Gangnam tonkatsu restaurant duo with olive oil: Riae

Do you remember Riae Premium by Olympic Park Station, which I once called the best tonkatsu of my life? My husband and I had such an amazing meal there, and when I heard there was another branch near Guryong Station, we happily went back together : ) If you live around Gaepo-dong or Dogok-dong, you really have to try this place haha.

Riae location, hours, and parking

• Address: 1F, 6 Seolleung-ro 16-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 강남구 선릉로16길 6 1층)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–20:00 (last order 19:30)
• Transit: 416 m from Guryong Station Exit 5
• Parking: Space for 2–3 cars near the building

🚗 If you are driving, it might be a good idea to call the restaurant and check parking availability in advance. Like the Riae by Olympic Park Station, parking is available nearby, but there are not very many spaces.

When I visited, I confirmed that two cars could park beside the restaurant like this. If you call just before arriving, they may even come out and show you where to park.

A small but efficiently arranged dining room

The restaurant is small, but the tables are arranged efficiently. There is not much space between tables, so visiting with a baby was a little inconvenient. Still, since tonkatsu is fried to order, the food came out fairly quickly, which helped.

There was also a refrigerator of aged meat here, showing the same confidence in its meat. Lots of fresh-looking cuts were aging beautifully.

Ordering the loin and fillet katsu duos

As you would expect from a tonkatsu specialist, there are plenty of katsu (Japanese-style breaded cutlet) and set menus built around loin (rosu) and fillet (hire). The signature menchi katsu (ground-meat cutlet) seems to be a main item too, but I also recommend ordering from the katsu-combination category if you want to experience what Riae does best. You can try two or more kinds of katsu in one dish. (Because every single katsu at Riae is seriously delicious ㅠ.ㅠ.....! It would be such a shame to have just one kind.)

This is what we ordered: the premium special loin (sirloin) & fillet (tenderloin) duo, and the premium special loin (sirloin) & shrimp duo.

While we waited and looked around, I spotted this tasting guide. First, I could feel how sincerely they want diners to enjoy the food in as many delicious ways as possible.

Then, the Maldon salt placed on every table gave me a second sense of that seriousness about flavor.

Loin and fillet katsu with olive oil

Here are today’s loin-and-shrimp and loin-and-fillet orders. The visuals are incredible again today.

The top row is loin katsu, and the bottom row is fillet katsu.

The fillet katsu is on the left, and the loin katsu is on the right. It seemed a little less juicy than last time, so I was slightly disappointed at first—but one bite proved that worry completely unnecessary. Look at the balance of lean meat and fat. I do not even usually like the fatty parts of samgyeopsal (pork belly) or ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), so why is this so delicious? It is reallllllly good.

Following the tasting guide, we tried the katsu with several sauces. My husband and I unanimously chose dipping it in olive oil as number one. When tonkatsu is truly delicious, it does not need tonkatsu sauce. Dipping it in olive oil, which doubles the aroma, is the best. That is proof in itself of how good the tonkatsu is here.

Ebi katsu with plump shrimp meat

The ebi katsu (fried shrimp cutlet) is no joke either—starting with its size. Once you remove the head, it is packed with plump, appetizing white shrimp meat all the way through. Riae seems to use good ingredients across the board.

It was another meal that made me so happy.

For Gaepo-dong and Dogok-dong locals

People living in Gaepo-dong and Dogok-dong are so lucky! If I lived in this neighborhood, I think my husband and I would absolutely eat here regularly—at least once every two weeks. It was that delicious : ) (I am jealous of Gaepo-dong and Dogok-dong residents who live close to Riae.)