Gangseo lamb restaurant with mapo fried rice: Hwarodam

A great place for lamb ribs near Balsan Station

Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok (화로담양꼬치 마곡) 207–209, 2F, Queens Park 10, 66 Magokjungang 6-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul 11:30–22:50 Groups and reservations welcome; parking available

When you are looking for a dinner spot or team-dinner venue in Magok, there are so many barbecue restaurants—but sometimes you want something a little different, right? This time, we visited Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok near Balsan Station.

When you think of a lamb skewer restaurant, you usually picture skewers turning automatically on the grill. Here, though, you can properly enjoy not only lamb skewers but also lamb ribs such as French rack and shoulder rack. We focused on the lamb ribs that day and tried the meal dishes properly too.

It is about a 300 m walk from Exit 9 of Balsan Station, so it is easy to visit by public transit. There are lots of offices around Magok and Balsan, so on weekday evenings plenty of people are looking for a place for a work gathering or team dinner.

Compared with a typical lamb skewer restaurant, Hwarodam Yang Kkochi felt clean inside, and the seating was arranged with a fair amount of privacy, so it looked like a good option for a Magok team dinner or group gathering too. The kind of atmosphere where you can comfortably have a drink with grilled meat, I would say.

French rack, shoulder rack, and what we ordered

We ordered the lamb French rack and shoulder rack, then added mapo fried rice and Hwarodam warm noodles.

Lamb ribs (French rack) ₩36,000 Lamb ribs (shoulder rack) ₩26,000 Mapo fried rice ₩10,000 Hwarodam warm noodles ₩8,000 Yantai 250 ml ₩24,000

They brought out the charcoal first, and wow, the heat was intense.

The basic side dishes were simple but came with Hwarodam's special sauces: chive-flower sauce, a secret soy sauce, and special lamb seasoning! Three sauces to make the lamb ribs taste even richer.

The baek-kimchi (mild white kimchi) and gungchae (stem lettuce) also freshened up the palate nicely.

Charcoal-grilled lamb ribs cooked by the staff

We ordered both the French rack and shoulder rack so we could compare them. Lamb can be divisive if it is cooked poorly because of its distinctive aroma, but when it was grilled over charcoal by a professional to just the right doneness, the juices and nutty flavor really came through.

Since we had come for lamb ribs, we ordered a bottle of Yantai to enjoy with them.

The staff member grilled everything carefully from start to finish, so we could really focus on talking and eating.

As the thick cuts went onto the charcoal, the outside began to brown so appetizingly. Rather than grilling them completely dry, I preferred them cooked enough to keep the juices inside.

A little more grilling and they looked ready to eat.

And our glasses of Yantai were ready too.

Enjoy the perfectly grilled lamb ribs like this

One bite dipped in Hwarodam Yang Kkochi's special sauce, and it was definitely tender.

The more you chew, the more that signature lamb flavor comes through, but the aroma was not overly strong. I think even people who do not eat lamb often could approach it fairly comfortably.

The lamb itself was delicious without any off smell, and the distinctive sauces meant we could keep eating without getting tired of it.

Our top pick was this special soy sauce. The pleasantly spicy chilies in it cut through the rich taste of the lamb ribs, and we enjoyed it so much.

Mapo fried rice and warm noodles after the meat

Carbs are essential with grilled meat, aren't they?

Once we had eaten a fair amount of meat, it was about time to start craving carbs. We ordered mapo fried rice as a side.

Unlike regular fried rice, it had the lightly spicy flavor of mapo tofu, which felt like it revived the appetite after the lamb ribs. The individual grains still had a nice texture, and it went well with bites of lamb in between.

Finish with spicy warm noodles!

And our final dish that day was Hwarodam warm noodles. Honestly, it was the perfect finish. Even after plenty of meat, a soupy dish always has room, right? The distinct texture of corn noodles and the hot, tingly broth made it a great way to end a lamb-rib meal.

Magok has so many offices that there are lots of choices for team dinners, but if you are getting a little tired of pork belly or beef every time, lamb is a nice alternative. In particular, Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok has the advantage of offering not just lamb skewers but several cuts, including French rack, shoulder rack, fresh lamb sirloin, and lamb rib meat. With partitions and room-style seating as well, it was more comfortable than a typical lamb skewer restaurant for talking over a meal.

It is easy to reach from Balsan Station and the interior is clean, so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good Magok restaurant for a gathering where you can properly eat lamb, rather than simply have a drink with lamb skewers. If you have a team dinner or evening appointment in Magok and want a meat option that is a little different from usual, try the French rack and shoulder rack together at Hwarodam Yang Kkochi. Like we did, order mapo fried rice and warm noodles at the end and you will finish with a filling meal.