Samyang "KalGugSu"

Brand: Samyang
Flavour: KalGugSu
Format: brick-in-packet
Packets: two
Identifiables: noodle brick, flavour powder, veggie bits
Sodium: 1.93 grams

I hate to accuse any ramen of being "fairly standard", especially when there are differing standards. After all, most of the ramen that comes in a brick-in-packet format has at least two packets because one contains veggie bits, and such a packet is practically unheard of for what most people think of as ramen here in the States. In this blog, however, I seem to have shifted toward the one which includes veggies, and as such, this ramen is fairly standard.

About the only particularly curious notes are in regard to the packaging. The edges of the main packet are straight save for a small patch of pinking, which would seem very modern and clever if not for the fact that tearing the packet at that spot would cleave the instructions right down the centre. In that area lies the other oddity; the Korean and Japanese instructions both call for 700cc of water to be boiled, whereas the English instructions call for only 650cc. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened.

So, I split the difference and boiled somewhere between 650 and 750cc of water. Then, I added everything, idly wondering why it was even in different packets if it would all be boiled together for the exact same amount of time. (My curent guess? It's probably to keep the powder from clumping.) The wide, flat noodles took six minutes to cook, double the usual amount.

The result? Well, it's mushroom-and-noodle soup. The flavour is mostly mushroom, with a little bit of fish and other seasonings but nothing strong enough to jump out at my palate. The veggie bits were standard, carrots and seaweed and onions and a couple other assorted things. The noodles had pretty much the same "bite" as the average ramen noodle does. There was no spicy heat at all to the dish. Honestly, I found myself utterly uninspired, but not disgusted. It's edible, it's tasty enough, but it's about as boring as one can get without being an active disappointment.

Sorry about that. I'll definitely have to make up for this with something really odd for my next review....

Numbers: packaging 3, preparation 2, heat 1, flavour 2, overall 2
Music: Electric Light Orchestra - Strange Magic - Last Train to London