Lamb skewers in Gangseo, Seoul: Hwarodam Yang Kkochi

Why did I return when I usually prefer lamb ribs to skewers?

This was my second visit to Hwarodam Yang Kkochi Magok (화로담양꼬치 마곡). I usually prefer lamb ribs or French rack to lamb skewers, so I do not often seek out lamb-skewer restaurants. I came back because the lamb sirloin skewers I had last time stayed in my mind.

What was on the menu, and what did I order?

The grilled items included French rack, shoulder rack, lamb sirloin, and lamb flower rib meat. The skewers were divided into thick lamb skewers, intercostal-meat lamb skewers, and lamb sirloin skewers. There were also dishes such as cream shrimp, guo bao rou (sweet-and-sour fried pork), tomato egg stir-fry, mapo tofu, and iron-plate eggplant.

I had also enjoyed the shoulder rack last time, so this time I ordered two servings of shoulder rack and one serving of lamb sirloin skewers. Each piece of meat on the lamb sirloin skewers was much thicker than the lamb skewers I usually eat. There were about six skewers, but the overall portion did not feel very different from a standard serving of lamb skewers.

How were the side dishes and dipping sauces?

The basic side dishes were simple: seasoned scallion strips, pickled gungchae, and white kimchi. The scallion strips cut through the richness, and I liked the crisp texture of the pickled gungchae.

The dipping seasonings were cumin salt, pickled chili peppers, and a house pesto. I liked the pesto because it was unusual, though its aroma was fairly pronounced and may divide opinions. I think it was made with chives, but I do not remember the exact ingredients.

Do you need to grill the shoulder rack yourself?

The two servings of shoulder rack came as four ribs in total. French rack was in a higher price range than shoulder rack, but shoulder rack suited my taste better.

The meat arrived par-grilled. Perhaps because of that, it was not overly rich, and I did not notice any gamy smell. Since we ordered both shoulder rack and lamb skewers, we were advised to eat the shoulder rack first and grill the skewers afterward.

After placing the charcoal and grill plate, a staff member grilled the shoulder rack for us. It was convenient to eat without having to focus on grilling. Once again, I was satisfied with how tender the meat was.

Was the guo bao rou strongly sour?

The guo bao rou we ordered partway through the meal had a good balance of batter and meat. However, the sauce had such a strong sour smell that I coughed after taking a large bite. It was not as sour as its aroma suggested, but the sauce itself did have noticeable acidity. Next time, I thought I might ask for the sauce separately.

How are the lamb sirloin skewers grilled, and what are they like?

After we finished the shoulder rack, the par-grilled lamb sirloin skewers came out. A staff member cleared the grill plate and turned on the automatic skewer-rotating device. We took turns placing the skewers on it and grilling them.

The lamb sirloin skewers had plump pieces of meat and were juicy. They were less rich, mild, and tender, making them something I would want to eat again even though I usually prefer lamb ribs.

We had Tsingtao with the lamb skewers. The flow of comfortably eating staff-grilled shoulder rack and then taking turns grilling the lamb skewers made me think of it as a possible group-dinner spot. Even on my second visit, the dishes that stayed with me were the shoulder rack and lamb sirloin skewers.