The love that is Kamjatang!

I think I've never raved so much about food until I savoured and tasted Kamjatang!

Quoting Wikipedia, Kamjatang or Gamjatang (pork bone soup) is a spicy Korean soup made with pork spine or ribs, vegetables, green onion, hot peppers and ground wild sesame seeds. It is a matter of contention whether the name of the soup comes from the word potato (감자; gamja) or not, because the soup is frequently served without potatoes.

Shanee invited me for lunch after my Bongeunsa temple stay. This was one of the must-try in Anya's virtual tour.

I don't know if it was just from all the vegetarian meal I had at the temple, but having that first bite sent me to the high heavens!

From what I was told, the bones are boiled in high temperature to soften the meat. It is then served in a special pot that is served boiling hot (I'm sooo inspired by this dish that even my words rhyme!!)

It is important to soften the meat because when you're devouring this scrumptious dish, one must use only chopsticks and a spoon! So there is great skill needed to master the art of separating the meat from the bone (bonus if hindi ka mangalay sa kakahiwa)!

The meat is melt-in-your-mouth goodness! And don't get me started on the soup! There is something comforting about eating really hot (boiling) and spicy soup, especially when it's freezing outside! It had the right kick of spiciness that whets your appetite. However, a word of caution to those not accustomed to spicy food.

I also love how Korean food is so yin-yang! I watched this Travel Lifestyle show last year where they explained the holistic approach of a Korean meal. Korean cooking incorporates the 5 colors / elements in their cooking. That each ingredient represents both colors and elements such as wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. In terms of flavors, the 5 essential flavors are also present -- sour, sweet, spicy, salty, and bitter. You also get the balanced nutrition with the different ingredients that works together to give you the proper nutrients that's good for the body.

Okay, enough of my geek mode! This dish was soooo good that I actually came back a couple of days after. My cravings were so bad that I insisted having this the 2nd time around.

The lady recognized me from the first visit that even before I opened my mouth to say "kamjatang", she pointed for me to sit and already shouted my order to the kitchen staff.

Another blooper (and a 1st for Shanee!) was I wanted to ask for more soup. Shanee wasn't sure if we can ask for more since she had never encountered to have asked for something…like unli-soup! Haha! When she did ask the lady if we can have some more, the lady smiled and was amused at the thought that we liked it so much.

When my pot came back, it was filled to the brim! Ate naman, gusto ko lang naman ng kalahati, not an entire order.

It was so filling! And this is actually the 1st time I've finished my food during my whole stay in Korea. Based on my appetite and the size of my stomach, ang 1 serving nila parang pwede pa magpakain ng tatlong tao, pwede pang tatlong Nicole. Or pwede kong i.breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

So yes folks, it was THAT good!

Me and Shanee during my 1st Kamjatang experience!

As you can see, the menu is written in Korean. So it is still best to ask a local for the must-try dishes. In my travels, I always believe that the best, if not the most authentic, local cuisine are the hole-in-the-wall restaurants just waiting to be discovered and shared.

The restaurant is called Dami (다미). I forgot to take a photo of the facade. But this restaurant is just below the Hello Kitty Cafe at Hyehwa.