Afternoon tonkatsu date in Hyehwa: cheddar cheese katsu, Maison Akai

A rare date in Hyehwa's Daehak-ro area! Since we were out, I wanted a tonkatsu place with good vibes and good food. This is Maison Akai Hyehwa (메종아카이 혜화본점).

Where is Maison Akai Hyehwa?

Maison Akai Hyehwa is on the 2nd floor of the building at 34 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu :)

Maison Akai is a great Hyehwa date lunch spot. I went around 4 PM, and by the time we left, people kept coming in and it was almost full.

There's a description of Maison Akai posted at the front, which gives you a peek at how they treat their customers.

What are the seating and atmosphere like at Maison Akai?

Inside, the seating is divided into tables for 2 and for 4, and cute little decorative items caught my eye.

It was really hot that day, but the inside was cool and refreshing, which felt great. The tables are spaced widely apart too, so it was comfortable!

Every seat has its own basket for bags and belongings, which was so convenient. I'd brought a big bag and it was a bit of a hassle, so having a spot for it was perfect. Great touch, two thumbs up!

Maison Akai cooks everything to order so it takes a little while, but the food came out faster than I expected.

What we ordered at Maison Akai Hyehwa

If you need rice, soup or side dishes at Maison Akai, just ask separately!

After you order, they bring out the soup and side dishes first. The yuba (tofu skin) miso soup is slightly spicy, which pairs perfectly with greasy tonkatsu.

Melon soda: mix it with the ice cream

The melon soda came out first! You know it's the real deal when it has ice cream on top! Drink about a third of it, then mix in the ice cream.

On a hot day, that sweet, cold fizz really wakes you up, haha.

What comes in the Jumbo Tonkatsu Set?

The Jumbo Tonkatsu Set arrived piled high with salad! Look at the rice that came with it, haha. It's shaped like a scoop of ice cream. It's white rice sprinkled with furikake (rice seasoning), and it was tasty even on its own.

Maison Akai's Jumbo Tonkatsu Set lets you try three different cuts at once: chicken breast katsu, loin katsu and tenderloin katsu.

With the katsu plus plenty of rice and salad, the table was completely full.

Is the Akai Iron-Plate Cheese Katsu too greasy?

The Akai Iron-Plate Cheese Katsu is a new menu item, and it's a cheese bombardment of a cutlet, to the point where I wondered if this much cheese was allowed!

Maison Akai's iron-plate cheese katsu uses mozzarella and cheddar: mozzarella inside the cutlet and cheddar underneath. If you like cheese, definitely pick this! It's a completely different level from the cheese tonkatsu we all know.

You might think that much cheese would be too rich, but it's not at all, because there's a light sprinkle of crushed peperoncino in the middle!

Scrape up all the cheddar sauce and dip generously. That's the real deal, so delicious. Since the katsu comes on an iron plate, it doesn't go cold, so the mozzarella kept stretching and stretching. That's the highlight.

Even piled with plenty of cheddar sauce, it's not greasy at all, just an explosion of nutty richness.

You can really feel that Maison Akai doesn't skimp on the cheese. Crispy outside, juicy inside, with melting cheese on top. It's one of those menu items you absolutely have to try.

See how I'm almost done with the katsu? Even so, the mozzarella keeps stretching, so you can enjoy it to the very last bite.

How do the loin, tenderloin and chicken breast katsu in the jumbo set taste?

Loin katsu: thin coating, thick meat

Next up is the loin katsu. It's the textbook crispy outside, juicy inside, and the coating is so thin that it's even crispier.

The pork is really thick but not tough at all, and so tender to chew. It's good with tonkatsu sauce, but just dipping it in a little salt is mild and delicious.

Add nuttiness with the cabbage loaded with sesame dressing, then cleanse your palate with the melon soda, now with melted ice cream. I couldn't stop thinking about the cabbage salad at home, so I even went to Costco and bought pre-shredded cabbage, hahaha.

Tenderloin katsu: tender enough to eat with your gums

The juicy tenderloin katsu has pepper sprinkled in the middle, which made for another different flavor. The loin is tender too, but the tenderloin was soft enough to eat with just your gums.

I also ate the furikake rice in between. The furikake is salty, so even just that with the miso soup was amazingly good..!

Chicken breast katsu: juicy, not dry

Last is the chicken breast katsu! I thought chicken breast would be dry, but not at all. It's similar to the loin katsu, and since it's chicken breast, it wouldn't be bad for dieters either!

Is Maison Akai good for a Hyehwa date lunch?

See how I scraped up even the leftover cheese sauce, haha? It was a really delicious meal and the atmosphere was nice too, so if you're looking for a Hyehwa date lunch spot, I recommend Maison Akai!