Full house on a weeknight: mala xiangguo at Hanseong Yang Kkochi

Catching up with a friend near Gyodae Station and stuck on what to eat for dinner, I remembered there's a genuinely good lamb skewer place in Gyodae, so I went back to Hanseong Yang Kkochi Gyodae Branch 2 after a while. Hanseong Yang Kkochi is already well known among lamb skewer fans, with branches all over — haha — and this Gyodae Branch 2 location is so convenient and great for dinner, so I visited. Let me write up the menu, prices, and an honest review from actually eating there~! Recommended for a Gyodae work dinner too,,

Hanseong Yang Kkochi Gyodae Branch 2: location, hours, parking

• Address: 63 Seochodae-ro 50-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 12:00–24:00
• Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

There aren't many restaurants with parking near Gyodae, but this place is open late until midnight and has parking too, so I recommend it as a Gyodae restaurant with parking haha. It's not a bad walk from the station either, so it's easy to get to.

Menu and prices, and the 2-serving minimum for lamb skewers

• Premium lamb ribs ₩35,000
• Lamb tenderloin skewer ₩23,000
• Lamb skewer ₩17,000
• Spicy prawns (hyangla daeha) ₩28,000
• Sweet and sour pork (kkwobaorou) ₩20,000
• Tomato egg stir-fry ₩16,000
• Boiled dumplings, corn noodles, fried rice ₩7,000

And the side menu here is so varied too that I'd genuinely recommend it as a Gyodae work-dinner spot!

Lamb skewers need a minimum of 2 servings on your first order. But you can mix it up, like 1 tenderloin + 1 regular skewer for 2 servings total haha. Tenderloin + skewer, or ribs + skewer, 1 serving each is fine as the basic minimum~!

The vibe inside: a wide hall that fits groups

On the wall, there are Chinese dishes to pair with the lamb skewers, plus the supposed benefits of cumin and lamb, lol. You all know a place with food benefits written on the wall is a guaranteed good restaurant, right. Based on my personal restaurant big data, no place with that on the wall has ever been bad.

This Hanseong Yang Kkochi Gyodae Branch 2 has a pretty wide space and can handle groups, so if you're looking for a work dinner spot near Gyodae Station, I recommend this. Just put the skewers on and they rotate and grill themselves, so no one has to grill meat during a work dinner — you know that's a huge plus for a work dinner menu,,

Lamb tenderloin skewer vs. lamb skewer — the size difference is real

And here comes today's main dish. Lamb tenderloin skewer ₩23,000, lamb skewer ₩17,000. The tenderloin skewer has much chunkier meat than the regular skewer, and you can really taste and feel the texture properly, so if you're going to eat it anyway, I'd strongly recommend the tenderloin skewer,,

Tenderloin is on the left and regular skewer on the right, and once grilled the size difference is really clear. The regular skewer is only ₩17,000 too, so the price is totally reasonable,, That's why even though I had a reservation for 6:30pm on a weeknight, the place was nearly full!! It's a genuinely good restaurant here,,

The skewers sizzle away, haha, and they grill regular skewers in between the big tenderloin pieces so the sizes line up perfectly! You don't have to hold tongs and grill it yourself, so it's genuinely so convenient and tastes even better,, You really need a regular transfusion of lamb skewers.. It's so good, and the oil and the meaty aroma spread through your mouth,, a harmony in your mouth.

The basic sauces are cumin and spicy soy sauce, and both go so well with it.. There's cumin here so I load it up even more!!! and dip it in deep.

Today's drink was Tsingtao Extra Light for ₩5,000. First time seeing this so I ordered it — it's under 4% ABV and only 125 calories lol, great for a cool drink in the hot summer.

Thick meat, just the right amount of fat, juicy lamb dipped in cumin — how good could that possibly be~! Once you get hooked on lamb skewers, you know you need to keep eating them regularly,,

Mala xiangguo at a lamb skewer restaurant — the portion is basin-sized

Mala xiangguo ₩25,000. Just eating lamb skewers alone would feel like something's missing, so I ordered a side dish too haha. You all need to know that at a lamb skewer restaurant you absolutely must order mala xiangguo. But at this Gyodae favorite, Hanseong Yang Kkochi, for ₩25,000 the portion is this much — does that even make sense,, I was so surprised at how much there was (the plate is basically basin-sized)

Clinking beers together, unwinding after work haha. This is a genuinely popular restaurant that draws all kinds of age groups,, Highly recommend for a work dinner,, they have so many reservation tables!

And there's zero gamey smell to the lamb here, so it's approachable haha even for lamb skewer beginners or people who've never had lamb before!!

Mala xiangguo ₩25,000, rice ₩1,000. You absolutely must add rice with mala xiangguo. The spicy, numbing mala xiangguo cuts through the lamb flavor in between bites and just makes you want to keep eating meat endlessly,, a Gyodae favorite, Hanseong Yang Kkochi,, seriously recommend.

To sum up

If you're looking for good lamb skewers and Chinese food near Gyodae Station, I recommend Hanseong Yang Kkochi Gyodae Branch 2 haha. Rather than just eating the skewers alone, the chef's cooking skill here is so good that you should definitely add a side dish too,,, It's close to Gyodae Station so it's easy to get to, and the space is big enough for a dinner with friends and also good as a Gyodae work-dinner spot. If you're craving lamb in Gyodae, this is a strong recommend~! I'm planning to try more of the other menu items next time haha.