Friday lunch gyukatsu, Napolitan and mini curry in Sinnonhyeon

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch: location and hours

• Address: 19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 2nd floor
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:30)
• No parking available

It's so good it's driving me crazy,,

?

lol

These days when I'm hungry I literally can't focus on anything, basically no different from the guy in Solitary Gourmet. Even on this day I'd gone to the hospital and had a pretty tight window before work, but I made sure to swing by this restaurant anyway.

It's a 5-minute walk from Sinnonhyeon Station, and it looked like the go-to favorite for office workers around here.

A place that fills up even at 11:30 on a Friday

There were more seats further inside but I couldn't photograph them — maybe because it was Friday? Even at 11:30, there was a group of about 8 people who seemed to be on a lunch team outing. So the photos are mostly of the entrance and window seats… by around 11:50 the whole place was packed and I almost couldn't get any shots at all.

Why is this Japanese restaurant so popular… well, nobody hates pork cutlet, so gyukatsu (beef cutlet)? Everyone's bound to love it.

Plus this is Ichigyu, famous for being delicious. The 'principle' of the world, haha.

It was a hot day, so the floor-to-ceiling windows originally had the blinds down

and I fussily asked if they could open the curtains^^… it did feel like passersby were a bit too much right in my line of sight, but I'll always love natural light and an open view,,🤍 I bet once the streetlights come on in the evening the vibe here is perfect.

The menu and the personal mini charcoal grill

When you order gyukatsu, the staff light up a mini charcoal grill for you — and it burns way longer and hotter than expected!!

The food arrived. The visuals were insane🥹 Especially the pink cross-section of the gyukatsu,,❤️‍🩹 The owner, whose parents ran a butcher shop, learned meat-cutting skills from childhood and made this place while recalling memories of eating freshly fried meat with family and friends — that's Ichigyu. Proven meat quality plus a warm atmosphere, all in one.

Gyukatsu: don't skimp on the butter

My tip: don't hold back on the butter, load it on. I was stingy about it, dabbing on just a pinch at a time worrying I'd run out by the last piece, and ended up with leftover butter anyway — of course, grilling with plenty of butter gives way better flavor and makes it much more tender🧈 You actually need to cook it more well-done than you'd think for a rare-ish texture that's not chewy but still delicious.

Grilling it yourself on this personal mini charcoal grill is such a sensory experience. The sizzling sound and the savory smell ㅠㅠㅠ the performance alone is already satisfying before you even take a bite — a real feast for the senses❤️‍🩹

It's delicious even just dipped in salt like Korean beef, and it also pairs well with the clear, non-sticky teriyaki sauce, but personally I'm team clean wasabi, number one🫶🏽

Japanese home-style Napolitan

I was craving a Napolitan pasta exactly like something a Japanese grandma would make at home — and Ichigyu had it, of course.

Great details with the fried egg and whole sausage💯 mushrooms, green and red bell peppers — a somehow healthy-tasting ketchup pasta, like a Korean mom's leftover-veggie tteokbokki!! It gets a bit thick and rich from the cheese, and it's so good I'd order it again next time!

Definitely add the mini curry

Even the plain bowl of rice at Ichigyu comes out with a nice sense of style — and somehow tastes better for it?

The mini curry side that pairs so well with it is an absolute must-order. Honestly I have no idea what's 'mini' about it. I started with just one or two spoonfuls of rice, but there was so much more curry than rice that I kept adding more, and ended up finishing a whole bowl,, actually I probably should have just poured the curry over the rice instead^^! I once saw a screenshot about a 'smart' trick for eating lots of rice and side dishes behind your mom's back and thought, wow, genius — well, now I'm the professor of that technique at Ichigyu🐽

Truly a completely satisfying meal!!