Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Where to find Roma tomatoes in Tokyo?
I love cooking, and in short, I was wondering if anyone has ever managed to find roma tomatoes in Tokyo? Romas just work better in some dishes, as they have less juice/seeds. I want to make a really nice salsa for hanami!
I'd be ok with ordering online, if not exorbitantly expensive.
Thanks~!!
If you're anywhere near a Maruetsu or a Life, look for the packs labeled 完熟トマト rather than asking for roma by name. They're often the plum variety and run around 250 to 350 yen for three, though stock swings a lot by day. For a hanami salsa I'd honestly hit a farmers market first: the Saturday one outside United Nations University has tomato growers in late April and the fruit is dense enough that you barely need to drain it. If you want online, Rakuten's 産直 section ships plum tomatoes from Kyushu growers but shipping usually doubles the price, so it only makes sense if you're buying a box.
roma tomatoes are hit or miss at regular supermarkets but i've had decent luck at peekaboo in ikejiri-ohashi, they stock a lot of western veg. also check the depachika at isetan shinjuku, pricey but reliable. for hanami salsa honestly the mini plum tomatoes at any gyomu super work fine if u drain them a bit, way cheaper
For salsa specifically, I'd skip the hunt and use what's actually in season here. Late April is when Japanese ミニトマト hit their sweet spot, and the アイコ variety from Kochi or Kumamoto has thick walls and few seeds, closer to a roma than the watery salad tomatoes you get in winter. Any 産直 shelf at a Ito Yokado or a local JA 直売所 will have them cheap, and you just halve and salt them for twenty minutes to pull the excess water before you blitz. If you're set on true plum shape, Tokyu Store in Nakameguro gets Italian imports on Thursdays but they sell out by evening.
load 4 more replies
Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.