A shop famous in Hiroshima for its shirunashi tantanmen (soupless dan dan noodles) has opened a branch in Tokyo. It’s near my office, so I went at lunchtime, and the line was long. Being ramen, though, the turnover is quick and I got to eat pretty soon.
The place looks about like this..
Quite an impactful name.
King-ken’s explanation..
They say they use plenty of sansho pepper ground that very day and tongue-numbing Sichuan pepper (huajiao).
Shirunashi tantanmen
Well.. nutritional balance aside.. the heat comes not from black pepper but from sansho and Sichuan pepper, so your whole mouth goes numb and tingly. A refreshing kind of kick. Nice to have once in a while, I’d say.
Sansho and the other condiments
Making it even spicier is the proper Sichuan way, I suppose. Spicy ramen is on the rise, Taiwan mazesoba and the like, so I guess it’s a trend.
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