Tonkatsu near Daechi academies: tenderloin & cheese split, Sioldon

Where is Sioldon Irwon Branch?

Sioldon Irwon Branch (시올돈 일원점) is a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant near Samsung Seoul Hospital. It sits between Daecheong Station and Irwon Station on Line 3, so either station works. It's known as a go-to near the hospital and is close to the Daechi cram-school district, which makes it a great spot for students to eat.

Sioldon Irwon

I'd tried Sioldon at another branch, but this was my first time at the Irwon branch. And sure enough, there were lots of students. The surrounding neighborhood is fairly quiet, so it looked like a relaxed place to come for a meal. If you're hunting for a tonkatsu place in Irwon-dong, it's worth a look.

What's on the menu at Sioldon Irwon Branch, and how do you order?

You order at the kiosk near the entrance.

As a tonkatsu specialist, it has a nice range of menu items. Maybe because so many students come, there's even a good-value ₩11,000 set where you get udon and tonkatsu together. The katsu sets run from the basic sirloin set to the tenderloin set, cheese katsu set, premium sirloin set and mixed katsu set. Beyond katsu sets there's also kimchi katsu nabe (hot pot), katsudon (katsu rice bowl), tomato curry udon and more, so you can choose to suit your taste. Considering today's eating-out prices, I think it's good value.

You can also order a noodle dish as your main and add katsu as a side.

Seating at Sioldon Irwon Branch: is it okay for dining solo?

Every seat has a partition, and there's a window bar table too, so the layout works for eating alone or in a group. The place is fairly small and feels clean and calm, and the partitions give you a bit of privacy while you eat. It's good for solo meals and also fine with friends or family.

There's a bar table where you can eat while looking out the window. Sitting there and glancing around, I saw all kinds of diners, from students out with friends to people eating solo and families.

An open kitchen proud of its cleanliness

Water, cups and tissues are already set out on the tables. One small disappointment: there's no sauce set out on the table.

How was the Sioldon tenderloin katsu set?

Tenderloin katsu set ₩14,900 / Cheese katsu set ₩12,900

The sets at Sioldon Irwon Branch come with katsu, rice, soup, salad and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and the food arrived without a long wait. It's a neat, no-frills tray that looks clean and is easy to eat.

What caught my eye first was the rosy pink cross-section of the tenderloin katsu. Isn't that meat color gorgeous? Just looking at it, you can tell how tender it will be.

The tenderloin katsu is crispy outside and moist inside, with a great texture when you bite in. The soft, mild flavor that tenderloin is known for really comes through. It wasn't dry at all, and the meat chewed so tenderly that I was happy the whole way through. It looked so good that I kept taking similar photos again and again, haha. The pretty cross-section made me keep picking up the camera.

The salad that came with it has a slightly salty sauce. At tonkatsu places I usually see black sesame or sesame dressing, but Sioldon's sauce was a different style. With the crunchy vegetables, it was nice for cleansing the palate between bites of katsu.

What does the Sioldon cheese katsu set taste like?

The Sioldon cheese katsu set (₩12,900) has cheese inside a crispy coating, a textbook crunchy-outside, moist-inside dish. You know cheese katsu has to be eaten first, before it cools, right? Only when it's warm can you really enjoy that chewy, rich cheese flavor.

When you bite in, the crunch is followed by a rich cheese flavor. If you love cheese, I think you'll be very satisfied.

Can't choose between tenderloin and cheese katsu?

A friend and I went to Sioldon Irwon Branch, ordered one tenderloin katsu set and one cheese katsu set, and split them half and half. This combination was perfect. Personally, tenderloin katsu and cheese katsu have such different charms that picking just one felt like a shame. Tenderloin katsu is great for its soft, mild flavor, while cheese katsu is appealing for its chewy, rich taste.

Since the sets also come with rice, soup and salad, it's a filling meal.

When the cheese katsu starts to feel a little heavy, a bite of mild tenderloin katsu tastes great again. Alternating between the two flavors meant I never got tired of it and enjoyed it right to the end.

Who is Sioldon Irwon Branch good for?

Sioldon Irwon Branch is a good stop if you're looking for a meal near Samsung Seoul Hospital, or on a day you crave tonkatsu between Daecheong Station and Irwon Station. The shop is clean and the menu has plenty of choices, so it's easy to drop in whenever you're nearby. I also liked that there are seats for everyone, from the bar table that suits solo diners to seating for groups, so you can eat comfortably whoever you come with.

Sioldon Irwon Branch is my recommendation for anyone looking for a tonkatsu place near Samsung Seoul Hospital. Chewy, rich cheese katsu plus soft, mild tenderloin katsu made for a tasty, filling meal.