Ilmi Jip 일미집

Unlike the thick, fiery gamjatang (pork backbone stew) most places serve, the broth is clear and mild, closer in feel to galbitang, beef short rib soup. The backbone meat is boiled until it comes away at the touch of a chopstick, and ugeoji cabbage greens add an earthy savoriness. Fried rice made in the leftover broth is how the meal ends, with every grain picking up the stew's flavor. The restaurant has run in Huam-dong for more than 50 years; both floors have floor seating, and the celebrity autographs on the walls have nearly faded away. With only a few tables, meal times mean a wait.