When it comes down to comforting, quick, and easy meals, ramen undoubtedly wins the whole shebang. At least, that's what the consensus was when determining the best ramen of 2020. For such a simple snack, lunch, or dinner, ramen is turning out to be one of this year's foodie gems and will likely continue to be so for years to come, especially with the instant noodles steadily improving in both flavor and quality.
However, there are still some packages of ramen out there that don't quite hit the mark. In fact, many of them completely miss it altogether, going so far past 'yum' and all the way to 'this is inedible' faster than we can boil the water needed to make it. Whether it's the flavor that's offputting or a texture that makes us yearn for overcooked pasta, not all ramen is created equal. Of course, there's nothing like getting it from the source but in general terms, instant ramen isn't going anywhere... which means it falls on us to help ramen lovers navigate the shelves in order to avoid noodle heartache.
Sapporo Ichiban Shrimp Flavor
Let's be honest - there's such a thing as dried shrimp and then there's dried shrimp powder, and never the two should be equated. Dried shrimp, a popular Asian snack food, is one thing. However, shrimp powder doesn't quite cut it whether it be dumped into a hot bowl of ramen or any other dish requiring a flavorful broth.
Sapporo Ichiban has plenty of other, more delicious, and satisfying flavors, and not one of them should be positioned anywhere near Shrimp Flavor in terms of its goodness. There's nothing comforting about this unusual bowl of instant ramen and, for the record, it does not evoke images of tasty shrimp noodles as the package photo would imply.
Maruchan Oriental Flavor Ramen
Maruchan is a brand that everyone is familiar with whether it was an after-school snack or a quick college lunch. Some of us may have even consumed a bowl (or five) after a late night out and, among them, was like the Oriental flavor ramen.
As opposed to having an unusual flavor like the shrimp flavored ramen, this just has a salty, umami-lacking flavor. Granted, it's not the easiest thing to pack tons of yummy umami into instant ramen, however, with all of the great options now available, this Oriental flavor simply falls to the wayside. It's okay, possibly mediocre, but nothing special.
Nongshim Savory Lobster Bowl
There's something about instant ramen and seafood that just doesn't compute when it comes to popular ramen brands. Nongshim Savory Lobster Bowl sounds really tasty in theory but just ends up disappointing once it's fully cooked.
Interestingly enough, this ramen is said to contain a whole slew of seafood ingredients (at least, according to the ingredient list). However, the one thing that foodies are still searching for is the actual lobster. There are plenty of shellfish that go into flavoring the soup, but none that echo the actual name of it... Strange.
Maruchan Chili Piquin & Shrimp
Maruchan's Chili Piquin & Shrimp has long been hailed (along with Lime Chili flavor with Shrimp and Hot & Spicy flavor with Shrimp) as one of the worst instant noodle flavors out there.
While it's not great, it's not necessarily the worst, although the chili piquin is likely misplaced among the salty shrimp flavor notes. The difference between this and the other shrimp flavors is the welcome addition of small, dried shrimp, however, unfortunately, that does nothing to make the flavor more appetizing or less overwhelmingly seafood-ish.
MAMA Pad Kee Mao
MAMA noodles are wholly delicious... except for the Pad Kee Mao flavor. Out of all those on the list, this is the best by far, but when faced with a choice of MAMA flavors, take a pass on this one and try the green curry or beef instead.
The water actually needs to be drained from this ramen which makes it an interesting contrast to the others on the list, but in terms of actual flavor... Well, it's spicy... and that's about the extent of it. It's lacking in departments that could have put it on par with the rest of the MAMA line of noodles which is disappointing, to say the least.
Maruchan Instant Lunch Cheddar Cheese
Yikes. In theory, cheddar cheese and ramen should be a delightfully unique combination. In reality, Maruchan is just serving up very salty, not overly creamy, flat noodles in a cup.
However, many do thoroughly enjoy this flavor if only because of the cheese powder that's reminiscent of everyone's favorite Kraft snack, however, in terms of ramen, it's a flunk. The salt content probably wouldn't even register as something that's remotely healthy even for one-time consumption, and the flavor is just that... salt and slight cheesiness.