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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Best places to try koicha in Tokyo? Ideally without a booking
i'd actually skip the specialty shops and check out the depachika (department store food floors) instead. isetan in shinjuku has a matcha counter that does koicha to-go for like 800 yen, no waiting involved, just order and they make it fresh. the quality is surprisingly good for a department store setup. also hara donuts in daikanyama does a koicha set that's more like a thick matcha latte but it's still proper koicha consistency and they never have a line
if you're in tokyo proper try cha ginza in ginza 6, they do a koicha tasting set for like 1500 yen and i've walked in a few times without issue. just go right when they open at 11, by 1pm the line gets stupid. another option is saryo suigen in shinjuku, it's a bit hidden in the basement of that lumine building but they have a proper koicha course and i've never needed a reservation there. both are way more legit than the touristy places in asakusa tbh
honestly if you want koicha without a booking your best bet is hitting up the smaller matcha specialty shops in Uji or Asakusa during weekday mornings. Ippodo in Marunouchi does a decent koicha set but it's like 1800 yen and they sometimes run out by noon. For something more casual try Nakamura Tokichi in Kyoto Station if you're heading that way, their koicha is solid and they don't take reservations just show up. Just keep in mind most places that do proper koicha will have you wait 20-30 min even without a booking
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.
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