Suyu Station cheese katsu with pink Himalayan salt: Katsu Shokudou

Katsu Shokudou Suyu: is parking easy?

Katsu Shokudou Suyu is a Japanese tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant on the first floor of the Episode Suyu 838 complex near Suyu Station, and the parking lot is well set up, so parking was easy. Today's review is of the place I think of first for Japanese food around Suyu Station!!!! It has won lots of Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon awards! Parking in Suyu is usually a pain, but Katsu Shokudou has a proper lot, so it was easy haha.

The Episode Suyu 838 building has a lot of shops, and Katsu Shokudou is toward the back, so you have to walk in a bit.

Seating and atmosphere at Katsu Shokudou Suyu

Inside Katsu Shokudou Suyu there are counter seats that are great for eating alone!

There are 4-person tables too haha. The mood is clean and quiet, so it's really an easy place to pop in for lunch. They sell tonkatsu, curry, udon and a soba set, so it's a safe, no-fuss choice 🥰🥰

What's on the menu at Katsu Shokudou?

Katsu Shokudou Suyu centers on katsu and curry, and the katsu comes both à la carte and as a set. Honestly I was so eager to eat that I searched the menu and screenshotted it before going, lol. There was katsu and curry, perfect for a Suyu Station tonkatsu lunch~ Especially the katsu that goes through low-temperature aging with yuzu (Korean citron).. the hire katsu (tenderloin cutlet) with its soft texture is a must-try! It's sold à la carte too, so pick that if you have a small appetite, or go for the hearty set.

When I got there, there was no kimchi nabe set, but there was kimchi udon! And probably because there are apartments nearby, they sell prepaid meal tickets too!! If you live nearby, try it once and buy one if you like it haha.

There's kake udon and curry udon too. Relatively cheap and decent, I think!

Side croquettes, 2 for ₩2,000, and the receipt review shrimp katsu

Katsu Shokudou Suyu has solid sides too!! 2 croquettes for ₩2,000 is a real bargain. They usually start at ₩5,000, so I rarely order them~ But at two thousand won you just have to, lol.

You can even get 2 pieces of shrimp katsu by joining the receipt review event, which made this Japanese spot near Suyu Station even better!!

Pink Himalayan salt and free refills

The table drawer at Katsu Shokudou Suyu holds a pink Himalayan salt grinder, and rice, salad and curry are free to refill. While waiting for the food I read the "how to enjoy" notice stuck beside the table lol. I opened the drawer and there was pink Himalayan salt. Maybe because you grind it yourself, it tasted even better!! And with free refills of rice, salad and curry, it was a great service for me, since I'm always short on fresh veggies lol.

There's shichimi (Japanese seven-spice) and salt like this, and spoons and chopsticks were ready too!

Katsu Shokudou's cheese katsu: does the cheese stretch?

The cheese tonkatsu my friend ordered at Katsu Shokudou was warm, and the cheese stretched properly. The Suyu Station tonkatsu arrived before I knew it~! Of course it's freshly fried, but the look of it, wow ㅠㅠㅠ What surprised me most was how good the cheese katsu was?? These days cheese hardens so fast that I honestly haven't ordered it much!! But my friend's was totally hot, stretchy and looked delicious.

So I quickly took a bite lol. The nutty cheese filled my whole mouth. Sprinkle Himalayan salt on top and it's savory and salty, insane.

That long, stretching look haha. Dipping it in the sauce that comes with it is great too!!!! If you're looking for Japanese food near Suyu Station, I highly recommend it. I felt happy to find a good tonkatsu place after a long time.

The soba (buckwheat noodles) that came with the set was a good portion, and the broth was refreshing and tasty.

Katsu Shokudou's tenderloin katsu set: portion and texture

The tenderloin katsu at Katsu Shokudou Suyu was a big portion, crispy outside and tender inside with nothing tough. I like lean cuts, so I ordered the tenderloin katsu. It looks like even more food, right?! Really generous and crispy outside, so good.

The inside was just right, and it chewed soft with nothing tough.

Eaten with the salad and side dishes(?) that came along, the combination was spot on~ I especially liked the dressing on the salad, something yuzu-like(?), pleasantly tangy and sweet. Add wasabi on top and take a bite with rice and you're full in no time lol. For lunch, I really think no set beats this.

I sprinkled salt on the tenderloin katsu too, dipped it in sauce and munched to the very last bite!!! No matter how good the sauce is, I believe the first bite and the foundation is salt. So having pink Himalayan salt you grind yourself.. means Katsu Shokudou is the best Japanese spot near Suyu Station, lol.