Nanashi Shibuya: Tantanmen is tantamount to noodle perfection

Ramen is like wine -- some do it well and some botch the batch -- unless you're Nanashi, a ramen house with locations in Machida and Ueno. Nanashi's tantanmen ramen is what every hot noodle dish aspires be -- thick, robust and filling. Cooked in tonkatsu pork broth with spicy red chili oil, the hand-spun yellow noodles are mixed with a sprinkling of finely diced chili, greens and ground pork.

If you're craving a seasonal noodlefest, try Nanashi's summer salt ramen in, you guessed it, the summer, or the black sesame tantanmen in the winter. Not quited filled up? Nanashi's hand-pinched gyoza makes the perfect, complimentary side dish.

Nanashi has branches in Machida (6-18-17 Machida, tel. +81 (0) 42-724-1774) and Ueno (OAK Bldg., 4-8-9 Ueno, Daito-ku, tel. +81 (0) 3-3831-7746)