Dear Mr. Gold:

My boyfriend has been craving what he calls “Korean hot pot.” He said they crack a raw egg on top and it comes with all sorts of little sides of kimchi and other goodies. His birthday is coming up soon, and I would like to be able to take him for a meal of “Korean hot pot.” Any suggestions?

—Jill Reed, Torrance

Dear Ms. Reed:

Unless I’m way off base, it sounds like the dish your boyfriend craves is soontofu, freshly made tofu with mix-ins that can include beef, kimchi, clams, beef or any of a dozen other things, served seething in a superheated stone pot, often with an egg cracked across the top. My go-to soontofu place is Beverly Soontofu in Koreatown, where the hot tofu has a luxurious, almost angelic texture, although a lot of people like the divertingly Stalinesque So Kong Soontofu across the street, which has a bigger variety of side dishes. In the South Bay, you might try Lee’s Soontofu in the Tozai Plaza, a splendid mini-mall that is also home to Tsukiji’s sushi, the tebasaki chicken wings at Furaibo and the wonderful udon noodles at Kotohira. 1747 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena, (310) 323-0006.

—Jonathan Gold

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