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want to meet at fmd_good Forno Centrale
want to meet at fmd_good Funland
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Naitomachi Nightlife?
Check out the backstreets near Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It's a short hop from Naitomachi and you'll find tons of smaller, less touristy izakayas there. They're usually packed with salarymen after work, which is always a good sign. The vibe's much more relaxed than the super-polished places in the main areas. Plus, you're bound to stumble across some great ramen shops while you're exploring, just look for places with queues. Trust me, the longer the line, the better the ramen usually is. Avoid anything with flashing lights and English menus; that's usually a tourist trap. Have fun!
That's awesome, thanks! Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden area sounds perfect, I was hoping to avoid the super-touristy stuff. The salarymen queue tip is gold, I'll definitely be on the lookout for those ramen places. I appreciate the heads-up on avoiding the flashy places with English menus; I've fallen for that trap before! Looking forward to it.
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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