Chi-ran

This Sichuan eatery is located in a residential area close to Chikatetsu-Akatsuka Station. Having been in business for over two decades, the shop is run by Chen Kenmin disciple Shinji Shimokaze, ensuring the authenticity of the flavours. The Chen Mapo Dofu, the recipe for which was passed down directly from Chen Kenmin himself, is an absolute must-eat; it takes the standard dish and adds Sichuan pepper for a numbingly fiery experience. There are also some other outstanding Sichuan dishes available, including the suan la tang (hot and sour soup) noodles, and stir-fry dishes that use homemade pao la jiao pickled chili peppers. They also have several varieties of homemade spices for sale at the register – we recommend the mapo sho, a sauce base jam-packed with concentrated mapo dofu flavour, giving you an inexpensive way to attempt to recreate the dish at home.