Mother-daughter lunch at a Yeonnam-dong katsu restaurant: Katsu

I visited this place once with my kids a while back and it's been on my mind ever since, but the timing never worked out and it drove me crazy. Today, now that the kids are back in school and lunchtime finally has some breathing room, I went hand in hand with my mom — she's the one who said this is the one tonkatsu place she actually wants, even though she doesn't usually seek it out.

Where is Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch, and how do you find it?

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch sits right around the start of the alley where Yeonnam-dong begins, haha. You know the little side street toward Donggyo-dong where the old Park Bo-ram chocolate shop used to be? Approach from there and it's easy to find. Go further in and the alleys can get confusing, so if you're directionally challenged like me, come in from the main road side!

Once you head further into the alley, you'll get the feel of it — a sunlit, semi-basement spot with an outdoor kind of vibe, the type of place where you feel like a hidden master chef must be inside. That's Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch.

Loin katsu and fillet katsu: what this mother and daughter order every time

Katsu Monster's menu looks simple, but there's a lot packed into it. We always order the same mains — I love the loin katsu (rosu katsu) with its nice bit of fat, while my mom goes for the fillet katsu (hire katsu), the king of lean and clean.

You can bump it up with a 2-person or 3-person set for a bit more money, and I know from experience that if you're two adults with one kid, the set with noodles isn't a bad choice either. But since it was just the two of us, if we got too full we might not have room for dessert... well, that's probably not actually going to stop us, haha. Still, my younger sibling's wedding is coming up soon, so I held back out of conscience.

Inside Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch: seating and how long you wait

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is small but has a decent number of tables, so the wait isn't long. Delivery orders far outnumber dine-in customers, so if you arrive early, you can enjoy a relaxed meal in the sunlight inside.

Can you see how fast our dreamy tonkatsu spread came out right after ordering? I'm writing this post the day after, and honestly, if someone asked me to go eat there again today, I'd shout a full yes! It's genuinely one of my favorite spots, Katsu Monster Yeonnam Branch.

When I first ordered the loin katsu, I actually expected just one piece and was surprised by how much came out. Now I'm used to it and just happy about the generous portion every time.

Is the fillet katsu my mother ordered dry?

The fillet katsu my mom ordered — just look at the size of that meat, is this even real? With almost no fat, you'd think it'd be dry, but nope! Not at all what you'd expect! It's tender with a satisfying, real bite to the meat — a genuinely refined-tasting fillet katsu.

Salt, pepper and wasabi: the self-serve seasoning combinations

At Katsu Monster, you can mix and match condiments from the table however you like. There's the basic tonkatsu sauce, which you can top with a sprinkle of pepper, or dip into plain white salt, or add wasabi — plenty of ways to enjoy it.

It's delicious plain, of course, but I think dropping a little wasabi into the tonkatsu sauce cuts the richness and lets you eat all the way to the end without getting sick of it. Meat and wasabi — you already know how that combo goes. There's absolutely no reason not to love this pairing.

No matter how many times I look at it, the meat is just so substantial... For a basic menu item to be this good quality, the value for money is amazing — every time I eat here, I never feel like it's a waste of money.

The delivery riders who never stop arriving

We were eating for maybe 30 minutes, and wow — watching the endless stream of delivery riders coming in really made me feel just how popular Katsu Monster is. I'm not sure if delivery reaches all the way to my house, but I should look it up tonight.

And it's common for the breading to get soggy or a bit mushy as you eat, but somehow, Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch's crust isn't over until it's over — it stays crisp, which makes me so happy.

My mom and I said we were full but ate it all anyway... give us some credit, haha. But really, it's Katsu Monster's fault for making it impossible to stop halfway. Haha.