Sinnonhyeon gyukatsu lunch where rice arrives first: Ichigyu Gangnam

It's been a while since I've been to Gangnam! My appointment landed right in the lunch hour, so I thought about what to eat and decided to go get some good gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) again after a long time!

Introducing today's Sinnonhyeon spot: Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch!!!

Where is Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch, and what is the space like?

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is a gyukatsu specialty restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building at 19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Taking the elevator up, the place had a slightly Japanese-style decor! Right from the entrance you could see delicious-looking beef..!😋

The inside had this kind of feel. It was pretty clean and quite spacious, with plenty of seats too. It had a Japanese vibe and the atmosphere was pretty good.

Weekday lunch wait times and reservation tips at Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch seems to get pretty crowded right at lunchtime, so I'd recommend checking the situation and using Catch Table's remote reservation, or booking ahead through Naver Reservation! We visited just a bit after the weekday lunch rush, so the crowd had thinned out and we could sit comfortably.

It was a bit hot that day, so we grabbed a seat with good AC airflow and nice sunlight!

Ichigyu menu and the Set 1 order for two

The menu at Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch! There were 4 kinds of set menus first. They looked pretty substantial! Besides that there was gyukatsu, steki, omurice, chapsteak, Japanese curry, plus yakisoba and cold soba! The menu was quite varied, and everything in the photos looked so delicious haha. Since we both wanted gyukatsu, we ordered Set 1 with two sirloin gyukatsu and two drinks!

There was also a sink inside the restaurant for washing your hands.

There was a review event posted! Post a receipt review before your meal and you get shrimp tempura, and joining again gets you grilled cheese and rice cake..! Ooh that sounds tasty. Gotta join next time for sure haha.

Why the rice arrives before the gyukatsu

The drinks came out first! Brought with cups of ice.

Something a bit unusual about this place! They served the rice first, before the gyukatsu itself! It came out in one bowl, and the portion was generous too haha.

Sirloin gyukatsu seared 7-8 seconds on Isigny butter

Wow.. finally the main event, the sirloin gyukatsu, arrives! It comes out with the surface lightly cooked to medium-rare, so you sear it further to your taste. Ooh.. looks so good! It came with chili sauce, salt, wasabi, and a slightly sweet-salty sauce too.

And this premium French Isigny butter..! You melt it on the brazier, then sear the gyukatsu on top of it to really taste the butter aroma. Wow.. even just the smell of the butter alone was amazing..

They immediately placed the butter onto the heated mini brazier! As soon as it melted, on went the gyukatsu~ Such a fully nutty aroma rose up right away.

They say gyukatsu is best seared for about 7-8 seconds! Wow.. the gyukatsu sizzling away along with that butter aroma!

Which sauce is best? Salt and wasabi won

Placing the nicely browned gyukatsu over the white rice and eating it was genuinely delicious. All the sauces were really good, but personally salt and wasabi were the tastiest! Since the gyukatsu was already full of butter flavor, this was perfect for savoring that flavor as-is.

So happy to have found a new go-to gyukatsu spot.. crispy outside, tender and juicy inside, plus that full buttery flavor! Next time I want to try some of the other menu items too.

Hours, location and visit notes for Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch

• Location: 19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• Reservations: Naver Reservation available, remote waitlist via Catch Table
• Hours: Daily 11:00-21:30 (break time 15:00-17:00)