Chapters and Cravings

You just never know what you’re going to find in Homesense—and honestly, that’s half the fun of going in!

I looove Homesense and TK Maxx anyway, but now they’ve started stocking more of my kind of books alongside all the unusual food and drink finds, both shops are becoming increasingly dangerous for my bank account. I’ll walk in for a casual look and somehow leave carrying books, snacks and something decorative that I absolutely did not know I needed.

This particular find, however, was immediately spotted by my Spud.

My Spud absolutely loved KPop Demon Hunters when it came out last year. And when I say loved it, I mean he was obsessed.

He loved it so much that I found someone on Etsy selling printable noodle-pot covers inspired by the film, allowing us to recreate our own versions at home. Because Spud isn’t a fan of unusual noodle flavours—or spicy food—I used ordinary chicken-flavoured noodle pots for his and simply added the printable covers.

He got his KPop Demon Hunters noodles without having to brave any unexpected flavours. Everyone was happy.

So, when he spotted this official Nongshim Shin Ramyun KPop Demon Hunters noodle set in Homesense for £3.79, he immediately wanted me to buy it and conduct the taste test myself.

I was more than happy to accept the assignment.

The multipack contained three individual 68g noodle pots:

• Mira Spicy Queen – Gourmet Spicy
• Rumi Superstar – Spicy & Smoky Style
• Zoey Burger Hero – Hamburger Taste

Spud may have been responsible for spotting them, but with two spicy flavours and no familiar chicken option in sight, these were definitely going to be Mum’s noodles.

I decided to begin with Mira’s Gourmet Spicy noodles, leaving the Spicy & Smoky and slightly more mysterious Hamburger Taste flavours for another day.

Peeling back the lid revealed the noodles topped with dried pieces of carrot, spring onion, red chilli pepper and shiitake mushroom.

Unfortunately, the mushroom pieces weren’t exactly small or easy to ignore. There were some rather chunky pieces sitting on top, so I carefully picked every single one out before adding the boiling water.

Mushrooms and I are simply never going to be friends. Just no.

Alongside the dried vegetables was a sachet of seasoning powder, which I added before leaving the noodles to cook. Once everything had softened, the noodles had absorbed the seasoning nicely and there were still visible pieces of carrot, chilli and spring onion mixed throughout.

The flavour had a lovely tingly heat to it. It was properly spicy, but not so hot that it completely blew my head off or made eating it feel like some sort of endurance challenge. The warmth gradually built as I ate, but it stayed at that enjoyable level where I could still taste the actual seasoning rather than nothing but chilli.

They were warming, savoury and really easy to eat. Despite having to carry out a full mushroom-removal operation first, I genuinely enjoyed them.

The Gourmet Spicy Verdict

Flavour: Warming, savoury and pleasantly spicy
Heat Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Mushroom Situation: Removed immediately
Would I Eat Them Again? Yes—after picking out the mushroom, obviously!

This was a very promising beginning to the box. The spice gave my mouth a nice little tingle without crossing over into painfully hot territory, making it a flavour I’d happily eat again.

Next up was the flavour I was probably most curious about: Hamburger Taste.

At first, the little brown chunks inside looked as though they might be pieces of meat, but after reading the ingredients, I discovered they didn’t actually contain meat at all. They appeared to be made from vegetable protein and fish instead, while the supposed hamburger flavour came from the blend of spices in the seasoning.

After adding the seasoning and boiling water, I left everything to soften before giving it a good stir.

Taste-wise, I wouldn’t say these reminded me of a hamburger. To me, they tasted much more like noodles in a beef-style broth, with a very slight hint of spice. They weren’t properly spicy, but there was enough warmth in the seasoning to leave a gentle little tingle on my tongue.

They weren’t unpleasant, but the Hamburger Taste name definitely made me expect something a little more burger-like than what was actually in the pot.

The Hamburger Taste Verdict

Flavour: More beef-broth-style than hamburger
Heat Level: A gentle tingle rather than proper spice
Hamburger Similarity: Not really there
Biggest Surprise: Those brown pieces weren’t meat!

Not a bad pot of noodles, just not quite the hamburger experience promised by the name. Between the two flavours I’ve tried so far, Mira’s Gourmet Spicy noodles are still holding onto the crown.

The final flavour in my KPop Demon Hunters noodle taste test was Rumi Superstar – Spicy & Smoky Style.

As soon as I peeled back the lid, I spotted the little star-shaped pieces sitting among the noodles. Adorable!

According to the ingredients, the loose pieces included fishcake, kimchi flakes and pak choi, although there were a few other mystery bits in there that I couldn’t quite identify. At least there weren’t any giant pieces of mushroom waiting for me this time!

After adding the seasoning and pouring in the boiling water, I could immediately smell the smoky flavouring. It was noticeably different from the other two pots before I’d even taken my first bite.

The spice was definitely stronger than the gentle tongue tingle I’d experienced with the other flavours. This time, I could feel the heat on my lips as well as my tongue, so Rumi certainly delivered on the spicy part of the name.

Despite the fishcake listed in the ingredients, I couldn’t actually taste anything fishy—which I was very relieved about. However, because I still couldn’t identify all those mystery pieces floating around in the pot, I mainly ate the noodles and drank as much of the leftover smoky broth as I could without accidentally scooping them up.

The Spicy & Smoky Verdict

Flavour: Smoky, warming and noticeably spicier
Heat Level: More than a tingle—this one reached my lips!
Cutest Detail: Those tiny star shapes
Mystery-Piece Situation: Carefully avoided

The smoky aroma came through straight away and this was easily the hottest of the three, but the unidentifiable floating pieces made me slightly cautious while eating it.

For £3.79, this was a fun little Homesense discovery. The box contained three different 68g noodle pots, working out at roughly £1.26 each, and every flavour gave me something different to try.

Zoey’s Hamburger Taste didn’t really taste like a hamburger to me, and Rumi’s mystery pieces made me a little wary, but neither pot was completely unpleasant. The colourful KPop Demon Hunters packaging—and those adorable little stars—also made the set feel much more fun than an ordinary multipack of instant noodles.

The overall winner for me was definitely Mira Spicy Queen – Gourmet Spicy. 👑🍜

It had the best balance of flavour and heat: spicy enough to give my mouth a lovely tingle, but not so intense that it overwhelmed everything else. Yes, I had to begin with a mushroom-removal operation, but once those offending pieces were gone, it was easily the flavour I enjoyed most.

Spud may have spotted the box and appointed me as the official taste tester, but Mira ultimately walked away with the noodle crown.

Not bad for one of our wonderfully random Homesense finds!