Magok lamb restaurant in Seoul: two racks and fried rice, Hwarodam

Today I'm sharing a review of Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok, a lamb chop and lamb skewer restaurant that even satisfied a lamb lover. My boyfriend loves lamb more than any other meat, so we often go hunting for good lamb spots. A friend recently recommended one, so we went to check it out together. This time we visited Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok.

How to get to Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok: hours and parking

Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok is a 5-minute walk from Exit 9 of Balsan Station on Line 5.

• Mon – Fri 11:30 – 22:50
• Saturday 14:00 – 22:50
• Last order 22:10
• Closed on Sundays
• 4 hours free parking at the building lot

What's on the menu at Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok, and what it costs

• French rack (240g) ₩36,000
• Shoulder rack (270g) ₩26,000
• Lamb sirloin skewers (250g) ₩23,000
• Lamb rib meat skewers (220g) ₩18,000
• Mala eggplant fritters ₩16,000
• Hwarodam fried rice ₩7,000
• Beer, 2 bottles ₩13,000
• Drinks ₩2,000

Inside Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok: the building and the dining room

Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok is on the 2nd floor of the building, so you can't see the restaurant right away from outside.

Going up to the second floor, we found a clean, spacious storefront with a black background.

When you open the door, there's a charcoal grill for pre-searing right in front. Behind this pre-searing area is the kitchen, with tables on either side.

Overall the restaurant was spacious and clean, and I liked that the tables were roomy too.

A menu and an ordering tablet were set up on the table, so we could look and order comfortably. We had originally planned to try the whole-lamb grill set, but the flower rib meat was sold out that day, so we couldn't order the set menu either. So we ordered the French rack and shoulder rack first.

On the table were seasoning and cumin seeds to go with the lamb,

and three types of dipping sauce for the lamb chops came out as well.

Simple basic side dishes were also served.

Lamb chops at Hwarodam: shoulder rack vs French rack

The charcoal grill was set up first, and the slightly pre-seared lamb chops came out.

The French rack and shoulder rack each came with 2 pieces per serving.

A staff member grilled the meat for us.

We started with the shoulder rack first.

The shoulder rack was already seasoned with salt, so it was pleasantly salty even on its own. There was almost no gamey smell, and the tender texture made it easy to eat.

The leaner parts were clean-tasting, while the parts with a bit of fat mixed in felt more savory and soft. Noticing that I wasn't dipping the meat in sauce much, the owner stopped by and told us to definitely try the chive flower sauce.

He recommended adding just a little since too much could make it too salty, and following his advice, a light dab paired really well with the lamb, salty but balanced.

Next we grilled the French rack. It's known as one of the top cuts of lamb. The staff offered to grill it for us, but we ended up grilling this one ourselves.

Both the shoulder rack and French rack were tender, but personally I found the French rack a bit more tender.

Again, the parts with a bit of fat mixed in were more savory and delicious.

Lamb skewers at Hwarodam: sirloin and rib meat

After enjoying the lamb chops, we got curious about the skewers too. So we ordered the sirloin skewers, which were marked as a signature menu item.

Unlike most other places that list skewer menus by count, Hwarodam Yang Kkochi lists them by weight. The lamb sirloin skewers also came out slightly pre-seared.

A total of 6 skewers came out, and I was a little surprised at how large they were compared to any lamb skewers I'd seen before.

The skewers were all put on the grill at once, and during a moment we weren't paying attention, they got a bit overcooked.

Still, the sirloin skewers were tender and delicious.

Even though we were already fairly full, we were curious about another cut, so we added an order of rib meat skewers. The rib meat skewers came with a total of 8 skewers.

Compared to the sirloin, this cut had more fat, so it definitely felt more savory and tender. That said, since I don't dip meat in sauce much, it started to feel a little rich after a while. Still, overall, from the lamb chops to the skewers, everything was gamey-smell-free and delicious.

Sides at Hwarodam: mala eggplant fritters and Hwarodam fried rice

There was also a beer 3+1 event going on, and since we don't know much about beer, we picked Harbin bottled beer. Lamb and beer really do go well together.

For a side dish, we ordered our favorite mala eggplant fritters, which apparently had recently been renewed. The batter was thin but crispy, and the inside was moist, giving it a great texture.

As you eat, you can taste a subtle mala (numbing spice) flavor and feel a slight tingling on your tongue. My boyfriend, who isn't a fan of mala, said it would have been better without the mala flavor, but we still enjoyed it.

I'm not a huge mala fan either, but eating it together with the lamb, it helped cut through the richness, which I liked. If you don't mind mala flavor, it's a good side dish to order alongside the meat.

Finally, wanting some rice, we ordered the Hwarodam fried rice.

The fried rice had egg, sea cucumber, shrimp, and green onion in it, and overall had a light, Chinese-style flavor.

The soy sauce served alongside can be drizzled on according to taste.

Adding a bit of the Thai chili peppers mixed in also gave it a spicy kick that made it even more delicious.

Is Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok worth going back to?

Since I went with my lamb-loving boyfriend, expectations were high, and overall the meal was satisfying from the lamb chops to the skewers to the sides. The shoulder rack and French rack in particular had almost no gamey smell and were tender, and having the staff grill it for us made things easy.

The lamb skewers were also noticeably bigger than typical lamb skewers, which made them fun to eat. The mala eggplant fritters we ordered as a side had an appealing crispy texture and subtle mala flavor, and the fried rice was a nice way to finish off the meal after all that meat.

The restaurant is spacious and clean, so it could be a solid option for anyone looking for a good lamb chop or lamb skewer restaurant around Magok or Balsan. If you love lamb, Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok is worth checking out.