I’m a frequent visitor to Yunrinbo (雲林坊) in Akihabara, but I’ve known for a while that they also have a branch in Kudanshita. This time, since I had some business in Kudanshita, I decided to have dinner there. I figured it would be fun to become enough of a Yunrinbo fanatic to tell the differences between each location’s flavors. The shop is located along a narrow street, and since it was dark at night, I had to brighten this photo quite a bit.
It was full, so I couldn’t take any photos inside, but just like the Akihabara location, Kudanshita only has counter seats. That said, while the Akihabara branch has an L-shaped counter, Kudanshita’s is more of a U-shape, which makes it feel like there are a few more seats.
Yunrinbo Kudanshita is about a 2-minute walk from Exit 5 of Kudanshita Station. It’s located in a quiet area just off Yasukuni-dori. Even if it’s your first time, it’s very easy to find.
I ordered my all-time favorite dish at Yunrinbo: the Sichuan Mapo Topped Tantanmen (四川麻婆かけタンメン 1050 yen). You can enjoy their mapo tofu either with noodles like this or as a classic mapo tofu dish with rice. Since the mapo tofu itself is already so well-crafted, it’s guaranteed to be delicious. You get to choose your level of spiciness and numbness. The photo here is from the Akihabara branch, but Kudanshita’s version looked exactly the same.
I also ordered a beer. This dish pairs perfectly with beer. It comes in a medium-sized bottle, so I only order it when I’m really hungry.
Visually, there’s absolutely no difference from the Akihabara version. But when I actually tasted it… I had chosen level 4 for both spiciness and numbness, but it was noticeably milder than Akihabara. The flavor felt lighter as well. That said, the numbing effect from the Sichuan pepper was still strong, so I was satisfied! By the way, those dark red chili peppers on top aren’t spicy at all, so I didn’t eat them. The richness of the mapo tofu also felt lighter overall.
I started to wonder if maybe my spice tolerance had gone weird, so I went back to Akihabara to check. Sure enough, at the same level, Akihabara was both spicier and more numbing. Maybe the lighter flavor I noticed at Kudanshita was simply because it wasn’t spicy enough. Next time I’ll definitely order level 5 at Kudanshita. Still, I’m so happy that I can enjoy this dish here too. Their homemade chili oil and the broth made from old hen and dried scallops go really well together.
This was the perfect bowl to have after a live show — satisfying, with just the right amount of heat to blow away the fatigue!
About
Name Yunrinbo Kudan (雲林坊 九段店)
Open Lunch, Dinner
Reservation Unavailable
Credit card Unavailable
URL Website,
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