First in-store visit after delivery: rice refills at Katsu Monster

📍 Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch / 42-6 Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1F 101

• 🚗 Nearby paid parking lot
• 🧼 Restroom outside the restaurant
• 💰 Total ₩31,000
• Loin katsu (rosu katsu) ₩14,000
• Cheese katsu (mozzarella) ₩17,000

🐒 This post was written after receiving a service from the business.

I came to Katsu Monster, a well-known spot in Yeonnam-dong. I remembered how delicious it was when I ordered delivery a loooong time ago, so I decided to visit the actual store! Haha.

The store atmosphere, with solo seats too

There are solo seats as well as tables where everyone can sit together. Probably because it's mostly delivery-focused, the interior isn't huge, but it's plenty for a meal! While waiting for the food, delivery orders kept coming in nonstop, haha. Maybe that's why the space felt like half dining, half kitchen. The kitchen has a full glass window so you can peek at the cooking process. When I ordered delivery before, the packaging came very neatly, so I think this place is great for delivery orders too!

There are cute little props too, haha. There's even a fan set out for anyone who gets hot, haha. The retro wall clock was kind of adorable! There's a kiosk installed at every table so you can order and pay conveniently.

The menu board and how to eat katsu the best way

The menu board. You can even join the Naver receipt review event! As befits a great katsu restaurant, there are various katsu dishes as well as a good range of rice bowls and noodle dishes.

Flipping through the menu, a QR code pops up that links to a video showing how to eat katsu the tastiest way.

Once you scan it, like this, haha, a cute Katsu Monster character explains it all!

Salt, shichimi pepper, katsu sauce, a small plate, water cup, wet wipes, chopsticks, and a spoon are all set out at every table.

Loin katsu (rosu katsu) ₩14,000

🪇 Loin katsu (rosu katsu) — I ordered the most basic loin cutlet, the rosu katsu!

Ordering katsu comes with rice, doenjang soup (soybean paste soup), and dessert. Don't be disappointed if the rice portion looks small — the rice is free to refill! It's dotted with kelp pieces, so maybe the rice is cooked with kelp-steeped water?

Doenjang soup with napa cabbage

The doenjang soup with napa cabbage floating in it is so good! Usually you get a plain miso-style doenjang soup, but at Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch it has this slightly refreshing feel thanks to the cabbage. Anyway, this doenjang soup was exactly my type, haha. I bet it'd be great just pouring rice straight into the soup, haha. Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch — a great Yeonnam-dong spot even for the doenjang soup!!!

A cross-section of the loin katsu! When I ordered delivery from Katsu Monster before, it was also the loin cut. I remembered the meat being moist and tender rather than dry, so I ordered loin again this time, haha.

Looking at the cross-section, you can see the breading, then a layer of fat wrapping around the outside, and then the loin meat underneath. That fat layer seems to be what keeps the loin meat from being dry, making it soft and nuttier in flavor. That said, there wasn't too much fat — just the right amount, which was perfect! Personally, I think it tastes even better dipped in salt than in katsu sauce, haha.

Cheese katsu (mozzarella) ₩17,000

🪇 Cheese katsu (mozzarella) — a katsu loaded with rich, nutty mozzarella cheese!

Fresh out of the fryer, the cheese looked like it might ooze out any second!!!!

It really is stuffed generously with mozzarella cheese. Take one bite and it stretches and stretches!!! The moist meat and cheese are in just the right ratio, so it's not too greasy, haha.

Last up, the dessert — gangjeong (sweet rice puffs). Sweet, crunchy, and delicious, haha.

Conclusion

🚨 Yeonnam-dong restaurant / Yeonnam-dong date spot / Hongdae restaurant, let's go