, but it doesn't shine or have its own identity.  Looking (or would it be tasting?) back, it seemed very generic.
3. Extras: 4 - I'm not naive to think that there's actual fresh vegetables and an egg yolk in the package, so my expectations for the flakes were low.  I was pleasantly surprised with the carrot and mushrooms, which give a nice contrast to the texture of the noodle and the flavor of the soup.
4. Overall Taste: 3 - Like I said in the Soup section, it's not very memorable.  Don't get me wrong: it's an okay ramen.  It's a decent change of pace from the staple ramens, but I don't see myself craving this particular brand.
5. Ease of cooking: 4 - Simple standard ramen cooking procedure: boil water, dump contents (sans packets) into water, cook for X minutes, serve.
6. Stand aloneability: 2 - It's about the same size as most other ramen brands.  However, I deduct a point because half of the instructions tells the consumer to add other food to the ramen.  Sure, many brands will suggest adding some green onion, but kimchi is a bit too much; that's when the ramen becomes less of a product and more an ingredient.
7. Healthiness: 3 - 80% sodium, 24% fat, 40% saturated fat.  Lighter on the salt, but heavier (pun intended) on the fats.  Pick your poison (pun unintended).
8. Originality: 1 - Unmemorable aside from the flakes.  Just another faceless ramen (although Ottogi's [Korean: 오뚜기] logo does have a cute, Nuka Cola-esque face on it). 

Not a bad product.  I'd like to see the instructions not devalue the product.  Obviously, no one can prevent consumers from adding their own items into ramen.  But to go to the opposite extreme and explicitly suggesting to the consumer to add ingredients that will significantly overshadow the product just doesn't show any confidence at all.  Would you enjoy reading a blog written by a self-deprecating guy who can't cook and is overdue for a haircut?  Wait a second........ 

First Review: Nongshim's Bowl Noodle Soup (Spicy Shrimp Flavor)

Nothing hits the spot like a bowl of ramen "bowl noodle" after having drinks with friends.  After I staggered home, I wasn't sure if I trusted myself near the stove, let alone handle a complex process like cooking ramen "bowl noodle."  Plus, I had to take pictures for the blog.


The beauty of Nong Shim's Bowl Noodle Soup series is its convenience married with its taste.  As a child, I loved the original flavor.  So when I saw this at my local grocery store, I gave it a whirl.  

Right when I opened this package, a very shrimp-y aroma filled my nostrils.  

Let's get cooking!  All that needs to be done is open the soup base, pour in boiling water, and wait three minutes.

Yes, I am serious about cooking the ramen "bowl noodle" according to the instructions.

Waiting is the worst part of this process...

Okay, I may have gone a few seconds over, but it was a camera error involving steam and dropping my chopsticks.  

And here is the aftermath.  All gone!

1. Noodles: 3 - The noodles were a little thin.  That in itself isn't a big deal.  However, even though they were prepared as per Nong Shim's directions, they were a little underdone.  Yes, one could just wait a little longer, but one was hungry three minutes ago.
2. Soup: 2  - This version tasted just like the original.  I mentioned earlier that I loved the picante flavor, so what's the issue?  Well, I paid for the shrimp flavor!  Not the "tease me with shrimp aroma and give me the original" flavor.  Being disappointed by the soup, I searched the extras for redemption among the extras.
3. Extras: 3 - I was looking for maybe little tiny shrimps (ultra-mega redundancy?).  Nope.  If memory serves, even the Maruchan Instant Lunch with Shrimp has little bits of meat-like shrimp flavored bits in it!  I give this today's product a 3 instead of a two because it doesn't require me to open another package (or create extra waste) and has peas (or in my case, pea) along with the typical freeze-dried green onion.  The peas give it a nice change of pace.
4. Overall taste: 4 - even though I didn't get any shrimp flavor, I still liked the spicy picante base.
5. Ease of cooking: 5 - It doesn't get much easier than open and pour hot water.  If there is a true Instant ramen "bowl noodle," it would have to react with air to immediate heat up and cook the product.  If that day ever comes, I'll give that product a six in this dimension.  A guy can dream...
6. Stand aloneability: 3 - Merely average in this respect.  I don't expect any packet of instant noodles to fully satisfy my man-sized hunger, especially after a few appletinis , I mean, whiskeys!  It could use a few real shrimps, but today's product is just okay on its own.
7. Healthiness: 3 - It's ramen "bowl noodle!"  It's not exactly organic or considered diet food.  With that being said, having 90% sodium, 18% fat, and 30% saturated fat of one's daily intake, it could be worse...  I've seen products where the sodium level is beyond 100%.  Don't forget to always take in the serving size into account!  Fool me once...
8. Originality: 2 - Extra point for the effort.  If it actually tasted like shrimp, I'd give it at least a three.  But it's too much like the original picante flavor.  
9. [Guest dimension] Green-conscious?: 1 - Who still uses Styrofoam?  The package isn't edible (ooh... idea for later), not bio-degradable, not recyclable, and designed to be used once and thrown away.  If I could reuse the bowl even once (putting rice in the leftover soup doesn't count), that would be much better than its current utility.  Oh well.

Overall, not a bad product.  Could use some more truth in advertising, but then again, you get what you pay for.  If you're drunk and want to smell something shrimpy, I recommend this product!  Thumbs up!  b ^_^ d

First Post - Administrative stuff

Thanks for visiting my blog! Before I start reviewing instant noodles, here are a few ground rules:

1. Since there are many different etymologies to the R-word, I will spell it as per the packaging of the product du jour.  
2. Although I tend to cook my instant noodles on the more al dente side, I will do my best to follow the cooking directions to the letter.  Also, much to my stomach's chagrin, I won't be adding anything else to the noodles (i.e., egg, green onions, rice).
3. Everything that is cooked will be consumed, included the soup (much to my arteries' chagrin).  Whether I like it or not.  The only exception is when a cardiovascular threat is imminent, in which case I will document the aftermath after my review.
4. Each product will be given a score from 1 to 5 (the former being utterly disgusting and the latter being the epitome of food) on the dimensions below.  I'll try to stick with integer values, but I may have to resort to fractions sometimes.
1. Noodles - in terms of taste, texture, aesthetics, etc.
2. Soup - same as soup
3. Extras (flakes, etc) - how well they compliment or hinder the overall experience
4. Overall taste
5. Ease of cooking
6. Stand alone-ability - would one enjoy this as is or does it need something else
7. Healthiness - relative to other instant foods
8. Originality - is it like every other brand out there or does it actually have its own identity?
9. More will be added if I feel that a review is incomplete and needs addition perspective
5. Finally, this is my own opinion and I'm not looking to convert anyone to anything, except maybe eating more instant noodles.  

Before I go, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I hope that this blog will inspire you to try new things, whether it's trying out a different brand or making a major change in life.