Solo lunch karaage set with curry in Nampo-dong, Busan: Daidokoro

I was looking for somewhere solid to eat lunch or dinner in Nampo-dong and ended up at Daidokoro Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch! Daidokoro is... a place I've gone to every year, and I've been a regular for 6-7 years now... I've even posted about it on my Naver blog 4 times!!!!!! You all should really go too...

If you especially like Japanese home-style cooking, I think this place will really suit your taste, so today I'll leave a review of the Premium! Karaage Set Meal I tried haha

Daidokoro Gwangbok Branch hours and location

• Hours: Daily 10:30 - 21:00
• Last order: 20:00

First, Daidokoro is located on the 10th floor of the main building at Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch. Being inside a department store makes it easy to find, and you can use the department store parking, so accessibility was quite good! It's a good spot to visit when looking for a place to eat near Nampo-dong or Jagalchi Market, and also good for grabbing a solid meal before or after shopping~! Personally, when looking for good restaurants in Nampo-dong, I prefer places with easy parking, so this point was nice too.

A cute, cozy interior with a Japanese feel

When I walked into Daidokoro, it was decorated more cutely than I expected. Warm lighting and Japanese-style props were placed here and there, giving it a different vibe from a typical department store restaurant~!

It felt like walking into a small restaurant while traveling in Japan, so it was fun to look around the place while eating~! There were table seats as well as seats good for eating alone, so it seemed usable for various situations, from solo dining to friend gatherings, couple dates, and family meals.

What's on the kiosk menu

Orders are placed through a kiosk. Daidokoro has a variety of Japanese home-style dishes, from Japanese curry to tonkatsu, karaage, and chicken nanban~! In particular, the signature dishes are the 100-hour aged curry, tonkatsu, and chicken karaage, and among these, karaage is a steady seller that's been loved consistently, they say haha. But you know, this is a place I've made a point of visiting every year for almost 6-7 years now? The reason is exactly this!! Because it's SO delicious haha. Seriously, trust me and go.........

And they also have a menu prepared for vegetarians!!! Amazing.

Anyway, after much deliberation, I ordered the Premium! Karaage Set Meal.

What comes with the Premium! Karaage Set Meal

What I ordered was the Premium! Karaage Set Meal~! It's a hearty spread centered on karaage, Japanese-style fried chicken, served together with tasty side dishes, rice, soup, and more! In particular, this menu sells over 100,000 units a year, making it a consistently beloved item at Daidokoro~! The whole spread was so full that it looked satisfying just by looking at it! It was also a great option when you want a proper solo meal haha.

Japanese home-style cooking with plenty of side dishes

I liked that it wasn't just karaage sitting there alone — there were side dishes too haha. Several side dishes were prepared to eat alongside the main dish, so I could enjoy a variety of flavors instead of just one. Eating the crispy karaage with rice and side dishes definitely felt like a proper meal. I could feel the comfortable, filling quality that Daidokoro says is characteristic of Japanese home cooking!

Karaage that was properly crispy outside, juicy inside

And now, today's main event! I took a bite of the karaage, and the crispy outside and moist inside texture was definitely good.

The batter stayed nice and crispy while the chicken inside wasn't dry at all — it was moist, and I could feel the juices with every chew~!@!!!! Amazingly juicy. Above all, the fried chicken didn't feel too heavy or greasy, so I kept reaching for more. I think fans of fried chicken would find little to dislike here. (Honestly, if you like it... there's no room for dislike. This is purely a like, no question about it..^^;;;) After one bite, I could see exactly why karaage is Daidokoro's steady seller haha.

Karaage tastes even better with rice

Karaage alone is delicious, but since it's served as a set meal, you have to eat it with rice too. Eating a crispy piece of karaage with rice brought out a savory, salty harmony that completed a filling meal.

Daidokoro is also famous for its curry, and a bit of curry came along with the karaage set, so I mixed it into my rice. The curry had a rich, smooth flavor that surprisingly paired well with the karaage~! Dipping the karaage lightly into the curry or mixing the curry into the rice and eating them together was also delicious haha.

Finishing the meal with Daidokoro's pudding!

The pudding Daidokoro is famous for can't be skipped. After finishing my meal, I tried the pudding last, and it was soft and sweet, making it a great after-meal dessert. Finishing a hearty Japanese home-style meal with a sweet pudding wrapped things up on a good note.

To sum up

The karaage set I had had a great combination of crispy batter and moist chicken, and with rice and side dishes included, it was a satisfying, filling meal~! The store also had a cute Japanese feel that made the dining atmosphere nice, and being inside a department store meant good accessibility and parking convenience. If you're out in Nampo-dong or Jagalchi Market, it's a good location to handle both shopping and eating at once, and it had a comfortable atmosphere for anything from solo dining to dates or family meals! Next time, I'd like to try the 100-hour aged curry or tonkatsu along with the karaage set :)