Recommended bowl: Monster tamen

Maruyoshi Shouten is one of the best tanmen specialty shops in Tokyo. A funky, vintage-feeling shop with vines and plants outside, and old school Japanese music playing in the background inside. Cool and casual. The main dish here is tanmen, a humble, classic ramen style made from a pork-based shio soup, usually topped with simple vegetables like cabbage and bean sprouts. The soup at Maruyoshi Shouten contains pork as well as chicken, vegetables, shrimp and shaketoba (skin-on salmon fillets). After you order you'll see the master frying up most of the toppings in a big wok. He will then casually throw in some cabbage, pork and even some dried shrimp. Your options to customize include: Thick or thin noodles, in small, medium or large portions; pork back fat and extra veggies. You also can get the 'aka-tama' version, with the bowl topped with a scoop of chili paste that slowly mixes into the soup as you eat away. The standard bowls don't come with chashu but you can order it extra — the pork slices are grilled over an open flame to a nice char before being topped onto the bowl. Kunsei or smoked eggs are another add-on option, and they are highly recommended. A nice smoky richness.