Gyodae Station lamb skewers: first mala crayfish tails at Hanseong

When I want lamb skewers near my place, I often go to Gyodae Hanseong Yangkkochi (정통 한성 양갈비 양꼬치), and this time I went to my regular spot after work on a weekday with a friend. Besides the skewers I always eat, I tried mala crayfish tails for the first time, and I looked up what "mala longxia" actually means, so here's a detailed review.

Where is the original Hanseong branch near Gyodae Station, and what are the hours?

Hanseong Yanggalbi Yangkkochi's first branch is a lamb skewer restaurant close to Exit 14 of Gyodae Station. It's the original Gyodae location, not the newly opened second branch. It's open every day with no holidays, from 12 AM to 24:00 as the original post puts it, so it works for lunch, dinner or a late evening.

Can you park at Hanseong near Gyodae Station?

In front of the restaurant there's room for about 2 cars to park parallel, and it's free while you eat! As you can see, the space is tight and spots are rare, so when it's full use a nearby public or private parking lot, and I'd suggest calling ahead to check whether there's room.

What's the interior like, and can it handle group gatherings?

I visited around 8:30 PM, and almost every table was already filled with Gyodae office workers out for company dinners, which really confirmed it's a neighborhood favorite.

Tables for 4 are the basic unit, but there are also seats for larger groups, such as tables for 6, so with a reservation I think it works fine for a gathering.

It was already featured on SBS's Live Today (생방송투데이) in 2022, so I figured the taste was well guaranteed.

Menu, prices and how to order at Hanseong

You order on the tablet at each table, where you can browse the menu with prices and photos in detail. Note that for lamb skewers, your first order must be at least 2 portions, whichever type you pick.

I filmed a video covering everything on the menu, drinks included, so take a look before you visit. Here's what we ordered this day.

• Lamb skewers (₩17,000), 2 portions
• Lamb sirloin skewers (₩23,000), 1 portion
• Jisamseon (₩18,000)
• Mala crayfish tails (₩28,000)
• Non-alcoholic beer (₩4,000)

What does mala longxia (mala crayfish tails) mean?

Mala longxia (마라롱샤) means "mala crayfish," and mala crayfish tails (마라룽샤꼬리) is a dish of crayfish tail meat cooked in mala seasoning. When I first heard the name, the word "mala" made me wonder if it was malatang (spicy mala soup)(?), and I was really curious what it meant, but once I looked at each word, it finally made sense.

Mala longxia means "mala crayfish," and with "tail" added, you can read it as "a dish using crayfish tail meat." Taking it apart: "mala" is the numbingly spicy mala seasoning, "longxia" is crayfish, and "tail" means the crayfish's tail. So in one line, mala crayfish tails are crayfish tail meat cooked in mala seasoning.

Side dishes and sauces at Hanseong

The basic side dishes are pickled onions, zha cai (pickled mustard stem) and nutty roasted peanuts. Picking at the peanuts one or two at a time before the main dishes arrived, I lost track of time.

The standard sauce for the skewers is zira (cumin seasoning), but if you want a more tingly flavor, spoon some of the cumin sauce set out on the table onto your plate.

How were the lamb skewers at Hanseong?

A portion of lamb skewers (₩17,000) is 10 skewers, so 2 portions gave us 20 in total. The hot charcoal was set up quickly, and when you fit the star-shaped piece exactly into the groove of the charcoal machine, it rotates and cooks the skewers automatically, so it's easy.

I came by car straight from work, and even a short drive is a no-go after drinking, so I ordered a non-alcoholic beer (₩4,000) and clinked glasses to get in the mood.

You can tell a restaurant's skill from its plain lamb skewers, and perhaps because Hanseong uses good-quality Australian lamb, every time I eat here there's no gamey smell at all and it's amazing. And dipped in the zira + cumin combo, the flavor is on another level!!

The lamb sirloin skewers I order every time

The lamb sirloin skewers (₩23,000) are something I always eat whenever I come. Maybe because they use the sirloin cut, their thick, meaty texture looks really appetizing.

The sirloin skewers come with a special soy sauce + chili sauce, and one dip is enough to hit you with huge savory depth. It's the kind of taste where there may be people who've never tried it, but nobody has had it just once.

How do you eat mala crayfish tails, and how do they taste?

Mala crayfish tails (₩28,000) are crayfish tail meat enjoyed with numbing mala seasoning, and disposable gloves come with them so you can easily slip the shells off by hand. I wasn't sure how to eat them, so I asked a staff member to show me, and they did!

The shell slips right off like this, though I was too lazy to peel and sometimes ate them shell and all. (It might not digest well, so I do recommend peeling.) With the mala seasoning, it was a truly stress-relieving flavor, and I thought it was a great dish for drinking snacks.

Finishing with jisamseon

Jisamseon (지삼선, ₩18,000) means "three things from the earth": a dish of potato, bell pepper and eggplant, which I ordered as a side to finish. Not just the skewers but the sides I order are satisfying every time I visit, and this time, learning what mala longxia means while eating made Gyodae Hanseong even more fun.