Double sirloin katsu & wasabi dinner in Gangnam: Cheongdam Kkatsu

“Crispy sirloin katsu and hot katsu nabe: a dinner built around two kinds of dishes”

Location and opening hours of Cheongdam Kkatsu Gangnam-gu Office Station Branch

Cheongdam Kkatsu Gangnam-gu Office Station Branch (청담까츠 강남구청역점) is at Unit 116, 1F SK Herb Blue, 342 Hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 12m from Exit 2 of Gangnam-gu Office Station. Weekdays it is open 11:00-20:00 (last order 19:55) with a break from 15:00 to 16:30. On Saturdays it is open 11:30-15:30 (last order 15:25), and it is closed every Sunday.

I went for dinner near Gangnam-gu Office Station. I ordered sirloin katsu (pork cutlet), spicy katsu nabe (katsu in a hot pot-style broth) and udon. Rather than just cutlet, I wanted some soup too, so I picked different kinds of dishes. If you're looking for a lunch spot near the station, I've put everything here, from location to what I ordered.

What do the outside and inside look like?

The restaurant is on the ground floor of the SK Herb Blue building near Exit 2, and once you step inside the complex you'll see the green Cheongdam Kkatsu sign. The wood-toned exterior has a big window, and a pink curtain with a cat illustration hangs at the entrance. A menu is posted beside the door, so you can see what they serve before going in.

The inside has bright walls and wood-toned finishes. Seats run along the wall and every table has an ordering tablet, so you sit down, check the menu and prices, and order. Distance from the station matters when choosing a lunch spot, and this one is close to the exit, so the walk is short.

What I ordered and the prices

• Handmade aged double sirloin katsu (150g+150g): ₩18,000
• Spicy katsu nabe: ₩14,000
• Udon: ₩8,000
• Total: ₩40,000

What does the handmade aged double sirloin katsu come with?

The handmade aged double sirloin katsu is ₩18,000 and comes with two 150g sirloin cutlets. They arrive on a large plate with shredded cabbage, along with rice, soup, sauce, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and pickled radish.

The cutlets come pre-sliced, so I just picked up one piece at a time. I also took a photo of the cross-section, with the coating clinging to the meat.

Eating it with sauce and wasabi

The sauce comes in a separate bowl, so you can dip as much as you like. I started with just the sauce, then added a little wasabi partway through to change things up.

Even though it's fried, the sirloin katsu didn't feel heavy or greasy; it was on the light side. It seems like a place that uses fresh ingredients and good oil. Being less greasy made it easy to eat with rice, and I dabbed on a bit of sauce or wasabi as I went.

The cabbage sits right beside the cutlet, so I alternated between the two. The double has two cutlets, so compare the amount with the standard one-cutlet set when choosing. This time I ordered other dishes too, so the table had cutlet and soup dishes to share.

Spicy katsu nabe: what's in it and how it tastes

The spicy katsu nabe (₩14,000) has katsu and egg sitting on top of hot broth. Inside are onions and udon noodles, and a bowl of rice comes separately. It's built differently from the plated cutlet you dip in sauce, so I ordered both.

I first took a spoonful of the broth, then fished out a piece of katsu topped with egg. The cutlet in broth has the coating soaked through with the soup. Alternating it with the separate sirloin katsu meant I never got tired of cutlet.

The udon inside the nabe was quietly good too. Maybe because there wasn't much of it, it tasted even better.

On top of the rice I spooned a bit of egg, onion and broth.

Should you order the udon separately?

The udon I ordered separately (₩8,000) came out too. It's the basic version, noodles and toppings in broth, and I had it in between bites of cutlet. The katsu nabe already has noodles in it, so keep that in mind when picking several dishes.

How to use the self bar and tray return

On one side of the restaurant there's a self bar where you can take extra side dishes. Small plates and sauces are set out there too.

There's also a separate tray return area, so after eating you just return your tray yourself.

Wrap-up: when you want both katsu and a soup dish

This time at Cheongdam Kkatsu Gangnam-gu Office Station Branch I had a meal of sirloin katsu, katsu nabe and udon. You can choose by taste whether to have the cutlet on its own or in broth. It's also good for eating solo, and if you're looking for a lunch spot near Gangnam-gu Office Station, the menu and location here are worth a look.