Recommended bowl: High-class tori-soba

'Ishin' means 'restoration' in Japanese. Shop master Kouta Nagasaki studied at ZUND-BAR, a well-respected ramen shop based in Atsugi. The original Ishin opened in Yamato City in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2004 and closed in 2006. Nagasaki-san then re-opened the shop near Yokohama station in 2008, before again relocating his flagship to Meguro in 2013 (the shop in Yokohama, Chuukasoba Ishin Shouten, is now operated as Ishin's sister shop). Today, Ishin is the best overall ramen shop in the vicinity of Meguro station, one of Tokyo's more desirable residential areas.

The specialty here is shoyu ramen, or tori soba, a style currently in trend across Tokyo. Ishin does it right. The tare is made with two types of shoyu, one from Gunma Prefecture and the other from Wakayama Prefecture, a region famous for its shoyu. The dashi is prepared from a blend of chicken, kelp and dried sanma. Think deep, clear-brown shoyu soup blanketed with a thin layer of chiyu, handmade straight noodles and choice toppings. The standard bowl comes with succulent tori chashu and buta chashu, as well as soft wontons that almost seem to fall apart in your mouth.