I’m at Avenida Village at the Fresh and Local Market and Kitchens, and it was during a recent visit that I ventured to the other side of the market, away from the main row of restaurants. It was near the opposite end of the corridor where I ran across this curious little stall with its own little following. The nearby tables were full of happy diners happily engrossed in steaming bowls of something amazing. If that isn’t a good sign, I don’t know what is. It was on closer inspection that I discovered that this tiny kitchen was making gamjatang.
Gamjatang, or pork neck bone soup, consists of simmered meaty pork neck or backbones, potatoes, and greens, in a complex spicy broth. Topped with fresh scallions and perilla seed powder, this is a dish that screams comfort, or should I say, calmly and lovingly assures you that everything is gonna be okay with every spoonful. Gamjatang is a popular hangover soup in South Korea, so you can be sure that its comforting properties are comprehensively substantiated.
I can assure you that there are other great dishes on the menu, like the dolsot bibimbap if you’re in the mood for a tasty bowl of mixed rice with all the traditional accoutrements. Or perhaps your thing is jjampong, that wonderfully spicy noodle soup with your choice of seafood or beef. But today, as is everyone around me, I’m sold on the gamjatang.
Starting things off was the pork mandu, crispy fried dumplings that hit the spot and were a wonderful way to start things off as I waited for the main event. The texture was delicate with a savoury flavour, simply made to be delicious while showing you that whoever’s hands made them has done this for a very long time.
Prepared and athirst, I was welcomed by a delightful presentation, accompanied by the distinctive scent of spicy gochujang-infused bone broth. Served in an earthenware bowl to preserve the heat and still bubbling, this gamjatang instantly reminded me of the last time I had this dish, which was far too long ago. Gamjatang is one of those meals that tells you, “Hey, I’m going to need your hands to get dirty. I’m also gonna need your undivided attention, so buckle up.”
Included with the bowl is an accompanying serving of rice and 2 banchan, today being some really tasty homemade pickles and a small bit of pasta salad. When tackling dishes like this, it’s important to know and accept that there is no nice way to do it, especially if you want to get every morsel of meat from these bones. You have to get in there, gnaw away, and suck out all the good stuff. The beauty of backbones and neckbones is that the segments come apart easily and can be eaten with little effort. There is a generous amount of meat on the bones and though you can just bite off the easy stuff, the real dining experience comes from getting in deep and tactile. This is a savoury kind of pork that will make your lips sticky. It’s rich with a good ratio of meat and collagen perfectly saturated with that incredibly complex broth that’s spicy, deeply savoury, and a little nutty from the addition of the perilla seed powder.
When you’re finished, you sit up and exhale while you feel the cooling breeze on your face after being in a pork sauna. You reach for a napkin feeling invigorated and satisfied. Beside you, your pile of clean bones is the only evidence of your “Rendezvous”.
Rendezvous is located in Fresh & Local Market and Kitchens at Avenida Village.
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