Tasty Pork Bone Soup at Sunrise House

Sunrise House
Location
: 661 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: http://www.sunrisehousetoronto.com/

No, Sunrise House isn’t the breakfast joint you might assume based on the name — it’s actually a Korean restaurant with a delightfully affordable menu.  It’s a bit of a hole-in-the-wall, but in all the best ways.

Sunrise House

Their specialty seems to be their gamjatang, or pork bone soup (the menu refers to it as “famous,” and most of the people around me were ordering it).  It costs 12 bucks for an absolutely massive portion, not to mention the requisite Korean sides, so if nothing else, it’s a great deal (and you can save even more by paying cash and availing yourself of their five percent cash discount).

Sunrise House

It also tastes great, however, with a nice zippy flavour and a pronounced spicy kick.  That’s not to mention the bones, which are crammed with a generous amount of ultra-tender meat (it’s hard to see them with that impressive pile of flavourful bean shoots on top, but they’re there and they’re quite generous).

The sides, too, are all quite tasty.  Nothing here is going to blow your mind or make you reconsider what this dish can be — it’s just a really solid version of a classic dish, served for a great price.  It’s hard to go wrong there.

Delicious Pork Bone Soup at Mapo Gamjatang

Mapo GamjatangLocation: 4916 Yonge Street, North York
Website: https://www.mapocanada.com/

Gamjatang (A.K.A. pork bone soup) is one of those dishes that might sound a bit intimidating on paper, since the bones in question come from the spine of the pig, which isn’t exactly a common cut of meat.  But it’s so good.

Mapo Gamjatang

(I was about to say “done well, it’s so good” but then I realized that I’ve never had a bad version of this dish.  I’m sure they’re out there, but I guess it’s hard to completely mess up, because it’s always tasty.)

Mapo Gamjatang

The version at Mapo Gamjatang was especially delicious, with a super flavourful broth and surprisingly generous (and ultra-tender) chunks of pork.  Sometimes you have to work hard to find the meat on the bones in this dish, but this particular version featured a shocking amount of tasty pork.  It’s delightful.

Mapo Gamjatang

It’s a great deal, too.  The regular bowl (large is an option, but trust me, regular is plenty) costs 13 bucks and comes with a generous (and tasty) assortment of banchan.