For tantanmen in Jimbocho, La Show Han (担々麺本舗辣椒漢) takes top prize. Soupless tantanmen and tantanmen with soup are available and both are exceptional.
Tantanmen is a spicy style of ramen originally from Sichuan, China.
La Show Han - Soupless Tantanmen
Soupless (“shiru nashi”) tantanmen is their creme de la creme. There’s a sweet creaminess to it and the Sichuan pepper tingling doesn’t come until later.
Thick, flat noodles fittingly mop mop up the chili oil and sweetly seasoned minced pork. Green negi and kaiware sprouts render little spurts of crunch.
Tantanmen with Soup
Their most popular tantanmen with soup is Taiwan-inspired. This one is milder – there’s less Shichuan numbing pepper and spice.
But it makes up for this with a classic, zingy hot and sour soup flavor. The noodles are thinner and more easily soak up the broth. Bok choy lends even more crunch.
Other Tantanmen Choices
Beyond the 2 tantanmen featured, La Show Han have other choices with differing spice levels, including nishiki (日式) style. Look on the vending machine for the number of chili peppers next to each choice.
But no matter what you order, La Show Han does it right. The master chef Okada-san sees to this. It’s no wonder they’re the go-to for tantanmen in Jimbocho.