Kyoyang Siksa (교양식사)
This is a special one. My brother chose this restaurant as the last dinner spot during my trip to Korea. Featured on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand ratings list, Kyoyang Siksa is a restaurant that exclusively focuses on Sapporo-style lamb barbecue.
Located right across the street from Hannam Atelier (한남작업실), Kyoyang Siksa is a small restaurant with a plain white entrance. Amidst a bustling street with other cafes and restaurants it is somewhat subtle, and yet its crisp white-curtained entrance stands out.
Once inside, the seating area itself is very small with only a few bar seats and a private room in the back, which is where we sat. Each table in the restaurant features a copper, candy cane-shaped vent above to capture smoke from the portable cast-iron grilling slabs. The interior is elegantly designed, emphasizing simplicity and cleanliness above all else. It can best be described as upscale minimalist.
The main items at this restaurant are the French and normal cut lamb racks. The French cut is more lean, with the fatty bits being trimmed off. In contrast, the normal cut retains the fat, giving it both a different flavor and price point. Both cuts of meat are imported directly from Australia. While a few other things are on the menu, the lamb racks are the main highlights of this restaurant.
As mentioned above, the meat is grilled on cast-iron slabs, which is the Sapporo-style of preparation. The staff comes and cooks the meat for you by the table, answering any questions and also allowing guests to relax and engage in conversation with each other. In addition to the meat, onions, scallions, and tomatoes are also grilled, giving it a nice accompanying item to eat the lamb with. The restaurant also offers several dipping sauces, salts, and oils to choose from, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
The lamb meat is juicy, with a crisp outer layer and an incredible tenderness that literally melts once eaten. The French cut emphasizes the “pure meat taste” a bit more, since there is less fat residue once cooked. However, the regular cut is where the restaurant really shines in my opinion, as the extra fat on the lamb gives it a much richer and sweeter taste. It is highly recommended to try both, as they vary slightly and have a complex dimension of flavors and textures in each bite. It is truly some of the best grilled meat I’ve ever had, and I have not tried anything like it in the United States, making it an experience truly unique to Seoul.
And yes, this is still an upscale restaurant with limited seating, so it is also highly recommended to make a reservation ahead of time. But if you are looking to splurge a bit or celebrate a special occasion, Kyoyang Siksa is a phenomenal restaurant that brings only the highest quality to its customers.
