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!