Gogyo's secret weapon is kogashi ("burned") ramen. For each bowl, a couple of ladlefuls of lard are heated up in a wok and then ignited, filling the kitchen with billowing fire and smoke. The charred residue is then tipped over the noodles, giving the ...

The XLB at DTF (are you following all the lingo?) are famous for having really thin skin. It is impressive: When you pick up the delicate dumpling from its top knot with your chopsticks it sags under the weight of the meat and soup ...

Marusen (the seimen part just means "noodle maker") is far from your run-of-the-mill ramen counter. Marusen's specialty is Hakata noodles, the style popular in the area around Fukuoka and northern Kyushu. But you won't find the usual tonkotsu ramen, with its thick, white, savory ...

"Eat ramen here." It's the kind of illuminated sign you might expect to see outside a restaurant in central London or New York. To find it over the door of a one-counter noodle joint on an old-fashioned shopping arcade in the western suburbs of ...

Ichikanjin is a bright little noodle counter (it also has a couple of tables) with cheerful, slightly quirky decor, jazz or bossa nova on the sound system and a good selection of beers. And, most importantly, some very tasty ramen: Shio (salt-based), shoyu (soy ...

Review excerpt: The staff at Hanabi makes their basic ramen in the shōyu (soy sauce) style, but with two choices of soup: a classic meaty version — they call it mukashinagara (old-fashioned).

Review excerpt: The signature seafood ramen at Mensho is a remarkable creation. It arrives in a stylish white bowl with a wide rim on which morsels of cooked scallop are balanced, scattered with yellow karasumi (bottarga) and carbonized negi (Welsh onion) powder.

Review excerpt: The line outside Hayashi is rarely less than 30 minutes long. Once seated, prepare to meditate some more: There is little to look at and nothing to hear but the muffled sound of satisfied slurping. The bowl, when it arrives, is always worth ...

Review excerpt: Bokkoshi’s Niwatorisayu is unexpected, with a dissonance between taste and appearance unlike any other bowl of ramen I’ve had before. What you are left with is an umami-rich yet light broth with hints of creaminess. The soup is filled with slices of ...

Ohata’s noodles are every bit as refined as the setting — so elegant that he calls them “soba,” which is short for chūka soba (“Chinese noodles”), rather than mere ramen. Both his shio (salt) and shoyu soba are light and refreshing, perfectly suited to ...

Review excerpt: Nukui’s ramen and tsukemen (dipping noodles) are rich, honest and wholesome. While the soup is thick — in the popular tonkotsu-gyokai (pork and seafood) style — the noodles are silky-smooth. He also makes a spicy variant (kara-ramen or kara-tsukemen) that is especially ...

There are three main ramen options on the menu at Yashichi: shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt) or tsukemen, where the noodles are served separately. Unusually, no alcohol is served. On a recent visit we sampled the shoyu and the salt varieties as well as ...