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Apollo Station Okubo SS: Finding the Best Ramen?
honestly skip the station itself and walk toward okubo-dori, the street that runs parallel to the tracks. there's a spot called Ramen Jiro about 5 mins south, it's famous for the mountain of bean sprouts and garlic-heavy broth. not for everyone but if you want quantity and punch it's the real deal. just know they have a cult following so expect a line even at 2pm. if that's too intense, try Menya Musashi on the same street, their tsukemen is solid and less chaotic.
If you're fueling up at Apollo Station Okubo SS, you're basically at the corner of Okubo-dori and the main road. Cut through the side streets toward the north exit of Okubo Station, about a three minute walk. There's a shop called Taishoken that does a seriously good dipping ramen, the tsukemen, with thick, chewy noodles and a fish-based broth that's got that deep, layered flavor. It's not as hyped as some of the bigger names, but the locals pack it out at lunch for a reason.
tbh everyone's pointing you to the usual suspects but if you're at that shell station just walk two blocks east toward the kanpachi-dori intersection. there's this tiny place called Kikanbo that does a insane miso ramen with a chili bomb you can customize. the broth is this deep, funky fermented thing that sticks to your ribs and they let you pick spice level from 1 to 10. i go for a 5 and it's already sweating me out. it's not the kind of place that shows up on tourist blogs but there's always a line of salarymen at 1pm so that's your sign
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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.