The difference between Udon and Inaniwa Udon (稲庭うどん)

Another lunch at the La Meridien Hotel at Cyberport (home of the pumpkin dessert).  This time I ate at the Japanese restaurant adjacent to the lobby, called 'Umami' (旨味).   As fish is off the menu for me,  I was considering the , but instead I tried the udon.

As you probably know, despite not eating fish, I actually like a lot of Japanese cuisine.  But having lived in Japan I have sampled enough of the 'real deal' to be wary of eating Japanese food overseas.  In Hong Kong i've had seen some real poor excuses for Japanese food,  especially my beloved 'Hakata Ramen'...    

I was a bit disappointed at first when my Udon came.  By definition, udon (wheat noodles) are FAT,  and look something like this:

(actual Shikoku udon I ate in Takamatsu back in the day)

But I was surprised when I plucked out the noodles in my bowl:

Woah, what the hell?  so thin!!! Did I order the ramen by accident?

Well thickness aside,  it actually tasted pretty good.  But I was surprised they'd get the taste right but mess up the noodles...  but after lunch I did a google search for Inaniwa Udon-

*Inaniwa (稲庭): a thin type from Akita Prefecture. A bit more here:

http://www.houseofflameandglass.com/letssharing/index.php?entry=entry090415-062351

Learn a new thing every day! :-D

Anyway, give it a try if you are in Akita Prefecture,  or you (more likely) you see if on a menu next time you're at a decent Japanese restaurant ...or if you are in Cyberport.at meal time.   ;-)