Tonkatsu 5-step tasting order at Hets Jeonpo Branch, Busan

It's gotten a lot cooler lately so I've been out and about exploring, and I'm back with a review of a tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo! Hets (HETZ) Jeonpo Branch has been the talk of Jeonpo-dong as a katsu spot lately, so I was curious and went straight there.

Spoiler: I was completely satisfied. I ordered YBD Sang Loin Katsu, YBD Loin Katsu, and a side of meat curry, and I've put a comparison review of the two katsu at the end.

Where is Hets Jeonpo Branch?

• Location: 225 Jeonpo-daero, 2nd Floor, Unit 201, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea
• How to get there: 297m from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station, about a 3-minute walk
• Hours: Daily 11:10 - 20:30 / Break time 15:30 - 17:00 / Last order 15:00, 20:00

I found it without much trouble right after leaving the station. It's on the 2nd floor so it's easy to miss — check for the sign before heading up!

Let's take a look at the menu

The menu was largely split into a Jeju black pork line and a YBD line. Both had me curious, but this time I went with the YBD line.

YBD, as explained on the menu, stands for Yorkshire (Y) + Berkshire (B) + Duroc (D), a three-way crossbred pig. The Sang Loin Katsu comes with gabriisal (pork skirt meat) attached, so it apparently has a stronger meaty flavor than the plain Loin Katsu.

The basic table setting and side meat curry

Rice, soup, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and sauce come as standard, and silbi kimchi is provided on request. I also added a meat curry and tried it by dipping. It had big chunks of meat and a slightly spicy hint of spice, and it went perfectly with the katsu.

What I ordered: YBD Sang Loin Katsu & YBD Loin Katsu

This time I ordered YBD Sang Loin Katsu, YBD Loin Katsu, and a side meat curry. Since both katsu are from the same YBD line, it was a great chance to compare them directly.

This is the YBD Sang Loin Katsu. Maybe because of the gabriisal attached, you can clearly see the marbling right from the cross-section. The breading was thin and fried crisp too.

And this is the YBD Loin Katsu! Since it's from the loin, it has a higher proportion of lean meat compared to the sang loin katsu.

A tip for eating katsu

There was a card at the restaurant guiding the order to eat the katsu in, so I followed it exactly.

• Step 1: Try it plain first, no dipping, to feel the texture of the breading
• Step 2: Dip in a little salt to taste the ingredient's natural flavor
• Step 3: Add a touch of mustard
• Step 4: Sprinkle on pepper for extra aroma
• Step 5: Finish by dipping in curry

Eating in this order meant the flavor kept changing even with a single katsu, so it never got boring. Rice, doenjang soup, seasoned perilla leaves, and kimchi also came out alongside, making it a filling meal.

Wrapping up

Hets Jeonpo Branch, a tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo, is somewhere I think I'll keep coming back to! Next time I'm planning to try the YBD assorted katsu or the hire katsu (tenderloin cutlet).

If any of you neighbors have already been, let me know in the comments what you ordered haha. It'll be really helpful when I'm deciding what to get on my next visit.