Lamb chop restaurant in Namyangju with no gamey smell: Jin 1926 Dasan

Why a diner who couldn't eat lamb went to Jin 1926 Dasan Branch

Jin 1926 Dasan Branch is a lamb chop and lamb meat restaurant in front of Exit 1 of Dasan Station. First off — the blog owner, Kim Mallang, couldn't eat lamb or lamb ribs until just last year. I couldn't stand that distinctive gamey lamb smell. Even when I went to a place famous for great lamb, the smell got to me and I couldn't finish it.

But after going to this lamb rib place near Dasan Station, I've become a woman who thinks about lamb ribs every now and then.

Jin 1926 Dasan Branch hours and how to find it from Dasan Station

Jin 1926's hours are daily 16:00–23:00. It's right in front of Dasan Station Exit 1, so accessibility was really great.

Inside Jin 1926: table seats, bar seats and the mood

Inside Jin 1926 Dasan lamb rib restaurant, seating is split into table seats and bar (counter) seats. As you can see, the vibe is pretty nice. Most places like this go for Chinese-style interiors, but Jin 1926 does Japanese-style, which somehow makes it feel cleaner.

We were seated at the bar counter. The neatly arranged banchan (side dishes) and the tidy table setting gave off a upscale feel.

What we ordered: French rack plus regular lamb chops, one serving each

French rack (baby lamb) >>> way softer. Ordered one serving of that plus one serving of regular lamb ribs. Leave a Naver receipt review and you get one extra rib on the house.

This bean sprout stir-fry that comes as a basic side dish had cheongyang chili spice added and was so good, haha.

The base flavor is salty and a little spicy, so it goes great with rice and meat too.

Was the gamey smell really gone?

French rack on the left, regular lamb ribs on the right. Each serving comes with 2 lamb ribs.

First off, the meat quality at Jin 1926 is really good. Lamb ribs can easily go wrong with a gamey smell, and I'm a total beginner at lamb who's quite sensitive to that particular funky smell — but the lamb at Jin 1926 near Dasan Station had no gamey smell at all.

The staff grilled everything for us directly on the brazier in front, along with vegetables and tomatoes to go with it.

The side to order: pollock roe gondre rice

Ah, you have to order this pollock roe rice, seriously. The pollock roe gondre rice (myeongnan gondrebap) is genuinely, genuinely so good.

When you order the pollock roe gondre rice they give you seaweed too, and wrapping the rice in the seaweed is ridiculously good — I'd definitely recommend ordering this rice as your side dish if you go to Jin 1926.

French rack vs regular lamb chops: what's the difference?

The French rack came out grilled first. Being baby lamb, I'm sorry to say it, but it's way softer than most beef — it practically melts after a few chews. Anyway, that's how soft it is.

Ate it with salt and wasabi. Yum. Personally I like a soft texture so French rack was more my style, but if you like more chew, go with the regular lamb ribs.

Also wrapped some in the bean sprouts, nom nom.

This one is the regular lamb ribs, and it had a bit more texture than the French rack, naturally. That doesn't mean it was tough though — just a proper meaty bite. Overall the lamb and lamb ribs at Jin 1926 are on the tender side. My boyfriend said it's one of the best restaurants in Dasan.

How many servings should two people order at Jin 1926?

Eaten alongside various vegetables, and with king oyster mushrooms dripping with juice. If you order a side dish too, 2 servings should be plenty to fill you up, but if you're someone who eats a lot, I'd recommend ordering 3 servings or more.

A lamb beginner's verdict on Jin 1926 Dasan Branch

After grilling all the meat off the ribs, they grill the bone racks separately and wrap them in paper for you — I diligently picked off and ate every last bit of meat still clinging to those bones, haha. I never used to be able to eat lamb ribs and only started earlier this year, but Jin 1926 near Dasan Station was smell-free and so tender even for a lamb beginner like me, and it's left me thinking I'll actually go looking for lamb ribs from now on. Recommended restaurant near Dasan Station ღ