Nissin Garlic Cheese Fondue Cup Noodles 日清 カップヌードル ガーリックチーズフォンデュ味

The visual of these Nissin cup noodles entices and worries at the same time

Who had “Garlic Cheese Fondue” on their 2022 Cup Noodle bingo card? I sure as hell did not. But it is definitely the type of flavor creations that raises eyebrows and makes people outside of Japan wish they could get their hands on it. (by the way, you can here)

The appearance and flavor name creates big expectations. Is it going to be properly garlicky? Will it have some creamy and rich cheese flavor? Let’s find out!

Cheese powder and cheesy bits and powder coated noodles

Content

The classic type of Nissin cup noodles, coated with the soup poweder, topped with some dried veggies and dehydrated…cheese? Butter? I should have tried one of the bits before adding the water.

Ready to eat garlic cheese fondue cup noodles after 3 minutes of waiting

Preparation

Very complicated. Pour water, wait 3 minutes, eat.

The first pull of cup noodles is always exciting, especially when it is a new and interesting flavor like this garlic cheese fondue flavor.

Review

After opening the lid, the smell of processed cheese and garlic hits you right away. Not in a bad way, it definitely makes you want to go for it right away while you know it’s not good for you. But then again, which cup noodle is? The first slurp is like a faint memory of a Jiro bowl with processed cheese on top. Unfortunately it stays a faint memory, as the garlic flavor is way too subdued to stay present throughout the bowl. The cheese flavor reminds me of the cheese dust that some chips and puffs like Cheetos are covered with. Again, I would have wished for it to be more aggressive. What stays throughout is a buttery creaminess, which also makes the soup stick well to the noodles.

I think the way to go with this cup is to add some more cheese and garlic yourself. It also receives hot sauce and pickles or kimchi well, anything that adds some acidity and kick.

In the end, I would have wished for a bit more cheese and garlic punch. Without that, it ends up being a quite average cup ramen that disappoints a bit in terms of promises made by the fancy flavor name.

5.5 out of 10