Nongshim Shin Ramyun Tom Yum Flavor Jay Fai Bowl

This is a bowl version of Shin Ramyun in Tom Yum flavor, made in collaboration with Jay Fai, the Michelin-starred Thai street food chef whose face is on the front of the cup. I had high hopes going in. I think I’ve tried the packet version before and liked it. This one I was really looking forward to, and it delivered.

Produced in the United States. Distributed by South Korea.

What’s in the Package

Inside the bowl you get a dry noodle disc with small dehydrated vegetable flecks visible, a Tom Yum Paste purple sachet, and a red Shin Cup soup base packet.

How to Cook Nongshim Shin Ramyun Tom Yum Flavor Jay Fai Bowl

Cooking directions per package instructions:

1. Completely remove lid and tom yum paste. Add soup base.
2. Pour room temperature water up to the inside line (400ml, about 1 2/3 cups).
3. Microwave for 5 minutes.
4. Add tom yum paste, mix well, and serve.

How Does It Taste

I liked this one a lot. Really a lot. James and I both flagged it as a possible favorite of the year.

The broth carries an anchovy umami depth with a clear seafood flavor running through it. The Korean base is still present underneath the Tom Yum paste. You can taste the gochugaru-style red chili that Shin Ramyun is known for, and it holds up against the Thai additions. The bowl reads as a Korean Tom Yum rather than a Thai one, which is exactly what this collaboration is supposed to be.

What keeps it from being a straight Thai Tom Yum is what’s missing: the sharp lemongrass, the bright kaffir lime leaf, the galangal lift. Those notes are there but muted. Tom Yum in Korea reads as a warm, red-spiced, seafood-umami bowl with a little citrus hint, rather than the bright herbal punch of a Thai bowl.

The noodles are the only weak spot. Nongshim’s cup-format noodles are softer than the packet-format ones. They came out a little soft for me. Noodle thickness is a 1 out of 5. Broth viscosity lands at a 2 out of 5. The Tom Yum paste adds body to what would otherwise be a thinner Shin-style broth.

Spice is a 3 out of 5. It’s firmly present but the Tom Yum component adds enough sweetness and sourness that the heat doesn’t carry alone. A comfortable warm level that most people can handle.

How Does It Compare

This sits alongside the original Nongshim Shin Ramyun as the Tom Yum variant of the same base formula. Shin is beef-and-mushroom, this is red-chili-and-seafood-with-a-Thai-lean. If you love Shin and want a seafood direction, this one works.

For actual Thai Tom Yum comparisons, the Mama Tom Yum Shrimp is the real deal. It’s brighter, more lemongrass and kaffir lime forward, truer to the Thai original but with less broth richness. The Maggi Perisa Tom Yam is the Malaysian take, closer to the Thai direction with that sour-sharp profile. If you want real Tom Yum, grab the Mama. If you want a Korean take on Tom Yum, this is the one.

Within the Nongshim cup family, the Neoguri is the other seafood-forward Nongshim option, though it pushes clam and anchovy rather than Tom Yum’s shrimp-and-lime direction.

How to Level Up Nongshim Shin Ramyun Tom Yum Flavor Jay Fai Bowl

The broth is rich and what it needs is brightness, not more depth. A squeeze of lime juice at the end is the single biggest upgrade.

A generous handful of green onions on top gives the bowl the fresh lift it’s looking for. Fresh cilantro if you have it. If you can track down fresh kaffir lime leaf or lemongrass, even better. Those push the bowl toward a real Thai Tom Yum in the way the packet paste doesn’t.

Frozen shrimp dropped in during the steep gives the bowl the real protein element the Tom Yum name implies. A few slices of fresh red chili or a spoonful of chili oil for anyone who wants more heat.

Final Verdict

The Nongshim Shin Ramyun Tom Yum Flavor Jay Fai Bowl is a Korean take on Tom Yum in cup form, and it’s one of the best Nongshim collaborations I’ve tried. The anchovy umami depth is the standout. The Korean red-chili base holds the bowl together. Marking this as one of our favorites of the year. I’d buy this over and over. Bump the water slightly above the fill line and let it steep a touch longer than the pack says for the best result.

How do I rate my ramen? Check out the Ramen Rating Guide.

Related Instant Ramen

• Nongshim Shin Ramyun Spicy Noodle Soup
• Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup
• Mama Tom Yum Shrimp Instant Noodles
• Maggi Perisa Tom Yam Instant Noodles
• Nongshim K-Army Stew Noodle Soup