Recommended bowl: Amazing noodles!

This is new-school ramen at its finest. Located on a long shotengai near Oyama station in Itabashi-ku, Morris looks on first glance like an ordinary neighborhood ramen spot. The master, Tetsuji Matsuda, works behind a long wooden counter, and a noodle-making room can be seen in the back of the shop. Ramen and tsuke-soba are served. You can't go wrong — they both crush.

Morris' soup is a silky, golden mixture of gyokai, chicken and pork. The freshly made thick tsukemen noodles and thinner ramen noodles both have a springy consistency and bold flavor. The toppings excel, too — an egg with a sweet, orange yolk matched with generous slabs of soft, flavorful chashu.

If the name strikes you as curious, there is indeed a story there. Matsuda-san is a big fan of former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Morris. Randomly, they share the same birthday, January 19.