Samsan, Ulsan Japanese restaurant: gyukatsu set vs steak set, Izawa

Today I'm introducing Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch, a gyukatsu (breaded fried beef cutlet) spot in Samsan, Ulsan, plus some menu recommendations!

Where is Izawa The Terrace Garden branch, and what about parking and hours?

Izawa The Terrace Garden branch is located at 231 Samsan-ro, Nam-gu, Ulsan, inside The Terrace Garden building. It's open daily 11:00–21:00 with last order at 20:25, and parking is available at The Terrace Garden underground lot.

Izawa's storefront and interior: how to find the second floor

Izawa The Terrace Garden branch is up on the 2nd floor — you follow the directory signs all the way in.

It can be a little confusing on your first visit. If you're like us and don't drive in, so you're looking for it from the 1st floor, just head into the building entrance and go up to the 2nd floor even if you can't see the Izawa sign from outside — you'll find it easily! (We were totally in meerkat mode going 'is this it??' for a while haha)

Izawa's storefront in Ulsan had that unmistakable Japanese-restaurant feel at a glance, and it was so cute and distinctive-looking, I loved it haha

Here's the interior! There was a bar table area, plus a mix of 2-seat and 4-seat tables.

The whole concept felt so much like actually being in Japan that it made me want to book another trip there haha

By the way, baby chairs are available too, so if you're in Samsan, Ulsan looking for somewhere to eat with a baby, this place would work out comfortably!

What's on the Izawa menu, and how do you order?

You order by scanning the QR code on the table and ordering easily from your phone. The menu had all sorts of options — gyukatsu set, gyukatsu curry set, steak set, steak-don, rosukatsu, whole mozzarella cheese katsu set, basil ramen, mazesoba, and more!

What we ordered at Izawa: the steak set and the gyukatsu set

We ordered the steak set and the gyukatsu set. Doesn't the color just look amazing?! This was my first time trying the steak set and I was so excited haha

How to grill Izawa's gyukatsu for the best bite

They actually had instructions for how to eat the gyukatsu best! Place the gyukatsu onto the mini stone grill once it's preheated, and flip it back and forth to cook it to your preferred doneness without burning it.

Then once it's cooked well, dab a little fresh wasabi on top and dip it into Izawa's special sauce — apparently that's the tastiest way to eat it haha

What comes with the set meals, and the two house sauces

Ordering the set got us doenjang soup (soybean paste soup), rice, diced radish kimchi, the special sauce, and salad. This seemed to be the most generous rice portion out of any gyukatsu or steak set I've had so far haha

The brown sauce on the left had a sweet, easygoing flavor that was great for dipping in general, and the sauce on the right had a slight wasabi kick that worked well as a palate refresher! (Personally, I liked dipping into both sauces at once too haha)

Gyukatsu set vs steak set at Izawa: which one to order?

My boyfriend and I split the gyukatsu and steak nicely between us, and both were sooo tender that they basically disappeared the second they hit our mouths. The gyukatsu was crispy outside, juicy inside, and the steak had this extremely tender texture like beef sallichisal (chuck flap tail). It's hard to pick a winner since they're different kinds of delicious, so I recommend both, but if you really have to choose just one... I'd recommend the steak set!

It was noticeably bigger and thicker than the gyukatsu, yet so tender that the juices came out after just one or two bites — my esophagus was very happy haha

Anyway, if you're looking for a gyukatsu spot in Samsan, Ulsan or just a good place to eat in Nam-gu, Izawa The Terrace Garden branch has a huge menu and it's all so delicious, so I definitely recommend giving it a visit~!