あるぱかーん
When it comes to tonkatsu in Ikebukuro, this place is the one that everyone knows with its catchy name. It's a popular restaurant that many fans of "Uki Uki Buta" flock to. The main store has moved a few times, and there is also a branch in Inarimachi. If you love tonkatsu, you must have heard of this place. Around 12:15 on a weekday, there were 4 people waiting outside, so I bought my meal ticket first and then joined the line. Today's special was Menchi and Ebi. I chose the most popular Rosu set meal this time. I chose the cabbage as the large serving option when I handed over my meal ticket this time. It's been a while since I've had enough vegetables, so it was really helpful. Cash as well as PayPay and LINE Pay were accepted. After about 15 minutes, I was seated at the counter. There were three female staff members, and they were all very kind, which made me happy. The restaurant has only a counter and a few tables, so it doesn't feel very spacious. They were preparing the food based on the meal tickets, and my dish arrived in about 5 minutes. They coated the meat after I ordered and fried it in two pans. They made sure to keep it hot. There was a wide variety of condiments on the table. Rock salt, homemade sauce, two types of homemade dressing, soy sauce, and all-you-can-eat pickles. The set meal also comes with grated ponzu sauce and wasabi, so they have everything covered for different ways of eating. The ordered items were: Rosu set meal A for 1400 yen, tonjiru (pork miso soup), rice, and a small side dish. Wow! The cabbage was piled high! It's more generous than any tonkatsu place I've been to before. But the thinly sliced pieces were fluffy and delicious. The dressing was refreshing and easy to eat. Even without ordering the large serving, it's quite a lot, so be careful. Feeling good with the vegetable overload, I then tried the tonkatsu. It was thicker than I expected, probably around 200g. It was cooked thoroughly inside, and the coating was crispy and golden brown. It adhered well to the meat and was slightly thick. The cabbage was cut cleanly, and the coating wasn't soggy. The meat itself had almost no fatty parts on the left, but the right had a moderate amount of fat, which was a good balance. When I tried it, it was delicious! It was thick but tender and moist. The lean meat was juicy with a sweetness and a good elasticity. The fatty part had a richness without any strong flavors, making it very easy to eat. There wasn't much seasoning, so the taste of the meat stood out. The coating was crispy, but the flavor wasn't too strong. I felt a slight hint of old oil, but it went down smoothly without any lingering greasiness. You can tell they really care about the pork. The cooking was done very well. I enjoyed trying different flavor combinations, but personally, the homemade fruity sauce was the best. I usually prefer salt, but the sauce was delicious. The fact that even the dressing and sauce are homemade shows their dedication, which is wonderful. The rice was a bit soft. The tonjiru miso soup had plenty of ingredients but was slightly salty. The small side dish of meat and tofu was tasty. The homemade pickles were also quite good. With this volume and quality, the cost performance is good. I now want to try the Hire or Tokujou next time. Above all, the friendly atmosphere of the restaurant was delightful. Thank you for the meal!