Jung-dong izakaya in Changwon for tsukune skewers: Yakitori Gong

What is the atmosphere like at Yakitori Gong?

Overall, Yakitori Gong had a quiet atmosphere that was great for having a drink and chatting. The moment I walked in, the interior reminded me of a Japanese izakaya, and for a second I felt like I was on a trip to Japan. It's a decent spot for a date or for two people to sit quietly and enjoy drinks and skewers.

Since it's a yakitori place, I was kind of expecting to sit at a bar and watch the skewers being grilled while drinking, but that setup wasn't really there. Still, the owner's grilling was visible from pretty much anywhere in the restaurant — you could watch him grilling with real passion.

Mentaiko scallop cream pasta: worth ordering at a yakitori bar?

The first thing we ordered was the mentaiko (marinated pollock roe) scallop cream pasta. Ordering pasta at a yakitori place might seem a bit odd, but it worked better than expected. The cream sauce wasn't too thin or light — instead it had a nutty, soft flavor upfront, and the mentaiko added a subtle salty note that kept me coming back for more bites.

Maybe because of the nutty richness of the cream, one bite in and I was already thinking a drink would go perfectly with it. There's real umami from the mentaiko too, so it's fine as a standalone meal, but personally I thought it worked even better as a drinking snack. The scallops added a chewy texture and a salty punch that really grabbed the appetite, and even while eating the cream pasta, I could feel the seafood texture coming through here and there.

Tsukune at Yakitori Gong: not burnt, just deeply grilled

Honestly, my first reaction when the tsukune (Japanese-style grilled chicken meatballs) arrived was, 'wait, isn't this burnt?' The outside was grilled quite dark, so I braced for a strong burnt taste. But once I actually ate it, it was better than expected. Thanks to the deeply grilled exterior, there was a nice charcoal aroma and grilled flavor — like the slightly charred edges you get on Korean pork ribs, with that same deep, rich flavor. The outside was dark and grilled, but the inside stayed moist and soft, and surprisingly the two worked well together.

The tsukune itself was tender to chew with a rich, meaty umami, so even though I'd worried at first that it looked burnt, after eating it I thought, 'ah, this was grilled dark on purpose.' Personally though, I think it would have been even better if it had been grilled just slightly less dark.

Which of the three yakitori skewers was best?

Next came the three yakitori skewers we ordered: spring onion chicken thigh, chicken skin, and heart. First, the heart had none of the gamey smell that hearts can have, which I liked. It kept that signature chewy texture of heart without being tough or stringy, and the more I chewed, the more I tasted a clean, savory chicken flavor. I'm pretty sensitive to gamey smells with heart — even a little odor puts me off — but this one was easy to eat without any hesitation.

The one I enjoyed most was the chicken skin. Being skin, it naturally has some fat, but that fattiness actually came across as nutty and rich. The outside was grilled with a slightly crispy edge while the inside stayed chewy, making it a menu item where you could really taste the savory quality of chicken skin at its best.

The chicken tenderloin wasn't just soft — it had a decent amount of bite to it too. The meat wasn't too dry and had a clean flavor, so it was fine even without sauce, and the faint smoky aroma from the charcoal grilling gave it that proper yakitori taste.

Yakitori Gong location and opening hours in Jung-dong, Changwon

• Address: 3rd floor, Urban Brix, 47 Jungdongjungang-ro, Uichang-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 18:00–24:00

It was nice and quiet for conversation, and with a fairly wide menu ranging from mentaiko scallop cream pasta to yakitori and tsukune, it's a good place to pair a variety of side dishes rather than just sticking to skewers alone.