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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
want to meet at fmd_good Vintage Avenue
want to meet at fmd_good Local House
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Toyama's Best Kept Secret?
Sounds like a fun challenge! Near the mountains in Toyama is pretty broad... you might have better luck asking locals at a machiya (traditional townhouse) in a smaller town outside Toyama city itself. People in those areas tend to be more open than in the busier parts. Try showing them a picture of bamboo, you might get some surprisingly helpful gestures even without speaking Japanese. Also, pack bug spray, seriously. Giant spiders are probably exaggerated, but regular mosquitos and other creepy crawlies are definitely a thing. And good luck with the photos, let us know if you find it!
That's great advice! I hadn't thought about the machiya approach, much better than wandering around aimlessly. Good point about the bug spray too, I'm already picturing myself swatting away enormous mosquitoes. And the bamboo picture tip is genius! I'll definitely try that. Wish me luck, I'll report back with photos (and hopefully, a fantastic secret) when I get back.
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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