Seoul Station Japanese restaurant for steki-don: Furato Restaurant

Where is it near Seoul Station, and what is the restaurant like?

While looking for somewhere to eat near Seoul Station, I found Furato Restaurant (후라토식당), where I had enjoyed gyukatsu before. It was easy to find in the restaurant area on B1 of Seoul Square.

The restaurant was fairly spacious, and I liked that it was not very crowded when I visited. The original post listed its hours as 11:00–20:50 daily, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 14:30 and 20:20.

What is on the menu besides gyukatsu, and how do you order?

There was a menu board at the entrance, so I could look it over before going in. Besides gyukatsu, the signature item, there were steki set meals and rice bowls, thin-sliced beef belly rice bowls, Japanese-style omurice, curry, udon, and cold soba. The ebi katsu-don and karanaisu-don were sold out during my visit.

I could order on my phone by holding it to the ordering device at the table. At the time of my visit, there was also a notice about an event offering mini karaage or a drink for writing a Naver receipt review.

This time, my friend and I wanted to try something other than gyukatsu, so we ordered these three dishes.

• Steki-don (steak rice bowl): ₩19,500
• Omurice: ₩14,500
• Chicken karaage + fried shrimp: ₩6,000

The gyukatsu tools on the table were not needed for our order, so I asked for them to be removed.

How were the portion and seasoning of the steki-don?

The steki-don had a generous amount of meat. It had plenty of a salty, subtly sweet Japanese soy sauce, so I enjoyed it to the end, and it went well with the onsen tamago (soft-cooked egg). Both my friend and I said it was delicious from the first bite.

Gyukatsu can feel a little heavy to me as I keep eating it, but this bowl seemed like a good choice when I wanted something lighter. Side dishes such as cabbage salad could be refilled.

How were the egg and sauce on the omurice?

I did not manage to cut the egg cleanly, but it had a soft, fluffy texture. It was a mild Japanese-style omurice without strong flavors.

You pour the tomato-based sauce served alongside it over the omurice. I enjoyed it, but I wished the sauce had been warm.

Are the karaage and fried shrimp worth adding?

It was the side my friend chose, and the fried shrimp in particular was delicious. It was best eaten while warm, and it paired well with the sauce served alongside it. The karaage was good too, but I was full and left a little.

I saw people at the next table having gyukatsu with cold soba. I would like to try that combination next time.

How was the café I visited after the meal?

After the meal, I stopped by a café on the first floor of the same building. A variety of cakes were displayed there.

The oat latte I had there was too sweet for my taste, which was disappointing.