After-work gyukatsu at Avenuefrance Pangyo: karaage event, Ichigyu

After-work dinner in Pangyo at Ichigyu Avenuefrance Pangyo

Ichigyu Avenuefrance Pangyo is a gyukatsu specialty restaurant on the 2nd floor of Avenuefrance in Pangyo. Today's theme is Pangyo! My girlfriend is moving into company housing, so I came to Pangyo to help carry her things!

I went straight from work, so I hadn't had dinner yet (T_T). To eat properly, I rushed to Ichigyu Avenuefrance Pangyo!

Where is Ichigyu Pangyo, and what are its opening hours?

• 📍 Location: 25 Dongpangyo-ro 177beon-gil, Unit 220, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi (Sampyeong-dong 740)
• 🎈 Hours: daily 11:30–22:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00

I hurried from Uijeongbu to Pangyo, but it was still past 7 by the time I arrived, and I was sooooo hungry... At times like this you need a protein refill, right? And for a proper refill you have to go to a proper place, haha.

Avenuefrance parking and the wait at 7 p.m.

Avenuefrance in Pangyo has parking, but maybe because there are so many good restaurants, parking took longer than I expected! I took the elevator up and found Ichigyu right away, haha.

I figured there'd be no wait at this hour, but I still hurried over 🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏻‍♀️

Luckily there was no wait, but it seems most of the tables had just finished eating 🙃 so they said they'd call us after clearing a table! (And wow, they clear fast, haha. It took less than a minute.)

The mark of a popular restaurant: a Catch Table waiting device right by the door... haha.

It's been a while since I had gyukatsu, and it's my first time at Ichigyu. The moment I saw the interior at the entrance, I was like, whoa 😮🫨

Ichigyu menu and set price for two

At Ichigyu Pangyo you order by QR code, and the set of striploin gyukatsu + tenderloin gyukatsu + 2 soft drinks is ₩45,000. I sat down and skimmed the menu.

You order via QR code, haha. I picked the striploin gyukatsu and my girlfriend picked the tenderloin gyukatsu! While ordering I noticed there's a set menu: striploin gyukatsu + tenderloin gyukatsu + 2 soft drinks for ₩45,000!

If you don't drink alcohol, this combo seems great! The Kirin draft beer was beckoning me 🧏🏻 but I drove, so cider today 🥤 Since it's a gyukatsu specialist, every seat has its own personal brazier! It would be great to have one at home, haha.

Ichigyu's Naver review event: 4 free pieces of karaage

At Ichigyu Pangyo, if you say when ordering that you'll join the Naver review event, they give you karaage (Japanese fried chicken), 4 pieces ⚡️

And the karaage is insanely good, so definitely do it 🍗 (It's fried to order, so crispy outside, juicy inside.)

Rice comes first, with refills if you need more

At Ichigyu Pangyo, the rice comes first once you finish ordering 🍚

If you order something like hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice) in Japan, it comes in a bowl like this!

They serve fluffy rice like this, and if you run short they keep giving you more, haha. (We had a second helping.)

Grilling striploin and tenderloin gyukatsu on a personal brazier

At. Long. Last. The gyukatsu has arrived! The striploin gyukatsu is mine, and the tenderloin gyukatsu is my girlfriend's ⚡️

Looks-wise the tenderloin wins by a landslide, but each has its own charm 🍖 As they bring out the gyukatsu, they light the brazier right away 🔥

The gyukatsu comes with miso soup, salt and vegetables 🧂

Okay, time to eat, right? Straight onto the brazier it goes~ Sizzzzzzle ✨ You have to hear this one, so I took a video, haha.

Unbelievable, right? How can you resist!! While you wait for it to cook, look closely and you'll see butter tucked right there in the corner! Don't forget it 🧈

Also, the miso soup is exactly my style, so I had to mention it, haha.

Always grill the gyukatsu with butter on top

At first I grilled without realizing there was butter, but my girlfriend spotted it and we added the butter right away!! Watching it cook on the butter is even more of a work of art, haha.

Ah, so good ✨ The tenderloin melts so softly in your mouth, while the striploin has a slightly chewy bite!

I put the pieces I'd grilled before adding butter on top of the butter too 🤤

They said the flavor is enhanced with Isigny butter, so I searched what Isigny butter is! (Apparently it's synonymous with premium butter 😮)

If two of you come, I think ordering one of each and sharing is much better!

We put two pieces each on and shared, haha.

Garlic sauce for striploin, ginger sauce for tenderloin

The sauce at Ichigyu differs by cut: the striploin comes with a garlic-based sauce and the tenderloin with a ginger-based one! Look closely and the colors are slightly different.

The sauces are of course delicious, but just like with tonkatsu, I love the salt and wasabi combo ☺️ I used both butters and ate happily, and I got a rice refill in the middle!

And you know, the flavor really comes together when you eat rice with every piece of gyukatsu? Before I knew it only empty plates were left, haha. It's so tender and delicious it just disappears down your throat... I'm losing it 🥨

Great for lunch, great for dinner. That was Ichigyu Avenuefrance Pangyo, a gyukatsu spot where we ate really well!