Hakatakko

When choosing a tonkotsu ramen, start by thinking about how rich you want the broth. Hakatakko’s Torouma Ramen has the richest broth on the menu, made with a tonkotsu base enriched with pork back fat. You can choose regular noodles or thin noodles sent directly from Hakata. Kyushu Ramen, by contrast, pairs an uncomplicated, light broth with extra-thin noodles. Both ramen allow you to choose your noodles, so you can consider the balance between the broth’s richness and the noodles as well. Some diners say the thin noodles take up the broth well; others have found the noodles softer than they prefer. If texture matters to you, it may be worth checking which noodle options are available when you order.

For a little heat, try Pirikara Tonkotsu. It comes with a soft-boiled egg, and the description says that stirring the special spicy miso and chilli powder into the miso gives the dish a pleasant kick. Yasai Ramen, with cabbage, bean sprouts and pork simmered in a chicken-stock and soy-sauce broth, comes in a range of spice levels from mildly spicy to extremely hot; medium is recommended. If you want to linger over a bowl of tonkotsu, you can add a noodle refill for 150 yen. Refills are available with every ramen, but are served only at the counter. Some visitors have also added mustard greens or pickled ginger as they ate, giving them another way to enjoy the thin noodles and broth to the last drop.

To round out the meal, add yakimeshi or gyoza. Diners who have ordered fried rice with their ramen mention its fragrant, toasted flavour and simple combination of egg and spring onion. Yakimeshi comes in large, medium and small sizes, while the gyoza serving contains 6 pieces. A small yakimeshi set is also listed, available on weekdays only, with a limited number of servings: 10. Whether you keep things simple with a noodle refill or add fried rice or gyoza, the menu makes it easy to put together a meal around the richness and style you prefer.