Ajito Ism (アジトイズム) Tokyo

Recommended bowl: Pizza mazesoba?

Ajito Ism is located down a quiet alleyway in Oimachi. 'Ajito' means 'hideout' in Japanese — if you're not looking carefully, you could easily walk past without even knowing the shop is there. Inside the ceiling is black and the walls are black, red or raw concrete. Dark but slick. There's one long counter with 11 plush, leather stools — pull up a seat and get to work.

Ajito Ism's master is a guy who goes by the name Mr. M. Trained as a French and Italian chef, Mr. M ran as many as seven restaurants in Tokyo before changing his focus to ramen. He's brought his background in Italian cooking to bear on the bowls at Ajito Ism, creating a weird but compelling Italo-Japanese fusion.

The shop is well regarded for its tsukemen, of which Mr. M serves three varieties: shoyu, rosso (a tomato-based sauce) and pepe rosso (a spicy version of the rosso). The dish that made him famous, however, is even more eccentric: pizza soba.

M's pizza soba is served maze style: high-quality tsukemen noodles from Kanno-Seimen are draped on a bed of tomato sauce made with blended vegetables, se-abura, chicken oil and gyokai dashi. M heaps a pile of classic pizza ingredients on top, including fresh tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, olives, anchovies and garlic. Mix everything up like you're saucing a pasta and dig in. There are a variety of condiments on the counter — salt, pepper, curry powder, Tabasco, garlic chips, etc. Season to taste.

Naturally, this dish calls to mind a hearty plate of pasta, but the chewy tsukemen noodles and mode of presentation are unmistakably of the ramen world. Pizza ramen could easily be some sort of gross chain restaurant novelty item, but Ajito's version is a legit fusion — a well-crafted bowl rooted in knowledge of both cooking traditions. Less