Málà Tantanmen Dōjima – Taiwan Xiaochi 168｜Osaka

I visited “Mala Tantanmen Dojima – Taiwan Xiaochi 168,” located about a 10-minute walk from Osaka Station.

I decided to start comparing different tantanmen, so this will be the first stop in my tour of restaurants where I can try various styles of tantanmen. I’ll be trying various foods and writing articles as I go, but for the time being, there might be a bit of a focus on tantanmen.

This time, I visited Marala Tantanmen Dōjima for their tantanmen. I had passed by the shop several times before, and there were always quite a few customers lined up—it’s a very popular restaurant.

When I went to eat there, I arrived around noon, but the restaurant was already full and there was a line of people waiting.

This time, I ordered the White Sesame Tantanmen (¥750) and Boiled Dumplings (¥400).

The tantanmen came with plenty of minced meat topping, and compared to typical tantanmen, the overall flavor was on the milder side. It felt like the kind of dish you adjust to your liking with the chili oil, chili peppers, Sichuan pepper, and other seasonings provided on the table. So one of its appealing points is that you can adjust the flavor to your own liking.

The staff were speaking Chinese to each other, so I imagine they’re serving authentic, locally styled tantanmen.

If you imagine the typical Japanese-style tantanmen, the spice level may feel a bit mild. If you like it spicy, it’s a good idea to add chili peppers or other seasonings.

I also ordered boiled dumplings as an extra dish.

The boiled dumplings were wrapped in thick, chewy skins and served with ponzu sauce. The ponzu sauce on the boiled dumplings wasn’t overly citrus-forward, making it quite easy to eat. The wrappers were so thick that you could hardly taste the meat inside—it felt like you were mostly eating the skin (lol). But if you enjoy chewy textures, definitely give them a try.

It looked like the word “Taiwan” was written in the interior décor of the restaurant, so I assume the food is likely Taiwanese home-style cooking.

The tantanmen and boiled dumplings were both delicious. It seems that the restaurant’s popular menu item is Hainan Chicken Rice, so I’d like to come back and try it next time.