Located in Yugawara, Kanagawa (south of Tokyo, "Iida Shoten" is the holy grail of ramen shops. On most Japanese websites they're ranked at the VERY TOP of the ramen world.

So you can understand the excitement when they released an official instant ramen. It's based on their top selling bowl - a complex, refined shoyu (soy sauce) ramen.

Let's just say that the instant version doesn't disappoint! Much like at their ramen shop, the soup is a gentle river of umami. Bright chicken flavors are most noticeable, with a sticky richness coming from chicken oil in particular.

The noodles are relatively thin and on the delicate side, matching what is a delicate soup. For toppings you have menma (bamboo shoots), green negi (spring onions), and a nice slab of chashu pork.

Everything gets top marks...but the soup is especially great. You'd expect nothing else from Japan's top ranked ramen shop.