Instant happiness.

I came to this restaurant on a Saturday morning (10.30am) to reserve a seat (there is an iPad placed outside). There were still some seats available at 3pm and at 3.30pm. I chose the first time slot available. Arriving back at 2.45pm, I joined the small queue across the street, five to ten minutes later I was allowed in. Once inside, you have to choose your dishes on a large touch screen. At the top left, there is a button that allows you to choose the menu in English. I first chose my two side dishes: gyoza, and prawn dumplings with spicy sauce. For the main course, I chose their famous signature dish: tantanmen. I paid 2000 yen (the equivalent of 12 euros). They gave me a seat at the counter.

The side dishes came first. As a true gyoza lover, I immediately attacked the goyza. Actually, I could have eaten the three gyoza in less than a minute, but they were so delicious that I forced myself to take my time, to fully appreciate the flavours of this beautiful dish: that's how good the gyoza were. After this, I started eating my prawn dumplings, which I found possibly tasted even better than the gyoza. Just like many others write in their reviews, these dumplings must have been most likely the tastiest dumplings of my life, for me too.

Now a word about the tantanmen (ramen) I had: again, this was most probably the best ramen ever (and I have eaten quite a few in my life). As a matter of fact, this ramen was instant happiness.

(Side note for those who worry that this tantanmen would be too hot or too spicy: don't worry, it's not.)

I read that some people don't like the fact that the ramen is served in a different bowl than usual, and I also read dissatisfied reviews about the, what some call "too thin", noodles. In my opinion, both reviews are unjustified; I explain why below.

First, the inverted conical shape of the bowls serves a purpose (I guess): it allows you to experience the dish chronologically, in layers. The mise-en-place of this beautiful dish can be found chronologically in the flavours you taste as you slurp up this delicious dish: I saw the chefs first pour two different ‘tares’ into the bowl, then the noodles and broth, then thickly minced meat, and at the end the toppings.

Of course, this savouring experience only happens on condition that you do not immediately start stirring the ramen as soon as it is served. So: no stirring is the message here.

The broth, which you taste first, is mild in flavour and well-balanced. The first noodles you slurp up are cooked perfectly al dente (please do slurp them), and thanks to their thinness they absorb more flavour than if they had been thicker.

As you continue eating more noodles, the dish gradually becomes richer in flavour, also creamier, as you pull noodles from more down the bowl. The meat, sesame flavour, and nutty flavours at the bottom will surprise your taste buds, individually, as was, most probably, the chef's intention. Moreover: what many ramens lack, but certainly not this one, was a varied texture. The chewiness of the noodles, combined with the chopped nuts at the bottom, combined with the thickly minced meat: everything has its place, and the combination of both flavours and textures makes this dish reach perfection.

For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that this restaurant no longer has a Michelin star. It does, however, have a Bib gourmand recommendation (also from Michelin). Why this place lost its star is incomprehensible to me, because compared to the other Michelin-starred restaurants I visited, the dishes I enjoyed here are really worthy of that star again.