Nong Shim Savory Bowl Noodle Chicken Flavor

Made By:  Nong Shim America

Tools Required:  Hot Water, Spoon and Chopsticks

Light Meal Size (380 calories per package)

Price:  33¢ (sale at Costco—36 bowls for $11.75)

Rating:  :|

Finally, a long-overdue noodle review!  Today I am on location at my workplace, and the images have been taken from my camera-phone instead of my digital camera.  Fortunately, I still have access to boiling water and a microwave, so I can still indulge myself in some noodles!  There is a large variety of noodles designed for an “on-the-go” lunch, like the Bowl Noodles I am reviewing today.

The bowl- and cup-style noodles are especially convenient since there is (usually) no measuring involved; we just add hot water to the fill line, and wait a bit.  In the case of these noodles, we also open the one included packet of dry seasoning and add it to the noodles and dried veggies that are loose in the bowl.  After three minutes, we are ready for lunch!

I got the impression from the packaging (as well as the venue where these were sold) that this would be a more “Americanized” flavor than some of Nong Shim’s offerings, and this bowl certainly lived up to that expectation.  I would say the flavor of the broth is very similar to a Top Ramen chicken flavor or that sort of grocery-store variety, except probably a bit less salty.  The less salty, slightly sweeter flavor actually made it seem less “savory” to me than some of those, but I imagine that they are meaning to differentiate these from their usual spicy flavors.  The noodle texture is above average when compared to grocery-store brands, though, as is the generous quantity of vegetables included; I saw peas, corn, and green onion pieces, all of which rehydrated nicely.

All in all, these were a pleasant if unexciting lunch, and at the price I got them, I am not at all disappointed to have 35 more of them at home to eat over the course of the next few months.  If I were to rate them at the usual Bowl Noodle price of $1.64 each, though, they would be a definite pass, in favor of either a more interesting flavor or a less expensive version (if not both).  I guess that earns these their “indifferent” rating. :|