Seongsu Japanese restaurant lunch with ginger tenderloin: Gyuen Dang

Seongsu-dong has so many good restaurants and atmospheric cafés that it is somewhere we often end up for dates. Today, my wife and I visited Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch for lunch while enjoying a date in Seongsu-dong. Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is on the second floor at 10 Yeonmujang 7ga-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, about 270 m from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station, so it is easy to reach by public transit.

It struck me as a nice Seongsu Station lunch spot to visit when you want tasty Japanese food or a special menu while on a date in Seongsu-dong~

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch, close to Seongsu Station

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is quite close to Seongsu Station, making it well located for a meal alongside a Seongsu-dong outing. Parking is not available in the area, so it is best to use a nearby public parking lot if you are driving. Hours are 11:30–22:00 on both weekdays and weekends, with a weekday-only break from 15:00–17:00; last order is at 21:00. Seongsu-dong tends to be busy on weekends and at lunchtime, so a wait is a given~ It would be best to plan around meal times.

An atmosphere that feels like a restaurant in Japan

When we stepped inside, the overall interior reminded me of a restaurant in Japan. The gentle lighting made it feel like more than simply a place to eat—it felt like somewhere to enjoy the atmosphere along with the meal~

It did not feel at all intimidating for a Seongsu date, and it also looked like a nice place to have a light drink with dinner. If you want to enjoy good food as well as cafés on a Seongsu-dong date, a Japanese restaurant with this kind of atmosphere might be a great choice~

Today’s order: Gyuen Dang’s signature gyukatsu

Gyukatsu is Gyuen Dang’s signature menu, so my wife and I ordered the striploin gyukatsu and tenderloin gyukatsu, one of each.

The ₩19,000 striploin gyukatsu features richly beefy striploin finished with teriyaki sauce, while the ₩24,000 tenderloin gyukatsu pairs tenderloin’s characteristically soft texture with ginger sauce.

Both dishes came with a similar basic setup, but the house sauces served with the beef were different.

Gyukatsu grilled yourself on a small brazier

The fun part of Gyuen Dang’s gyukatsu is that you grill it yourself on a small brazier.

When you order gyukatsu, butter is placed on a small brazier, and you can grill the meat yourself to your preferred doneness. I first tasted the gyukatsu as served, with its crisp cooked exterior, then grilled it little by little over the brazier to suit my taste. That meant we could enjoy it warm until the last bite. The sizzling sound and rising aroma of meat really got the appetite going.

Soft tenderloin and richly beefy striploin

I already like gyukatsu and have tried it in many places, but personally, I was very pleased with Gyuen Dang’s tenderloin and striploin. The tenderloin in particular was exceptionally soft, with almost no chewy feel when bitten into. Dipping it generously in the house ginger sauce brought together the tender texture and the sauce’s fragrance beautifully. Compared with the tenderloin, the striploin had a deeper beef aroma.

The striploin came with a teriyaki-style sauce that worked well with the meat’s flavor. If you like gyukatsu, it could be fun to compare the tenderloin and striploin for their different textures and flavors.

From salt and wasabi to seasoned pickled radish

Gyukatsu was delicious dipped in sauce, but it was also nice with salt and wasabi.

When I wanted to taste the meat’s clean flavor properly, the combination of salt and wasabi suited it well. A generous dip in the house sauce gave it a richer flavor.

Personally, the combination I found most interesting was with seasoned danmuji (yellow pickled radish). Topping a piece of gyukatsu with a little of it created such a nice sweet-and-salty balance that I kept reaching for more. Gyukatsu alone could become a little rich if you keep eating it, but with the various accompaniments, it stayed delicious without becoming tiring until the end.

A complete meal with rice, salad, and soup

It was not just meat: white rice, cabbage salad, soup, and other essentials came with it, so it was satisfying as a full meal too.

In particular, placing a piece of gyukatsu over white rice and dipping it in the house sauce made for a really good rice-and-meat combination. Personally, this is the way of eating it that keeps coming back to me.

A good place for a Seongsu-dong date meal

Overall, I was pleased with everything from the meal to the atmosphere at Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch. Above all, it is close to Exit 3 of Seongsu Station and easy to find, while the Japan-like interior lets you enjoy the atmosphere as you eat. At ₩24,000 for tenderloin gyukatsu and ₩19,000 for striploin gyukatsu, it did not feel overly burdensome for a special date meal in Seongsu-dong. There are so many different restaurants in Seongsu-dong, but if you want something a little different from usual, I think gyukatsu is a good choice.

Next time, I want to try the omurice too

I heard that Gyuen Dang is also quite famous for its omurice (Japanese omelet rice), so I am planning to try it on my next visit. This time we compared the tenderloin and striploin gyukatsu, but next time I would like to order other dishes as well. If you are looking for somewhere to have lunch in Seongsu-dong or an atmospheric Japanese restaurant, enjoying a gyukatsu meal at Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch near Seongsu Station could be a nice option. Today’s meal with my wife in Seongsu-dong was a time when we properly enjoyed the fun of grilling meat ourselves over a small brazier, the soft tenderloin, and the richly beefy striploin.^^