Kisurin 希須林 @ Akasaka

There are plenty of noodle joints that serve tantanmen 担々麺 (担担面 in Chinese), a spicy Szechuan noodle dish. But this is one of the best I have tried so far, and it’s close to the hotel I usually put up in.

Kisurin is a contemporary noodle bar serving spicy Chinese-style dishes flavoured with sesame paste and chilli oil. The simple menu includes dandan noodles 担々麺, dandan noodles with a piece of pork chop 排骨担々麺, and cold dandan noodles 冷し担々麺, with options for spiciness. There are only nine counter seats, and there’s often a line, even at off peak times, .

You place your order on the vending machine like all ramen stores. And once you get your seat, you receive a hot towel and a paper bib to protect your shirt—it’s a good idea to use it. The broth is orange with chilli oil and can stain your shirt if you’re not careful or skilful with chopsticks. Kitsurin’s tantanmen features a nutty flavour with notes of sesame and peanuts. Red-orange chili oil floats on the soup, and you can choose a spiciness level from one to five, with five being the hottest (I once ordered a one, which I found to be too mild).

The noodles are topped with Szechuan spiced ground pork, sautéed bean sprouts and spring onions. I like that they sautéed the bean sprouts instead of just blanching them. There’s not customary slice of chasiu like in Japanese ramen. If you are really feeling hungry and/or deficient in protein, you can order your tantanmen with a sliced up slab of tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet).

In addition, each bowl of tantanmen comes with a side of rice, which you can top with Chinese pickled mustard greens called zasai (zhacai 榨菜 in Chinese). I could not handle so much carbs so I dropped the zasai into the noodles. Adding the Sichuan pepper spice from the table gave it a tingling spicy kick, and a splash of vinegar enhanced the flavour for some variety.

The noodles are thin and straight, cooked al dente like most ramen stores. So if you like your noodles softer, do request the staff to cook them longer. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find that in addition to bean sprouts, they also contain small shrimp and wood ear mushrooms, adding texture and flavour.

They have several peak hours – lunchtime, dinner time and when the drinks stop flowing in izakayas. Worth the 30-min or longer queue for a really good bowl of tantanmen.

Kisurin Akasaka 希須林 赤坂
3-7-9 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 〒107-0052 東京都港区赤坂3-7-9
Tel : +81 3-5573-4119

Visited May 2025