Masanoya (らーめん雅ノ屋) Tokyo

Recommended bowl: Balance & simplicity

Master Masayuki Nobe was a salary man in the restaurant industry for many years. In 2010, he left his former career and jumped into the ramen game full time with the establishment of Masanoya.

The master and his wife run the small shop as a team, a common arrangement in the ramen world. Mrs. Nobe handles the customers, while master Nobe-san runs the kitchen and prepares the bowls behind a wooden, U-shaped counter.

Masanoya serves both shio and shoyu ramen. We've tried the shio, which seemed to be the more popular order on the day of our last visit. This bowl is all about balance; none of the ingredients or toppings overwhelms the others. Made with chicken and niboshi, the soup is clear and delicate, while the thin, straight-cut noodles are served slightly katame. The wontons contain very little filling and are essentially large, leafy noodles.

Shoyu, vinegar and chili oil condiments are provided on the counter. We recommend you make use of them with your wontons. Place a wonton on your spoon, splash on a few drops of shoyu, chili oil and vinegar, and slurp it all down in one glorious bite. This is our favorite way to eat wontons and it's straight-up heartbreaking when wontonmen shops don't have these condiments available.

We'll be back to try the shoyu ramen very soon. Less