Lamb is not a popular meat in Korean cuisine, and only appears in menu in the last 50 years. Executive Chef and owner Jung Hyun Lee hopes to change all that.
Yangin Hwandae differentiates itself from the Japanese-influenced Genghis Khan style (called ジンギスカン Jingisukan in Japanese) and the Chinese-influenced lamb skewer 羊肉串 restaurants in Korea by having developed a truly Korean lamb cuisine experience. They introduce an omakase bar counter-style of delivery to showcase the excellent selection of imported lamb from New Zealand and Australia.
Lamb was not a popular choice amongst most Koreans. There was a belief that lamb had this musky smell and strong taste and therefore seemed to be shunned by the masses. However in the last few years, there has been an increase popularity of lamb restaurants around Seoul.
Unlike the usual KBBQ, a meal here would not be surrounded with lots of banchan (Korean side dishes or appetisers); only a couple of side dishes that complement the lamb well, like (from left) aster leaves, mashed potato, ojingeo jeotgal 오징어젓갈 (fermented squid), and homemade kimchi which tasted like chay-poh (Chinese dried radish). The dipping sauce is soy sauce with chopped garlic scapes.
프렌치렉 French Lamb Rack
The 프렌치렉 French Lamb Rack was from Australia, which has a leaner and deeper flavour compared to its New Zealand cousin. The “French” refers to the way the bone of the lamb ribs is exposed, leaving the medallion of loin, and not the origin of the lamb. Of course French lamb is very delicious too.
When you order lamb chops (or any other meat), the chef will grilled it for you jus like all KBBQ. The quality of the meat was tip-top and the grilling was executed perfectly. There was a nice char and crust, and the fats have rendered well. The lamb remained tender and moist, excellent work at the grill.
꿀등심 Honey Marinated Sirloin
All sheep and goat meat are called mutton. Lambs are mutton under 12 months old, hoggets are between 12-24 months. Between the loin and the leg, the lamb sirloin is usually presented with the whole lamb leg, but can also be sold separate, This loin is used for grilling and they use only chopped scallions and salt with their homemade marinade using wild honey. You just need to grill to medium doneness for the most delicious and tender meat.
순두부 추가 Extra Soft Tofu
The meal does come with a serving of the 순두부 추가 Extra Soft Tofu casserole, which is made with soft tofu that is like tauhweh (soft bean curd) with dried pollack fish and clams.
Bugeo-guk 북어국 (dried pollack soup) is considered to be a hangover soup or haejang-guk 해장국 in Korea. You will find many breakfast restaurants in Korea serving this pollack fish soup in the morning. This version is a much more intense version of the breakfast version. Delicious, but boiling hot as it is served in the traditional clay casserole.
The first piece was from the lamb chop, the choicest of the cuts. The lamb was soft with marbling almost like beef. I was taken away but how delicious it could taste without any condiments.
The piece of lamb chop came with a sleeve to facilitate you use your hands to tear off each morsel off the bone. The lamb chop was not marinated, and was delicious just with the special sea salt Cheonilyeom 천일염 (sun dried sea salt). Koreans often compare this to the French Guerande Sea Salt as it is pretty much produced the same way. BTW, best quality cheonilyeom is aged at 3 years to remove the bitterness along with the moisture.
꿀등심 Honey Marinated Sirloin is up next. The sirloin has been sliced thinly and marinated with wild honey from Korea, which it a flowery taste. Reminded me of how we used to marinate our meat for our BBQ during our schooldays. The server said we should taste the first piece as-is to enjoy the natural flavours.
After tasting the sirloin as-is, the server than prompted me to try it with the dipping sauce, and if I would like some heat, to add some jalapeño to the dip. Delicious, a mix of savoury, spiciness and garlicky flavours.
And then she gave a blob of mashed fruit that I thought was radish, but she said it was Korean pear. It was very refreshing to pair (no pun intended) this with the lamb.
And for the next few pieces, I was guided to try the sirloin and lamb chop with different combinations of dips and condiments, even dipping the sirloin into the so-creamy mashed potatoes. Yes, the mashed potato was so smooth that I ended have two servings. The other unique combination was the aster leaves and jalapeños. I was surprised to find the Indian aster 馬蘭頭, which I always thought it was native to the Shanghai region.
It’s a very small place but you won’t regret. I had a very fulfilling meal, the price was reasonable, and the service was impeccable. It is very popular during meal time. I recommend you to go there early to reserve your spot or reserve a place using Catchtable.
Yangin Hwandae Korean Style Lamb BBQ 羊人歡待 양인환대
361/F, Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 남대문로1길 361층
Tel : +82 10-8881-3592 (Reservations)
Visited Sep 2024
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