[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin ] I’ll try just about anything and report back to you. I’m interested in not only new products but also products making a comeback. I avoid simple reviews. I’ll also explain why a product is popular and why it was launched. From gum to steaks at high-end restaurants, I’ll try it all without discrimination. If there’s something to eat, I’ll go anywhere. These are “self-funded” reviews where I use my own salary. <Editor’s Note>

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” that went viral on YouTube and social media has been turned into an actual product. It’s “Royal Ramen,” launched by Ottogi(007310)to mark the 30th anniversary of Yeol Ramen. The company has officially released a product based on a consumer recipe that involved boiling Yeol Ramen in milk and adding cheese. It’s the K-Rose Stir-Fried Noodles, which has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube. Just over a month after its launch last month, it surpassed 2 million units in cumulative sales, becoming a hit.

The price at convenience stores is 1,300 won. There are two cooking methods: the standard method, where you boil water, drain most of it, and then mix the noodles, and the “Bubbling Method,” where you simmer a small amount of water and mix the noodles directly in it. The latter is specifically labeled on the package as “Recommended by the Thick-Soup Fans.” I chose this method because I was aiming for a richer, thicker flavor. Upon opening the package, I found a separate packet of cheese powder and the distinctive red powdered soup mix characteristic of Yeol Ramen.

After boiling the noodles and adding both soup mixes together, the savory aroma of cheese and the spicy scent rose simultaneously. As the red powder and the pale cream-colored cheese powder mixed, they produced a deeper orange-rosé hue than expected. Visually, it resembled a spicy rosé sauce more than the creamy rosé depicted on the package. The sauce coated the noodles evenly, giving them a glossy sheen.

The most impressive aspect

the texture of the noodles

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Given the rather haphazard cooking method, I thought the noodles might get mushy, but it turned out differently than expected. The noodles maintained a springy chewiness right to the last bite, with only the outer surface seeming to have slightly absorbed the sauce. Thanks to this, the thick sauce and chewy noodles blended together naturally. After actually tasting it, I felt that this cooking method was a key element that accounted for more than half of Royal Ramen’s flavor.

The sauce is dominated by a cheesy flavor. The salty, nutty taste of Cheddar cheese comes through first, followed by the creaminess of the sauce. While the cheese isn’t overwhelmingly prominent, the overall impression is definitely rich and nutty. On top of that, the distinctive spiciness of Yeol Ramen provides a backdrop that cuts through the richness.

However, considering the name “Yeol Ramen,” the spiciness is somewhat lacking. Compared to Buldak Bokkeummyun, it feels about half as spicy. Personally, since I don’t enjoy spicy food, this was a plus for me, but consumers expecting Yeol Ramen’s signature fiery heat might find it too mild. Since the powdered soup base clearly had a deep spiciness when tasted on its own, I was left wishing the finished product had shown a bit more of that distinctive character.

Nevertheless, the overall quality was quite high. The subtle spiciness cuts through the richness of the cheese, while the cheese’s nutty flavor further enhances the noodles’ taste. Above all, the texture created by the “Bokjakbokjak” cooking method is appealing. It’s a flavor that should appeal to people of all ages and genders without causing strong divides in preference. It seems particularly well-suited for consumers who prefer the mild, creamy flavor characteristic of rosé over intense spiciness.

Royal Ramen holds significance beyond being a simple 30th-anniversary commemorative product. Recently, the ramen industry has been jumping into the competition for “K-Rose” products, which combine spicy flavors with cream and cheese. SamyangFoods(003230)achieved great success in overseas markets with its “Carbo Buldak Bokkeummyun.” Nongshim(004370)has previously made a hit with “Shin Ramyun Tumba,” a product based on the Shin Ramyun Tumba recipe, and last month, to mark the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun’s launch, it unveiled “Shin Ramyun Rosé” as part of its market expansion strategy.

OTOKI has also jumped on this trend. The front of the product features the English phrase “K-Spicy Royal” in large letters, indicating that it is designed with both the domestic and overseas markets in mind. While overseas sales account for around 80% of SamyangFoods’ revenue and about 40% of Nongshim’s, OTOKI’s overseas sales remain in the 10% range. In this era of high exchange rates, Royal Ramen serves as a test case for OTOKI as it aims to expand into the global market with “K-Rose” at the forefront.