Balsan Station lamb BBQ with 3 sauces and mala eggplant: Hwarodam

Lamb skewer restaurant Hwarodam Magok

Why Hwarodam Yang Kkochi was the Friday-night pick near Balsan Station

Friday night 🔥 I wanted something a little different from usual, so my partner and I went looking for a good restaurant near Balsan Station and ended up at Hwarodam Yang Kkochi.

My partner had been craving lamb skewers for a few days, and honestly it got me craving them too haha. So we decided to finally enjoy some good lamb skewers and a variety of dishes.

What is Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok like inside?

The clean interior, like a high-end galbi restaurant, made a striking first impression!! Usually with lamb skewer places, the tables can feel cramped or the smoke and smell make it a little uncomfortable to eat.

But once inside Hwarodam Yang Kkochi, this Balsan-area restaurant, the space was bigger and more pleasant than I expected. The tables were spaced comfortably and felt private, making it easy to chat over dinner.

Ordering thick lamb skewers, guo bao rou and mala eggplant fritters

Hwarodam Yang Kkochi's menu ranges from lamb chops to lamb skewers to sides, so I had a moment of decision paralysis... but since it's a lamb skewer specialty restaurant, we started with the thick lamb skewers, then added guo bao rou and mala eggplant fritters as sides.

Thick young lamb skewers with no gamey smell

Once the charcoal arrived, the thick lamb skewers I'd been most looking forward to finally showed up. True to their name, the meat felt noticeably thicker than typical lamb skewers,

and as they grilled, the juices stayed locked in — the outside turned golden brown while the inside stayed moist. I really liked that.

Since they use young lamb, there was almost no trace of the gamey smell lamb usually has, so even for me, someone sensitive to that smell, it was tender and delicious with no hesitation.

With the meat being so thick, the texture was great too — grilled over good charcoal, blowing on it before each bite, it was truly delicious.

Plus there were three special sauces you can only get at Hwarodam, and eating the well-grilled lamb with them made the flavor even more special — very satisfying.

Guo bao rou: crispy outside, chewy inside

A dish that can't be skipped alongside lamb skewers is guo bao rou (sweet and sour pork) haha.

Hwarodam Yang Kkochi's guo bao rou kept that crispy, chewy texture really well,

and the sweet and tangy sauce brought out the crispy fried texture even more, so the balance felt just right. And then there was a special side I hadn't tried anywhere else waiting for us.

Mala eggplant fritters with a tingly kick

The side I really want to recommend trying is the mala eggplant fritters. I didn't expect much since it was just a side, but the crispy-fried eggplant, with its subtle yet

spicy mala flavor added in, was a completely different experience from the usual eggplant fritters — unique and full of impact, a real standout dish.

It was such a special combination for a first try, and the portion was generous too, so it would be a great order for a company dinner or any gathering with several people. We were already full from the lamb skewers and fried dishes, but I couldn't skip a warm soup dish at the end, so we ordered the hot noodle soup!!

Finishing with a spicy hot noodle soup

Soft, well-cooked noodles combined with a rich, spicy broth made for a perfect closing dish. After the lamb skewers, guo bao rou, and eggplant fritters, having the warm, spicy noodle soup broth left me feeling refreshed all the way through.

4 hours of free parking at a Balsan Station lamb skewer spot worth revisiting

Every dish, right down to the final noodles, was delicious and satisfying, and every staff member was so kind from the moment we walked in until we left, making for a genuinely pleasant meal.

We went to eat the dish my partner was craving, but I ended up enjoying it just as much — a great Friday night haha.

And 4 whole hours of free parking?! That kind of parking generosity is rare in Magok, so it's such a bonus 🤭 It's a restaurant I'll come back to without hesitation whenever I'm craving lamb skewers near Balsan Station, and I'd recommend it to anyone near Balsan or Magok who wants to properly enjoy lamb skewers~!!