Seoul Station gyukatsu spot, 8th on the Catch Table list: Ichigyu

Came to Seoul for a little getaway with Gyeongja after a while, and I was craving gyukatsu, so we found this Seoul Station spot, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch. Checked out of our accommodation right at lunchtime, so we turned it into a lunch date and filled up completely 💯

Where Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is and when it opens

✨Location: B116, Basement 1F, 98 Huam-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (basement of LG Seoul Station Building) ✨Hours: 11:00-21:30 (break time 15:00-17:00)

This Seoul Station restaurant, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, is easy to find — just exit Seoul Station through Exit 10 and walk a bit while keeping your eyes on the LG Seoul Station Building~

How long is the wait at Ichigyu without a Catch Table booking?

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch operates on Catch Table so that no-shows don't inconvenience other customers.

But since we only searched for lunch spots... we didn't even know Catch Table existed, haha, so we hadn't booked ahead. We arrived around 1pm and the place was already packed with people out front. We booked Catch Table late and got number 8, haha^.^ We saw people riding the escalator down to the basement with us and wondered if they were all going to Ichigyu too — and they really were!!! I mean, how good is this place

By the time we arrived, there were already plenty of people waiting outside and the inside was packed 🙊 Took this shot right before leaving (a lot of people had cleared out since break time was coming up). The place isn't huge, but it has quite a lot of tables!!

Ichigyu set menus and what was ordered for lunch

Ichigyu, this Seoul Station restaurant, also has set menus, so you can eat a variety of things at a good value, and they even give you tips for eating it in the tastiest way — which got me kind of fired up (?) to eat it right 💪 We were starving, so we were already ready to go

Out of the many menu items, we chose Ichigyu gyukatsu (sirloin), Japanese-style curry, and a 420ml Kirin draft beer. Every photo on the menu looked delicious, so we said we'd decide while waiting, but couldn't lol — still deciding even after we sat down 🤔 Note to self: if you want to eat quickly, book Catch Table ahead and decide on the menu in advance..~

Gyeongja chugging the beer the second it arrives... geez, it's lunchtime~🍺 But since it goes so well with the food, I let it slide, hehe

How the sirloin gyukatsu and Japanese-style curry tasted

After a short wait, the Ichigyu sirloin gyukatsu arrived. Can you see that insane beef cross-section?!!! Clearly quality meat 🥩 And besides the basic dipping sauce for gyukatsu, there were 3 more: wasabi, chili, and salt

The Japanese-style curry came out right after. Japanese curry is different from Korean-style — it's really just the sauce, unlike Korean curry, which has other ingredients like carrots and potatoes mixed in!

The taste was a little spicy, and eating it with the fried shrimp and egg gave it some good texture — we scarfed it down haha. It looks plain but it's absolutely not plain. Honestly I love curry whether it's Japanese or Korean 🍛

The fried shrimp on top of this Japanese curry was seriously huge,,, why won't it look that big in the photo!!!! A toast to fried shrimp 🍤

There were so many customers inside that you're supposed to hear a sizzling sound, but it just didn't come through in the shot — so disappointing, but here's the accompanying butter spread on before putting the gyukatsu on top 👍

Grilling sirloin gyukatsu just 7-8 seconds for medium-rare

I love eating it medium-rare, so following Ichigyu's recommendation, I grilled it for 7-8 seconds and ate it right away~! It was seriously so good, and Gyeongja and I ate it up saying wow, this is amazing.

It's great for lunch near Seoul Station, and also good for dinner if you want to pair it with drinks~ Seems like a nice date course near Seoul Station too! Because food always tastes better when you eat it with someone you like, haha

For reference, here's how to enjoy Ichigyu even more! It's even tastier with the thinly sliced mochi rice cake and grilling cheese, so check out how to get them and try it together — it makes it even more delicious