Brothers' lunch gyukatsu and steki-don set in Gangseo, Seoul: Ichigyu

Title: Brotherly love blooming over a mini brazier

A brothers' lunch at a Japanese restaurant near Balsan Station

An afternoon near Balsan Station, sunlight calmly falling over the city. Streets where glossy buildings mix with tidy storefronts.

"It's nice that the buildings here are low."

Maybe because it's near Gimpo Airport, there's a height limit on the buildings here. That open, uncrowded feeling makes this a genuinely nice neighborhood to live in.

A meetup with my older brother in that nice neighborhood. In the middle of our busy lives, we skip the small talk and let the warmth of food stand in for checking on each other. Today I heard there's a Japanese restaurant near Balsan that's perfect for lunch, so we went.

Me: "Where are you?" Brother: "3 minutes late." Me:

Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch: location, hours and parking

• 🗺️ Address: 서울 강서구 마곡동 797-14
• ⏰ Hours: 11:30–21:30 / Break time 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 14:30, 21:00
• 🚗 Parking: Hillstate Eco building (2 hours free)

Today's destination is on the second floor of the Hillstate building — the gyukatsu specialist, Ichigyu. It gives off that distinct Japanese vibe even before you walk in.

What is the inside of Ichigyu like?

Stepping through the entrance, you're greeted by the quiet wood-tone interior and clean lighting typical of an authentic Japanese restaurant.

"Wood really does suit Japanese places so well."

A little game of hide-and-seek with the cow decor?

"I'm about to eat you anyway."

Menu and order: the 44,000 won set plus mini curry

From gyukatsu to omurice, curry, napolitan, cold soba — the menu is packed with Japanese dishes.

Orders are placed via QR code. Feels like everywhere uses QR these days.

We got the gyukatsu and steki-don set, swapped in two ramune for +₩2,000, totaling ₩44,000. Plus a mini curry on the side.

"Let's stuff ourselves today."

How to open and drink ramune

The ramune came out first.

Quite a few people still don't know how to open these, so let me explain.

• 1. Remove the outer cap.
• 2. Detach the small cap from the removed cap.
• 3. Press dooooown!!!!!!!!!!!!! (You need to push pretty hard.)

The tabletop mini brazier and free rice refills

While we cooled off with the ramune, they brought over a mini brazier and some kind of container.

"What's this?"

Rice. Staff: "Let us know if you need more."

"Yesss, free refills!" I was thinking I'd eat some with the curry when— Staff: "Excuse me, coming through."

The gyukatsu set and steki-don arrived, served on a neat wooden tray.

"Whoa, look at that pink color..."

The texture already looks tender.

They give you this Isigny butter to go with it — just melt it on the mini brazier and grill.

The steki-don looked great too. It's topped with garlic flakes all over, and they said to grill this too.

Grilling the gyukatsu yourself, and the first bite

First, drop the butter onto the heated brazier.

Pick up a thick, sturdy piece of gyukatsu with chopsticks, and with a sizzle, lay the sirloin down on the hot stone plate.

This part of eating gyukatsu is genuinely fun. Grilling it lightly on each side to your own preferred doneness is itself a great little culinary story.

Grilling the steki-don too boosts the flavor.

Once it's cooked to your liking, all that's left is to eat.

First bite, of course, with salt. Tasting the meat's natural flavor is the purest way to go, least likely to overwhelm the palate. A crunch through the crispy breading, then the sirloin melts away softly. This is gyukatsu.

"Umai!"

Second bite with a bit of sharp wasabi. The rich beefy aroma and savoriness of the sirloin spreads through the mouth, and the wasabi opens up your sinuses.

"Ahh... this is it."

Next, a dip in the house soy? tonkatsu? sauce. As expected, tasty plus tasty is

"even tastier..."

Mini curry with unlimited rice: the best pairing

My eyes drift to the right. I move my spoon to the mini curry, quietly holding its own corner of the set.

Spoon a helping of rich curry onto the warm white rice

"Mi.mix ,mix mmix"

That deep umami and heavy richness distinctive of long-simmered, authentic Japanese curry.

"Curry really does belong with katsu." Not spicy or sharp at all — the sweetness of the onions and the deep essence of the curry gently wrap around every grain of rice.

I steal bites of the steki too, wrap some in salad. As the fire on the brazier dies down, my chopsticks never stop, down to the last grain of rice in the curry dish and side dishes.

Looking at the perfectly emptied, tidy table, I take the last fizzy sip of ramune.

"That was a good meal."

End of the sibling-love photo essay.

Verdict: what to order at Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch

This is a place near Balsan Station where you can taste real, proper gyukatsu. Maybe because they use top-grade sirloin, but even lightly grilled, the tender aroma and texture of the meat hits you the moment it enters your mouth — an indescribable feeling.

Personally, the steki-don was tasty too, but I still recommend the classic 'gyukatsu set.' And the mini curry we ordered as a side was also great value for the price, pairing perfectly with the free rice refills. You won't regret ordering it.

The ramune is tasty but a bit pricey for the amount you get.

If you suddenly want to escape to Japan over lunch, head to Ichigyu near Balsan Station. Recommended!!!

Foodie rating: ★★★★

One-line food review

"The tenderness that comes alive on the mini brazier"