Boomin at Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Pork-specialist counter bar near Ikebukuro west exit, also serving a lunchtime Fuji-style tsuke napolitan.

Boomin is a small pork-specialist dining bar on the west side of Ikebukuro, with a counter-only room of around nine seats. The kitchen makes a point of pork, and the shop is known for its evening service of pork-focused dishes and drinks in a compact, intimate setting. In the evening the menu centres on pork cooking, while lunchtime brings a specific speciality - the aoba tsuke napolitan, a Fuji City-style tsuke napolitan that uses noodles made from 70 per cent ramen flour and 30 per cent durum semolina, served tsukemen-style with the noodles fried alongside the toppings. Evening hours run from 17:30 to 23:00 with last orders at 22:00, Tuesday is the weekly close, and the average spend sits around 3,000 to 4,000 yen. If you like your pork done carefully and your counter small, Boomin offers a focused, personable sort of evening a short walk from the station. Try the lunchtime tsuke napolitan for something a little different, or settle in after dark for pork and a drink - it is a quiet, single-counter corner of Ikebukuro that suits a slow, deliberate meal.