Located on a backstreet off Watanabe-dori, Ariyoshi Shoten is popular for Hakata Tantanmen – an original twist on the spicy noodle dish from China. Instead of a clear chicken-based soup, the shop uses tonkotsu (pork bone) broth (which is cooked for ten hours), and the noodles are flavored with a homemade ground sesame sauce, instead of the standard Chinese sesame paste. The soup also includes a dash of vinegar to add to the flavor and stimulate the palate. If you want to try a different noodle dish, there are seven available, including the Healthy Tantanmen with soup made from Itoshima-raised chicken and topped with mizuna (Japanese mustard greens) and lettuce. Every ingredient has been carefully selected by the eponymous owner. The a la carte menu expands in the evening, and includes three flavors of karaage (fried chicken) and boiled shrimp dumplings. So, feel free to stop by for a drink and a snack, but we suggest you round out the evening Fukuoka style with a bowl of noodles!
Menu:
Hakata Tantanmen ¥740 (¥800 after 24:00), Healthy Tantanmen ¥740, spicy green onion tantanmen ¥820, ramen ¥580 (¥680 after 24:00), spicy Asian chives ramen ¥630, chashumen ¥680, Showa-style soy sauce soba ¥660, karaage (x3) ¥380~, boiled dumplings (x3) ¥360, four-snack plate ¥580, pork & ponzu ¥500, kibinago nanban (banded blue-sprat fish in vinegar marinade) ¥420, beer (small bottle) ¥430, beer (medium bottle) ¥550
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn210, Jun. 2016)
