Gwanghwamun Japanese lunch with a 5-year-old, shared brazier: Ichigyu

Seoul Summer Beach is on in Gwanghwamun these days, so with my kid on school vacation we headed out for a day trip. But first, a hearty lunch before the fun~

It was our first time in Gwanghwamun with my child, so I thought about a 5-year-old's stamina and looked for a place not far from Gwanghwamun with food a kid would like. That's how we ended up at Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch (이치규 광화문점)^^

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun location and opening hours

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is on the B1 floor of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, 19 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's open daily 11:00–21:30, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, and parking is available for 2 hours.

Take the escalator down and you see it right away, so it wasn't hard to find. Inside, a model of a cut of meat hangs at the counter, and my kid was amazed: "Look, meat is hanging!" haha

Atmosphere and spacing between tables

The mood was soft lighting with the clean, wooden feel typical of a Japanese restaurant. The tables were also more spaced out than I expected, so we could eat comfortably without feeling cramped^^

Ordering Set 4: gyukatsu sirloin + steki sirloin

We came planning to eat the signature dish, grilling the meat ourselves on a mini brazier, so we ordered that right away.

Set 4: gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) sirloin + steki sirloin + a drink, with karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and fried shrimp on the side.

A mini brazier comes as part of the basic table setting, and you order by QR code.

Is the rice enough when you bring a kid?

After we ordered, they brought a rice paddle and a container, and I thought it was a side dish container, but it was filled with rice, looking delicious!! At Japanese restaurants the rice often comes in small portions, so it has run short when we went with my kid, but the amount here is generous, so no worries~~

How the steki sirloin and gyukatsu sirloin look

The steki sirloin came as a neat Japanese-style tray. The thickly sliced sirloin was lightly seared on the outside, with a glossy red center, and you could tell at a glance that the meat quality was good.

The gyukatsu sirloin was fried with a crisp breadcrumb coating like a pork cutlet, but the beef inside was rare. It looks like a pork cutlet, so it was fascinating that the inside looks so different~

Using the mini brazier, sharing one with a child

Once the food arrives, staff light the mini brazier. You first rub butter on it, then start grilling the meat~ We always go to places with big grills, so my kid found it fun to watch meat cook on a mini brazier haha

Every time you lay meat on it there's a sizzle that made me even hungrier haha Normally it's one brazier per person, but since our child is still young we used just one. At other tables, kids around elementary school age were grilling and eating by themselves~

The difference between the 3 sauces

Sirloin is naturally both springy and tender. The steki sirloin had no gamey smell and the right amount of fat, and lightly grilled on the brazier it released juices and had a savory depth the more you chewed.

• Wasabi & soy sauce: the basic style, cuts the richness for a clean taste
• Salt: a light dip brings out the meat's plain flavor and the sweetness of the juices
• Special tare sauce: a sweet-salty Japanese sauce that kids like with meat

The gyukatsu sirloin was the same cut, but the breading gave it a different flavor. Crisp outside, like a pork cutlet inside, but far more tender than a usual pork cutlet, and plain-tasting without any greasy feel~

Extra karaage and fried shrimp

The extras were karaage and fried shrimp. Since my kid was eating with us, I wondered if two mains would be enough, so I ordered the fried shrimp my kid loves, and it was such a good choice!!

My kid grabbed the fried shrimp the moment it arrived, said it was so delicious, and polished off one in no time haha

Personally, the fried shrimp was good too, but the karaage, what happened?? haha Nicely salty, crisp outside and juicy inside, textbook, and tastier than I expected~~ If you go as three, like us with our kid, and the portions feel a little small, ordering these together would be a good idea.

If you want a clean, filling meal with your child before a Gwanghwamun outing, I recommend Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch. Well fed, we're off on our Gwanghwamun tour now^^