I think there's still a distinction here.

I didn't specifically want instant noodle reviews. I just wanted sites about instant noodles. If they happen to be reviews, cool. If they are photo galleries, that's cool too. Message boards, also cool. But I don't want articles or encyclopedia or dictionary entries about instant noodles. I want full sites, or at least large subsections of sites, where the primary topic is instant noodles. This is what directories list. Sites where you open the site and ask "what's this site about" and the answer is clearly "instant noodles". Not at the page level, but at the site level.