Humid-day tonkatsu dinner in Seongnae-dong, cold soba loin set: Riae

Premium authentic Japanese tonkatsu set

Craving cold soba on a humid day: Riae Premium in Seongnae-dong

Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch (리애 프리미엄 올림픽공원직영점) is a Japanese tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant in Seongnae-dong near Olympic Park, serving aged Jirisan Hanbon pork katsu and a summer-only cold soba set. It was one of those humid days when I'd been dragging all day, and when I said I wanted something cold, my husband said, "Then let's go somewhere with cold soba."

That's how we found Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch, on the Seongnae-dong side of Olympic Park! A premium tonkatsu set right in the neighborhood... well, we had to go right away-

Riae Premium Olympic Park: location, hours and parking

Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch is about a 10-minute walk from Olympic Park Station Exit 4, and you can also get there from Dunchondong Station Exit 3. The address is 46 Seongnae-ro 18-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea (ground floor).

• Hours: daily 11:00 - 20:00
• Break time: 15:00 - 16:00
• Last order: 19:30~20:00
• Parking: available at the nearby Olympic Park P4 parking lot (424 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul)

What makes Riae Premium special

• Premium tonkatsu made with aged Jirisan Hanbon pork
• Pork aged through three cross-aging stages
• 6 or more sauces provided
• Summer-only cold soba set
• Tablet ordering available
• Baby chairs and children's tableware
• Connects to an Olympic Park walking route

Exterior vibe of Riae Premium in a Seongnae-dong alley

Riae Premium sits on a quiet street in a Seongnae-dong alley near Olympic Park, in the cram-school district. The sign isn't loud at all and it has a plain Japanese eatery feel, so there's even a bit of a real local Japan vibe, haha.

It looks like lots of locals come for dinner already! If I lived around here I'd be coming often..

What's inside Riae Premium? Open kitchen and tablet ordering

Inside it's pleasant, with roomy table settings~ Open the door and the first thing you see is a calm wood-toned interior with an open kitchen.

Every table has a tablet, so you can order right from your seat.

The open kitchen of a tonkatsu chef you can trust!

The feel-good background music = the sound of katsu going into the fryer and the faint smell of oil drifting around~~

The bar table is great for eating alone, quite a few families come, and it looks comfortable with kids too!

Riae Premium menu and prices

Riae signature tonkatsu

• Signature Premium Special Loin Katsu: ₩22,500
• Riae Signature Menchi Hamburg Katsu (minced meat cutlet): ₩20,000
• Jirisan Loin (rosu) Katsu: ₩18,500
• Fish (sakana) Katsu: ₩18,500
• Filet Mignon Tenderloin (hire) Katsu: ₩19,000

Signature sets (half-and-half, 2 kinds)

• Riae Signature Trio: ₩25,000
• Special Premium Loin + Tenderloin: ₩22,000
• Special Premium Loin + Menchi Hamburg: ₩23,000
• Tenderloin + Tokyo Menchi Hamburg: ₩22,000
• Special Premium Loin + Ebi (shrimp) Fry: ₩24,000
• Tenderloin + Ebi (shrimp) Fry: ₩23,000
• Sakana (fish) + Ebi (shrimp) Fry: ₩23,000

Tokyo spice curry

• Tenderloin (hire) Spice Curry: ₩18,000
• Loin (rosu) Spice Curry: ₩18,000
• Ebi (1 shrimp) Spice Curry: ₩18,000

Extras and drinks

• Tokyo Hitokuchi (bite-size) Spice Curry: ₩6,000
• Tokyo Menchi Hamburg Katsu, 1 pc: ₩8,000
• Tenderloin (hire) Katsu, one strip: ₩7,500
• Loin (rosu) extra-large portion: ₩7,500
• Fish katsu: ₩8,000
• Ebi (shrimp) fry, 1 piece: ₩6,000
• Korean Gangwon-do potato croquette, 1 piece: ₩2,000
• Cola 355ml: ₩2,500
• Cider (lemon-lime soda) 355ml: ₩2,500

Cold soba loin (rosu) set ₩19,500 + black tiger shrimp add-on ₩5,000

The cold soba loin (rosu) set at Riae Premium is ₩19,500, and I added one black tiger shrimp for ₩5,000. The cold soba came out first. The buckwheat noodles go down refreshingly, and the portion is very generous and hearty! On a humid day, this one bowl is so refreshing!!

The portion is so generous that it was good for sharing between the two of us. 🫶 The taste of a coo~~l summer

Side dishes come with plenty of cabbage, plus pickled radish, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and a wasabi sauce, a nice variety. The wasabi is moist too *

Alternating between cold soba broth and warm katsu... that's how to really enjoy summer!

Hearty, springy buckwheat noodles

Black tiger shrimp add-on: I thought it was a lobster

I added just one shrimp, but the moment it arrived both our eyes went wide. It was so enormous I thought it was a lobster, haha. The outside is fried crisp while the meat inside is very tender, warm and moist. The shrimp flesh breaks apart along the grain, and the sweetness hits you right away.

Aged loin katsu is best with wasabi

Maybe because it's aged pork, the loin katsu at Riae Premium has none of that typical pork smell. Dabbing a little wasabi into the sauce was the most delicious point of all! haha

Unlimited sauce dip-and-eat tonkatsu mukbang (eating show), let's go regularly~

What's in the Riae Signature Trio at ₩25,000?

The Riae Signature Trio (₩25,000) is a set with three fried items on one plate: tenderloin katsu, menchi katsu and fried shrimp. My husband got the Signature Trio, with miso soup and rice~~ a spread men would absolutely love!

The tenderloin is so tender it nearly falls apart when you pick it up with chopsticks,

and the sauces come in several kinds, so rotating through salt, wasabi, truffle oil and yuja ponzu (citrus soy sauce), there's never a dull moment to the end.

Bite into the menchi katsu and the juices burst out richly. Deep meaty flavor from the beef and pork mix! With three kinds of fried items, if you love meat and fried food, the signature set is the answer!!

A walk in Olympic Park after the meal

After a hearty authentic Japanese tonkatsu spread at Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch, we walked straight into Olympic Park. Full belly, a slight breeze, and a slow stroll talking about everything with my husband. Rain or humid~ days like this are the best.

If you're looking for a premium tonkatsu Japanese restaurant in Seongnae-dong near Olympic Park, Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch lets you enjoy aged loin katsu and cold soba in one go! ♥︎ Next time I'll come for the curry~! It's located between Olympic Park Station and Dunchondong Station.