압구정 와라쿠 (Apgujeong Waraku)

Muntaro in Itaewon is my favorite izakaya, especially one that specializes in robatayaki (griled skewers).  Waraku is another Japanese izakaya specializing in robatayaki with two locations - one in Shinsa-dong and the other in Apgujeong.  I've seen good reviews about this restaurant in many food blogs so I wanted to give it a try.

As I've said before, if I am in a party of two or three and there is bar seating available, I always choose the bar (anything beyond three is too many).

Waraku is a name taken from two Chinese characters and it literally means "to gather together and have a good time."

Besides the grilled skewers, Waraku has an amazing in-house draft beer.  They get their draft beer straight from the factory and forego the middleman (the distributor).  I guess the less time it sits on the back of a truck, the fresher the beer.

캬~~~ 

먹을떈 항상 행복함 ㅋㅋ

Welcome dish.  Nothing too exciting.

A very good selection of skewers from your normal chicken thigh to the unique chicken tail. 

Muntaro typically has all its skewers prepared before opening so all they have to do is throw it on the grill.  Waraku made each skewer as it was ordered.  I like the fact that it's fresh and made to order but it did lead to a longer wait time to get our food.

돈도로 - Pork Shoulder and Onions

네기마 - Chicken Thigh & Green Onion

데바사끼 - Chicken Wing

Rare Chicken Breast.  It wasn't as rare as I saw on some other blogs... boo.

우즈라베이컨 - Quail Eggs Wrapped in Bacon

One more.

나스 - Eggplant topped with Katsuobushi (fish flakes)

가와 - Chicken Skin

뽄지리 - Chicken Tail.  Very fatty.  I always thought the tail was a cartilage.

쯔끼미 쯔끄네 - Meatball made with thigh meat served with egg yolk.

So as I mentioned before, the great thing about sitting at the bar is having the opportunity to talk with the chef, asking for recommendations, etc.  He told us that Waraku is famous for its skewers but also for their udon noodles.  Their main branch in Shinsa hand processes udon noodles everyday and ships it over to the Apgujeong branch.  He gave us this Tempura Udon on the house.  

Waraku seemed to take a lot of pride in its food.  Definitely worth coming back to.

압구정 와라쿠 (Apgujeong Waraku)

강남구 신사동 642-14 (Gangnam-gu, Shinsa-dong 642-14)

02-549-2293