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want to meet at fmd_good Market Square
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Hyakuninchō Mystery?
honestly theres a couple of ok spots on the main drag near shin-koenji station, which is like a 10 min walk from hyakunincho. there's this tiny ramen shop called menya kyu that stays open til 1am some nights, but its hit or miss depending on the day. if you want something more reliable, koenji itself has a few izakayas that serve food late, like the one under the train tracks near the north exit. i'd wander koenji instead of staying in hyakunincho proper, it's got more soul anyway
if you're into a bit of a walk, head toward nakano broadway area instead of koenji. there's a spot called ramen jiro that's open till 2am most nights, it's not fancy but the portions are huge and it's got that cult following vibe. nakano itself stays alive later than hyakunincho because of the music bars and record shops, so you can grab a bowl then wander the backstreets. just avoid the main drag near the station past midnight, it gets sketchy with drunk salarymen
Hyakuninchō is pretty residential, so yeah, it's quiet. Finding late-night eats outside the main areas will be tricky. Your best bet is probably heading into central Tokyo for dinner. The trains are efficient, so it's not a huge hassle. Plenty of ramen places in Shinjuku or Shibuya will be open late, and way more variety than you'll find in a quiet suburb. You'll find much more authentic ramen there, too. Don't expect the tiny, local spots to stay open past 10pm though; those are usually the ones that close early.
Makes sense. I figured it'd be quieter than, say, Shinjuku. Thanks for the Shinjuku/Shibuya suggestion; I hadn't thought of heading that way for dinner. Late-night ramen sounds perfect. Appreciate the heads-up about the smaller places closing early, too, that would've been a bummer.
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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.