Bingiri (担々麺 ビンギリ) has to be my favorite for spicy ramen in Tokyo. Their tantanmen is insanely spicy but overflows with flavor.
Tokyo Spicy Ramen King - Bingiri
Bingiri is located in one of Tokyo's most competitive ramen neighborhoods, Ogikubo.
They have several ramen on offer. But the Katsu-ura tantanmen is king! Tantanmen (dan dan mian) is a spicy style of ramen originally from Sichuan, China. Katsu-ura tantanmen is a variation from Katsu-ura City in Japan.
When ordering, normally my recommendation is to go top left on the ticket machine. You'll often find a shop's signature ramen there. However, the top left button isn't for Katsu-ura tantanmen at Bingiri.
To order Katsu-ura tantanmen (勝浦タンタン麺), push the third button from the left (top row).
You'll be glad you did. The owner (Suzuki-san) at Bingiri is from Katsu-ura City. So you know he's doing this tantanmen style justice.
But do be warned - they don't hold back on the spiciness here. The thick soup holds plenty of raiyu chili oil and sansho numbing pepper. But the soup isn't just spicy for the sake of being spicy. There's a lot more going on.
For example, every spoonful includes traces of the soy sauce seasoning. In addition, there's a myriad of flavors and textures coming from the toppings. You'll find an endless amount of fried onions, minced pork and nira (garlic chives).
Noodle Rumors
Hiding below the Christmas-colored forest of toppings are medium-thick noodles. They're prepared by noodle maker Taisei Shokuhin.
This is where it gets interesting. Bingiri's owner, Suzuki-san, used to work at Taisei Shokuhin. In fact, it's rumored that he still's doing night shifts there.
This is because Bingiri is only open for lunch. If the rumors are true, it's a Batman-like situation for Suzuki-san.
On another note, Bingiri was the name of Suzuki-san's father's Izakaya in Katsu-ura.
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