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want to meet at fmd_good Market Square
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Finding decent coffee?
The combini coffee is a gamble for sure. If you're near Shinjuku, head to Bear Pond Espresso in the backstreets near Hanazono Shrine. It's tiny, run by a guy who's famously particular about his pour, and the espresso has this thick, almost syrupy texture you won't find anywhere else. Just don't ask for a latte to go, he'll give you a look.
You're right, that stuff from the combini is a last resort. Walk over to Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, it's the real coffee neighborhood in Tokyo. Places like All Press or The Roastery by Nozy have baristas who actually weigh their beans and pour with precision, you'll get a proper single origin for around 500 yen. The area's quieter too, so you can breathe between sips without getting bowled over by the crowd.
if you're in that kind of cramped combini zone, you're probably near a station with a turret coffee cart outside. the guys running those in the morning actually dial in their espresso way better than most cafes, it's 200 yen for a shot and they'll pull it fresh while u wait. also on weekends hit up about life coffee in daikanyama, they do a rotating single origin and the space is basically a tiny wooden shack with no seats, keeps the crowd thin
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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.