Yeonsinnae tonkatsu with coarse salt and sauce refills: Katsu Monster

Where is Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch, and when is it open?

Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch is a Japanese-style tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant a short walk from Exit 4 or 5 of Yeonsinnae Station. I was starving after work on a Friday and looking for dinner before heading home, so I decided to have Japanese tonkatsu near Yeonsinnae Station.

Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch in 3 lines

• A Yeonsinnae spot where eating alone is not awkward at all
• A tonkatsu place in Eunpyeong that is also good for delivery
• Thick, crunchy Japanese-style katsu with generous portions

Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch is open every day from 10 am to 9 pm. Break time is 3 pm to 4 pm, and last order is at 8:15 pm.

What are the seats and ordering like at Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch?

Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch is a small shop with three tables for two and a few single bar seats by the window, and you order at a kiosk. The place was on the small side. There were three tables for two (the seats in the photo above) and a few bar seats by the window that are good for solo diners. My bag was kind of big, so even though I was alone I took a table for two. You order and pay yourself at the kiosk right next to the entrance, then just sit down.

What did I order for a solo meal?

At Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch I ordered the triple katsu, the bite-size aged curry and a Coke Zero.

• Triple katsu ₩18,000
• Bite-size aged curry ₩4,000
• Coke Zero ₩2,000

They looked really busy, probably with lots of delivery orders, but the food still came out in about 10 minutes, I think.

+) Actually, I had originally planned to order 3 pieces of chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) or 3 pieces of cheongyang meatball katsu as a side, but they said both were sold out. I got there just before 6 pm and they were already gone, wow. They must be popular. I switched to the bite-size curry instead.

Can you refill the sauce and wasabi?

When the tonkatsu arrives at Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch, you get whole containers of tonkatsu sauce, wasabi and salad dressing, so you can refill them yourself. As someone who dunks almost everything in sauce, I think I refilled the sauce at least 3 times, haha. But the more sauce you dip in, the tastier it is! Japanese tonkatsu is also nicer with a little wasabi, so I refilled the wasabi once too.

I also sprinkled the dressing over the side salad that comes with the meal. I think it was an oriental dressing. (Personally I think oriental dressing goes best with salad.) Once I was ready to eat,

What comes in the triple katsu?

The triple katsu at Katsu Monster (₩18,000) includes all three kinds: loin katsu (rosu), tenderloin katsu (hire) and cheese katsu. Time to dig into the main event, the tonkatsu~ (In the photo above, the one on the far left is loin, the upper right is cheese, and the lower right is tenderloin.) I came to eat alone, but I wanted to try each kind, so I ordered the triple katsu.

Hire katsu (tenderloin): the classic, best with wasabi

The first one I tried from the triple katsu was the hire katsu, the tenderloin cutlet. It is much thicker than it looks. It looks small but it is definitely not small. I couldn't eat it in one bite, so I took a couple of bites. It isn't dry, it has a clean, mild flavor, and the crispy batter is delicious. I think hire katsu is the cutlet that tastes best with wasabi on top. It feels like the textbook Japanese katsu (Positive).

Cheese katsu: packed with mozzarella

Next was the cheese katsu. The amount of cheese is truly the best. Bite in and you get stretchy whole mozzarella, packed inside O_O Each piece is big, so I think I ate it in about four bites.

The cheese katsu in the triple katsu comes as two pieces. I ate one early on and the other a little later. Of course the cheese in the later piece stretched less, but it didn't feel hardened at all. They seem to use decent-quality cheese. But it was only after eating the tonkatsu bit by bit that

Coarse salt on the table, discovered late

I discovered there was coarse salt on the table at Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch too, haha. I immediately sprinkled it over the rest of my triple katsu. With a little coarse salt, all three kinds of katsu tasted even better. Japanese katsu really does get tastier with wasabi and coarse salt, b (and with lots of tonkatsu sauce too ^&^)

Rosu katsu (loin): richer and softer than tenderloin

This is the rosu katsu, the loin cutlet. Compared with tenderloin, the loin definitely feels fattier and the meat is a bit softer. Personally I like hire katsu a little more than rosu katsu, but honestly it depends on the day and on each person's taste, I think? At Katsu Monster both the tenderloin and loin katsu were delicious. And of course the cheese katsu was good too!

Is the bite-size aged curry spicy?

The bite-size aged curry at Katsu Monster (₩4,000) comes in a soup bowl and was not spicy at all. I ordered it because I wanted to have another side dish alongside the tonkatsu instead of just the cutlets.

I mixed the pile of green onions on top into the curry.

It was fine just spooning up the curry bite by bite, and of course it was great with rice too. It was similar to the yaki curry (baked curry) I had in Kitakyushu, Japan last year, but thinner. It was nice to have between bites of tonkatsu. Again, it was not spicy at all. Even people who can't handle spice can order it without worry, I think.

+) I'm still curious about the cheongyang meatball katsu I couldn't order because it was sold out. Next time I'll try the cheongyang meatball katsu or the karaage as a side.

What drinks are there? Is there beer?

Drinks at Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch are Coke Zero, Coke and Sprite-style soda (cider), all ₩2,000. I went with Coke Zero. +) Besides soft drinks, I think beer would go well here too.. haha, but they don't have it, which is a shame.

A Yeonsinnae tonkatsu place with lots of delivery and solo diners

Katsu Monster Yeonsinnae Branch gets a lot of delivery orders. While I was eating, tons of delivery riders came and went. (Look at all those takeout containers, wow. Delivery seems really popular.) There also seemed to be many group delivery orders. A top Yeonsinnae tonkatsu delivery spot.

Of course, besides me there were other solo diners inside the whole time. It's a tonkatsu place that suits solo dining for all ages and genders, so I highly recommend it as a place to eat alone, haha.