Recommended bowl: Ultra thick soup

Gokkei is an immensely popular shop serving some of the thickest soup around. The pudding-like chicken-based soup is so thick that the noodles aren't exactly immersed in the soup — they almost seem suspended towards the top. Master Imae-san won't divulge his soup's secrets, but it is totally chicken-based. There are four core types of ramen on the menu here: tori-daku (regular), aka-daku (full of red chili pepper), kuro-daku (with burnt garlic oil on the top), and uo-daku (served with fish powder). All pack a punch.