Colin K.
Yelp
TL;DR: Simple Korean stews, kimbap and soondae executed well at a great price point makes Ajumma an easy 5 star location. The free gejang as a banchan with your meal takes this place above and beyond.
I wasn't expecting the food to be amazing when I first walked in, but I was quickly proven wrong. I ordered the dongani (beef tendon soup, $11) and shared a plate of the soondae (blood sausage, $10) with a couple others.
Any stew here comes with several banchan, of which most are pretty standard, including regular napa kimchi and cubed radish kimchi. However the gejang (raw soy sauce marinated crab) is what makes this place stand out. This is a rare find in Houston, where I'm from, and pretty expensive almost anywhere else. The flavor is surprisingly clean and it has a very soft, almost gelatinous, meaty texture similar to a softer raw tuna. Paired with plain steamed rice, it definitely makes for a pretty tasty--and free--bite.
The Dongani had a flavor profile very similar to Sul Lang tang, and comes as a milky white beef broth in a hot stone bowl with a bunch of large pieces of stewed beef tendon and clear glass noodles. The portions here are generous and I found myself eating a lot of tendon yet somehow still finding more pieces in the broth. Some pieces were a little tougher, but given the price and portion, it didn't warrant giving this place less than 5 stars.
Soondae here comes in a pretty huge portion as well, and I would say could easily be split between 5. I also sampled the budae jigae and bulgogi kimbap and both were quite good. The Budae jigae was a little less exceptional, but certainly would hit the spot if you're feeling a hot and spicy stew.
Ajumma has 2 locations so far, but I hope the third will be soon to follow (perhaps in Houston?) 5 stars.