Gwanak Japanese restaurant: cheese cutlet and kake udon at Kosi

An uncommon udon flavor made in the traditional Sanuki style. Chewy udon noodles made fresh in-store, in anchovy and bonito-flake broth.

I found a great spot for pork cutlet and udon by Seoul National University Entrance Station~

It just opened, and it was super clean with such a nice atmosphere that I think it would be great for a date too. There are lots of menu options, so it would be nice to go with family and order a bunch to try. I really loved Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch (코시 서울대입구점): the udon noodles were wonderfully chewy and tasty without that floury taste.

How far is it from Seoul National University Entrance Station?

It is about five minutes away from exits 5 and 6 of Seoul National University Entrance Station.

The whole place has a wood-toned, slightly modern feel that is easy on the eyes, and my food photos came out well too. I loooove this just-right, atmospheric vibe.

Menu and hours

It is open daily from 11:00 to 20:50, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00. Takeout, delivery, and group reservations are available.

There is lots to choose from: cold udon, hot udon, pork cutlet, and donburi (rice bowls). There are sides such as vegetable tempura and squid tempura too. Order a set and add sides, and you can try more of the menu for a little less.

A generous order of ten bukkake udon and half-and-half cutlet

• Ten bukkake udon ₩11,000
• Fresh loin half-and-half cutlet ₩13,500
• Extra kake udon (broth udon)
• Vegetable tempura ₩2,000 × 2
• Squid tempura ₩4,000

We ordered a huge spread and ate it properly. (Not that we secretly ordered one extra tempura.) I almost felt like my stomach would burst. Just so you know, if you add a side to the kake udon set, it is practically another full serving lol. I thought the udon would be small, but it came in a big bowl—I nearly cried.

Fresh loin half-and-half cutlet

Overall, the meat was thick, tender, nicely seasoned, and delicious.

And the coating was that panko kind where you can really see the texture of the breadcrumbs, you know?

The sauce paired well with it too. My mom enjoyed it so much. The cheese cutlet had especially tender meat—like ham, and I mean that as a compliment. There was plenty of cheese inside too.

And of course, I had to do a cheese pull...

Ten bukkake udon

This comes with shrimp tempura and kabocha squash tempura. It looks so good.

I loved that soy-sauce-based sauce because it was refreshing and not salty at all. It seemed like a bonito-flake broth, and it was delicious.

Top it with grated daikon, scallions, and tempura flakes for an even better texture. The shrimp tempura had plump shrimp inside too.

The noodles were plump and chewy too—so good.

The inari sushi was not the overly sweet kind either. The rice was seasoned nicely too.

Kake udon and crispy tempura

Kake udon is hot udon, and the broth seemed to be made with anchovies. It was refreshing, savory, and delicious.

If you like vegetable tempura, you have to order it. It was incredibly crispy and tasty, and you could really taste the vegetables.

The squid tempura was crispy too, with thick pieces of squid inside.

It came with tartar sauce, though it was delicious on its own too. I am not really a tartar-sauce person haha.

Wood-toned interior and Sanuki-made udon noodles

The interior is wood-toned and easy on the eyes. Since it has not been open long, it is clean too. I went at lunchtime and it was already nearly full. It seems like lots of families come as well.

Each table has salad dressing and sesame shichimi pepper. Sprinkle them over udon or rice bowls for a spicy, savory kick.

There are table seats, so it looked good for eating alone too. The big windows make the restaurant bright, which is lovely.

What is different about Sanuki-style noodle making from regular noodles!? Sanuki udon is made by kneading flour, water, and salt firmly, so it is known for thick, bouncy, chewy noodles. Regular udon is made in many different ways, so plenty are softer or more tender than Sanuki udon. In other words, the Sanuki method makes the noodles thicker and chewier~ But that does not mean they taste floury. Floury-tasting udon noodles are the worst, right? Run over for these chewy, plump Sanuki udon noodles~