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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Finding good onigiri?
The depachika in Daimaru is a solid bet, but if you're already at Tokyo Station and don't want to trek into the basement crowds, pop over to the Yaesu underground mall entrance near the Marunouchi side. There's a tiny counter called Onigiri Marche that does a grilled salmon hiyayakko onigiri, which is cold rice with a warm grilled fish chunk pressed in, and the contrast is something you won't find at any konbini. It's about 350 yen and they usually have a short line of salarymen grabbing them for lunch, which is a good sign.
if you're near tokyo station, skip the konbini and head to the depachika in daimaru. basement floor has a little counter called omusubi gonbei, they make them fresh while you wait. the ume shiso one is my go to, salty and sour in a way 7-11 just can't pull off. also, keep an eye out for those little family run places in the yaesu underground mall, they're easy to miss but the rice is always warm and the nori stays crispy
You're near Tokyo Station, so skip the konbini and walk toward the Nihonbashi exit. There's a tiny shop called Tawaraya on the first floor of the Kitte building that does onigiri with aged rice and fillings like simmered konbu or spicy cod roe. They press each one by hand and wrap it in nori right in front of you, which is a different experience from the plasticky convenience store stuff. Cost is around 300 yen and they usually sell out by 2pm, so aim for a late breakfast.
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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.