Dogok-dong curry tonkatsu worth a Friday wait: loin and shrimp at Riae

When the weather turns chilly or you just need a mood boost, don't you suddenly crave crispy, juicy, premium Japanese-style tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet)? 😋 Today I finally found the Japanese tonkatsu place of my life in Gaepo-dong, and I rushed over to tell you all about it! 🎉

Top-grade cutlets made from carefully aged pork, deeply flavored Tokyo spice curry, and hire katsu (tenderloin cutlet) that melts in your mouth: it was all just perfect. 💖 Riae is a Dogok-dong tonkatsu specialist and a comfortable solo-dining haven in Gaepo-dong, on weekends or weekdays, and a must-visit if you're serious about tonkatsu! 🏆

What are Riae's hours and parking?

Riae is open from 11 AM to 8 PM, and there is parking for up to 6 cars beside the restaurant. 👏

How long was the wait at Riae on a Friday evening?

On Friday evening Riae was already full, and after 6:30 a long waiting line stretched outside. We came right at Friday dinner time! 🌇 The moment we walked in, the place was packed with customers! 😲

After 6:30 PM the waiting line outside grew long, and delivery and takeout customers kept coming nonstop. Watching that, I thought, "Wow, this is a truly proven neighborhood hit!" 👏 Inside, it felt neat, clean and cozy, the way a Japanese restaurant should. 🌿

How do you order at Riae?

Every table at Riae has a tablet, so you can order right away while looking at photos and the menu. I liked how easily you can browse the pictures and dishes.

I finished ordering with Riae's signature menu items! 💳

• Loin (deungsim) Tokyo spice curry (+ 1 extra black tiger shrimp fry)
• Fresh mozzarella cheese + tenderloin (hire) katsu

Riae's table setting and 6 sauces

As soon as we sat down at Riae, a water bottle was brought over, and salad dressing, pepper and salt were set on one side of the table. What I loved was that you can order any extra side dishes or whatever else you need on the tablet, which was so convenient.

When our dishes finally landed on the table, one look at the presentation and the portions told me exactly why it's so crowded and why there's a wait! 🤤👍 What caught my eye first was the variety of sauces served for the tonkatsu.

A whole six-sauce lineup came out, neatly arranged! 🎨

• Pink salt
• Fresh wasabi
• Sharp mustard
• Special tonkatsu sauce
• Rich truffle oil
• Zesty yuja soy sauce

Every sauce changes the flavor completely when you dip the katsu, so picking and choosing was really fun! 😋

There were also three garnish sides to cut any greasiness while eating tonkatsu: pickled chili, crunchy pickled radish and well-fermented kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi). I never got tired of it right to the last bite! 🌶️✨ Even the basics showed the thoughtfulness you'd expect from a leading Japanese spot in Gaepo-dong. ❤️

How is the fresh mozzarella cheese + tenderloin katsu?

At Riae, the fresh mozzarella cheese + tenderloin (hire) katsu has cheese that stretches endlessly, and the tenderloin is crispy outside and very tender inside. The look of it alone is overwhelming! 🥩🧀

I bit into the freshly fried cheese katsu, and the generous fresh mozzarella on top stretched on and on, so I couldn't help gasping! 😮 Maybe because the cheese is 100% fresh mozzarella, the savory richness exploded and the texture was so chewy. 🧀✨

And the hire (tenderloin) katsu served with it made me say "Wow..." at the first bite. The meat was so moist and tender I wondered if it could be eaten without teeth, a textbook crispy-outside, juicy-inside cutlet! 💖 The coating was crisp like a cracker, and the tenderloin inside was moist with juices, easily the best of any Dogok-dong tonkatsu. 💯

Loin (deungsim) Tokyo spice curry with black tiger shrimp fry

Riae's loin (deungsim) Tokyo spice curry lets you enjoy curry and loin katsu in one dish, and I added 1 black tiger shrimp fry. 🍛🔥

Thick, juicy loin katsu topped with rich curry simmered long and carefully showed what authentic Japanese curry is all about. Colorful roasted garnish vegetables like kabocha squash, broccoli and cherry tomatoes sat prettily on top, and dipping them in the thick curry was excellent! 🎃🥦🍅

The extra black tiger shrimp fry was special from its size on! 🍤 The plump black tiger shrimp was fried crisp, and its springy bite met the curry sauce for the best synergy. ✨ With this rich, deep Tokyo spice curry, a bowl of rice disappears in no time, so

it's the dish I'd recommend most to solo diners in Gaepo-dong who want a hearty meal! 🍚👍

Who is Riae recommended for?

Riae is recommended for anyone after crispy, tender katsu, for meals with parents or a partner, and for solo dinners on the way home from work. The top-quality pork, the finesse of the 6 sauces and the pleasant friendliness made everything perfect, well worth the wait! 💯

If you want crispy, tender katsu, please visit once and experience top-level Japanese tonkatsu in Gaepo-dong. 😊 It's great with parents or a partner, and I strongly recommend it as a solo-dining place after work too! 🎉 When you crave tasty Dogok-dong tonkatsu and authentic Japanese curry, don't hesitate to go! ❤️