KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 27 — In the Korean enclave of Solaris Mont Kiara, a new face seems to pop up every few months, especially as Malaysian appreciation for more specific, regional specialities from South Korea continues to grow.

One of the newest is Anyang Gamjatang, which opened at the end of last year. Located right next to the popular Korean grocer Kim’s Mart, it specialises in gamja-tang, a spicy Korean stew made with pork backbone.

Across the Malaysian food social media ecosystem (a uniquely aberrant phenomenon), gamja-tang is often described as Korean bak kut teh.

From a Malaysian lens, it’s easy to see why: both are hearty, porky stews, and both share similar origin stories as cheap, filling fare for labourers.

But the similarities end there. Where bak kut teh flavours different parts of the pig with a medley of traditional Chinese herbs, black garlic and soy sauce, gamja-tang is built around one specific part of the pig — the backbone — and it is flavoured with red hot peppers, potatoes and perilla leaves.

In fact, the experience of eating gamja-tang, at least at Anyang, couldn’t be more different from bak kut teh.

It’s a poor parallel, and a lazy one that does a disservice to both dishes and cuisines.

Here, a small order of gamja-tang (RM98) is listed as ideal for two, but could easily feed at least three.

The experience is thoughtfully optimised, from the trolleys stocked with plastic gloves and a mini bin at each table, to the three types of kimchi and another three condiments: ssamjang, raw white onion, and a slightly sweet mustard sauce.

The pot arrives topped with glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, potatoes and sheaves of perilla leaves, laid over large pieces of kimchi and even larger segments of pork vertebrae.

My dining companion described them as “dinosaur-like”; I’m inclined to agree.

There isn’t really an elegant way to go about things. I recommend gloving up, which is always good advice, and meticulously plucking every bit of meat off the bones.

The bones are large while the actual pieces of meat aren’t, but the total amount on each is substantial.

Cooked this long until tender, the meat pulls clean off with very little effort.

You could savour these pieces, some fattier, some chewier than others, by dipping them in ssamjang or the sweet mustard sauce.

Or you could strip an entire bone clean, gather the meat in a bowl, and add soup, kimchi and glass noodles for a spicy, savoury and deeply satisfying slurp.

The perilla leaves add a much-needed bitter edge to cut through the spice and saltiness.

Then it’s a matter of rinsing and repeating this meaty ritual, during which the helpful staff come by with free refills of soup.

Once you’ve worked through the meat, glass noodles, potatoes and kimchi, there are several options for finishing the meal: white rice (RM5), ramyeon (RM8), glass noodles (RM8), rice balls (RM15), fried rice (RM15), and premium mozzarella cheese (RM20).

Fried rice is a compelling option; we saw many tables have their last remaining bits of soup taken away, only for it to return with rice, sizzling and dyed bright red from the broth.

But we were far too full, and opted for good old ramyeon. Few things are as satisfying as tucking into a spicy, salty broth with chewy instant noodles.

It was an apt end to a hearty meal, one that would likely be even better on a cold, rainy night.

Anyang Gamjatang

3-G, Jalan Solaris 2,

Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily, 11am-10pm. Open till 10.30pm Friday to Sunday.

Tel: 011-3763 7050

Instagram: @anyang.gamjatang

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and occasionally self-deprecating humour.