Gyeongju restaurant for garlic Chinese-sauce cutlet: Midam Kitchen

I went to Midam Kitchen, a restaurant on Hwangnidang-gil in Gyeongju. Midam Kitchen is a newly opened Western restaurant — I looked through a bunch of reviews and thought, this looks like a real find, so I went,, and it was so good, you have to try it if you come to Gyeongju!!

Where is Midam Kitchen? A Hwangnidang-gil alley of hanok and Western-style houses

Midam Kitchen is a Western restaurant tucked in an alley on Hwangnidang-gil in Gyeongju. It looks like an old, quiet building that got remodeled into a restaurant.

Most restaurants on Hwangnidang-gil are in hanok (traditional Korean houses), but Midam Kitchen has this odd mix of hanok and Western-style building that gave it real charm!

There's a mirror inside too, great for a photo!!!

Midam Kitchen hours and closing day

Opens at 10:30, closes at 9pm! Gyeongju's Hwangnidang-gil restaurant Midam Kitchen is closed every Wednesday, so double-check before you go!

There's also a Gyeongju big-eater event going on these days,, worth checking!!

Since it's a new Gyeongju restaurant, the interior is clean and modern!!

The owner was really friendly too, which was so nice

For drinks I ordered zero-sugar cola~~~

Why we chose Midam Kitchen on Hwangnidang-gil

If you've been to Hwangnidang-gil, you know,, since it's a nationally famous tourist spot, prices are high and the vibe is nice, but it's hard to find good food for the price,, but Gyeongju's Midam Kitchen is the real deal!! I guarantee you won't regret coming here once.

What we ordered: beef risotto 15,900 won and kkanpung pork cutlet 15,900 won

At Midam Kitchen I ordered beef risotto for ₩15,900 and kkanpung pork cutlet for ₩15,900. Everything looked delicious so it took some deliberation, but I landed on these two.

Just look at that visual,,, doesn't it look amazing? I can tell whether food is good or not just from the smell (especially Western food)

This kkanpung pork cutlet is made with fresh loin, and the meat is soft and juicy — I think kids would love it too. It was especially generous in size, really filling

I was shocked by the beef risotto,,! Not the kind made with plain rice you get at chain-style restaurants — this is real risotto packed with cheese!! The rice grains melt in your mouth

Looking at the photos again makes me hungry all over,,, the combination of the two dishes was great — you eat the savory, rich sauce, then the punchy flavor of the kkanpung pork cutlet, and your appetite comes right back

The portions were generous too, so the two of us finished everything and walked out patting our full bellies

How does the kkanpung pork cutlet taste? Garlicky sweet-and-sour Chinese sauce

The sauce on Midam Kitchen's kkanpung pork cutlet was unmatched — a sweet-and-sour Chinese-style sauce loaded with garlic that really brings your appetite back

The cream risotto is loaded with cheese too, so just one spoonful and the cheese stretches out

On top there's a variety of ingredients too — bread, beef, herbs (cilantro?), cherry tomatoes — giving it a really layered flavor

The pork cutlet is genuinely not tough at all — just touch a knife to it and it slices right through

You can see it from the cross-section,, how tender the cutlet is,,

Dip it in the sauce and it's absolute paradise

How much beef is in Midam Kitchen's beef risotto?

Midam Kitchen's beef risotto was really satisfying because it's loaded with meat,, first time I've had a beef risotto with this much meat in it,,

The meat quality was good too, so neither dish had any gamey smell at all

The beef was juicy and well-cooked, not tough at all

Ate well and headed out,, even the pickles tasted fresh, like they were house-made. Had proper Western food in Gyeongju for the first time in a while,, you all should definitely stop by!