Seijo Ishii in Echika Ikebukuro — Supermarket in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

This is a branch of Seijo Ishii tucked into the Echika concourse in Ikebukuro, and the position is the whole point: you step off the Fukutoshin Line, come through the ticket gates, and the shop is there. The interior was recently renovated, so the space reads fresher than an old station supermarket.

The prepared foods are what to aim for. Potato salad is the deli salad to put in the basket. The Basque cheesecake and the fondant au chocolat come out of the same prepared section, and both hold their own against what you would pay for at a pastry shop, with the cheesecake the one to take back to the room. Bagels and ajillo-style dishes sit alongside them, and a microwaveable pot is sold too, which tells you how the shop expects you to eat.

The shelves carry imported and local gourmet goods, and the range is the reason to browse rather than grab. The layout is cramped, though, and tight aisles are what you will meet when the concourse is busy, so a quick in-and-out works better than a long wander.

Depending on the time of day, discount stickers turn up on items, which is worth timing a stop for if you are buying dinner rather than a snack. A basket lands somewhere between ¥1,000 and ¥3,000, and prepared cakes and deli salads are where the money goes.

It suits you if you are staying overnight nearby and want dinner and breakfast in one stop, or if you are changing lines and have ten minutes. The tight floor space is the trade-off for the gate-side position.