Qibao Malatang — Restaurant in Tokyo

Spicy vermicelli soup! Upon entering the restaurant, you get to choose in a shelf a variety of meat and vegetable ingredients to add on as toppings to your soup. Up to 3 ingredients are free. After that, it’s ¥150 per topping. You can choose the spiciness level. From 1-3 is free. 4 and up is an additional charge. Level 3 spiciness is still bearable but that depends on you though. The flavor of the soup is the highlight of their dish as it is very addictive despite it being spicy, you just can’t help to continue slurping the spicy soup. The base price is ¥925. It gets busy during peak hours so you have to wait in line outside. There are only 2 employees but they work fast. Multitasking between dine in customers and take out orders. They serve alcohol. Toilet is available. Though the sign by the door says cash payment only, they do accept other mode of...

Chinese style ramen, instead of regular noodles they use (you can order regular kinds for an extra charge). Upon entering, you chose three toppings, there are a variety of vegetables, seafood, meat, and wonton. There is an extra cost for more than 3 toppings. Spices range from 1-5, 4 and 5 cost an extra charge for around 100yen. And anything above a 6 is plus 60yen if my memory serves correctly. Excellent spicy noodle :) small, cozy, the staff is not overly friendly that scares...

Japanese are infamously bad at spicy food. Although a Chinese style restaurant it's very much for the Japanese palette. Ofcourse anything over level 5, which is very mild, you're stuck having to pay more. That ol Japanese quirk, people with good taste gotta pay more, lest you fall to the mediocrity of ginger and miso.

It's OK. Service is a bit rude....