When I was in charge of work around Okubo, I used to visit a spicy hot pot restaurant twice a week. Back then, you could choose 3 toppings for 480 yen, but now they have switched to tablet ordering, and if you want more than 3 toppings, it costs over 1000 yen. With the tablet, you can't choose the level of spiciness. I ordered a sweet potato thick noodle hot pot, and it still tasted delicious. The number of condiments you can choose has increased, but the ladle is large, so they put too much Sichuan pepper, making it tingly. I always like to add duck blood and slime-shaped paste, but today they were out of cilantro, which was disappointing. The slime-shaped paste has fish roe inside, which is tasty. I also ordered dried tofu skin, dried tofu fish cake, and water dumplings. My companion ordered non-spicy tomato soup with knife-cut noodles. The dry knife-cut noodles have a lace-like shape and are quite tasty. The separate order of fried chicken was crispy and delicious. You can also order from Uber, so if you feel like having fried chicken as a snack at home, just order from Uber.

Recently, I forgot to take photos and immediately started eating, so it feels like it's been a while since I posted about a new restaurant. When it's hot, I tend to eat cold food, and with the air conditioner blasting, I find myself getting cold and sweating, so I decided to eat spicy food to balance my body. This place is located right near Shin-Okubo Station, where there are quite a few hot pot restaurants. The one I visited today has its main store in Okachimachi. It's a small shop, but it was very popular, with Uber Eats orders coming in constantly from the moment I arrived until I finished eating. It was my first time at this restaurant, but the ordering process was clearly explained. You pick a basket and choose four or more ingredients with tongs. The popular choices are wood ear mushrooms, tofu skin, lotus root, and coriander. Sometimes the tofu skin is replaced with bean curd skin. The soup is spicy and the spiciness level I chose was "extra spicy." I also ordered a lemon jasmine tea. There was cold water on the table, so I probably didn't need to order a drink. There was black vinegar, garlic, and a miso-like sauce with fried chili peppers on the table. It seemed to be sinking under the chili oil. The spiciness wasn't strong, but it had a nice fragrance. The bowls were small, which was good because if there was too much, I wouldn't be able to finish the soup. The "extra spicy" level was more like a medium level of spiciness. It was easy to drink, not greasy, and had a rich flavor. I really liked it. The soup soaked into the rolled tofu skin, and when you bite into it, it bursts with flavor. It wasn't garlicky or numbing like Sichuan pepper, but it was easy to drink and delicious. The sticky floor was a quirky touch. It really gave me a boost of energy.

Shin-Okubo's delicious Ma La Tang✨ This is my second time here, and today I tried it without the soup (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) I chose knife-cut noodles. You can choose 6 toppings, and the boiled dumplings were excellent! You can customize the spiciness and ingredients, making Ma La Tang very convenient and enjoyable♬

◆ Ramen registration number 4984th • 296th bowl in 2022 ◆ Komei Shin-Okubo Store (Hyakunincho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) ◆ Spicy hot soup ¥430 • Butter Honey Yangnyeom Chicken ¥680 ● Instagram Tsukasa's Ramen tsukasan777 ● Twitter tsukasan2010

I had spicy hot pot soup! It's a system where you can choose soup and noodles (such as glass noodles or Chinese noodles) for 330 yen, and then add at least 4 toppings for 100 yen each. I chose knife-cut noodles and added beef, sausage, enoki mushrooms, and various other toppings for a total of 930 yen. I went for level 3 spiciness, and it was really authentic and delicious with a strong kick.

The weather is nice, so let's go on a lunch expedition to Shin-Okubo. If you have used the JR Okubo or Shin-Okubo stations before, you would understand how close the distance is between the Yamanote Line and the Sobu Line stations. It's a mystery why JR stations are built so close to each other, despite being on different lines. I headed towards a street corner where the drugstore Matsumoto Kiyoshi is located in front of Shin-Okubo Station. This area is unique with a Halal atmosphere, featuring Halal stores and eateries instead of the usual Indonesian or Nepalese establishments. Next to Gyoza no Ohsho, there is an old building where the restaurant I was looking for should be located. I had visited a popular okonomiyaki restaurant here before. Upon entering the restaurant, I found a small space with only one female staff member present despite it being lunchtime. She greeted me in Japanese that clearly indicated she was of Chinese descent. I ordered the Ma La Tang (spicy hot pot) for lunch, and the staff explained the ordering system to me. You choose three or more ingredients priced at 100 yen each from the refrigerator and put them in a bowl. Then you select the type of noodles and specify the level of spiciness for the soup. The spiciness levels range from 1 to 5, with levels 4 and 5 incurring an additional charge. I chose my noodles from 7 different options after looking at the samples in bottles. I received a bowl and used tongs to pick Enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, luncheon meat, and shredded kelp from the refrigerator. I opted for a spiciness level of 3 and chose "thick noodles." These appeared to be a type of thick vermicelli noodles. I ordered a large serving of noodles. Ma La Tang is a dish that uses a soup infused with the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns and the spicy heat of chili peppers. The soup is made with Chinese herbal spices and combined with various ingredients and noodles, making it a health-conscious dish. The noodles can be thin vermicelli, thick vermicelli, corn noodles, instant noodles, or even knife-cut noodles. The spiciness can range from extremely spicy and numbing to completely mild with a white broth. Although it took some time for the food to be served, I did not feel like I was kept waiting. The bowl had a Chinese-style appearance and felt somewhat cheap, but it added to the ambiance. When I looked into the bowl, I saw the ingredients I had chosen, along with the thick vermicelli noodles I had ordered, peeking out from the red soup. I took a sip of the soup with a lotus root and felt a tingling spiciness on the tip of my tongue. The numbing sensation was not overpowering, making it easy to eat. The shiitake mushrooms, luncheon meat, Enoki mushrooms, and shredded kelp I had chosen soaked in the soup, allowing me to enjoy their textures and flavors. The thick vermicelli noodles were difficult to pick up with the plastic chopsticks provided. I had to be careful to avoid splashing the soup on my clothes. The chewy vermicelli noodles intertwined with the soup, creating a harmonious eating experience. While pre-made Ma La Tang is good, customizing the ingredients, noodles, and spiciness level to create a dish tailored to your preferences can be enjoyable. The nice weather made me feel the urge to explore Shin-Okubo again after a long time.

The Vietnamese restaurant that didn't seem to last long closed down. Afterwards, it became a Sichuan hot pot restaurant. Today, after work, I went to buy spices and vegetables for making curry the next day. Before that, I decided to have a quick meal to satisfy my hunger. When I entered the restaurant, I could still feel a bit of the atmosphere from the previous establishment. There were no other customers. Without much explanation, I grabbed a tray and headed to the ingredient corner near the kitchen. The ingredients were all priced at ¥100 each. I chose fish paste, tofu skin, Chinese broccoli, lamb, and quail eggs for my tray. I handed it to the staff and ordered medium spiciness and corn noodles. Even though it seemed like a no-guessing game, the order took a while to be prepared. It turns out they were busy with Uber and reservation customers. The hot pot that arrived looked exactly the same as the one from a nearby similar restaurant, served in the same bowl. The ingredients, once boiled, looked a bit wilted. The portion of noodles was quite generous. The corn noodles were smooth and chewy, very delicious. I recommend it. The soup, despite being medium spicy, was quite hot, with a strong aroma of Chinese herbal spices. The soup was surprisingly tasty and addictive. I couldn't stop eating once I started. It's a good option for a quick meal.

This is a restaurant review for a new spicy hot pot restaurant located on the first floor of a building with a peach in the New Okubo Islamic Market area. It used to be a Vietnamese izakaya before. It's a place where the shops change frequently. - Visit day, time, and crowd status: Visited around 12 pm on a weekday, no previous customers. After that, there were separate Chinese young men and women. - Restaurant layout: The restaurant has around 16 seats in a slightly narrow space, but the bright white wood interior doesn't feel claustrophobic. There is a refrigerator with ingredients in front of the cooking area. - Staff: There is one Chinese staff member on the floor. They speak perfect Japanese and are friendly and reassuring. They also spoke in Chinese with students. - Menu: The menu includes individual snacks and tapioca drinks, but for lunch, they offer spicy hot pot and spicy hot pot with noodles. The spicy hot pot with soup and noodles costs 330 yen. You can choose 3 or more ingredients for 100 yen each to add to your bowl. The spiciness of the soup ranges from 0 to 5, with an additional charge for 4 or higher. There are 7 types of noodles to choose from. The spicy hot pot with noodles costs 430 yen and allows you to choose 6 or more ingredients. The spiciness is up to 3. This might be shareable. - Order: Ordered the spicy hot pot with 2 levels of spiciness, thick vermicelli noodles, and ingredients including lamb, chrysanthemum, fish balls, tofu skin, and one more unknown item. - Serving time: It took a bit of time to be served, but it was within a normal range. - Food review: The red transparent soup with plenty of thick vermicelli noodles swimming in a yellow Chinese-style dish. The soup is quite spicy, so you need to be careful when drinking it. However, it tastes delicious without the typical Chinese smell that some Japanese people dislike. It doesn't contain cilantro (can be added as an ingredient). The thick vermicelli noodles are slippery and chewy, providing a satisfying texture. The soup coats the noodles well, and the portion is quite generous. The ingredients are also tasty. The fish balls are a high-quality item with intricate layers of fish paste inside, and they tasted delicious. There were plenty of tofu skins. The unknown ingredient seemed to be similar to tofu skins and may have been redundant. The healthy choices blend well with the flavorful soup in the hot pot. - Conclusion: Sichuan hot pot can be both healthy and hearty depending on the choice of ingredients and spiciness level. It is cheap, delicious, and easy to control your meal portions, making it a highly recommended dish.

Delicious honey butter yangnyeom chicken for only 430 yen. The chicken is crispy and well seasoned.

The restaurant is like a specialty shop for spicy hot pot located right near Shin-Okubo Station. I ordered delivery from there. I ordered the Vegetable Ma La Tang for 1200 yen with thick glass noodles, and added the extra spicy option at the MAX level 4 for 300 yen. The packaging was very authentic and I transferred it to a pot to reheat before eating. The surprise ingredient was pumpkin. The thick glass noodles were a bit difficult to eat but provided a unique chewy texture and added to the overall volume of the dish. The spiciness was quite intense, almost feeling like it was worth the extra fee paid for the added heat. I would like to visit the restaurant in person next time.