Yongin Japanese restaurant with butadon and half-and-half katsu

What kind of restaurant is Myeonsikdang Suji?

I had a lunch appointment near Sujigucheong Station and was trying to figure out what to eat, so I ended up visiting 'Myeonsikdang.'

🔅Hours🔅 Daily 10:30–21:00, last order 20:30

Given the name, I expected noodles to be the main focus, but once I looked at the menu, there were also donburi (rice bowls) and fried dishes — it's not a place with just one signature item. So instead of ordering just one dish, we decided to split several menu items between us.

Kiosk ordering and the self-serve broth bar

We ordered through the kiosk installed at each table, then started with some warm broth from the self-serve bar. What we ordered that day was butadon, mazesoba, and a cheddar cheese tonkatsu / spicy tonkatsu combo.

Butadon: how the rice and seasoned pork balance out

Butadon is pork served over rice, so it can look pretty similar from place to place, but I think the balance between the rice and the seasoned meat matters a lot for dishes like this. Myeonsikdang's butadon had a clear seasoning flavor when I ate the meat alone, and eating it together with the rice toned down the saltiness just enough to make it much easier to eat. Especially since there was plenty of meat piled on top of the rice, it didn't feel like the meat disappeared first partway through.

Personally, the butadon got better after a few spoonfuls rather than on the first bite 👍🏻 At first the seasoning flavor comes through strongly, but as you keep eating the meat and rice together, the combination becomes familiar at some point and I kept going back for more. Given how a donburi works, mixing everything together right away wasn't as good as scooping up a balanced bite of meat and rice each time — that made it easier to notice the flavor differences.

Mazesoba: why you mix it right down to the bottom

Since this is a noodle place, I was curious about the mazesoba. I like noodles in broth too, but I have a soft spot for the thick, sauce-coated feel of mazesoba, so I always try it when it's on the menu. It looks like a simple dish — just add sauce to the noodles and mix — but how well the seasoning coats the noodles actually matters a lot, doesn't it?❔

As soon as it arrived, it's best to mix the ingredients thoroughly all the way down to the bottom. Looking only at what's on top, it seems surprisingly plain, but once I lifted the noodles from the bottom up with my chopsticks and mixed several times, the sauce underneath coated the noodles evenly, the color deepened, and it started looking a lot more appetizing.

After mixing it thoroughly, I took a bite — with no broth, the seasoning clung tightly to the noodles, giving it a pretty rich flavor. Chewing through the noodles and various ingredients together, with the flavor shifting slightly bite by bite, is what makes mazesoba fun, I think.

Half cheddar cheese tonkatsu, half spicy tonkatsu

Of everything we ordered at Myeonsikdang, the tonkatsu combo turned out more satisfying than I expected. It's a dish that lets you have both cheddar cheese tonkatsu and spicy tonkatsu on one plate, so there was no need to agonize over which to pick — we just ordered the half-and-half. Honestly, tonkatsu is delicious for the first few pieces, but eating the same flavor over and over can get a bit tiring toward the end. So I tend to prefer dishes like this where you can enjoy two flavors together.

First, the cheddar cheese tonkatsu has cheddar cheese melted on top of the cutlet, giving it a noticeably nuttier, richer flavor than regular tonkatsu. Adding cheese to the crispy cutlet makes the whole thing feel a bit heavier. That said, since the flavor is quite rich, eating only this the whole time might feel a little heavy. That's where the spicy tonkatsu comes in and completely shifts the mood. True to its name, the spicy tonkatsu has a spicy kick, creating a clear contrast with the cheddar cheese tonkatsu. If I'd eaten only the cheese tonkatsu, it might have started feeling greasy partway through, and if I'd eaten only the spicy one, I might have gotten used to the heat — but switching back and forth between the two kept the flavor from ever feeling monotonous.

Is Myeonsikdang Suji good for solo diners?

The interior is clean, with plenty of 2-top and 4-top tables.

There are also plenty of wall-facing seats for solo diners 👍🏻

Ranking the three dishes at Myeonsikdang Suji

Overall, the meal at Myeonsikdang was a satisfying one.

• 1st place: Mazesoba
• 2nd place: Cheddar cheese / spicy tonkatsu combo
• 3rd place: Butadon

That's my personal ranking 〽️