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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
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Finding good onigiri?
yeah famimarts are pretty standardized but if you're near shinjuku gyoen already, try the family mart inside the tokyo metro building at shinjuku station west exit. the one by the odakyu line turnstiles. they sometimes stock collab stuff with local restaurants, i grabbed a mentaiko butter one there that was way better than the usual lineup. also if you walk toward yotsuya from the garden, there's a small combini called poplar near the meiji memorial picture gallery that carries handmade onigiri from a local shop, not a chain thing at all. seasonal flavors show up there like sansho pepper salmon in spring
not a famimart thing but if you're near shinjuku gyoen anyway, walk over to omotesando and hit up onigiri marutoyo, it's a tiny shop near the backstreets. they do seasonal stuff like cherry blossom shrimp or burdock root with plum, way better than anything from a combini. also the depachika in isetan shinjuku has a whole corner of fancy onigiri from regional shops, it's pricier but worth it for the variety
Nah, FamilyMart's onigiri selection is pretty much the same everywhere in @Tokyo. Your best bet for interesting onigiri is actually to hit up smaller convenience stores or delis, the ones that aren't part of a huge chain. They often have more local and seasonal fillings. Or, even better, grab some from a proper onigiri shop. You'll find way more variety that way. It's a little more effort, but worth it!
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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.