Japanese lunch in Hwaseong: gyukatsu and sukiyaki at Sindong Lab

I do not usually go this overboard in a blog title, but this place is seriously, seriously, seriously a super-delicious restaurant where every menu item is amazing!

How were the gyukatsu and sukiyaki set meal?

Just look at that gyukatsu photo... How could this possibly not be delicious? It was so good it may be my gyukatsu of a lifetime.

This is the sukiyaki set meal, and it comes out looking completely luxurious—on the level of a proper meal in Japan. The flavor was excellent too, and the kids ate it so well!!

We stopped by on our way back from a trip way out in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, and I was so happy to feel like we had found a true hidden gem!

It is hugely famous for lunch in Bongdam, and as you can see, it is a popular spot with quite a wait!!! Still, do not give up—please make sure you visit~ It would be great to reserve ahead!

1st floor, 96 Wau-ro, Bongdam-eup, Hyohaeng-gu, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do. The parking was wonderfully spacious, and the restaurant itself is quite large! Every staff member was so, so kind, and the food selection is so varied that it would be good even for repeat visits!

Sindong Lab menu and family visit information

Here is the menu. There is such a wide range of choices, including steak donburi, salmon set meals, mazesoba, gyukatsu, sukiyaki, udon nabe, sake don, and yakitori don.

They also have drinks including ade, plus delicious Japanese-style alcohol such as Sindong Lab highballs, lemon sours, and yuzu sours~!

My two little daughters really loved this place and raved about how tasty it was. It is such, such a great place for a family gathering with children.

They open at 11:00 and operate until 9:30 p.m., but make sure to avoid the break time~ It is from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.!!

Once you walk in, the huge scale of the place is surprising. There are so many tables, and it has such a fresh atmosphere.

There is also a separate space like this for group gatherings, along with many different kinds of tables~!

A full spread of gyukatsu, sukiyaki, and steak donburi

We reserved in advance, and they prepared a pre-meal drink and soup for each person like this.

They had a high chair ready too, and the food we ordered came out faster than expected!

We ordered three generous dishes: the gyukatsu set meal, sukiyaki set meal, and steak rice bowl~!!! ₩50,000 worth of happiness ㅠ_ㅠ

Steak donburi loaded with thick-cut meat

First up was the steak donburi, one of the donburi rice bowl options... Wow, can you see that meat?? There are so many thick pieces in it!

Not only was it thick, but it was cooked perfectly too. The rice bowl had all sorts of vegetables and a special sauce... It was so delicious that the kids ate it up too! Haha.

The gyukatsu set meal that became our favorite

And our couple favorite was~~~~~ of course the gyukatsu set meal!!! The gyukatsu was wonderful, but look at the ricotta cheese salad beside it too! Such a luxurious full spread came out :)

I am honestly not just saying this—it surprised me because it was even tastier than the gyukatsu I had eaten in Japan~~!!

For anyone looking for a Bongdam lunch spot, I really want to highly recommend it. I wondered whether there could be another restaurant with a menu this neat, satisfying, and properly put together!!

A sukiyaki set meal enjoyed like shabu-shabu

And I have to introduce another killer menu item~!! A strongly recommended Sindong Lab dish!! It is the sukiyaki set meal~!! The presentation itself is so pretty, right? Raw egg, beef, mushrooms, bok choy, udon noodles, and sukiyaki broth~!!

Cook the beef like shabu-shabu, then dip it in the egg sauce, and it is seriously insanely delicious ㅠㅠ

The udon noodles are fantastic too, and the broth is so delicious that you keep going back for more—it is dangerously addictive!!

My younger little one ate it so, so well too. They gave us tongs and scissors, so I cut it up nicely and served it with rice—and look at that huge happy open mouth, haha.

My older one mixed up all the sauce herself and ate really well too, haha.

Finishing with self-serve gelato

And another amazing thing here: they have dessert ice cream! You can scoop it yourself, and it is not cheap ice cream—it is really delicious gelato :) From the pre-meal appetizer through those luxurious Japanese-style mains, we had such a satisfying meal~ Then we wrapped it up perfectly with gelato for dessert!!!

For anyone looking for a great Bongdam lunch spot, I really do not think there is another place quite this excellent~~!!!