The Little Tokyo branch of San Sui Tei is so new, it doesn’t even have a proper sign up yet! Perhaps rameniac should have waited for them to get settled in before writing a review, yet that bowl of spicy tonkotsu ramen looks oddly familiar...

Rameniac celebrates the Lunar New Year by pigging out on some Tung-I Chinese Beef Ramen Noodle! Does this Taiwanese offering have what it takes to hang with the big boys of instant slurping?

Koraku is Los Angeles’ original late night ramen joint, perfect for that post-party slurpdown. But although ramen is considered proper hangover food in Japan, can a few beers impair one’s judgement of taste? Let’s find out!

Nissin Cup Noodle Seafood is the Rolls Royce of the seminal Cup Noodle line, loaded with choice ingredients and available in regular and “BIG” sizes. Does it hold its own on the instant noodle shelf? Let’s find out!

The Momofuku Ando retrospective love-in continues with a look at the venerable instant noodle founder’s 35 year-old seismic-shifting, styrofoam-clad second son, the original Nissin Cup Noodle!

Why is this man smiling? Simple really. It’s because he makes the best shoyu ramen in L.A. Case closed. As good as it gets, without a 10-hour plane flight across the Pacific. Where is this miracle? Wouldn’t you like to know?

Which came first? The chikin ramen or the egg? Who cares? Rameniac launches the instant ramen section with an excessively picture-heavy sonnet to the original instant noodle, Momofuku Ando’s Nissin Chikin Ramen!

Tucked away on the third floor of a Little Tokyo strip mall, Orochon Ramen could hardly seem less innocuous. But what on earth made rameniac’s sister hold her head in such agony? Grab a quart of milk and find out!

Kick things up a notch with rameniac as he samples the Chinese-influenced paiko pork cutlets and tantanmen-style noodles of Shisen Ramen in Torrance, Calfornia! Bam!

A gigantic green dragon stands watch over Kinryu Ramen in Osaka’s world-famous Doutombori shopping and dining district. Is rameniac brave enough to enter his lair for a quick bowl of the you-know-what?

Tucked away in a desolate corner of Little Tokyo, Hanaichimonme has been quietly churning out some of the best ramen in Los Angeles for the past two decades! Do signs of life remain, in the former Yaohan Plaza?

Taishoken Eifukucho (大勝軒 永福町駅) is a landmark in suburban Tokyo, a classic corner shop with punch-bowl sized portions of wafu ramen goodness and… umbrellas to spare? Rameniac treks to this low-key neighborhood away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. What does he find there?

A visit to Ramenya is like dropping in on your platonic best friend. Sure, she’s just your default when you don’t have a date to the concert, but anything can happen with a shoulder to cry on and a few bottles of biiru at the ready! Right? Right?!!

Vaunted chef Yasuji Morizumi was the force behind Chabuya and Chabuton. Now he also has Kurofune - an assari-kei chain - to his name. Does the so-called “TV champion” of ramen have what it takes, or is Kurofune just another dead pixel on your widescreen?

With so many assari-kei ramen shops in Southern California, how does Eboshi Noodle Bar stack up? A favorite of many Japanese ex-pats, is it better than the rest, or are you better off elsewhere?

Aesthetics are everything at Wagamama UK. Rameniac takes a break from his Japan coverage to hop clear across the globe. Teleporting across the space-time continuum can be so much fun!

Taishoken higashi-ikebukuro will be closing its doors for good come February 2007! Journey with rameniac as he investigates this hugely influential shop, where tsukemen dipping-style ramen was first invented. We’ll miss you, Yamagishi-san!

Find me an island of tranquility amidst a sea of Shibuya ganguro gals, and I’ll find you a full stomach at Kiraku Ramen! Parapara revolution!

Rameniac sneaks his brand-new camera into Tokyo’s depot of decadence, Kyushu Jangara Ramen. When last he tried this, he was told no pictures. Playing up the baka gaijin this time around, he finally captures the experience of dining in Akihabara’s hottest ramen shop. Point-and-shoot for all the sordid details!

Rameniac lands in Japan and immediately makes for the nearest ramen shop! Does he get lucky on his first night in town? Click here to find out!