Steki-don vs steki set meal at a Gangseo Japanese restaurant: Ichigyu

I went back to Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch, a Japanese gyukatsu and steki (steak) spot near Balsan Station.

Ichigyu is a chain with several branches, and I'd visited this Balsan Station location once before when I had a get-together in Magok-dong, ordering the gyukatsu set meal and the steki set meal.

The meat was delicious, and I liked grilling it to my own taste on the little tabletop grill — overall I remembered being pretty satisfied.

So when I was looking for somewhere to eat near Balsan Station again, that good memory popped up and I decided to go back.

What Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch looks like inside

Apparently Ichigyu started from the childhood memories of a son who grew up helping his parents at their butcher shop, learning how to handle meat.

They say the restaurant is built around the warm memory of family and friends sharing freshly fried meat and chatting together at the market butcher shop.

Walking in, the whole place felt clean but comfortable.

I liked that every table has its own mini grill, so you can grill the meat to your own taste.

It's a good spot for two friends eating together, and also fine for a group gathering near Balsan Station.

Set 3 and mini curry: how steki-don differs from the steki set meal

What I ordered:

• Set 3
• Mini curry

Set 3 comes with pork cutlet, steki-don, and two drinks.

But here I actually picked the wrong menu item a little.

From my earlier visit I remembered the gyukatsu set meal and steki set meal, so I assumed this time would be a similar combination and ordered Set 3.

Turns out it wasn't the steki set meal — it was steki-don.

The steki set meal serves the meat separately from the rice, while steki-don comes with the meat placed on top of the rice — that's the difference.

I also added a mini curry, since I wanted to dip the meat in curry.

Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch menu and prices

The menu includes the gyukatsu set and steki set, plus steki-don, hamburg omurice, teppan chapsteak, Japanese curry, and more.

For noodles there's yakisoba napolitan and cold soba with shrimp tempura, and sides like karaage with shrimp tempura and mini curry, along with drinks such as draft beer and highballs.

Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch also has combo sets so you can try several dishes at once, which is nice depending on your taste.

How the gyukatsu and steki-don tasted

Gyukatsu (sirloin): crispy on the outside, medium-rare and moist inside as served. You grill it a bit more on the cast-iron mini grill for about 7–8 seconds to your taste.

Since you grill the meat yourself on the mini grill, it doesn't come fully cooked from the start — you can cook it a little at a time to your liking.

Once the cast-iron plate on the grill heats up, you put on French Isigny butter and grill the gyukatsu to the doneness you want — it's delicious.

I loved the contrast between the crispy breading outside and the tender meat inside.

You can dip it in Ichigyu's special sauce, wasabi, chili, salt — 3 to 4 different sauces.

Steki-don (sirloin rice bowl): freshly grilled, juicy sirloin steak and crispy garlic chips piled generously on top of the rice.

You grill the steki-don meat to your taste too.

I dipped it in the sweet-salty sauce and egg yolk.

The meat was tender and tasty. But since I tend to like meat fully cooked, well-done style, the steki set meal I had before actually suited my taste a little better.

And again this time, I ordered a mini curry to dip the gyukatsu and steki into.

Dipping the crispy-grilled gyukatsu lightly into the curry added the curry's rich flavor and made it even tastier.

It also worked well eaten with rice, like a curry rice bowl.

The rice served with the set meal was a generous portion, warm and fluffy, and tasted great. It went well with the meat, and especially good paired with the curry.

Here's the country-of-origin label!

Tips for eating at Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch

• Receipt review event: write a receipt review in-store and get a free crispy, savory shrimp tempura.
• QR ordering: scan the QR code at your table to easily check the menu and order from your phone.

If it's your first visit, I'd recommend checking the menu composition carefully before ordering.

In particular, the steki set meal and steki-don serve the meat differently, so it's worth choosing based on your preference.

If you like eating meat and rice separately like I do, the steki set meal might suit you better.

Where Ichigyu is and what is nearby

Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch is at 269-15 Gonghang-daero, 2nd Floor Room 211, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

It's about 3–5 minutes on foot from Balsan Station Exit 1, and the building has parking, so it's fine to visit by public transit or by car.

• Seoul Botanic Park: A large botanic garden and park in the city, good for a light walk after eating.
• Magok LG Art Center: Good for a date course with exhibitions or performances.

Final thoughts on Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch

I had a good lunch at Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch, my go-to spot near Balsan Station for Japanese gyukatsu and steki.

If you're looking for a Japanese restaurant near Balsan Station to eat with a friend or for a group gathering, Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch is worth a visit.

I'm planning to go back again next time.