Tonkatsu near Samsung Seoul Hospital: generous cold soba set, Sioldon

What is Sioldon Irwon Branch, the tonkatsu place near Samsung Seoul Hospital?

Sioldon Irwon Branch (시올돈 일원점) is a tonkatsu restaurant in the restaurant alley near Samsung Seoul Hospital. I was looking for somewhere to eat near the hospital, and I was craving pork cutlet, so I stopped by. There's a whole alley of restaurants around the hospital, which makes it easy to shop around for a meal. This time I went to Sioldon, and I liked its clean atmosphere and hearty menu.

I found it while searching for a good tonkatsu place near Samsung Seoul Hospital, and in person it looked fine for eating solo or as a pair. You can have cold soba (chilled buckwheat noodles) alongside your cutlet, which makes it a great lunch pick too.

Is there parking at Sioldon Irwon Branch?

There's space to park in front of the restaurant, so it was easy to visit by car. When you're driving around near a hospital, parking quietly becomes a worry, so I was happy to see spaces right out front.

Atmosphere and the open kitchen

The exterior looked tidy overall, and inside felt even more put-together. The kitchen is open, so you can catch a glimpse of food being prepared, and the area where dishes sit before being served was kept neat too.

Ordering the value set and sirloin katsu set at the kiosk

You order at a kiosk at Sioldon Irwon Branch. This time I picked cold soba and cheese katsu in the Sioldon value set, and added a sirloin katsu set. I wanted to try both sirloin katsu and cheese katsu, and being able to combine them like this let me enjoy a nice variety.

Food is made as soon as you order, so there was a short wait. Afterwards it was brought to me directly, with the food and sauces neatly arranged on a tray, which made a clean first impression.

Sioldon cheese katsu: how far does the cheese stretch?

The Sioldon cheese katsu I picked in the value set stretches nicely when you cut it while it's hot. The cheese katsu was the first thing that caught my eye.

The cutlet is packed with cheese, and when I cut it in half while it was warm, the cheese stretched out so much that just looking at it made my mouth water. Cheese katsu really is best eaten hot.

One bite and you get soft cheese all through the crispy coating. It's tasty as is, but dipping it in the sauces provided gave it a different feel.

The stretching cheese is also good for photos or videos. If you love cheese katsu, there's some fun in pulling the cheese out long and taking a bite while it's hot.

Sirloin katsu: pink salt, wasabi or mustard?

With the Sioldon sirloin katsu set you can alternate between pink salt, wasabi and mustard for different combinations. I tried the sirloin I ordered as my main too, and I liked being able to eat it in several ways rather than just one. A light dab of pink salt works, and so do wasabi or mustard, each giving a different flavor.

When I wanted the plain flavor of the sirloin itself, I had it with pink salt, and when I wanted a bit more kick, I added wasabi. I could switch it up whenever I felt like it.

Tonkatsu is often eaten only with sauce, so having several accompaniments kept the flavor from getting monotonous over one plate.

Is the cold soba in the value set big enough?

The cold soba in the Sioldon value set came out more generous than I expected, enough to count as a proper meal alongside the cutlet. Personally, the cold soba is the item I was glad I ordered.

Since it was part of the value set, I worried the portion might be small, but it was more generous than I thought. It's not the little side-dish soba you sometimes get at a tonkatsu place; it felt like enough to eat as a meal.

After the cool broth and chewy noodles, going back to the crispy cutlet worked really well. Alternating between hot, crispy sirloin katsu and cold soba left my mouth feeling clean.

On a warm day especially, adding cold soba makes the meal feel a little lighter than eating tonkatsu alone.

What to order at Sioldon alone or with a group

Going solo, the sirloin katsu set looked right; with a group, sharing cheese katsu, sirloin katsu and cold soba seemed like a good combination. For anyone looking for a meal near Samsung Seoul Hospital, the menu options are pretty decent, so it's worth considering.

It's good for a solo sirloin katsu set, and if you come with others, you could share cheese katsu, sirloin katsu and cold soba.

I came to Sioldon while hunting for a good tonkatsu place near Samsung Seoul Hospital. What stuck with me was that the restaurant was clean and the food was prepared after ordering, so I could eat it hot.

If you're wondering about lunch or dinner near Samsung Seoul Hospital, stop by Sioldon on a day you're craving tonkatsu. Next time I eat near the hospital, I'll probably come back for the sirloin katsu and cold soba combo.