Nowon gamjatang restaurant with perilla-rich broth: Somunnan

I was feeling a little under the weather today and craving something warm and brothy, so off we went to a great gamjatang spot in Sanggye-dong, haha.

It has been around since Ppukong was little, so it feels like a familiar neighborhood favorite to me. This is Somunnan Gamjatang (소문난감자탕) in Sanggye-dong!

Somunnan Gamjatang in Sanggye-dong: Location and Atmosphere

Since this gamjatang place has been established in Sanggye-dong for a long time, it felt like it gets lots of neighborhood regulars! You can use the building parking lot and get two hours of free parking, so it was convenient to visit by car too :)

We went for a very late lunch, well after the lunch rush, and it was actually nice because it was not too crowded and we could eat at a relaxed pace.

The dining room was much bigger than I expected! There were plenty of tables, so it looked great not only for family meals but also for group meals or a get-together for the guys, haha.

Ordering a Small Gamjatang and Makgeolli

• Small gamjatang: ₩36,000
• Makgeolli: ₩5,000
• Steamed rice: ₩1,000

Even someone who is sick cannot give up makgeolli, so we ordered a bottle too! A glass of makgeolli with warm broth somehow makes it feel like the cold will disappear completely,,?

Kimchi came as a side dish too. It is made with Korean-grown ingredients, and it looked delicious from its color alone. I picked up a piece while waiting for the gamjatang, and really, a brothy dish just would not feel complete without kimchi, right,,?

After a little wait, a staff member brought over a huge pot!!! So big!! But the moment I saw it, I could tell there was an incredible amount of food, haha. Even though it was the small gamjatang, there was so much that I kept wondering whether this was really meant for two people,,

It was generous for two, so I think you could have a really filling meal even if you arrived starving.

Rich Perilla Broth and Huge Bones

First of all, the seasoning in this gamjatang was seriously delicious. It had that deep, savory gamjatang flavor, and there was no skimping on the perilla seed powder in the broth!! There was plenty in it from the start, enough that there was no need to add more separately :)

Now we waited for it to bubble away. Please boil quickly, gamjatang,, After it cooked for a while, the broth gradually became thicker than at first and transformed into that proper gamjatang look!

I scooped up some broth with a ladle to taste it, and the warm, rich broth somehow made my whole body loosen up, haha.

I came here because I had cold symptoms and wanted warm broth, and really, nothing beats gamjatang on a day like this. The bones were quite huge too. One bone was so large that it barely fit into my bowl!!

Still, the meat came off the bones really well, which was nice. One of the quietly annoying parts of eating gamjatang is holding onto the bones and picking off the meat, but this meat came away easily, so it was convenient to eat! I pulled off a piece, soaked it generously in the gamjatang broth, then dipped it in mustard sauce now and then!

Chewy Hand-Torn Sujebi

And then there was the essential sujebi (hand-torn dough soup) too! This place gives you the dough so you can tear off and add the sujebi yourself. The dough was seriously chewy and so delicious, haha.

With the warm, rich gamjatang broth, filling meat, and makgeolli alongside it, our late weekend lunch was perfectly complete, hehe.

I had been feeling sluggish because of my cold, but after the steaming-hot broth, I definitely felt a little better! Above all, the portions were generous and the broth was rich, making Somunnan Gamjatang a great Nowon spot for a satisfying meal. If you are in Junggye-dong and craving warm broth, or looking for a place for a hearty family meal or a feast with friends, do stop by~~~ We had proper gamjatang for the first time in a while and successfully filled our bellies at this weekend lunch!