2008-08-01

Nong Shim "Shin Ramyun"

Brand: Nong Shim
Flavour: Shin Ramyun
Format: brick-in-packet
Packets: two
Identifiables: noodle cake, veggie bits, spice
Sodium: 2.10 grams

If I call this one of the more common uncommon varieties, will the English majors out there shoot me? Probably only if I use a preposition to end a sentence with.

It's a straight-forward ramen for a chaotic age. It's almost too precise. The noodle cake was perfectly round and fit just right in "Ben", the instructions were careful to note that I should boil nineteen-and-a-half ounces of water – I'm sure twenty would have been far too watered-down – and the packets were uniform in print design. Very spiffy, very classy. This comes across as a connoisseur's ramen.

Being the good little sheep that I am, I folowed the directions precisely. Did I say "sheep"? I mean, scientist. These are careful, objective instant noodle reviews. Friends, you're getting your ramen advice from a pro.

The package was fairly simple, the preparation was typical for this format of noodle (boil water, dump in packet contents, cook, eat), and after some of the adventures I've had it almost seemed a bit of a letdown. No unidentifiable bits? No scary packets of semi-liquid? Not even a wacky little spiral thing? (I am led to believe that such spiral things are called "naruto" so I looked it up. It turns out that they know ninjitsu and possibly harbour evil demon fox spirits. Thanks, Wikipedia!)

I poured the cooked noodles-and-broth into a bowl, then let it cool a bit while I started typing up the review. To my delight, the noodles proceeded to absorb a great deal of the broth over the next few minutes. The trained scientist in me is inclined to connect this phenomenon with the fact that I was gently making fun of both Japanese comics and Wikipedia, and I will likely repeat this experiment later.

How's the flavour? That's really all that my readers wish to hear from me, yes? The flavour is better than the average ramen, though it does have that not-particularly-identifiable-but-slightly-beefy nature that is becoming expected of any packet or container that claims to be spicy but says little else about itself. It is indeed spicy; it would be a three if the spice didn't linger as much, but it stands at a low four by my scale and I'm sticking to that completely scientific opinion. This brand doesn't surprise, but it also doesn't let the eater down. It's the best of the mediocre.

Also notable is that the packet claims the one-hundred-twenty gram brick to be about two fifty-six gram servings. I think this is merely a ploy to cut the sodium number.

Numbers: packaging 3, preparation 2, heat 4, flavour 3, overall 3

Music: Prophecy - Kong In Concert - Chekan Winter (Northern Hemisphere)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

> the instructions were careful to note that I should boil nineteen-and-a-half ounces of water

Keep in mind that the average ramen packet is sold in civilized countries that use real measurement systems; it makes much more sense in metric.

So, basically, stop whining and get yourself a 576.6-ml measuring cup.

Kyhwana said...

Ohman, there's a local chain here that stocks those.
They're way better than most of the crap ramen you can get here..

Electric Keet said...

Baxil:
Heh. Seriously, there are usually directions that involve 220ml measures and such, so I think it's just plain arbitrary.

Lewis:
Yeah, Shin Ramyun is definitely a good option as a step up from generic Maruchan packets. For one, it doesn't end with me dumping chili sauce in until it's vaguely interesting.