Gangnam tonkatsu tasting at Riae, a Seoul Japanese restaurant

The Riae tonkatsu I always saw in Gaepo-dong

That place that always comes up as a Gaepo-dong favorite, Riae tonkatsu~~~ It is so famous in Gaepo-dong that I had been meaning to go for ages, and I finally made it there.

It turns out they now have a directly operated branch at Jamsil Olympic Park too. Ooh~~~ This Gaepo-dong favorite had me really excited.

Riae basics and parking

The address is 6 Seolleung-ro 16-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and it is open daily from 11:00 to 20:00, with last orders at 19:30. There is a space beside the restaurant for parking, so keep that in mind.

Riae tonkatsu menu

There are cold soba (naengmomil) tonkatsu sets, cold soba Tokyo menchi hamburg sets, cold soba hire (tenderloin) katsu sets, cold soba loin katsu sets, and a mini cold soba add-on. When I went in the evening, they were already sold out..

• Premium special loin katsu ₩22,500
• Fresh mozzarella cheese katsu ₩22,000
• Riae Tokyo menchi hamburg katsu ₩20,000
• Filet mignon tenderloin (hire) katsu ₩19,000
• Jirisan aged pork loin (rosu) katsu ₩18,500
• Fish (hiro sakana) katsu

• Riae signature trio set ₩25,000
• Premium special loin + hire (tenderloin) ₩22,000
• Premium special loin + Tokyo menchi hamburg ₩23,000
• Hire (tenderloin) + Tokyo menchi hamburg ₩22,000
• Fresh mozzarella cheese + hire (tenderloin) ₩24,000
• Premium special loin + ebi (shrimp) fry ₩24,000
• Hire (tenderloin) & ebi (shrimp) duo, 2 shrimp ₩23,000
• Sakana (fish) + ebi (shrimp) katsu, 1 shrimp ₩21,000
• Hire (tenderloin), loin, and ebi (1 shrimp) fry Tokyo spice curry ₩18,000 each

Looking at the menu, there were honestly so many more choices than I expected. From loin rosu katsu to tender hire katsu, fresh mozzarella cheese katsu, menchi hamburg, and even fish katsu. It is nice that there is so much to choose from according to your taste... but since it was my first time, I had to try the signature tonkatsu first haha. I ordered the premium special loin + hire and the premium special loin katsu!!

Premium special loin + hire ₩22,000, and premium special loin katsu ₩22,500.

Tonkatsu tasting guide

There was even a separate Riae tonkatsu tasting guide prepared on the table.

Starting with eating it plain, then Maldon salt, wasabi or mustard + salt, truffle oil + salt, lemon ponzu soy sauce, and finally tonkatsu sauce!! It is not just tonkatsu with one sauce to dip into; I thought it would be fun to try each bite differently.

Thick special loin and tender hire

Wow... the thickness was the first thing that caught my eye as soon as the tonkatsu arrived. The coating was thin, but the meat inside was seriously thick!!

The loin especially was juicy and nutty with one bite. How can tonkatsu be this tender..!!!

The tenderloin has a round, plump shape that is clearly different from the loin.

One bite and this one was truly tender!! It had hardly any richness, and was light yet juicy, with the meat softly giving way as I chewed~

The coating was crunchy and the inside juicy—exactly my kind of tonkatsu.

From salt to lemon ponzu soy sauce

And there was not just one sauce: salt, wasabi, mustard, truffle oil, and lemon ponzu soy sauce all made different accompaniments. First, a bite with nothing on it; then just a little salt~

I added a little wasabi here and there, and the lemon ponzu soy sauce freshened up my mouth so I could keep going haha. The loin was nutty and juicy, while the tenderloin was light and incredibly tender!!

With the assortment of side dishes, fluffy rice, and plenty of cabbage, I could enjoy tonkatsu this deliciously~~~~ I could see why it is considered a Gaepo-dong favorite.

Next time, I want to try the cold soba tonkatsu set that was sold out that day. The cold soba must be delicious too. When you are craving thick, tender tonkatsu in Gaepo-dong and want to sample both loin and tenderloin in different ways, stop by Riae~