Irwon-dong tonkatsu: kimchi cheese nabe and Kirin beer, Sioldon

Sioldon Irwon Branch hours and break time

Sioldon Irwon Branch is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with a break from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Last order is 30 minutes before closing. I'm introducing Sioldon Irwon Branch, which is near Irwon Station and Samsung Seoul Hospital!

Where is Sioldon Irwon Branch, and where do you park?

Sioldon Irwon Branch is in the food alley by the back gate of Samsung Seoul Hospital! It's close to Exit 3 of Daecheong Station or Exit 1 of Irwon Station! You can park your car right in front of the restaurant!

₩2,000 off for takeout

Sioldon Irwon Branch even has a takeout discount! ₩2,000 off! Eating in the restaurant is tasty, but ₩2,000 off is tasty too, right?!

Kiosk ordering and what I picked this time

As soon as you walk into Sioldon Irwon Branch there's a kiosk, and you order and pay with it!

From here on, it's the menu! I ordered the cheese nabe, an extra tenderloin katsu, an extra cheese katsu, and a Kirin beer!

Heads up: the tonkatsu at Sioldon Irwon Branch takes about 15 minutes after you order! I also like that they don't make it in advance but cook it as soon as you order!

Is Sioldon Irwon Branch good for dining solo?

The self-service bar at Sioldon Irwon Branch has hair ties and coffee! There was a waiting list too! Maybe it's because it's a popular spot, but a waiting list and everything!

And there are solo tables like this! The interior is divided into sections, so it feels distinct and is a good layout for eating alone! I liked that each table is cut off from the others, kind of like this! The basic table setting was neat too.

This is the kitchen side! A half-open kitchen! Haha. I could actually see the meat fridge too! Sioldon says it uses only meat aged for 72 hours to make its tonkatsu! Putting 72 hours of care into every single cutlet is impressive!

After the meal you return your tray to the return window yourself! There was Wi-Fi too! A perfect environment for eating alone! And don't forget to grab a free canned drink with a receipt review!

There's also a guide on how to eat tonkatsu deliciously, so if the way to eat it is unfamiliar or you're curious, I recommend giving it a read before you dig in!

Extra cheese katsu: satisfying cheese and thick meat

They brought the Kirin beer before the food came out! This is the extra cheese katsu from Sioldon Irwon Branch! It's packed with cheese, and the meat part is pretty thick too, so it satisfied both my cheese cravings and my meat cravings!

The cheese stretches and stretches, such a delicious-looking sight! The richness of the cheese, the richness of the meat, and on top of that the crispy texture of the breading. Nothing is missing in this dish!

The cheese katsu is even better dipped in tonkatsu sauce!

Look at that cheese stretch!

Extra tenderloin katsu: tender, almost sausage-like texture

This is the extra tenderloin katsu from Sioldon Irwon Branch! The meat looked juicy, and the texture really was soft and delicious! I wondered if meat is allowed to be this tender! And it's not even beef! Is this the power of 72-hour aging?!

It's a bit like sausage, too! The tender, soft texture with the crispy breading was so good! I bet it would be really delicious as a full tenderloin katsu set too!

What does the kimchi cheese nabe taste like?

The kimchi cheese nabe (hot pot) at Sioldon Irwon Branch felt like really good braised kimchi (kimchi-jjim) with tonkatsu in it! Then top it with cheese, and there's no way it's not delicious!

The cheese nabe comes with a bowl of rice, a soup, a salad, and tonkatsu sauce, like this! A kimchi cheese tonkatsu nabe with cheese in it! That gooey cheese is seriously delicious-looking, isn't it?!

The crispiness of the tonkatsu is gone, but the deep flavor of the kimchi stew soaks into the breading, so the meat flavor plus the savory depth of braised kimchi was so good! It felt a bit like eating delicious braised pork and kimchi! And the breading that has soaked up the kimchi broth is secretly really tasty! If you prefer crispiness it might be a little disappointing, but I enjoyed it a lot!

The look is insane, right?!

Properly fermented kimchi and cheese mixed in to the end

The kimchi in the kimchi cheese nabe was properly ripe and so good! I like sour kimchi, and it had turned properly sour, so it tasted like a really good kimchi stew!

The tonkatsu meat was thick too, so a big mouthful was very satisfying! I thought the amount of cheese might not be enough, but cheese was mixed in here and there all the way through, so it satisfied my cheese craving to the end!

What a delicious tonkatsu spread! When the kimchi cheese nabe first arrives, bubbling away like a ttukbaegi (earthenware pot), the look is seriously great! It felt like being at a gukbap (soup and rice) restaurant!

The cabbage salad with perilla sauce was also great as a palate cleanser! If you mix the rice that comes with it into the broth, you don't miss a drop and get to enjoy a proper kimchi cheese tonkatsu nabe!

There's a really delicious dish here that suits Korean tastes, so I'm recommending Sioldon Irwon Branch!