Japanese restaurant in Dongjak: gyukatsu omurice set, Hurato Sikdang

Where is Hurato Sikdang Isu Branch, and what are its hours?

Hurato Sikdang Isu Branch (후라토식당 이수직영점) is a second-floor Japanese restaurant just a one-minute walk from Isu Station's exit 9. The access is really great 🚶🏻‍♀️ (though parking looks tough, so if you're driving it's probably worth calling ahead)

That day my partner and I had been studying together at a café 🤓, and when it came time to pick dinner, this place — which always shows up near the top when you search 'Isu Station restaurants' — caught my eye.

Gyukatsu plus Japanese omurice ...💛 Gyukatsu (breaded pork cutlet) was huge back in my college days, and after all that studying, I was suddenly craving it.

And this is even the Isu direct-operated branch? No reason not to go.

<Hours> Daily 11:30 ~ 22:00 *Break time 15:00 ~ 17:00 *Last order 21:00

What's on the menu at Hurato Sikdang?

The menu's main event is gyukatsu, and besides that there are rice bowls, the Japanese omurice I was curious about, udon dishes, and even Japanese-style curry, which I love 🥘 (I'll have to come back for gyukatsu + curry next time.)

Inside Hurato Sikdang: window wall seats and movie posters

Still, the entrance sign is probably the main event visually, right?

The inside of Hurato Sikdang was quite spacious and comfortable, with a sort of Japanese-style interior (?) — though there were also all kinds of movie posters on the walls. Maybe the owner's personal taste in film?

One side in particular is a full window wall, so it doesn't feel stuffy at all — I liked that.

Apparently 'Hurato' (ふらっと) means 'on a whim' in Japanese.

So Hurato Sikdang basically means a restaurant you can drop into casually, no pressure.

The 45,000-won gyukatsu and Japanese omurice set

What we ordered that day was

Hurato Sikdang Set 1. Gyukatsu + Japanese omurice + 2 drinks (₩45,000)

That's it!

Before long, our dishes arrived 🫶🏻

The gyukatsu came out first 🤤 Thin crumb, thick meat... passed the test.

Next up was the omurice 💛

I really love eggs. I love pretty much any dish with egg in it...🐣

And since I also love Japanese food, Japanese-style omurice is honestly the ultimate menu item for me.

That soft, jiggly, wobbly texture (how do they even make that?) — I'd love to try making it myself someday...

🤍 The full set, plated 🤍 Looks pretty neat, right?

Next came my partner's omurice-cutting ceremony

...The result was disastrous ^-^ No talent for cutting, apparently. As long as it tastes good, though.

How to grill the gyukatsu on your own stone grill

(Leaving the disastrously cut omurice behind) now it's time to properly grill the gyukatsu 😖

At first I said, 'Today I'll do it all! Give me the tongs!' — but before I knew it, my partner was the one grilling.

I have no idea why the tongs keep getting taken from me. (According to my partner, once I flipped one piece, I handed the tongs over naturally. No way that's true.)

The texture... the color... omg...

Was the beef tender or chewy?

Anyway. Doesn't the meat quality just look amazing?

It really was — not tough at all, soft, and it went perfectly with the thin crispy coating outside.

Add the moist omurice on top of that (round of applause 👏🏻) ⭐️ Recommended ⭐️

Is Hurato Sikdang good for lunch or takeout too?

Hurato Sikdang Isu Branch also sells rice bowls, curry, and udon, so it seems like a good spot to drop into casually — 'hurato' style — for lunch too.

Takeout and delivery are available, so ordering in simply for delivery could work well too 🥡

What do you all think — worth a visit? 😛