very authentic japanese chinese restaurant. good food.

Spicy

【Niigata's super-spicy fighter defeated】 I tried the much-talked-about 激辛タンメン at level 5. Honestly, I could usually finish most extreme-spice challenge dishes, so I underestimated it… This is a monster. From the first bite, the pain stabs you all at once, and soon you can't help reaching for water as stomach pain hits hard enough to make you writhe. Someone trying level 3 around the same time encouraged me, saying, “Level 5‼︎ Good luck,” so I made it about halfway, but… regrettably, I had to give up.

If you can eat 中本's 北極, definitely try the 激辛タンメン. A neighborhood Chinese restaurant visible immediately on your right when entering 芝商店街 from the 田町 side. It seems famous among extreme-spice fans, and I came for the 激辛タンメン. The menu offers spice levels 1～5, and since it was my first visit, I ordered level “1”. 蒙古タンメン中本 is famous for extremely spicy tanmen, and since I can eat 北極ラーメン, I was fairly confident in my spice tolerance. After a while, the tanmen arrived…huh? At first glance, ordinary tanmen. But after one bite, yes, it's spicy…then it gradually gets hotter, becoming quite painfully spicy. I somehow finished it, but level “1” was already my limit, so there's no way I could attempt 2 or higher. If you love extreme spice, I think it's worth making a special trip.

+2

Good. The tanmen broth is light, with an excellent balance of saltiness and somewhat restrained umami. Delicious. And the 激辛タンメン here uses bhut jolokia, so it's wonderful that it doesn't overly mask the delicate flavor of the tanmen. Now for the important question of heat: these are my impressions of level one. It doesn't look bright red, but has a pale orange tint typical of jolokia. However, the heat is strange and completely different from ordinary chilies, and the speed at which it hits feels like Mach territory, so even those proud of their spice tolerance should probably start with level one and judge from there. That said, compared with the spicy broth, the noodles and ingredients don't pick up as much jolokia, so it may depend on how much broth you drink. Incidentally, I also thought I was quite good with spicy food, but after eating level one, more than the heat itself, my lips swelled. I took that as my body sending a danger signal and decided to hold back.