Wonju gyukatsu lunch with karaage and fried shrimp add-ons: Ichigyu

A new-semester lunch with a student — why Ichigyu Wonju

I decided to get lunch with my student to cheer him on now that vacation was over and a new semester was starting. Thinking about where to go, the place that came to mind was Ichigyu Wonju, a gyukatsu (fried beef cutlet) specialty restaurant.

I couldn't forget the taste from last time, so as soon as class ended, my student and I ran straight back. Ichigyu Wonju sits on the first floor of the Lotte Cinema building in Musil-dong, the hottest spot in Wonju right now!

Parking and seating at lunchtime

After morning class ended and we rushed over, sure enough, being such a hot spot, traffic started backing up during lunch hour. Luckily the Lotte Cinema building where Ichigyu is located has a spacious underground parking lot, so even though quite a few cars were lined up waiting, we got in after about ten minutes.

After parking, we hurried down to Ichigyu on the first floor. I worried there might be no seats, but thankfully a table for two was open, so we sat down right away.

You can check out the menu in front of the store beforehand. Honestly, every dish looked delicious.

There's a high chair, and drinking water is set up outside too.

Even though they're just models, the display made my mouth water.

Choosing from the Ichigyu Wonju menu — sets are the better deal

This is the menu board showing how to eat Ichigyu's gyukatsu. A must-read for eating it right. Next time I should try the set menu — until now I just ordered à la carte without thinking, but the set menu with a drink included felt like a slightly better deal.

There's a wide range of menu items — my student and I ended up ordering the gyukatsu set and the steki (sirloin steak) set. Honestly, I forgot there was a set menu option.

Once you order, they light the mini grill on the table like this.

Rice can be refilled as many times as you like.

Gyukatsu and steki sets, grilled with Isigny butter

My student's gyukatsu came out first. Gyukatsu is beef coated in breading and lightly fried, similar to donkatsu (pork cutlet).

My steki also arrived, with the Isigny butter right on top!

We put the Isigny butter that came with the dishes onto the grill and lightly seared the steak and gyukatsu. From this point on, the smell of butter had our mouths watering. Honestly, using Isigny butter made me like Ichigyu even more — they really use good butter here.

The gyukatsu and steki grilling nicely and looking delicious.

Personally, I love eating steak with wasabi. I love the combination of rich, fatty meat with that sharp, spicy kick.

Adding karaage and fried shrimp, finishing with cold soba

My student said he was curious how they'd taste, so we added karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken) and fried shrimp too. Dipped in the sauce, they were crispy and delicious.

We were already full, but I got curious about the cold soba the kid at the next table was eating, so I ordered it too.

Cold soba mixed with shredded radish, green onion, ground sesame, and wasabi, all stirred together, was truly a stroke of genius. We were both stuffed to bursting, but that refreshing cold soba at the end cleared away the greasiness from the meat perfectly.

How my student reacted to trying gyukatsu for the first time

Having tried gyukatsu for the first time, my student said he's probably going to become a regular now and thanked me for showing him the spot. He goes to school near Musil-dong and often hangs out there with friends, yet he'd never been to Ichigyu before — he said from now on, he'll eat at Ichigyu instead of anywhere else when hanging out with friends.

It was just one meal I bought him, but seeing him enjoy it so much made me proud I chose Ichigyu. When I'm craving good gyukatsu, this is the place that comes to mind right away — Ichigyu Wonju, the gyukatsu specialist in Musil-dong.

Ichigyu Wonju information

• Address: 51 Neungna-dong-gil, 135 & 136, Wonju, Gangwon, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00, last order 20:30)