Yeouido steak set for solo dining: Izawa, a Seoul restaurant

Known as singer Lim Young-woong's genuine regular spot and widely praised for gyukatsu near Yeouido Station, Izawa Yeouido Direct Store (이자와 여의도직영점) had me excited before I even headed up to the second floor of Yeouido General Shopping Center.

Climbing the stairs of the shopping building, which carries the charm of many years gone by, I caught the savory scent of grilling beef spilling through the corridor beyond the calm wooden sign and neat sliding door. It naturally made me stop in my tracks.

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store at a glance

• One-line verdict: A refined sirloin strip grilled on a brazier at Korea's original gyukatsu brand.
• Location: Units 203–204, 2F, Yeouido General Shopping Center, 42 Yeouinaru-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:30.
• Signature menu: Steak set ₩18,000; gyukatsu set ₩18,000 / à la carte meat additions available.
• Parking and ordering: One hour free at the ground-level parking lot / walk-in waitlist and table ordering.

The first thing that caught my eye upon entering was the framed handwritten autograph from Lim Young-woong hanging on the wall above the counter.

Seeing several signed pieces dated differently convinced me this was not a one-off visit for a broadcast, but a place he truly visits often. Naturally, my anticipation for the food grew even more!

How close is it to Yeouido Station, and where should you park?

From Exit 5 of Yeouido Station, served by Subway Lines 5 and 9, it is only 50 m away: on the second floor of Yeouido General Shopping Center, right beside Bonjuk. You can arrive in one minute on foot. Even in bad weather or the depths of winter, you can step above ground from the station and go straight into the building, which makes the route wonderfully easy.

If you are driving, check the parking benefit beforehand so you do not get caught out. The counter can register one hour of free parking only if you use the building's ground-level parking lot; the underground lot is a paid facility with no shopping-center partnership. The key tip is to park above ground.

As you would expect in the heart of Yeouido's office-district building forest, the waiting board in front fills up quickly with nearby workers from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. For a relaxed meal without waiting, I recommend arriving after 12:35, once the office-lunch rush eases, or right at 5 p.m. when the afternoon break ends.

Comfortable solo bar seating and a Japanese restaurant atmosphere

Soft warm-toned indirect lighting and deep-brown wooden furniture came together beautifully inside, creating the comfortable feeling of a cozy local restaurant in Japan amid the city. Unlike a busy, noisy barbecue restaurant, each table had a solid ventilation system to manage smells and smoke, so the air felt very pleasant.

Especially considerate of solo diners like me, the tidy single-person bar seats run along the window and toward the kitchen. I could focus on my own mini brazier without worrying about taking up a larger table, and immediately understood why it is considered such a great Yeouido spot for eating alone.

Two- and four-person wooden tables were spaced evenly through the center and along the walls, so the flow of the room never felt cramped.

With the tablet at every table, you can not only order food but also easily request a grill change or solid-fuel refill without calling someone over. That makes it a lovely date spot, too, where you can stay focused on your conversation throughout the meal.

The black-tray set meal and two sauces

After ordering and waiting briefly, my individual set meal arrived neatly arranged on a weighty black square tray. It felt as though each person was being personally served.

The fluffy freshly cooked rice gleamed, and the bowl was generously filled with hot miso soup with a deep, savory umami. The side dishes to freshen up the richness of the beef were nicely ripened sweet-and-tangy kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and flavorful finely chopped stir-fried kimchi. A generous pile of thinly shredded cabbage salad sat on one side of the plate; its crisp texture with nutty, salty sesame dressing did a great job of waking up my appetite before the meat.

Two small dishes held sauces to bring out the grilled beef. One was a creamy garlic-onion sauce, made with finely ground pungent garlic and gently sweet onion for a soft tang. The other was a thinner house fruit-soy sauce that added salty umami without masking the beef's natural aroma.

Grilling the steak set with an extra order of gyukatsu

On this visit, I chose the steak set as my main, so I could enjoy the meat's texture without a fried coating, and added the signature gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) à la carte.

Slices of strip steak, lightly seared directly over flame on the outside, arrived neatly spread at an even thickness on a black plate. The bright red lean meat and fine marbling looked wonderfully fresh.

Soon, the à la carte gyukatsu joined it, its thin coating fried crisp while the inside remained cool and springy at medium-rare. Just looking at it made my mouth water.

As I placed one piece each of steak and gyukatsu side by side on the heated mini stone grill,

a cheerful sizzle rose up, along with a deep buttery beef aroma, and the perfect Maillard reaction began.

First, I picked up a lightly grilled piece of steak. Without the interference of a fried coating, the moist juices of the strip beef gently wrapped around my tongue.

Then I bit into the gyukatsu, grilled until crisp outside and tender inside on the brazier. The shattering crunch of the exterior and the pleasantly springy resistance of the meat made a wonderful contrast and filled my mouth with rich flavor.

Delicious combinations, from seasoned salt to wasabi rice

The first and purest way to enjoy meat sizzling on the mini brazier is with a light sprinkle of the seasoned salt on the table. As the salt crystals melt into the juices on the warm beef, they maximize the nutty sweetness of the strip steak itself, creating a pure flavor that makes you marvel with every chew.

My second favorite combination was to generously dip the golden-grilled steak in the sweet, pungent garlic-onion sauce, then top it with plenty of fresh wasabi. The sharp garlic fragrance and clean heat of the wasabi cut through the richness of the beef fat, giving it the best balance and keeping every last bite fresh rather than heavy.

When you still have plenty of meat, it is also a treat to take a big spoonful of hot white rice and top it with a browned piece of gyukatsu and wasabi, enjoying it like beef sushi.

The sweetness of the fluffy rice grains, crisp coating, and tender strip steak came together for such satisfying fullness that I felt very sure I had done the right thing by adding the gyukatsu to the set.

Things to know before visiting

Is it difficult to find from the station?

Go up to the second floor of Yeouido General Shopping Center directly in front of Exit 5 at Yeouido Station; it is right beside the Bonjuk store on the right side of the corridor. It is an ultra-close 50 m, less-than-one-minute walk, so it is easy to reach even on rainy or snowy days.

How do I get free parking?

You must use the ground-level parking lot in the building to receive the restaurant's one-hour free-parking support. The shopping center's underground lot operates separately as paid parking and cannot receive the discount, so be sure to park above ground to save on parking fees.

Is it good for solo dining or a post-work date?

There are single-person bar tables for solo diners, making it easy to eat at your own pace without feeling self-conscious. The cozy wood-toned lighting and neatly arranged tables for two also make it an excellent date course for a quiet meal and conversation.

How do I control the grilling and heat?

With the personal mini brazier provided at each table, you can grill from rare to well-done exactly as you like. If the solid fuel burns out and the flame weakens, simply press the staff-call button in the table-order system to have it replaced easily.

What I loved and what to keep in mind

• What I loved: As Korea's original brand, the fresh bright-red strip beef and the superb crisp-outside, tender-inside fried coating let the meat's natural flavor shine.
• What I loved: Single-person bar seating and individual mini braziers made it easy to enjoy an unhurried solo grilled-meat meal in Yeouido without interruption.
• What to keep in mind: The mini grill's stone surface is compact, so it holds only two or three pieces at once, and the heat may weaken toward the end of the meal.
• If the heat seems to be dropping, request a fuel replacement through the table-order system without delay and you can grill over a strong flame again.

The refined set meal, excellent strip steak grilled on the brazier, and kind service all came together in a restaurant I would revisit 100 percent whenever I am in Yeouido. If you want to savor tender, juicy beef in a filling set meal, do stop by without hesitation.