Ulsan Samsan-dong gyukatsu for solo diners: window bar seat, Izawa

Hiya! It's Happy Sunny =) I've gone back to Izawa, the Ulsan gyukatsu place I've visited more times than I can count, for yet another re-re-revisit. It's located in a Xi apartment complex near Wangsaeng-i-gil in Samsan-dong, so there's no worrying about parking and it's easy to get to — I really recommend Izawa, and today I'll introduce this Ulsan gyukatsu favorite once again.

Where is Izawa The Terrace Garden branch, and what are its hours?

This Ulsan gyukatsu favorite is located on the 2nd floor of The Terrace Garden in Samsan-dong Central Xi.

They're open long hours, from 11am to 9pm, so you can visit for either lunch or dinner! Last order is at 20:25, so check the time before you go.

Parking at The Terrace Garden and paying with Ulsan Pay

For reference, if you park in the building's underground lot, Izawa gives you 2 hours 30 minutes of parking support!! I'd recommend driving there. I visited on a Monday lunchtime, and maybe because it was just past peak hours, there were plenty of parking spots.

At Izawa, a gyukatsu place I recommend for lunch in Samsan-dong, you can pay with Ulsan Pay. They even have Febreze ready to spray after your meal.

Why Izawa works for solo dining: a personal grill and window bar seats

Izawa is apparently a certified solo-dining restaurant, and it makes sense — the gyukatsu set comes with its own personal grill, so it's really perfect food to eat alone. (Not saying I visited alone myself... okay fine, I did 🤡)

There can be a wait during peak hours, but there are waiting seats right in front of the restaurant, so you can sit while you wait! I don't think it turns tables as fast as, say, a soup restaurant, but the personal grills heat up well so you can actually eat pretty quickly. Table turnover seemed decent, too!

The restaurant has tables for two and window bar seats. If you push the two-seater tables together, it looked like it could easily seat four or six people.

This window seat seemed like the kind of spot solo diners like me would often use. There was no one waiting outside, so I didn't feel rushed, and I ended up eating alone right at this window seat.

Izawa, a lunch favorite on Wangsaeng-i-gil! They also have baby chairs, so it seems like a fine place to visit with kids too.

Ordering the gyukatsu set with a mini curry add-on

The menu is divided into gyukatsu, curry, and steak dishes. Every single time I visit, I order the gyukatsu set. Today, of course, I ordered the gyukatsu set again. I'd seen neighbors' blogs where they added mini curry before, so this time I added the mini curry too.

There was a guide at each table on how to enjoy gyukatsu deliciously!! Once the personal mini grill heats up enough, you place as much gyukatsu as you'll eat on it, grill it to your preferred doneness, then dip it in wasabi plus the special sauce.

Just reading the text gives you an idea of how good it is, right? Oh! And the wait wasn't long at all — the gyukatsu I ordered came out right away.

The joy of solo dining — you can order exactly as much of whatever you want, and eat it all yourself! (King of gluttony, that's me...) Today I ordered zero-sugar cola to go with the gyukatsu. At Izawa, even the water is served cleanly as an individual bottled water.

There's a mini grill at every seat! As soon as I ordered the gyukatsu set, a staff member came right over and lit the candle under the grill, so it was already preheated by the time the gyukatsu arrived, and I could eat right away!

What comes with the gyukatsu set, and how it tastes

The gyukatsu set really came out fast! The set includes one plate of gyukatsu, two types of special sauce, rice, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and mini miso soup.

The rice had just the right fluffy texture, and I thought it would pair amazingly with the curry I ordered — the ultimate combo. (And sure enough, they went incredibly well together!) The soup was a standard miso soup, and the kkakdugi was nicely fermented and tangy — really tasty.

Plated with cabbage salad, fresh wasabi, and pickled ginger, the gyukatsu is fried quickly at high heat, so the inside stays moist and medium-rare while the outer coating is crispy.

The great thing about gyukatsu is you can cook it to exactly the doneness you like? Since the grill heats up fast, you just put on as much as you want to eat and grill it well on both sides. I put on two pieces at a time. It really melted in my mouth — there was hardly anything to chew..

I'm not sure what this special sauce is made of, but it was nice and tangy, perking up my appetite, and paired perfectly with the fresh wasabi. Personally, I think sauces like this are tastier than just salt!

Was the mini curry at Izawa worth adding?

The mini curry has a deep flavor but is somewhat spicy, so I wouldn't recommend it for young children. I'd suggest it as a pairing for adults to have alongside the gyukatsu! It wasn't a thick curry but more of a watery type, so it was nice to soak into the rice ~~ It was my first time trying the curry, and it was so-so. (The gyukatsu overwhelmingly won.)

That's it for today's solo lunch trip — a lunch favorite on Wangsaeng-i-gil! I introduced Izawa, an Ulsan gyukatsu favorite. It's a place I keep going back to for lunch, so if you're interested or eating out near Samsan-dong, give it a try ~~