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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
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Lost in Matsunoki?
ngl the old women trick is legit but if u want a more reliable method just aim for the train tracks. the sobu line cuts right through matsunoki and the best shops are usually within a block of the crossing, not the station side but the opposite side where the houses get smaller. there's one about 30m from the crossing gate, white building with a blue noren, they do a tsukemen that's thick enough to stand a chopstick in. the crossing bell is loud enough u can hear it from the shop so u can always find ur way back
fwiw the best strategy is to just follow the old women carrying grocery bags. seriously, they know where the good cheap lunch spots are, and they'll lead u straight to the backstreets where the tourist crowds don't go. i stumbled onto a place near the suginami post office that way, no sign at all, just a sliding door and steam coming out. the owner didn't speak a word of english but he pointed at the pork and i nodded, best bowl i've had in tokyo
yeah the suginami shopping street is a solid bet but honestly if u want to avoid getting lost just pick a landmark to anchor yourself. the post office is easy to spot from the station, it's the one with the green roof. from there head south toward the little park with the weird concrete statue, it's like a bear or something. there's usually 2 or 3 ramen spots in a 2 block radius around that park, all old school with handwritten menus. no english but u can just point at what looks good
also if u get turned around just look for the laundry hanging out the windows, the shops are usually on the ground floor of those older buildings. the gps thing is fine for getting back to the station but for exploring just pick a direction and count the blocks, it's not that big an area
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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.