Spicy Tan Tan Men @ King Ken, Tenjin, Fukuoka

 

If you like your noodles hot and spicy, then this is probably something up your alley. It should be noted that it is not tonkotsu, which is what Fukuoka is famous for. However, do not let that deter you since the noodles here are pretty good after all. 

This looks inviting. 

King Ken (キング軒) is a noodle place that specialise in tan tan men. If your first impression is that is a type of Chinese chilli noodle dish, then you are not wrong. it was originally derived from said Chinese cousin, but the Japanese version has some different elements to it. Not to mention, each restaurant has its own spin, thus making the process on pinpointing an "authentic recipe" seems kinda tricky. Be that as it may, If you like Chinese or Taiwanese dandan men, then you will like this. And it became my dinner after work during a wet Thursday evening. 

We meet again old friend. 

Like most ramen places, there is a ticket machine at the front of the house where you can pick what you like. Naturally, the main player are the spicy noodles where you can choose a spice level from 1 to 4. Being my first time, I tried the "medium" level at 2.  I also ordered a bigger size portion, which lead to a decently priced 850 yen bowl. I was pretty surprised that a young lady was managing the whole operation. Probably slightly younger than me, she was making the noodles, cleaning the place, and sorting everything else. But will the responsibilities of running the business make it challenging to the preparation of my meal?

Oh yes!

Luckily it did not, and my tan tan men ended up tasting pretty good. The minced meat on top had granular texture which felt like the minced meat from a bolognese sauce. The toothsome noodles also complimented the texture of the said mince. It had a slightly chewy texture, similar to Hong Kong style wan tan noodles. And as such, both mince and noodles wrap around each other rather easily, thus giving a barrage in terms of a textureal experience. You would need to mix them well before you chow down though, so do take note. 

A beautiful mess. 

But the main show stopper was the sauce that the noodles were soaked in. It was a combination of juniper berries, Szechuan peppercorns, chilli oil, sesame paste, and a whole myriad of amazing ingredients. it was punchy and fiery. Despite that, it had a silky and slightly pleasant mouthfeel. After all, it cannot be too thick. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the flavours to mix with the noodles. It should be noted that I took the medium spicy bowl for this once as I am not sure how spicy it will go. I might increase the temperature the next time I head there. Be that as it may, it was still pretty good. 

Noteworthy zoom in

And not long after, I walloped my entire bowl and head out to face the rain once more. But fortified with spice and a belly full of noodles, I was pretty satisfied. It should be noted that there are some places that serve better tan tan me. However, this is still pretty good and worth a drop by if you are in the Tenjin area. So if you would like a spicy pick me up, then the address is as follows:

〒810-0001 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Tenjin, 3 Chome−16−17 Floor 1 Iero Besu Tenjin 101 

Front of the house