A taste test review of Sugakiya's 'World Flavor Noodle Tour: Mala Tang Noodles,' which offers a satisfying spiciness from chili peppers while being easy to eat and light.

Sugakiya has launched the 'World Noodle Tour' series, based on the concept of enjoying the flavors of the world through ramen. As the first installment, they released ' World Noodle Tour Mala Tang Noodles ' on April 20th, 2026 (Monday), so I bought it and tried it.

New product launch announcement: 'A Journey Through the Flavors of Noodles Around the World: Mala Tang Noodles'

The ingredients are as follows. The fact that the soup contains beef extract, beef broth, sesame paste, spices, and chili bean paste powder gives it the distinct impression of mala tang.

One serving (113g) contains 379kcal.

Inside, you'll find both 'soup with dried ingredients' and 'liquid soup.'

Pour the 'soup with toppings' packet over the noodles and add hot water up to the inner line.

Wait 5 minutes while the liquid soup is warming on top of the lid.

When the time comes, open the lid and add the liquid soup.

Mix well and it's ready. The soup has a milder 'ma' (numbing) spiciness compared to the more pronounced 'la' (spicy) spiciness from the chili peppers. On the other hand, there is a mellow sweetness from the sesame paste base, so even though it is spicy, you can also feel a milky quality. Note that the spices are heavy and tend to sink to the bottom of the soup, so the 'ma' and pepper spiciness became stronger towards the end of the meal. It seems that mixing from the bottom as you eat helps to maintain a good balance.

The noodles are flat and curly, and they hold the soup well. It's nice that they include small pieces of bok choy as a topping. Many 'mala tang' restaurants, which have been spreading since around 2024, allow you to choose your own toppings and noodles, and it's easy to end up paying over 2000 yen if you choose too many toppings, so it's great to be able to enjoy this flavor easily for around 300 yen.

Sugakiya's 'World Flavor Noodle Tour: Mala Tang Noodles' is priced at 363 yen (tax included) and has been on sale since April 20, 2026 (Monday). A set of 12 is available on Amazon for 4335 yen (361 yen per serving).