Some restaurants we treasure for the mercurial talents and seasonality on display; others, like Surawon, we value for their comforting constancy in a precarious world. Sun Los Lee studied traditional tofu-making in Korea and found that using black soybeans imparts to the bean curd flavors hinting of sesame and peanut. Meals at her Koreatown stalwart center on soondubu jjigae, stews that arrive boiling like a lake of lava. Both classic white tofu and the black-soybean variation are made in-house, and the latter is my definite preference. Customization options include kimchi, oysters, oxtail, vegetables and more. Levels of heat range from “plain” to “extra spicy”; I find “spicy” to release endorphins without feeling punishing. Come with a group and share crisp-edged grilled mackerel, an even crunchier seafood-leek pancake and the bibimbap sizzling in a stone pot. — B.A.

2833 W. OLYMPIC BLVD., LOS ANGELES, (213) 383-7317 l INSTAGRAM.COM/SURAWONTOFU