Playing With Fire: A Buldak Ramen Review

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Kim Ji-Soo from Blackpink

After the Fire Noodle Challenge went viral a couple of years ago, the Buldak ramen brand from Samyang Foods and its somewhat iconic chicken mascot (named Hochi) who definitely thinks of you as a wimp who can’t handle the heat has become well-recognized by ~~masochists~~ enthusiasts of spicy foods all around the world. Aside from the original Buldak ramen, many new exciting flavors have been released through the years, and obviously being a culinary explorer as well as someone who hates themself so much that they’d subject themself to torturing their poor stomach I definitely had to try all of them!

Normally buying all of them would mean either going to an Asian supermarket (which is nowhere nearby where I’m at) or individually looking up all the different flavors on Amazon, but thankfully I found a vendor that sold most of the flavors together in a set (here’s the link, and FYI, I don’t receive any form of commission and whatnot at all when you click on the link, sadly) which made preparing for this review a lot easier.

But that’s enough talking (typing?)! It’s time for some eating and a whole lot of suffering!!

Buldak Original Spicy Chicken Ramen

Despite the many flavors that have come out in the years, the original Buldak remains one of the best, with a really addictive flavor and aroma that just keeps drawing you in, even when your face is beginning to turn red and you’re sweating bullets. Don’t try any other variant until you’ve tried this one first!

3/5: The OG, give it some respect!

Buldak Carbonara Spicy Chicken Ramen

Definitely one of my favorite flavors, the mild cheese flavor in the sauce is just lovely and works very well with the spicy Buldak flavor. Add some grated cheese (I normally go for parmesan) on top to make it even cheesier and creamy!

3/5: Cheesy goodness!

Buldak Kimchi Spicy Chicken Ramen

The spiciness of the Buldak sauce alongside the tangy sourness of the kimchi is certainly a great and interesting combination, and originally I was about to give it a lower score but as I was typing this review, the thought of eating it again made my mouth water like crazy so it gets an additional point! Trust me if you love sour and spicy foods, you have to try this!

3/5: Sour, spicy, and everything nice-y

Buldak Quattro Cheese Spicy Chicken Ramen

The Quattro Cheese had a very cheesy aroma to it (what a shocker!), but aside from that it’s lacking in the flavor department in my opinion.

1/5: Meh x4

Buldak Creamy Carbonara Spicy Chicken Ramen

Being the creamier version of the Carbonara Buldak Ramen, the sauce when mixed with the flavor packets makes it, well, creamier, but aside from that it’s pretty much the same although the flavor to me tasted a little milder than the original.

1/5: Redundant

Buldak Habanero Lime Spicy Chicken Ramen

The Habanero Lime had a delicious aroma where you could smell the mouth-puckering sourness of the lime, and as you took a bite you could taste a tangier version of the Buldak sauce, and then the lingering heat of the habanero that soon follows afterward. Just excellent!

4/5: Sour, spicy, and everything very very nice-y

Buldak Corn Spicy Chicken Ramen

The sweet, distinct aroma of corn infused with the spicy Buldak sauce definitely made it hard to resist inhaling the whole bowl down like a certain pink video game character, and the taste was certainly interesting, as you had the sweetness of the corn follow after the initial heat. I found it to be decent, but it still lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that would make me specifically want to go buy this flavor when I head to the market (though it would be a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence to have the markets over here stock something like this anyway).

2/5: It’s corn! / A big lump with knobs / It has the juice (it has the juice) / I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing (Woo)!

Buldak Curry Spicy Chicken Ramen

The appetizing aroma, and the surprising yet definitely welcomed harmony between the curry flavor and the Buldak sauce (although it is not as spicy) resulted in a great depth of flavor that most certainly appealed to the South Asian AND the spice maniac in me! This for sure is one of my favorites from the bunch!

4/5: Unashamedly biased

Buldak Original Stew Type Spicy Chicken Ramen

A soupier version of the original, I noticed that the chicken flavoring was more prominent (and certainly deliciously addictive) in the Stew Type version and that the spiciness was adjusted in order to work with the soup. There’s not much reason to get this over the original, but if you prefer soupy noodles and liked the chicken flavoring a lot, definitely give it a try!

3/5: Chicken Noodle Soup from Hell

Buldak 2x Spicy Chicken Ramen

Here we are, ready to take on the final boss! Saving the best (or worst?..) for last, this is the dreaded 2x Spicy Buldak, which as the name suggests, is two times spicier than the already spicy original Buldak!

As a veteran in the realm of spicy foods not many can phase me, but I will admit that the 2x Spicy does put me on that sweating-beads-and-panting-like-a-dog-and-then-immediately-having-to-use-the-restroom-and-spending-almost-a-whole-hour-and-then-questioning-my-life-choices kind of vibe (dishonorable mention also goes to the Paqui One Chip Challenge which scarred me for life) and that I’ll need almost a whole loaf of bread on the side to help quell the blazing inferno on my tongue.

But aside from the scorching heat (it’s around 10,000 units in the Scoville scale apparently, and for those unaware, the Scoville scale is a measurement of the spiciness of chili peppers and other substances that include capascin), when it comes to the taste it’s a little lacking as the spiciness just overpowers the other flavors, so if you are going for the 2X Spicy as a challenge to brag about even though the trend has way passed, go ahead by all means! But if it’s for flavor, I suggest just sticking to the original Buldak instead.

As a “challenge food” it is a 4/5 because compared to most it does have some flavor, but in the taste department it definitely is a 2/5.

So yes, that concludes my review of the various Buldak ramen, and I hope you enjoyed it (and if you want to try the ones that I review, don’t forget the Amazon link I had put in!)! Do not be sad though, there are still more unique flavors out there and our journey still continues! Here’s to trying out new foods and wrecking our stomachs in the process!

LLAMASODA