Eedaero Gamjatang, Ashfield

Eedaero Gamjatang is a new Korean restaurant on Liverpool Road in Ashfield that sells one thing: Gamjatang or spicy pork bone soup in a bubbling cauldron that you add noodles and other bits to to create a delicious, filling and fun meal (and don't forget the last step when you're there that is out of the world delicious). Dinner is an absolutely bargain price too!

My friends are such lovely and helpful people and always message me when they find a new place that they love. Eedaero Gamjatang was Celia's find that opened just a couple of weeks ago - in that time she has become a bit of a regular here and is on a first name basis with the owner Sylvia. We book for 7pm at the Ashfield restaurant (tip: because that's when Liverpool Rd is no longer a clearway). There is also a Lidcombe branch of Eedaero Gamjatang. The menu here is short and sweet: it's really just Gamjatang or spicy pork bone stew. Gamjatang is a popular Korean stew especially during winter in Incheon where it is served in an earthenware pot at the table over a gas stove and is made using pork neck or spine bones. Gamjatang actually translates to "potato soup" and while there is potato in it along with enoki mushrooms, perilla leaves, green onion and cabbage, the star of the show are the pork bones. It reminds me of the volcano ribs I had in Bangkok.

The restaurant has couples and groups huddled around the bowls of bubbling broth and meat. There's also a helpful guide for how to enjoy Gamjatang on the wall that starts with eating the meat and broth first and then adding the noodles, then sujebi noodles once there is a bit more room made in the pot and then finishing with the rice.

The Gamjatang comes in small ($38) medium ($57) and large ($69) sizes and for 4 people the large is perfect. It already comes with cabbage and the pork neck bones but we order extra rice cake or tteokbokki and sweet potato noodles for $5 each and Sylvia gifts Celia a bowl of sujebi or hand torn short noodles. "Who is boss?" Sylvia says holding the soup ladle and tongs and Celia jokes that it is Mr NQN who out of the table is the one that least wants to be boss of a Gamjatang.

Sylvia brings the enormous pot to the table along with banchan. There are three banchan: pickled radish half moons, dried squid with radish and chilli as well as pickled garlic slices. Pete likes the raw garlic but Celia says "You've lost your mind, that's raw garlic," while shaking her head. All of the meat is already cooked so it's more a matter of warming it up. I grab a can of Milkis soda ($4) from the fridge the Korean version of the Calpis yogurt soda, the difference is that Milkis is carbonated which I like a bit more than Calpis.

While we are waiting for the soup to heat up, we try the pancake. There are two types of pancakes: kim chi and chive and normally I would order the kimchi but Celia and Pete love the chive pancake and once we try some we see why. It's absolutely delicious with a gorgeous light crispiness. I find myself eating piece after piece of this it's that good.

By now the pork bone soup is ready. The pork bones are still very meaty but I love sucking the meat off the bone anyway. Make sure to dip them into the light brown dipping sauce made with yellow mustard and fruit-this really enhances the flavour of the bones (not that they need it but it makes them pop). We also added some of our noodles in already so they are soft and pliable. The noodles are wonderful as are the tteokbokki and the chewy sujebi which is my favourite along with the tteokbokki. We fish into the bowl and we have most of the bones and all of the noodles before I either start to get the meat sweats (or it's very warm in the restaurant!).

Then it comes time for the fried rice. We order two serves of this and Sylvia fishes out the pork bones and places them in a bowl. Then with the thick, intensely flavoured soup left she adds two bowls of the fried rice mixture which is made up of diced carrot, sesame oil, seaweed flakes and fish roe which she fries for us. The fried rice is so full of flavour and moreish, even though we are all full we can't help but have more especially with some of the leftover meat on top. And before long there's no more fried rice left. And a nice surprise is the bill that is $30 per person!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like eating bones like this?

This meal was independently paid for

Eedaero Gamjatang

215 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield NSW 2131

Phone: 0452 240 118

Open 7 days 11am-10pm