Tokyo spice curry and trio set at Riae, a Gaepo-dong Japanese spot

There are plenty of good restaurants around, but some places just naturally come to mind when I'm spending time with good people. For me, Riae in Gaepo-dong is exactly that kind of place.

This was already my fourth visit, and looking back, every single time was a meal shared with someone precious to me. Since I'd already eaten here several times and loved it, I could pick it with total confidence.

✨ A Gaepo-dong restaurant worth remembering if you love authentic Japanese-style tonkatsu — a proper Japanese cuisine specialist ✨

You can book through Catch Table, and the menu has gotten more varied than before, so this time I mostly ordered things I hadn't tried yet.

Where is Riae, and its hours and parking

Riae is at 6 Seolleung-ro 16-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, open daily from 11:00 to 20:00. Last order is 19:30, and there's free parking right in front of the restaurant.

• 📍 Riae
• 🧭 6 Seolleung-ro 16-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Daily 11:00–20:00 / last order 19:30
• 🅿️ Free parking available in front

Inside Riae: a tidy, cool dining room

Once you sit down at Riae, pepper, salt and salad dressing are all neatly set out on the table.

I tend to get tired even before eating if a place is hot or stuffy, but that day at Riae, the air conditioner and circulator were really working hard. 💨

It was hot outside, but stepping in felt so refreshingly cool that the whole meal was comfortable. Looking at the menu, it had gotten quite a bit more varied compared to my earlier visits.

Even though I've been here many times, it was nice to have new things to pick out.

✨ Today's picks ✨ Hire Tokyo spice curry / Signature trio set / Zero-sugar cola

What does Riae's hire Tokyo spice curry taste like?

First up was Riae's hire Tokyo spice curry — a curry topped with hire katsu (fillet cutlet) made from tenderloin.

The plating was adorable the moment it arrived. There's a smiling face drawn on the curry, with the hire katsu laid on top like hair!

It made for a fun photo too. The curry had a vivid spice flavor with a bit of heat, the kind that keeps you reaching for another bite. It wasn't too heavy or one that gets old quickly, so it was easy to enjoy all the way through alongside the hire katsu.

True to hire katsu made from tenderloin, the meat was tender, and switching sauces partway through while eating it with the curry let me enjoy a variety of flavors within a single dish.

Riae's signature trio set: tiger shrimp, hire and rosu in one order

And then, the signature trio set I'd been waiting for arrived! It's a set that lets you try tiger shrimp, hire (fillet cutlet) and rosu (loin cutlet) all at once.

This is one I'd especially recommend if you have trouble picking just one type. Getting tiger shrimp, hire and rosu together made it easy to enjoy Riae's various fried dishes in one sitting.

In particular, the moment the tiger shrimp showed up, I couldn't help but say, "That shrimp is huge!"

It was big enough to have real presence even in photos, and inside the crisp batter you could really feel the springy texture of the shrimp.

The menchi katsu (minced meat cutlet) served alongside shouldn't be overlooked either. You could taste the juiciness and richness of the ground meat, giving it a different charm from the hire or rosu. Each item on the plate had its own texture and flavor, making it a Gaepo-dong Japanese-restaurant menu that was fun to work through piece by piece.

From wasabi to truffle: mixing Riae's sauces your own way

One reason I love Riae is that you're not locked into eating tonkatsu just one way. Beyond wasabi, salt and mustard, you can also pair it with tonkatsu sauce, truffle and lemon soy sauce in all sorts of combinations.

At first I went with the basics — wasabi and mustard — and also tried dipping into the tonkatsu sauce.

Of all of them, the combination with a hint of truffle was really my favorite.

Partway through, a light drizzle of lemon made everything feel fresh again — a whole different sensation!

There's also a tasting guide set out at the restaurant, so first-time visitors don't have to wonder how to eat it — you can just follow along step by step.

The salad and sides at Riae, as good as the tonkatsu

And I really love Riae's salad. You'd think salad wouldn't matter much at a tonkatsu restaurant, but at Riae it suited my taste so well I wanted to keep refilling it.

One bite of tonkatsu, one bite of refreshing salad, and it felt like I could start all over again.

The diced radish kimchi and pickles served alongside were clean without any overpowering flavors, making them great to have between bites of tonkatsu. Not just the main dishes, but even these small touches suit my taste so well, which I think is why I keep coming back.

Wet aging and storage: the care you can see at Riae

Something that's struck me across my several visits to Riae is how they handle the meat. It's vacuum-packed and aged/stored using the wet-aging method, and you can also see a dry-aging chamber toward the back of the kitchen.

Seeing how carefully they manage temperature, humidity and airflow, I felt that the deep flavor you taste in the tonkatsu doesn't happen by accident.

Even the cups were kept neatly stored, and I liked that they pay attention to hygienic details like this too.

They also sell alcohol, so next time, on a day without plans afterward, I'd like to come back slowly and enjoy tonkatsu with a beer.

Why Riae in Gaepo-dong is worth a fourth visit

This was already my fourth visit, and once again I was satisfied. I think there's a reason I naturally keep returning to a place when I want to spend time eating good food with good people.

If you love authentic Japanese-style tonkatsu, or you're looking for a slightly special meal in Gaepo-dong, Riae is a Gaepo-dong Japanese restaurant worth keeping in mind. I think I'll naturally find myself here again next time I want to spend precious time with good company. 💗