Many Korean restaurants offer just one version of soondubu jjigae, the spitting-hot tofu stew served sizzling in a stone bowl. But at SGD Tofu & BBQ (a small national chain with three local outlets, including one in the West Loop’s brand-new H Mart), it’s the specialty ($11 at dinner), so you can immerse yourself in the stew’s warming charms. First, choose among a dozen or so add-ins: Clams, dumplings, and beef are popular. You can get ramen or knife-cut noodles, too. Then select the spice level: from mild to hot on a scale of one to five (five is very hot). Finally, the pièce de résistance: Your soondubu jjigae comes with a fresh egg, which, when cracked into the bubbling, chili-spiced Krakatoa of curd, coddles before your eyes.

Multiple area locations, see sgdrestaurant.com