Japanese curry with free refills near Seoul Station: Furato Shokudo

A record of a hearty meal at Furato Shokudo, a Japanese restaurant near Seoul Station, enjoying gyukatsu (grilled beef cutlet) alongside buckwheat soba and curry.

Whenever I have an appointment near Seoul Station or go shopping around there, I naturally start looking for good places to eat. There's so much foot traffic that restaurants are everywhere, but that also makes it oddly hard to decide where and what to eat.

Gyukatsu, soba and curry all at once at Furato Shokudo near Seoul Station

This time I was craving gyukatsu — crispy outside, soft inside — so I headed to Furato Shokudo, known as a Japanese restaurant near Seoul Station. Furato Shokudo serves a range of Japanese dishes including gyukatsu, Japanese curry, and buckwheat soba. Instead of picking just one, I wanted to sample a bit of everything, so I ordered gyukatsu, soba, and curry together for a full spread.

To cut to the conclusion first: grilling the gyukatsu myself to whatever doneness I liked was genuinely fun, and the cool soba and rich curry each had their own charm, making for a satisfying meal overall. What I especially loved was that both rice and curry come with one free refill each. If you've ever felt the portions were a bit lacking, this is a Seoul Station restaurant that'll leave you more than satisfied.

Furato Shokudo's gyukatsu, grilled yourself at the table

The dish I was most looking forward to was, of course, gyukatsu — Furato Shokudo's signature menu item. The neatly sliced gyukatsu arrived beautifully arranged, golden brown on the outside with an appetizing reddish hue inside.

Since you grill each piece yourself on the tabletop hearth to your own liking, the food never gets cold and stays warm right to the end. As soon as I placed the gyukatsu on the grill, it started sizzling and a savory aroma spread through the air. You can sear it lightly on both sides for a softer bite, or cook it a bit longer if the reddish color feels too much — being able to adjust the doneness to your own taste was really nice.

Rather than piling on a lot at once, I grilled just two or three pieces at a time and took it slow. That way the meat doesn't sit on the grill too long and turn tough, and you get to enjoy it warm and delicious at its best.

Biting into a well-grilled piece, the outside was crispy while the meat inside was moist and tender. It had a texture and flavor quite different from regular tonkatsu, and I could see why it's Furato Shokudo's popular menu item. It's savory on its own, but adding the accompanying sauces made the plate even more varied — I'd recommend tasting the meat plain first, then adding a little sauce afterward.

Grilling it myself made the meal feel a bit more special, and adjusting the doneness with the person I came with added to the fun. I also think it'd make a great pick for anyone looking for a date spot near Seoul Station.

Buckwheat soba to reset the palate between bites of gyukatsu

The buckwheat soba I ordered alongside the gyukatsu helped balance out the whole meal. If gyukatsu and curry are warm, rich dishes, the soba felt cool and clean, refreshing the palate in between.

The noodles held a nice bounce without going soft, and paired well with the cold, refreshing broth. After a few bites of gyukatsu, a mouthful of cool soba cleanly cut through the richness and oiliness of the meat. Going back to the gyukatsu after that, it tasted just as good as the first bite — the combination was especially great.

If eating only hot food feels like a bit much, or if you want something light and cool alongside your gyukatsu, I'd recommend ordering the soba too. It's a great fit not just in summer but for anyone who generally enjoys cold noodle dishes.

Japanese curry with a free refill of rice and curry each

And the dish that surprised me most was Furato Shokudo's curry. It had that distinctive smooth, rich flavor of Japanese curry, and mixing it with warm rice made for a truly filling bite. Rather than being sharply spicy, it had a rich, savory style anyone could enjoy comfortably, which also made it a good pairing with the gyukatsu and soba.

Dipping the gyukatsu lightly in the curry worked really well too. With the crispy coating meeting the rich curry, it felt almost like a different dish altogether. If gyukatsu with regular sauce is clean and savory, gyukatsu dipped in curry is much richer and heartier. If you like enjoying one dish in several different ways, I'd recommend the gyukatsu-and-curry combo.

Above all, the biggest perk of Furato Shokudo's curry was that you can refill both rice and curry once each. Usually with curry, you end up with rice left over but not enough curry, or the other way around. Here, since you can refill both once, you can balance the portions and eat until you're properly full. I felt like this was the real kicker of Furato Shokudo's curry.

After finishing the first serving of curry and adding more rice and curry, it felt like getting a whole new bowl from scratch, and I was able to eat until the very end without feeling short-changed. This would be a very welcome touch for anyone with a big appetite or looking for a truly filling meal.

Of course, whether refills are available and how they're run can vary depending on store conditions, so it's worth double-checking when you visit.

My verdict on ordering all three dishes together

The gyukatsu, soba, and curry I ordered that day each had a distinct personality, but together they made for a really great combination. Grilling crispy, tender gyukatsu myself at the table, resetting my palate with cool soba in between, and finishing off with rich curry and rice — I felt like I'd really made the right menu choices. If I'd ordered just the gyukatsu, it might have felt a bit one-note, but adding the soba and curry let me alternate between cool and rich flavors, which made the meal all the more satisfying.

Seoul Station is a place where many people look for somewhere to eat before or after catching a train, and plenty of office workers and couples visit for lunch or dates too. If you're craving clean Japanese food near Seoul Station or want to try gyukatsu you grill yourself, Furato Shokudo is well worth a stop. Enjoying a full gyukatsu spread solo is great, but if you're visiting with others, I'd also recommend ordering a variety of dishes to share.

From the tender gyukatsu grilled to your own liking at the tabletop hearth, to the cool and clean soba, to the curry made even more filling with a rice-and-curry refill — I enjoyed every single dish, with nothing falling short.

The rice and curry refills in particular weren't just about getting more food — they were a satisfying touch that let me eat well and stay full right to the end. If you're looking for good gyukatsu and Japanese curry near Seoul Station, try all three dishes together at Furato Shokudo. Next time I'm at Seoul Station, this is a place I'd love to stop by again for warm grilled gyukatsu and rich curry :)