real pushcart flavor

Lloyd Nakano, a top hotelier in Tokyo with roots in Hawaii, takes a visit to Akasaka Ramen. This popular ramen spot, known for its 'real pushcart flavor' has been serving up miso-flavored, chewy ramen for 50 years. Despite moving from a pushcart to a shop, the taste has remained consistent, drawing in customers from all walks of life.

Lloyd Nakano is one of Tokyo's top hoteliers. He's also a guy from Hawaii who knows his food. I was lucky enough to spend an eve with him in Tokyo. Around midnight he took me here -- Akasaka Ramen. We waited in line with students, office workers, couples on a bender and a group of "salary men." We did what they did: We piled a heap of sliced scallions on a steaming bowl of miso-flavored, chewy -- perfect -- ramen and tucked in. The sign to this place advertises "real pushcart flavor" -- the owners started slinging ramen from a pushcart fifty years ago. When a new office building pushed their pushcart out, they moved to a shop across the street. Their customers followed. The hallowed pushcart taste never changed.