Menya Hanabi

The outside of this ramen-ya is decorated like a box of firecrackers, but the real fireworks take place in the kitchen. Make your selection at the ticket machine and take your place at the brightly-lit L-shaped counter for a bowl of maze-soba (soupless ramen, ¥780) topped with raw egg yolk, a spicy mince of pork and beef, spring onions, matchsticks of nori, powdered dried fish, and chopped raw garlic (set the latter ingredient aside unless you're dating a vampire later). The many custom versions include an additional chashu pork topping, but we found enough meat in the standard version. Stir up the nicely textured wheat noodles to a gloopy mix and eat your fill. The queue attests to the popularity of this branch of a shop that started life in Nagoya; arrive before the opening time of 6pm, or be prepared to stand in line for half an hour.

Meal for two: from around ¥1,600