Karashibi Tsukemen Kikanbou

Ahhh yess. This place. Such memories.
I’ve been back home for 3 weeks now and all I can think about is how darn tasty this ramen was. It haunts me in my sleep. I want it so bad.
But alas, reality kicks in and I’m on the other side of the world and will have to wait till I’m back in Tokyo. To all my lovely readers who stumbled on this ramen joint you will not be disappointed. Of all the ramen my friends and I ate in Tokyo THIS place was our favorite hands down, no competition, nothing even came close.
The noodles and chasu (pork) are the best here, and the miso broth. The pork is really out of this world. There is an option to get a ramen with extra pork and I highly recommend you just get that one and you’ll be blasting off to taste bud heaven with every bite.
Don’t get any extra spiciness even if you love spicy. The «non spicy» is still very spicy and I love spicy and take it like a champ but wow, still very spicy.
Don’t leave Tokyo till you’ve had a bowl at this place!!!

Karasibi has two meanings. Kara is how spicy, Sibi is Japanese pepper.
You can choice how much spicy and Sibi 1 to 5 levels.
If your first time I recommend you normal one.
More than 3 levels it’s unbelievably spicy hot.
But it’s addictive taste.

We were hungry and Unilocal and the good reviews pointed us in the direction of this place. Not being a ramen expert (more a sushi lover, the night before I just had dinner at Ichikawa, one Michelin star and #4 on the Tokyo sushi list) I was looking for a great experience. Having read in another review that one can «see Jesus» in a great ramen I was hoping for an equivalent experience. As described in other reviews, ramen and extras are orders via a ticket machine. One of the options is the spiciness. As I love and can eat without problem the most spicy Indian curries one can find, I opted for the most mouth numbing spicy option available. Well dear reader I don’t know how they managed but I managed to «see Satan» in my ramen. Never eaten something so incredibly spicy. My lips were without feeling. My air pipe closed and my mind went light due to the mix of spice and lack of oxygen. As a warning my ramen was served in a black bowl. I had taken as extras extra pork, an extra egg and extra coriander. The extra coriander was too much of a good thing as my entire bowl was covered by a layer of 1 cm of coriander. Anyway, after managing just half a bowl I had to give up. The spice became too much. Luckily I could cool down with the left over broth in the bowl of my partner (who had taken normal spiciness level). Overall a great ramen experience. Just avoid the two highest spice levels.

I found myself next to カラシビつけ麺鬼金棒 while I was making my way to Akihabara from Kanda Station. I decided to stop in, as friends Jim W., Richard K., and Jon K. had all raved about the face numbing hotness and deliciousness of the ramen.
This spot has two locations — a larger, main station on the corner and a small annex a couple doors down. There is a vending machine next to door, none of it in English, put your money in, hit a button (Top Left is usually the most popular bowl), collect your ticket, push the change button, and head for the counter.
As I had arrived towards the end of the lunch, there was no line, but I found myself at the annex rather than the main. Don’t worry, you will get the same great ramen.
Unable to read Kanji, I hit the button for the second priciest item available. I had no idea this was the tsukumen until it arrived. I collected my change and my ticket and took at seat at the empty counter. The chef took my ticket and after a bit of back and forth, asked me how spicy I wanted the bowl of ramen to be. I opted for regular-​regular as I like spicy, but I still want to be able to taste the food I’m eating. .. and the next meal.
Since it was tsukumen, the broth was thicker than usual and the noodles were quite thick as well, and they were perfectly chewy. What makes this ramen so spicy is that they top each bowl with a spoonful of sichuan pepper. Or maybe it is sansho? At any rate, it is a spicy heat that is also a little numbing. Here is the thing though, they have it perfectly balanced so that while the heat comes through, the umami of the broth and fruity spice of the other chilis also comes through. The cha su was excellent, tender and full of flavor. Normally, I am no fan of bean sprouts in soup, but the bean sprouts in their broth add another layer of texture and flavor (I think they stir fry them just a touch) to the meal.
Of the ramen I had in Tokyo, this was by far my favorite bowl. If you find yourself in the Northern part of the city, such as in Asakasa or Akihabara, do yourself a favor and make your way over to カラシビつけ麺鬼金棒.

This is one of my favorite ramen spots… ever. My friend Jim W. found this spot from a ramen blog and we were all sold on the idea of finding this place to try it out. On my first trip here, we walked over from Akihibara station. It’s a bit of a walk, but if you want to access it from a closer station, use Kanda.
When you arrive, you’ll see that the restaurant is located on a corner. Oddly, it is split into 2 spaces with a common hallway in between, so if one side is busy, you might want to check the wait time on the other side.
Everything is purchased through the ticket vending machine at the front. Everything is in Japanese but one of the workers can speak limited English and help you out.
Now, this place is known for their spice. It’s a different kind of spice than I have ever tasted before… it’s not mouth-​on-​fire really, but more of a flavorful and numbing kind of spice. It’s definitely addicting and will get your sinuses open and sweat flowing… make use of the Kleenex dispensers on the counter.
Aside from the broth, the rest of the ramen is delicious. They pan fry the bean sprouts to give it a bit more flavor. This also helps out with the texture (not a huge bean sprouts fan here). The charsiu is good too, very savory.
If you are in the area, I would DEFINITELY recommend trying this place out. It’s a quick meal at a counter, so start to finish will take less than 45 minutes, but it’s 45 minutes of bliss. ENJOY!