Ramen Miyako is a Japanese restaurant at 3/394 Riccarton Road in Upper Riccarton, Christchurch, holding a 4.7 Google rating and keeping customers updated through its Facebook page. A good ramen shop lives and dies by its broth, simmered for hours until pork or chicken bones give up their depth, and by noodles cooked to order so they arrive with proper bite. Ramen waits for no one: it is at its best in the first few minutes, so regulars tuck in straight away rather than letting the noodles swell. Focused ramen places keep their menus short on purpose — a house tonkotsu or miso bowl, perhaps gyoza or karaage alongside — because doing a few things well beats doing many, and small kitchens often seat only a handful, so a brief wait at busy times is part of the deal. For Upper Riccarton locals and students along this stretch of Riccarton Road, Ramen Miyako is a handy stop when a steaming bowl is calling.