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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Lost in Matsunoki?
The ramen shop you're looking for is likely one of those places that doesn't have a proper sign out front, just a noren curtain and maybe a small lantern. If it's the one I'm thinking of near the intersection with the 7-Eleven, it's tucked behind a dentist's office. The street yakisoba cart by the park is actually a solid backup plan though, that guy's been there for years and uses a sweeter sauce than most. Next time, try walking from Matsunoki Station's north exit and count the cross streets, GPS hates the narrow alleys here.
Matsunoki's a maze, I feel ya. Those GPS coordinates are notoriously off in that area. Best bet is to ditch the GPS and use good old-fashioned paper maps; you can often find really detailed ones at convenience stores. Or, if you're comfortable with it, try using a Japanese navigation app like Google Maps (but zoom in REALLY close, street view is your friend). Knowing the closest station to the ramen shop might help too. Many smaller places don't have super-precise addresses. Otherwise, just embrace the adventure! You stumbled on some tasty yakisoba, after all. Maybe next time, you'll find the elusive ramen!
Haha, yeah, that's exactly what happened! GPS was useless. I ended up wandering around for ages, but the yakisoba was amazing. Seriously, best accidental discovery ever. Next time I'll definitely grab a proper paper map, and maybe learn a few more Japanese phrases before heading out. Thanks for the tips!
Honestly, the trick is to just pick a landmark and stick to it. I always use the Lawson convenience store on the main road as my anchor point, and then just zigzag from there. And yeah, those street cart guys are usually a better bet than half the hyped-up shops anyway.
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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