Umai! A (long) line of impatient diners stretching well beyond the door and near-complete silence inside, save for the sound of diners bent intently over their bowls. Welcome to one of Brussels’ finest ramen joints (compact dining room, slick service), where everything is made in-house, from the broth to the noodles. On the menu: a mighty tonkotsu ramen built on pork-bone broth simmered for more than two days, with shoyu, a touch of lightly caramelized black garlic, chewy noodles, braised-then-grilled pork, a gloriously jammy ajitama egg, spinach and nori; chicken or vegetable gyoza, crispy and golden underneath, juicy within; and for serious appetites, karaage don – a bowl of steaming rice topped with Japanese fried chicken. Koku, or the kind of ramen that speaks Japanese without needing subtitles. · Tuna Satana

Feeling thirsty? Hot or cold umeshu (€8 a glass) and Japanese Sapporo beer (€5 for 330 ml).

Price: Ramen €18-20.50, sides €8-13, desserts €8.