Seoul Station Japanese restaurant for sirloin gyukatsu lunch: Ichigyu

Lunch is such precious time for office workers. On stressful days when I want to lift my spirits with delicious meat, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a great place to visit and comfortably grill some meat. It is close to Seoul Station, so it is easy to reach by public transport, and although it is paid parking, you can park in the building's underground lot too.

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch visitor information

• Hours: daily 11:00–21:30
• Last order: daily 14:00, 20:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Location: B1, B116, 98 Huam-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Parking: use the building's B2 parking lot (₩1,000 for the first 10 minutes; ₩1,000 for each additional 10 minutes)
• Reservations available through Naver and Catchtable
• Review event: one shrimp tempura per review
• Thin-sliced mochi event: receive thin-sliced mochi and grillable cheese when you leave a review and add the restaurant to your favorites

First of all, the location is excellent. It is close to Seoul Station Exit 10, so for a walker like me, I thought it was the perfect place for a meal.

Restaurant atmosphere near Seoul Station Exit 10

It is on the first basement level, but the interior was neat and there were quite a few seats, making it a comfortable place to eat.

I went around 1:30 p.m., after the lunch rush, so it was not especially crowded and I could eat at a relaxed pace. It will probably be busy at peak times, though, so I recommend avoiding them.

Gyukatsu and meal menu

Ichigyu's menu was nicely streamlined, as you would expect from a gyukatsu (fried beef cutlet) specialist. There are gyukatsu and steki (steak) to grill yourself, plus rice and noodle dishes that are ready to eat.

• Gyukatsu: ₩19,500 / ₩32,000
• Extra gyukatsu meat: ₩14,000
• Steki set meal: ₩19,500 / ₩32,000
• Hamburg omurice: ₩17,000
• Yakisoba Napolitan: ₩12,000
• Cold soba & shrimp tempura: ₩11,000

I like the gyukatsu at Ichigyu, so I have visited other branches too. I have always ordered gyukatsu whenever I went, so I had it again this time. I wanted a lot, though, so I chose the double gyukatsu.

There are set menus too, so if you order one, you can enjoy it at a better value.

How should you grill gyukatsu?

Instructions for enjoying it were written separately on the back of the menu. They say you can taste even more flavor with Ichigyu's own house sauce. Along with the house sauce, there was wasabi, chili sauce, and salt, so you could choose according to your taste. The accompanying Isigny butter can be divided into three portions so you can enjoy its aroma for longer, apparently.

The gyukatsu comes medium rare, so you can grill it to your preference, but they say 7 to 8 seconds is best. I prefer a firmer texture to a soft one, so I grilled mine a little longer.

This is a video I took while grilling the meat myself. Just the sound and smell of the meat cooking on the hot grill felt soothing, even before eating it. And it was convenient because staff came over to add more fuel without me even having to ask.

Sirloin jumbo gyukatsu: what comes with it and how it tastes

The sirloin jumbo gyukatsu I ordered arrived. Sirloin is a cut where you can taste beef's deep, distinctive flavor, with tender meat being its hallmark. So it is one of the cuts I like more than others.

It came with salad, sauce, butter, rice, and soup, making for a filling meal. Still, I like meat more than rice, so I ordered the jumbo size, and it definitely felt more satisfying.

The outside of the meat was fried and crisp while the inside was uncooked, so I could grill it to the doneness I wanted. Sometimes gyukatsu places cook it too much before serving, but this place did not, which made me happy even before I started eating.

I also liked that they provided butter and that I could enjoy it with the house sauce.

I put the butter on the brazier at the table first.

Then I put the meat on, and it was lovely to watch it sizzle as it cooked. Grilling it in butter definitely seemed to double the flavor.

I was hungry before the meat was done, so I had some rice and soup first. It would have been even tastier with the meat.

I diligently flipped it over as I grilled it.

I tried it plain first, and there was no gaminess; the more I chewed, the more moist juices came through.

Then I tried it with the house sauce, which refreshed the richness of the fried coating. I dipped it in the house sauce and added wasabi, and that combination was the most delicious to me. I normally prefer chili sauce because I like sweet flavors, but with beef, the house sauce and wasabi combination was wonderful.

And I kept grilling away. I liked that whenever the flame went out, staff came right over to relight it without me having to ask.

Sirloin really does seem so delicious. Steak is nice too, but eating it as gyukatsu feels like it doubles its charm.

I also ate it over fluffy white rice. This way, it blended with the meat juices and became a flavor that really suits Korean tastes.

I thought it was a good place to visit when grilling meat at lunchtime feels like too much, but you still want a filling protein-packed meal.

Overall

The sirloin gyukatsu, crisp outside and tender inside, sizzling on my own brazier, was a hearty lunch that comforted me on a hard day. It is easy to get to and has parking, so you can visit without much fuss.