英語で雑談！Kevin’s English Room Podcast · Education
やまちゃん、意外と麻辣担屋さんに行ってた
Kevin kicks off the episode with a story about somehow finishing a bowl of ramen after already eating his fill on a filming job, then Yamachan (やまちゃん) picks up the baton with a solo visit to all-you-can-eat yakiniku chain Yakiniku King. The back half dives into Yamachan's malatang crawl across multiple shops — including a Chinese mega-chain with roughly 6,000 locations and a popular Shin-Okubo spot — complete with a fair warning about the heat levels.
Listen to this episode Go to the show page
What this episode answers
Why did Kevin end up eating ramen on top of an already full stomach, and how did he manage to finish it?
He had been filming near Yokohama and was required to eat a lot on set, so he was stuffed by the time it wrapped — but he had already made plans to grab ramen with a friend. His stomach 'magically emptied,' and he was able to finish a milky tori paitan (chicken broth) ramen without any trouble.
What did Yamachan order at Yakiniku King, and what was his verdict on the kalbi?
He ordered kalbi and beef tongue, declaring them 'the two kings of yakiniku.' When Kevin said kalbi feels heavy and greasy, Yamachan pushed back — the kalbi at this particular shop was leaner than expected and easier on the stomach than he anticipated.
How does the Chinese malatang chain 'Yangoufu' (ヤンゴーフー) work, and what was Yamachan's impression?
It uses a self-serve, pay-by-weight system where customers pick their own ingredients; spend over 1,000 yen and noodles come free. Yamachan kept his total to roughly 1,000 yen by mentally sizing up how much he could eat before loading up his bowl, which he said is the key to not over-grabbing.
Which soup did Yamachan pick at the Shin-Okubo malatang shop, and what did he regret about that choice?
He chose the tomato soup, which came to around 2,000 yen — higher than expected. The tomato base didn't carry the depth of Chinese spices he was after, so he concluded he should order the proper mala soup next time.
What hidden trap did Yamachan discover in the malatang spice-level system?
The scale runs from 0 to 5 (six levels), and Yamachan chose the second-lowest level, labeled 'normal (フートゥー),' yet still found it 'insanely spicy.' Even level 0 is likely not heat-free, so first-timers are better off starting at the very bottom.
Finishing Ramen on a Full Stomach
Kevin had a filming job somewhere near Yokohama that required him to eat quite a lot on location. By the time the shoot wrapped, he was seriously full — but he had already promised a friend they would grab ramen together. He admitted he genuinely wasn't sure he could fit any more in. Then, as if by magic, his appetite returned, and he polished off the whole bowl. The ramen was a tori paitan (chicken broth) style: incredibly milky, rich but not overpowering, and just the right portion size. He finished it happily.
Yamachan Goes Solo at Yakiniku King
Yamachan got a sudden craving for grilled meat after watching a yakiniku scene in an anime, so he headed out alone to Yakiniku King (焼肉キング), the all-you-can-eat chain. He went straight for kalbi and beef tongue, firmly declaring them 'the two kings of yakiniku.' Kevin admitted he tends to find kalbi a bit fatty and heavy on the stomach. Yamachan disagreed — the kalbi at this location had less marbling than usual and was more digestible than he expected. He left satisfied, solo outing and all.
Yamachan's Malatang Crawl
The episode's second half shifts to Yamachan's recent tour of multiple malatang (麻辣湯) shops. For those unfamiliar, malatang is a Chinese soup dish where diners pick their own ingredients, choose a broth, and have the whole thing cooked to order. It has become a major trend in Japan right now. Yamachan said, honestly, he wasn't sure why it had blown up so much — but once he ate it, he got it.
The Chinese Mega-Chain 'Yangoufu'
The first stop was a branch of a massive Chinese chain — Yamachan pronounced it something like 'Yangoufu (ヤンゴーフー)' — which reportedly has around 6,000 locations in China. The format is self-serve and pay-by-weight: customers load a bowl with whatever ingredients catch their eye, the bowl goes on a scale, and the price is set by how heavy it is. Cross the 1,000-yen mark and noodles are included at no extra charge. Yamachan managed to keep his total to about 1,000 yen. His advice: picture how much you can realistically eat *before* you start grabbing, otherwise it's easy to pile on far more than you can finish. Kevin nodded along — that over-grabbing trap, he agreed, is exactly the pitfall of this format.
The Shin-Okubo Shop and the Tomato Soup Regret
The second stop was a well-known malatang restaurant in Shin-Okubo (新大久保) — Yamachan heard its name as something like 'Ri Shao Chi (リ・シャオチー).' Having heard it was popular, he went in with high expectations. He chose the tomato soup, which turned out to be around 2,000 yen — noticeably pricier than anticipated. The taste was decent but nothing more. Talking it through with Kevin, they landed on the same conclusion: tomato broth doesn't carry the layered heat and spice depth that makes malatang distinctly Chinese. Yamachan's verdict on himself — next time, go for the real mala soup.
A Word of Warning on Spice Levels
Matang spice levels run from 0 to 5, giving six steps in all. Yamachan picked the second-lowest option, described on the menu as 'normal (フートゥー),' and still found it 'insanely spicy.' Both he and Kevin suspected that even level 0 probably isn't completely heat-free. Kevin laughed and said he would have to watch himself too. Despite the burn, the shops they visited were packed every time — a fact that drove home, for both of them, just how powerful the malatang boom really is right now.
Takeaways
- A milky tori paitan ramen can go down surprisingly easily even on a full stomach, making it a solid choice for a double-header meal.
- At pay-by-weight malatang shops, decide how much you can eat before you start selecting ingredients — over-grabbing is the number-one rookie mistake.
- Ordering tomato soup at a malatang restaurant dulls the signature Chinese spice depth; go for the mala broth to get the full experience.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.