Hashizume Harajuku (CLOSED)

Opened in mid-May 2017, Harajuku's Hashizume is the latest offshoot from the popular Hiroo noodle shop that started business back in 2012. Set in a European-style building filled with Taisho-era relics, the restaurant's main theme is soba-mae, which essentially means 'all things noodles'. Their appetisers, presented on carefully selected tableware and incorporating influences from Chinese cooking, are a good lead-in, while the Hashizume noodles should be your go-to main. These are actually used at many upscale hotels, but the company president, a self-styled 'noodle artist', wanted to offer these little bundles of noodly joy to a broader clientele – thus the Harajuku opening. Look out for the selection of inventive noodle dishes, which incorporate ingredients such as burdock, pepper and spinach.