Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup is just what the doctor ordered. But how does it compare to instant or nama ramen? For starters, the noodles are about as soggy as you can get. But then again, I, for one, am not looking for chewability when I’m sick: I wanna just slurp those puppies and not even bother to chew, if I so choose. As a get-well-soon food, digestibility is key, and Campbell’s delivers. The tiny little bits of chicken in the soup doesn’t even come close to a decent slice of chashu, but again, you can just about swallow the chicken without chewing.

And how about the all-important soup? The typical MSG-laden instant ramen has nothing on a can of chicken noodle soup. With the one-two punch of MSG and sodium, you’ll think you’re drinking a Japanese ramen import! Think there’s only shoyu, tonkotsu, and shio? Allow me to introduce the “tori” (chicken) soup base, popular in all regions of the U.S. Personally, I’m convinced that the sodium is what kills the cold and flu germs. Maybe that’s why I crave this soup when I’m sick.

In the final analysis, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup is just like ramen! –Except…oh, who am I trying to kid. I bet I still have a fever. I hope everyone had a very Happy Holidays!

Like the shoyu tonkotsu version, this stick ramen comes with a packet of soup base and a packet of seasoning and green onion bits. Again, the instructions call for 2-1/2 minutes cooking time. I thought I could outsmart the instructions by cooking the noodles for just 2 minutes, but I wasn’t very successful: these stick noodles were also soggy and not nearly al-dente enough.

The soup also wasn’t impressive. Unlike the shoyu tonotsu, which had a distinct sesame smell to the soup, the goma shoyu (that’s sesame shoyu) does not have a noticeable sesame smell. And while I pointed out that the shoyu tonkotsu version tasted like Chinese sesame noodles, the goma shoyu (again, that’s sesame shoyu) soup had a generic quality that basically reminded me of a light chicken soup. Notice I said “light chicken soup,” not “light sesame chicken soup.”

This brings me back to why I made a point of saying that I tried the two stick noodles back-to-back: I’m not crazy (you’ll have to take my word for it) and I didn’t mix up my notes. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that Marutai mislabeled the two different stick noodles. Though the goma shoyu doesn’t taste anything like shoyu tonkotsu ramen, the aforementioned shoyu tonkotsu sure tasted more like it should’ve been labeled goma shoyu, and one out of two is better than zero out of two. Confused yet? Don’t worry. Just know that this ramen isn’t very good. Marutai’s goma shoyu stick ramen gets a 4 out of 10.

Some things are meant to be in a can, while others…maybe not so much. I’ve been looking forward to trying “ramen in a can” since I first heard about it last year, and thanks to fellow ramen blogger Keizo, who was nice enough to share his loot from his trip to Tokyo, I had my chance. (And yes, I should’ve finished writing this review months ago. I suck!)

Now, the ramen in canned ramen isn’t like the noodles you’re familiar with. Canned ramen is actually made of konjac, aka konnyaku, aka “devil’s tongue”. Konjac is a tuber and belongs to the yam family. It’s usually made into a flour or jelly for use in a variety of dishes and has a chewy texture, like a firm jello. The reason the noodles are made of konjac is to prevent them from becoming soggy. Can you imaging eating ramen noodles which have been soaking in soup for days or weeks? Mush city.

This particular canned ramen has a tonkotsu soup base, and while the picture on the can shows a nice piece of chashu with some green onions, it’s a bit misleading. There’re noodles, chashu, and soup. That’s it. But, oh, it comes with it’s own collapsible fork!

The soup reminded me of a lighter version of the kind of soup you get with nama ramen, but there’s a generic quality to it. I could almost imagine the soup being sold cold in a vending machine, next to the soda drinks and canned coffee. It’s that light.

The semi-transparent noodles, on the other hand, were dense and bland. The texture is a bit hard and rubbery, almost like…um…octopus…jelly…yeah… It’s very similar to eating Japanese fruit jelly candy in strip form, which I like, but in this setting, it wasn’t very tasty. I could feel the noodles settling in the pit of my stomach, possibly to stay for a while. But then again, konjac is supposed to be good for constipation, so maybe that’ll help. (Sorry, too much information…)

The chashu looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Don’t be fooled. The small pieces of chashu are hard and dry. They tasted like old pieces of bacon with the juices squeezed out, but at least there’s some flavor. If you pretend the chashu is jerky, you might get some enjoyment out of it.

Overall, the canned ramen is really not obviously bad, but it’s also not obviously good. I can’t really recommend it except out of curiousity, but if you’re in Japan and you come across a vending machine, give it a try and satisfy your own curiosity!

There are numerous kinds of instant ramen, from the ubiquitous brick ramen, to cup and bowl ramen. A less common type of instant ramen is “stick ramen.” Unlike the other kinds of instant ramen, stick ramen noodles are packaged straight, like a package of spaghetti. As with other kinds of instant ramen, stick ramen comes with packs of soup base and seasoning.

This stick ramen has a shoyu tonkotsu base and the seasoning packet comes with a handful of sesame seeds and dried green onions. The soup has a heavy sesame smell, and is lightly flavored. There barely a shoyu flavor and not much tonkotsu. The flavors are entirely overwhelmed by sesame.

The instructions call for cooking the noodles for 2-1/2 mins, which is much too long. The soggy noodles are too slippery and not absorbent enough. Instead of working together, there’s too much of a contrast between the taste of the noodles and the soup.

Even though this tonkotsu-shoyu stick ramen ends up tasting like Chinese sesame oil noodles, the flavor does grow on you. If you’re looking for something a bit different, Marutai’s stick ramen is worth a try. It gets a 6.

Like the previously reviewed Dr Noodle shiitake spinach, I have to admit that these beef tomato noodles aren’t bad. Again, this is more of a flat Chinese-style instant noodle than Japanese ramen, but they have a nice, chewy texture. You would think that “steam” noodles would be relatively bland compared to the usually-fried instant ramen, but they actual have a decent flavor and soak up the soup nicely. And for those die hard fans of Maruchan’s Tomato Ramen, this just might your ticket to tomato ramen nirvana! I’ve never had the pleasure of having the Maruchan version, but the Dr Noodle beef tomato soup is exactly as it’s described: the beef stock is light (imagine a light chicken soup, but…err…with beef instead) with a strong tomato aroma and flavor. It’s a surprisingly good combination of flavors and has become one of our favorites.

If you’re looking for something different, or you’re a ramen fan who’s trying to eat more healthy, this is for you. (Remember that since it’s a Taiwanese brand, you’ll have a better chance of finding it at a Chinese supermarket than a Japanese market.) Even though this isn’t a “true” ramen, it gets an honorary rating of 7 out of 10.

The dominant flavor of the soup is the onion powder, with hints of garlic and msg, and just a touch of white pepper. The noodles are chewy and thick, almost udon-like in texture, and unfortunately tasteless. Oh, and there are a few onion flakes scattered throughout.

If you just want a quick bowl of noodles, these will do. My wife says these are “yum but not yum-o.” I say they get a 4.

I’m a real snob when it comes to ramen: I believe that only “true” Japanese ramen, instant or otherwise, should be considered “ramen.” Korean “ramyun”? Not ramen. Chinese “la mien”? Nope. Try again. Not ramen. So what’s wrong with this picture?
1. The brand is called “Dr. Noodle.” Come on! That’s like saying “Mister California Roll” sounds like an authentic sushi restaurant!
2. Shiitake spinach flavor…shiitake and spinach?? Not exactly a traditional ramen flavor.
3. The words “non fried” smack in the middle of the package. (Shaking my head…I’m just not big on “healthy” foods…)

So why in the world am I doing this review? Why else do I do things I don’t normally do…my wife…likes it…

Dr. Noodle is a brand of instant noodles from Taiwan’s Sing-Lin Foods, which has many many different flavors of “steam ramen.” (For the record, my wife’s favorite is the Beef Tomato flavor) For the health-conscious noodle fan, steamed ramen has almost no fat compared to the typical “fried” instant ramen. It does have MSG though, so it’s not all good news.

The noodles were pretty good, though nothing like “real” ramen noodles. These noodles were flat noodles typical of Chinese instant noodles, with a nice chewy texture. The soup was flavorful, and again, nothing like Japanese ramen soup. There’re little bits of shiitake mushrooms, a few scattered pieces of carrots for good measure, and lots of coriander (cilantro). The soup tastes almost like a very light chicken soup (though, being vegetarian, there’s obviously no chicken stock used) with a hint of mushroom flavor.

Overall, this was a very decent pack of instant noodles, with a light flavor. If you’re looking for some different than Japanese instant ramen and/or something relatively healthier, give this a try. I’m not going to give this a rating because it’s not “real ramen,” but if I did, it’d be around a 6 or 7.

And for the people who’ve been asking me for nutritional info on the noodles I review, here you go!