I’ve lately been frequenting So Kong Dong on BuHi for soon dubu—the spicy, silky tofu soup that emerges from Korean restaurant kitchens roiling like lava. For $7.95, the soup comes with about seven banchan plates that always include a small batter-fried fish. I’m partial to the seafood soon dubu with shrimp, clams, and oysters—though I always yank out the shrimp immediately, less they quickly over-simmer to a mealy texture. The clams and oysters seem to survive the heat better.
I’m always up for soon dubu recommendations, but I like SKD’s spice levels—requesting “spicy” results in a satisfying hit where the chile heat doesn’t overwhelm other ingredients. The menu offers barbecue and soon dubu combo dishes, but I prefer the barbecue elsewhere on Buford Highway.
As if the soup isn’t warming enough, the meal also includes bori cha, or roasted barley tea. And the same tea is poured into a cooking vessel where rice is stuck to the bottom, creating a double helping of toasty flavors—just what I need today.
So Kong Dong, 5280 Buford Highway (in the back left corner of the shopping center), Doraville, 678-205-0555.
