Half-and-half pork cutlet and salmon rice bowl lunch in Yuseong

It was a Monday, haha. I ate so well all weekend, but why does Monday always make me hungrier? I thought about exercising for a moment, then shouted 'diet starts tomorrow!' and started searching for somewhere to have lunch, haha. I was craving pork cutlet that day, and while looking it up I remembered a place a coworker had recommended.

It's Gatjidong, in Jijok-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. I went for pork cutlet and the food turned out so much better than expected that I already wanted to bring Rangu and Raemi next time — a real find in Yuseong. So let's get into today's eating record from JMin. :)

5 minutes' walk from Noeun Station — what about parking?

Gatjidong is barely a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Noeun Station, so it's quite convenient by public transit. I drove there that day. There's parking space in front of the store, but not many spots.

There were also a lot of cars parked along the road in front of the store — since it's a spot that draws in office workers nearby, especially at weekday lunchtime, finding parking might not be easy. If you're driving, it might be worth arriving a bit before the lunch peak. It's close to Noeun Station and easy to reach from Daejeon National Cemetery too, so it's worth considering if you're looking for restaurants near Daejeon National Cemetery.

Behind the yellow sign, a completely different mood

From outside, the yellow sign at Gatjidong catches your eye first. You can't see inside very well from the street, so I wondered, 'is the interior a little dark?' But once I opened the door, it was completely different from what I expected.

Bright and clean, with tables neatly arranged — the first impression was really pleasant. Crispy outside, tender inside, just like the pork cutlets themselves? Maybe that's just me thinking that way, haha.

Looking around the store, I noticed first-aid supplies near the entrance. Dental floss and toothpicks were there too — it felt like a place that thinks of its guests from the moment you walk in.

We arrived around 12:30pm and the place was nearly full. Luckily a table had just finished eating and the staff cleared it quickly, so we sat down without waiting. Customers kept coming in the whole time we ate, so it's clearly busy on weekday lunches. If you're visiting around noon, you should plan for the possibility of waiting.

A menu that works well for a quick office lunch

Once seated, you order using the tablet at the table. Looking at the menu, there was more than just pork cutlets — udon, rice bowls, curry, all kinds of hearty one-dish options.

Apparently the name Gatjidong means 'a delicious meal freshly made.' Knowing that it's a place serving carefully prepared pork cutlets, udon, rice bowls and curry at reasonable prices made the menu make even more sense. While we were ordering, delivery notification sounds kept going off. With the store already full of dine-in guests and delivery orders piling up too, I thought, 'this must be a place worth recommending' — and got even more excited for the food, haha.

I ordered the signature half-and-half pork cutlet I'd been craving, and my coworker ordered the daily-prepared salmon rice bowl.

Is pork cutlet still the soul food of men, haha?

When people talk about men's soul food, it's usually stir-fried pork or pork cutlet, right? Whenever I ask my husband what his favorite food is, pork cutlet never fails to come up, haha. After ordering, I looked around and noticed that most of the diners that day were men.

My coworker and I laughed for a while, saying 'guess it really is pork cutlet after all,' haha. It seems like a place that's easy for office workers near Noeun Station to choose for lunch, and not intimidating to eat alone either — especially popular with men looking for a quick weekday lunch.

Free broth, cream soup and white rice

There's a separate self-serve corner where you can grab the dishware and side dishes you need. And there was one more thing that caught my eye at Gatjidong — items you can enjoy for free!

Broth, cream soup, and white rice were all provided free of charge. While waiting, I grabbed the cream soup first. That old-school Western-style cream soup you don't often find at pork cutlet places these days, haha.

I sprinkled on some pepper and took a bite, and it was oddly nostalgic. Rangu really loves cream soup, so I thought, 'if I'd brought her, she'd have gone back for seconds of this alone,' haha.

The kids' service made me think of Raemi

And as a mom raising a kid, I couldn't just walk past this sign. Gatjidong prepares kids' plates, vitamins, and furikake rice for children. Wondering whether there's something the kid can actually eat is usually the first thing parents think about when dining out with a child.

Seeing the extra care put into kids' menu items and dishware immediately made me think of Raemi. And with free white rice available too, it seemed like a great option to use if visiting with a young child. I came with a coworker this time, but by this point I was already thinking, 'I need to bring the kids next time,' haha.

The signature half-and-half pork cutlet comes with sauce poured on

Finally, the pork cutlet I'd been waiting for arrived. My signature half-and-half pork cutlet lets you try pork loin cutlet and cheese cutlet at the same time.

Loin cutlet on one side, cheese cutlet on the other, plus salad and rice. But the moment I saw it, something felt a little unfamiliar — the sauce was poured right on top of the cutlet.

Since I always order 'sauce on the side, please' when going out for pork cutlets with the kids, meeting a poured-sauce cutlet again felt kind of novel, haha.

I'm not usually someone who piles on sauce either, so I was a little worried at first and tried the sauce alone. But... wow, this sauce is actually delicious?

The sauce made a bigger impression than the cutlet itself

Some pork cutlet sauces have a strong tangy edge, which isn't really my thing.

But the sauce at Gatjidong was different from what I expected. Rather than a sharp tang, what I noticed first was a creamy, smooth flavor. So I thought, 'with this sauce, I should coat the cutlet generously rather than just dip it,' haha.

I coated the loin cutlet generously with sauce and took a bite — it really worked. The loin itself wasn't dry, it was tender, so combined with the sauce I kept reaching for more.

Can't choose between loin and cheese? Go half-and-half

Next, the cheese cutlet! The distinct nuttiness of the cheese really came through, without the seasoning being overly strong.

The loin cutlet and cheese cutlet have clearly different appeals, so if you can't pick just one, the half-and-half option is a good call. Honestly, since we eat out with the kids a lot, I've been having pork cutlet so often lately that I was slightly tired of it.

But that day, eating it, I thought, 'Rangu would love this too.' It suited my taste well enough that I wanted to come back with my child.

A salmon rice bowl prepared fresh every day

My coworker ordered the salmon rice bowl. The moment the food arrived, my eyes went straight to it. The bowl had salmon arranged all around it, and the plating alone looked appetizing. Gatjidong notes that the salmon used for its rice bowl is prepared fresh every day.

So I asked for a bite, haha. The salmon was soft and nutty, and I didn't notice any fishy smell at all.

Paired with the sharp kick of wasabi and soy sauce, it went really well with the nutty flavor of the salmon. My coworker kept saying, 'I wish there was more salmon,' the whole time she ate, haha.

It must have really suited her taste. It's also a nice plus that there's a rice bowl option alongside the pork cutlets, so even if you and your dining partner have different preferences, you can each order what you want.

JMin's record for today

I went on a coworker's recommendation, but honestly I didn't have huge expectations going in. But from the sauce to the loin and cheese cutlets to the salmon rice bowl, everything suited my taste better than expected, and I had a genuinely enjoyable meal, haha. I especially remember being able to use the broth, cream soup and white rice for free, and the kids' service with plates and furikake rice.

This time I came for lunch with a coworker, but next time I'll have to bring Rangu and Raemi for a family meal. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Noeun Station in Yuseong, or a spot to enjoy both pork cutlet and salmon rice bowl in one visit, give Gatjidong a look. It's also worth considering if you're visiting Daejeon National Cemetery or the Noeun-dong area, or looking for restaurants near Daejeon World Cup Stadium. Thanks for the meal today too. :)