Week Five: Second Opinion

Come along and follow me to the bottom of the sea. We'll join in the jamboree at the...Seafood Party!

As you can tell, Daniel and I are extremely amused by the name of this week's featured ramen... and we are milking it for all it's got! For those of you who also grew up with Disney Sing-A-Long videos, I couldn't resist and provided a video clip containing the song I was referring to: "At the Codfish Ball". But back to the ramen...

Samyang continues to deliver when it comes to their ramen noodles. One of the first things I noticed was how tender and full the Seafood Party noodles were. The broth carries a mellow seafood aroma that is matched by the delicious and delicate seafood flavor.

As you can imagine, Daniel and I were drawn to this particular ramen because of its colorful name. However, other less-amused patrons might be easily discouraged such a lively title since it connotes a sort of bold, fishy affair. On the contrary, while this ramen does indeed contain a party of seafood items (lobster, crab, squid, oyster, shrimp, anchovy, and cuttlefish!) the flavor is surprisingly appealing and not excessively "fishy".

I thoroughly enjoyed Samyang's Seafood Party ramen. mmm...DELICIOSO!

4.5 out of 5 chopsticks!

Ramen Experience: Week Five

All the shrimps are boogying.  The lobster, crab, and squid are swinging.  The oyster and anchovy are grooving.  Why?  Because Delicioso's Ramen for Week Five is Samyang's Seafood Party!

Admittedly, I doubt all of those poor sea creatures are partying along this week.  Far too many of them are being enjoyed in this delicioso (hey, that's the name of the blog!) ramen!  This is easily my favorite ramen so far.  Samyang has a yummy track record of quality ramens, and Seafood Party continues this trend.  Why?  Well, I'll tell you why.

Seafood Party has a great taste.  It isn't spicy, but it isn't bland either.  Somehow it strikes a delicate balance between all the flavors ramen might take on.  This is especially evident in the broth.  I don't know if I would necessarily call it a seafood flavor, but I would certainly hope for an invitation to the party.

Samyang also maintains the sumptuous noodles in every package.  They soak up a ton of broth, have a smooth texture, and come in large quantities.  Hungry?  Try a Samyang ramen.

Somehow, Seafood Party has been labeled awkwardly, but don't judge a ramen by its wrapper.  Seafood Party is delicious, nutritious, and an all around great Ramen.  I don't know why you wouldn't give it a shot, should you happen down your own Ranch 99 ramen aisle.

4.5 out of 5 chopsticks!

Week Four: Second Opinion

My first thought about Samyang Beef Flavored Ramen, with its complementary vegetables and zesty-red hue, was that it closely resembles the kimchi flavored ramen we reviewed the first week. That may be due to the fact that the kimchi flavored ramen hails from the same Samyang brand.

I agree with Daniel that Samyang Beef Flavored Ramen has good quality ramen noodles. The plumper noodles were a nice change from last weeks thinner cup of noodle style noodles. I thought it was funny how Daniel also questioned how much beef is actually in the broth... I found that that while the beef broth is definitely present, it lacks the more wholesome beefy flavor that I've experienced with other ramen that I've bought from the local Safeway. Perhaps the beef flavor is inhibited by the other spices that give the ramen that little extra pep that isn't found in other beef flavored ramen.

Overall, the noodles were excellent and the broth was good, but I think Samyang can do better. I'm sure there are some things they could do to beef up their broth (pun intended). I respect Samyang Beef Flavored ramen in its attempt to strive past the traditional beef flavored ramen, but in this case they may have strayed a little too far. Great if you're looking for ramen, not so great if you're looking specifically for beef flavored ramen.

4 out 5 chopsticks!

Ramen Experience: Week Four

Samyang Beef Flavored Ramen is the Delicioso! Food Blog's Ramen of the week.  Unfortunately for all the other ramen's we've reviewed, Samyang Beef is easily the best ramen I've tasted thus far.  Putting other ramens (especially Mama Pork Flavor) to shame, Samyang Beef has all the ingredients it takes to make a great ramen.

Firstly, Samyang Beef is the first ramen I've encountered with a packet of flakes that actually adds up to something worth noticing.  Seemed to me that the mushrooms were actually decent after being boiled back to life.  I've often times thought about completely excluding the packets of freeze-dried crud, but after having Samyang Beef, I'll give future miniature vegetables a try.

Secondly, Samyang Beef has an excellent broth.  Not too spicy, not too salty, flavorful enough to distinguish from another flavor, Samyang Beef broth is just right.  Honestly, I don't know how much "beef" flavor is in the broth, but what flavor there was worked really well this time around.

Finally, Samyang Beef wraps up the package with a metric ton of noodles.  Well, it isn't an actual metric ton, it just seems like a ton of noodles.  Somehow they have a nice consistency, absorb enough broth to be flavorful, and also maintain a slight chewiness.  I suppose this all depends on how long you boil them, but following the directions certainly produced excellent results, so I'd suggest starting there.

Samyang Beef is so good, I'm ready to try some other Samyang flavors of ramen soon.

4.5 out of 5 chopsticks!

Week Three: Second Opinion

While Jenna enjoyed the ramen despite the initially lowered expectations, I didn't think Mama Pork Flavored Ramen did anything to prove my low expectations wrong. Yes, the cooking instructions involve Cup Noodle style steaming, but here's something you might not know about me:

I don't like Cup Noodles. I think the noodles are terrible. The texture, the shape, they just don't appeal to me.

For this reason, Mama Pork Flavored Ramen scores a little low. One thing I can't really fault the ramen for is the spicy flavor. I don't like spicy things, ramen included (though Jenna actually prefers her ramen spicy). With three different ingredient packets, Mama Pork Flavored Ramen doesn't force anything on you, but I dimly went ahead and included the small packet of chili powder.

I take responsibility for my mistake there and will make note that I shouldn't include that ingredient next time, if I mistakenly give Mama Pork Flavored Ramen a second try.

2 out of 5 chopsticks.

Ramen Experience: Week Three

Please excuse the tardiness of this post. Daniel and I were busy having a splendid time in Ventura, followed by a not so splendid time beginning summer session at SJSU.

Ah, but here we are again... ready and able to write about eating delicioso ramen! This week we tried Mama Pork Flavoured ramen. My first thought about this ramen was that it was quite unusual that this standard plastic-wrap packaged ramen advises that the ramen be prepared like a cup of noodle style ramen. Rather than boiling water and adding the noodles and soup base to the pot, one is instructed to add the boiling water to the noodles and soup base in a bowl and cover for 3 minutes. Interesting...

I soon realized why these instructions were provided when I discovered that the noodles are the same as those in cup of noodle style ramen; thin and lacking in the full robustness of the standard ramen noodle.

Now it should be known that I am a noodle lover. Typically, I enjoy the ramen noodles more than the broth itself, and often a small amount of broth remains after I have thoroughly enjoyed my noodles. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Mama Pork Flavoured ramen broth had a very nice and satisfying full-bodied flavor. The accompanying chili powder packet gives the broth an unexpected kick that makes the ramen especially enjoyable when one initially anticipates a more mellow pork flavor. I found myself straying from routine and made sure to savor every last drop of broth.

Mama Pork Flavoured ramen definitely exceeded my expectations. Or perhaps the cup of noodle style cooking instructions and the three accompanying packets (soup base, bean paste, and chili powder) made me a bit skeptical at first. Either way, the ramen was delicioso!

If you aren't afraid of a little spice paired with your pork broth, you will enjoy this ramen. Just be mindful of the chili powder flakes... if you sip too slowly they may stick to the back of your throat and catch you off guard.

3.5 out of 5 chopsticks!

Week Two: Second Opinion

Like Daniel, I too lack any extensive knowledge about satay flavor. However Nissin Demae's Satay Flavored Ramen provided a favorable satay experience.

As previously stated, this ramen is prepared with a minimal amount of broth, yet it offers a lot of flavor despite the absence of broth. The blend of noodles and light broth is composed of a mild curry taste that is not overpowering or excessively savory, as experienced in many Asian dishes.

The broth itself is more pungent and consequently may be better enjoyed in lesser quantities. Perhaps this was the motive behind Nissin Demae Satay Flavored Ramen in crafting the ramen to have minimal broth.

While I do not agree that the ramen noodles are of any particular higher quality compared to most ramen noodles, I think the thinner noodles harmonize with the satay broth.

I give it 4 out of 5 chopsticks.

Ramen Experience: Week Two

Jenna and I are alternating our choices down the Ramen wall. While on the rare occasion we will be reviewing separate ramens in the same week, we'll more often be taking turns on the lead review, following up with a second opinion, like we did last week.

This week, we're tasting Nissin Demae Ramen's Satay Flavor. This Satay Flavor is created by a combination of soup base and sauce packets that serve as a nice break from the freeze dried vegetables. This pairing of flavorings creates a nuanced taste. It's not spicy or salty, it's nice. I don't have any real foundation for judging Satay Flavor, aside from some other easy to make asian foods, but it was pretty tasty!

In terms of ramen, Nissin's Satay Flavor doesn't end with a lot of broth. After bringing everything together in the pot, there wasn't much broth yet, but I actually think the lack of broth sets off the taste and texture of the noodles. The noodles absorb a lot of flavor and they seem thinner too. If you like ramen with a lot of noodles, like I do, Nissin's Satay Flavor is the way to go. Instead of filling up on broth, you can enjoy a lot of noodles, which are pretty flavorful on their own.

Without so much broth, Nissin's Satay Flavor seems to have a lot more quality in its noodles. The texture and quality of the noodles seems higher than most other ramens, as does the flavor. Still, I wish I could put my finger on what Satay flavor was supposed to be like anyways....

I give it 4 out of 5 chopsticks!

Week One: Second Opinion

I might not have had the same Kimchi experience as Jenna, but ramen is ramen no matter how you spin it. Even if Samyang's Kimchi Ramen fell flat on its face, I knew I could still enjoy the ramen noodles.

I'm also slightly newer to the ramen that includes little freeze-dried vegetables. I don't think my palette has grown too accustomed to them yet. Honestly, I'm more worried about not letting them stick to the bottom of the pot than I am about their overall quality and flavor.

Opening up Kimchi Ramen was about as close as I came to tasting anything resembling a Kimchi flavor, but again, that might be my underdeveloped Kimchi palette. While the noodles were good, the broth seemed somewhere stuck between the usual salty fair ramen noodles seem to have made tradition and a hinted-at Kimchi taste. Still, I can't complain when I know that Ramen is about cooking-ease, a quick meal, and something that'll fill you up easily.

I'd say Kimchi Ramen was fairly easy to cook, though it's hard to find the 550c measuring mark on our liquid measuring cup, and it was good enough to eat again. I'm usually wary of spicy flavored food, but Kimchi Ramen wasn't too aggressive.

I give it 2.5 out of 5 chopsticks.

Ramen Experience: Week One

To kick off the start of our journey down the Route de Ramen, I chose to try SAMYANG kimchi flavored ramen. The first thing I noticed was the more gentle blend of spices in comparison to other spicy ramen I have previously tried. Korean kimchi is typically somewhat spicy so I automatically assumed that this ramen would reflect a similar taste. However, after a second look, I realized that the ramen package did not indicate "spicy" anywhere, which explained the milder taste.

The second thing I noticed was how the actual kimchi essence was most present in the aroma and in within the first few seconds of sipping, before becoming somewhat lost in the overall salt dominated equation.

I also noticed how unlike other vegetable packs included with ramen (which usually become either oddly semi-hydrated or completely soggy) the supplementary vegetables included with the kimchi ramen added a fresh (as fresh as dehydrated vegetables can be), delightful crunch reminiscent of the crunch experienced in eating your grandma's homemade kimchi.

As I enjoyed my ramen, I scribbled down a few notes describing the "best way to enjoy the kimchi flavor":

- Slowly take in the aroma between each bite

- Letting the noodles marinate in the broth for a bit allows the noodles to retain more of the kimchi flavor

- Sip in small quantities to experience more of the kimchi flavor, which gets lost in big sips due to the general overpowering saltiness

Kimchi lovers will be disappointed if they expect this meal to taste exactly like kimchi. It is after all ramen, so it's going to taste predominantly like ramen. However, it doesn't fail completely in its homage to the traditional Korean dish. It devotes itself to the flavor of kimchi as much as it can amongst the inherent salty flavor that is processed ramen.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 chopsticks!

The Ranch 99 Ramen Experience

And so begins our quest to discover every ramen offered at the local Ranch 99 Market... Daniel and I have decided to try one selection of ramen per week and write about our experiences. Once a month we choose 4 different kinds of ramen. Daniel selects two for us to try and I select two for us to try. Whomever selects a given ramen becomes the primary reviewer for that ramen. The secondary reviewer provides a second opinion and any other additional information. We will both rate the current ramen of discussion on a scale from 0 to 5 chopsticks.

Wish us luck and the hope that each ramen will be Delicioso!