Matsubara Shokudo

Notes

• A restaurant in Iwate Prefecture that sells a tendon shaped after the 'Miracle Pine Tree,' the lone pine that survived the Great East Japan Earthquake. A whole eel stands upright on top.
• The actual Miracle Pine Tree is nearby too, so visiting it and then trying this dish makes for a great travel itinerary!
• The tendon is good, but the udon that comes on the side is truly insane, to the point where I found myself wondering why the udon was tastier. The noodles were springy and chewy, exactly like the udon of a classic Japanese noodle craftsman.
• In Korea, udon is about the broth. in Japan, udon is about the noodles.