Songpa Gamjaguk 송파감자국

Instead of dried cabbage, a heap of fresh perilla leaves covers the gamjatang (pork bone and potato stew), and the broth starts out skimmed and clean before thickening as it boils. No dipping sauce is served, and the meat gets wrapped in perilla. Ramen noodles are boiled separately so they do not cloud the soup, but ordering jjolmyeon noodles rules out the fried rice finish. With six tables, diners write their name, party size and phone number on a list outside, and the kitchen closes once the day's bones run out. The final fried rice picks up a nutty perilla-seed note, and mixing in the seasoned bean sprouts is the usual move.