Usually I'm three sheets to the wind when I slurp down ramen, but the ramen at Fusama ni Kakero is worth staying sober for.

Like at nearly every ramen establishment there's a few choices in broth, but I was told to go with the shio-ramen (salt-based stock), a light soup that has been stewed with clams for a subtle, yet deep and refreshing stock. Unlike, most ramen joints, you're given the option of five noodles, each of different girth, to suit your taste, all of which are fresh and cooked to perfection with just the right amount of bite. And instead of the regular chunk of pork, the meat here is chicken breast and beef both cooked dangerously close to not being cooked in a sous-vide, which slowly holds the meat at a constant temperature rendering it incredibly tender. This is accompanied by a handful of fresh clams, adding to the flavor the soup.

The effort doesn't stop with the meat, the preserved bamboo shoots cut into slices found in most bowls of ramen are dispensed with; here they are tender young thin shoots with a wonderful smooth texture. The piece de resistance is a pipette, which you use to deliver a few drops of shrimp infused oil atop your bowl or ramen. After you've done all that and taken it all in, reward yourself with a drink. Fusama often has lines of people waiting outside; it's not hard to see why.

1-6-18, Nakazaki, Kita-ku,Osaka; 06-6371-3456; open daily lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., dinner 6:45-11:00 p.m.; nearest station Subway Nakazakicho; Japanese menu, Japanese spoken; no smoking.