After more than a year of pondering and reviewing since the last list, here’s the new top ten instant noodle bowls. This encompasses all instant noodle bowls reviewed up to today, June 15th, 2013. With no further adieu, the top ten instant noodle bowls of all time, 2013 edition.
10 – JFC Japanese Style Noodle Soup Curry Flavour – South Korea
Fresh udon noodles and a curry sauce that’s thick and luxuriant. If you’re in need of a curry fix, look no further! Every time I see it on a store shelf, I get this kind of warm, fuzzy feeling. Original review here
9 – Ottogi Spaghetti Ramen – South Korea
A fun bowl of noodles with thick South Korean ramyun noodles, a sweet powder and a sweet and slightly spicy spaghetti sauce. A nice twist on a classic. Original review here
8 – Little Cook Spicy Beef Flavor – Thailand
This one features firm noodles, a spicy broth with beef and curry notes and fake meat that’s surprisingly good. Myriad of different components collide together in an irresistible way. Original review here
7 – Nongshim Chapagetti Roasted Chajang Noodle – United States
Although originating in South Korea, Nongshim now makes these in Southern California. Chajang is a traditional Chinese black bean sauce that is wonderful with noodles and the nice part with this particular variety is that it’s the first I’ve seen in a bowl. What’s more, it’s easy to make and has excellent hearty flavor as well as great noodles. Original review here
6 – Paldo Kokomen Spicy Chicken Flavor King Cup – South Korea
Kokomen is a South Korean ramyun with a light or white broth. It’s got a chicken and jalapeno kind of flavor that’s really quite excellent. The translation from pack to bowl is exemplary, losing none of the quality. Original review here
5 – Little Cook Mushroom Vegetarian Premium Noodle – Thailand
A combination of a great quality noodle and nice broth is one thing, but they add a retort pouch with really nice vegetables that make this seem more gourmet. I’ve never been a big fan of mushrooms, but these are really quite good. Original review here
4 – Yamamoto Ponpoko Tempura Udon Fried Noodles Bowl – Japan
Thick, slightly chewy noodles and a broth with strong soy flavor. The tempura gives a satisfying crunch. Check out the original review as well to see why this one’s got a great name. Original review here
3 – Maruchan Midori No Tanuki Instant Soba Bowl – Japan
The only one from last year’s list to remain. Although it slipped out of first place, this is a seriously excellent bowl of noodles. The buckwheat noodles have a delicate crumble that works so well here and the broth is nice and rich. The disk of tempura is a real treat. Original review here
2 – FoodMon DJ-DOC Instant Ramen Rice Toppokki – South Korea
Topokki are like really thick chewy short noodles. They’re usually served with a spicy red sauce; here they join instant noodles along with the spicy sauce to make a succulent kind of Soiuth Korean lasagna-esque feast. Original review here
1 – Nissin Raoh Rich Soy Sauce Flavor – Japan
All I can say is that this stuff is epic. The noodles are extremely good and of very high quality. The broth is as rich as the name purports as well. What’s more, it comes with a slice of roast pork which hydrates well and has a very good texture and flavor. This is where it’s at! Original review here
So as you can see, a lot of new contenders this year! I hope you enjoyed the list and look forward to bringing you more as time goes by.
