Catch Table waitlist tonkatsu near Olympic Park, Seoul: Riae Premium

Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch is a tonkatsu restaurant at 46 Seongnae-ro 18-gil in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. It sits right in front of Olympic Park, making it a great spot for lunch followed by a stroll through the park.

Why Riae Premium is a tonkatsu pick near Olympic Park

I made a reservation on Catch Table on the way there. Wait number 7. By the time I arrived, they were already calling number 4~~~ so many tables, so many people, such a long wait. Which is proof it's a good restaurant!

When I got called in, the inside was bright and clean. Eddie Higgins Trio's 'Again' was playing. The mood matched surprisingly well. There are bar seats too, so solo dining works here. I liked it.

Getting to Riae Premium: parking near Jamsil and Olympic Park

There's parking for 2 cars right behind the Riae Premium restaurant. Next time I should drive and do an opening run.

Riae Premium menu: set meals and sides

The menu is so varied it would be great to come with a group and order a bit of everything to try.

Thick, filling tonkatsu and solo lunch at the bar

First, a refreshing drink, gulp gulp! Since it's bar seating only, I sat here — a good spot for solo dining.

Cold soba and hire tenderloin set, 19,500 won

The cold soba tenderloin set arrived. Even just looking at it, the tonkatsu looked crispy.

The frying level on the tenderloin cutlet is a work of art. The tender meat melts before you even chew. The breadcrumb coating outside is thin. Crunch, crunch. So exciting. How can it taste this good~ Even a grandma without teeth could probably eat this? Kids love it, the whole family loves it — a great restaurant for a family meal out.

The cold soba (buckwheat noodles) isn't salty. And yet the flavor runs deep — deeper than bonito flakes, somehow. It gets better the more you eat. In the end I drank the broth straight from the bowl haha.

Premium loin cutlet and shrimp cutlet set, 23,000 won

The premium loin cutlet with shrimp cutlet set arrived. My jaw dropped hahahaha. The visuals are amazing, but it tastes even more incredible.

Premium loin cutlet with truffle oil and salt

The premium loin cutlet is made from the pork loin section, deep-fried. Dip it in truffle oil and the pairing goes wild. I recommend three ways of eating it~~~

• Just eat it as is.
• Dip it only in truffle oil.
• Dip once in truffle oil, then dip in salt.

King-sized shrimp fry at Riae Premium

A jumbo-sized fried black tiger shrimp~~~~ crisp in your mouth, then springy shrimp meat to chew. The batter is thin and the shrimp meat is big and firm.

The thinly shredded cabbage salad is wonderfully crunchy. It acts like a cleanser, wiping away the greasiness of the fried food~~~

Side order: bite-sized curry

A separately ordered side of bite-sized curry. It had a lot of ground meat, so I liked the chewy texture of the ground meat haha. Mixed into rice, it's also delicious haha.

After lunch: a walk through Olympic Park

Full, but a happy kind of full~~~~ After eating, I walk through Olympic Park right in front. It's a perfect date-course restaurant near Olympic Park. A day with strong phytoncide scents in the air, calories filled and burned — a perfect day.