The BEST Ramen I have eaten*

*up till this posting anyway.

Ramen is a part of life here in Japan and it is safe to say that if you are here, you will eat a fair amount of it. The quality ranges from cheap and cheerful to mind-blowingly delicious. at the top of the mind-blowingly delicious pile is a place that I have discovered pretty close to home…
六紋銭エッセンス (roku mon sen essence) is in Arima, Shibukawa and is an unassuming little shop on a side street not too far from the Yamada Denki and Torisen.

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It is tiny. It appears to be run by one family (Possibly mother and son… I haven’t asked.)Before we get to the ramen lets talk service. You get a lot of free extras. Snacks, tofu starters, fruit dessert. yes. FREE.
The food itself is unlike anything which you have ever eaten. Right down to the thickness and texture of the noodles, it smacks of quality. They prepare their food with a love and passion that you often see but don't taste in most private Ramen establishments. Here however that passion is palpable in every bite, down to the last drop of soup.
my 2 tests of any ramen shop are the チャーシュー味噌ラーメン (Chashu Miso) test and the soup test. Chashu Miso is a dish that all ramen places worth their miso have and therefore it is a nice standard for comparison. One looks at the amount, quality, freshness and flavour of all the ingredients and decides which hits the pleasure centres of the brain hardest.
The soup test is simple. Is the soup tasty enough that you want guzzle it all down voraciously?
the results speak for themselves:

I have tried a number of Items on their menu and their recommended Habanero ramen is by far the best, but that does not mean the rest is not also delicious.
Its simple. If you want good ramen. Go to 六紋銭 –essence-