Euljiro 3-ga gyukatsu restaurant: solo beer and double steak, Hurato

Why a gyukatsu restaurant when you want to grill beef alone?

A gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant is a place where you can grill beef by yourself in a clean, quiet setting. I can't think of a restaurant that's been as popular lately as gyukatsu places.

A gyukatsu restaurant is exactly where to go when you want to grill beef alone. There was nowhere else to eat beef in such a clean, quiet atmosphere. You used to have to go to a barbecue restaurant to grill beef, but since gyukatsu places appeared, they've become my go-to when I crave beef.

Where is Hurato Sikdang Euljiro?

Hurato Sikdang Euljiro is in the basement restaurant floor of 107 Street in the Tower 107 Building, at Euljiro 3-ga Station. I had business around Euljiro today, and in the evening I wanted to lightly grill some beef with a beer, so I came here.

Euljiro 3-ga Station is the famous Hipjiro (hip Euljiro)! I'd only ever been to Hipjiro, and had no idea there was such a fancy building here..

The building seems newly built... and the basement restaurants are the kind you'd find in a big shopping mall. Of all the gyukatsu places I've been to, this had the most upscale feel. It looks like it just opened, since there are opening-congratulation plants out front.

There's also a Kirin draft beer event going on.

Besides gyukatsu, Hurato Sikdang Euljiro has a varied menu, including barbecue chicken.

Is it okay to go alone just before last order?

I went alone in the evening with not much time left before last order, and there were plenty of seats. Hurato Sikdang Euljiro also has solo seats. At lunchtime I imagine it gets pretty packed with office workers nearby, so it's probably a great Euljiro office-worker lunch spot. I went to grill beef with a drink, so I sat back and relaxed.

There are solo seats.. and the dining hall is clean and pleasant. The restrooms are the building's, but they're as clean as a hotel's, and they're right in front. So after the meal, restroom, then home..

This is what you can get if you write a receipt review.. maybe because I ordered beer, I'm craving karaage (Japanese fried chicken).

How do you grill gyukatsu and steak?

For gyukatsu, put 1–2 pieces of meat at a time on the heated grill plate, grill each side 20–30 seconds, and eat once the surface turns brown. Ah! So it's only 1–2 pieces at a time... I'm only seeing this now... and I piled it all on...

What are the menu and prices at Hurato Sikdang Euljiro?

At Hurato Sikdang Euljiro, gyukatsu is ₩19,500 (double ₩35,000) and the steak set is ₩19,500 (double ₩35,000). Today I wanted to grill beef, so I chose the steak set, and since I wanted lots of beef, the double. ₩35,000.

They also have a sliced beef belly rice bowl, Japanese-style omurice, Yamagata minced curry, barbecue chicken rice bowl, and niku on-udon (beef noodle soup).

Gyukatsu is a Japanese dish of crispy fried beef sirloin.

If you unlock your phone at the table, it connects via NFC to a screen where you can order right away.

For beer, I ordered the teeny-tiny Kirin Ichiban, easy to sip.

What does the double steak set taste like, and how big is it?

The steak set at Hurato Sikdang Euljiro simply tastes like nutty, delicious grilled beef, and since it's sirloin it's tender and tasty. If you've never seen a steak set, you may not be able to picture the flavor. It's a rapid protein recharge.

The surface comes lightly seared. It comes with a little rice, soup, and Japanese-style pickled radish.

Soy sauce is the main sauce

The sauces are salt, chili sauce, and soy sauce... I don't like chili sauce so I skipped it.. and this soy sauce was so good. Honestly the sauce and side dishes matter quite a lot in a steak set, but I just kept dipping in this soy sauce.

I feel like wasabi ruins the taste of beef, so I barely touched it and just dipped in a bit of salt. Soy sauce as the main, with salt now and then..

Since it's the double, the portion is huge. What you see isn't all of it; there's another layer underneath.

What happens if you put all the meat on the grill at once?

If you put all the meat on at once, it can end up lightly boiled, like suyuk (boiled pork), rather than crispy, so if you want it crispy I recommend grilling one or two pieces at a time. Gyukatsu grill plates usually stick a lot, so you heat them for a good while before grilling, so the meat doesn't stick. At Hurato Sikdang too, but looking closely, the plate seemed to be made of a non-stick material like a frying pan.

Even if I'd seen the 1–2 pieces instruction at the time, I'd probably have put it all on again... I wanted to eat fast... It's still beef, so it's delicious. haha

They'll swap the grill plate if you ask, and if you ask for the candle (I think it's a candle) they'll bring that too.

Tender, delicious beef... I guess I really am a meat person. The beef is tender, nutty, and so good.

Dipping it in this soy sauce is really good. Next time I want to try the gyukatsu at Hurato Sikdang too!