Solo dining at Izawa Sangam: gyukatsu set with cold soba, DMC Seoul

I definitely ate lunch today, ㅡㅡ,,? But about two hours after lunch, ha Gyukatsu (beef cutlet) suddenly started calling my name SO badly ㅠㅠ So I figured I'd go solo dining and walked into a nearby gyukatsu place Ended up adding cold soba too and cleared it all,,,done

Came alone but basically finished 2 servings — here's today's solo dining report in Sangam, haha This is Izawa Sangam I've eaten gyukatsu at quite a few places so I tend to compare each time, ha This one was seriously beyond my expectations ㅠㅠㅠ

Not just the gyukatsu — the cold soba was way tastier than I expected too Slurp,,,, by my own mouth,,

A great spot for a light lunch in Sangam-dong, and also great for when meat suddenly calls to you in that awkward afternoon slot like it did to me Okay, let's get into the detailed review!!!

Location and business hours for Izawa Sangam

• 📍 Near the DMC food alley in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul — about 6 min walk from Exit 9, Digital Media City Station
• ⏰ Weekdays 11:30–21:00 / break 15:00–17:30 / last order 20:30
• Saturday 12:00–20:00 / last order 19:30 · closed every Sunday
• 🚻 Interior is divided by floor
• ⭐️ Reservations available, group use possible, high chairs / from 1st-floor bar seats to 2nd-floor group seating! Solo dining works, also fine for engagement gatherings or family meals
• 💰 Gyukatsu ₩17,000 / Steak-don ₩17,000 / Gyukatsu double ₩30,000 / Donto-don ₩13,000 / Steak set ₩17,000 / Cold soba M ₩9,500

Easy to find, right at the entrance of the Sangam food alley

Being right near the entrance of the Sangam food alley made it easy to find Izawa Sangam sits in the Sangam food alley area, near the entrance, so I found it faster than expected Turns out it's also the spot where the dog bar I once posted about used to be Oh, it was here!? — that kind of memory, haha

The 1st floor has bar seats, great for solo dining

I visited on a weekday afternoon and it wasn't crowded, so I could enjoy it fairly leisurely

The 1st floor has bar seats and tables, plus seats where you can eat facing the window So it was pretty comfortable eating alone, haha Perfect for someone like me who went for solo dining in Sangam and ended up eating two servings alone, haha

For groups, go upstairs! High chairs ready too for a cozy setup

If you're visiting with several people, the 2nd floor space would be better than the 1st So it'd also be a good spot for a wedding-invitation gathering near the office in Sangam-dong, or a casual meal get-together, ha

Thanks to the soft lighting, it wasn't too noisy and felt calm enough for a relaxed meal

They even have baby chairs and bibs ready — such a thoughtful touch

Menu: from gyukatsu to steak

Enjoy everything from gyukatsu to steak — Japanese food in Sangam Ordering is easy via tablet ordering

The signature dish is of course the gyukatsu set, and they also sell a steak set If you love gyukatsu, you can order the double for a heartier portion

And then there's the cold soba I additionally ordered that day! I debated whether to just get gyukatsu or add soba too, and ended up ordering both,,, ㅇㅅㅇ

For a Sangam-dong lunch spot, gyukatsu alone works great, or you could visit with someone and share a few different dishes, ha

Order — Gyukatsu set, Cold soba M

The gyukatsu set: crisp outside, tender inside, no oily smell

The visuals ㅋ wow~~~~ The gyukatsu set and cold soba have finally arrived!!! Doesn't the color alone look so neat ㅠㅠ Seeing the table fully laid out suddenly made my hunger explode;;; Even though I clearly ate lunch 2 hours ago ;;ha

Gorgeous crisp-outside-tender-inside gyukatsu,,,became the gyukatsu of my life Can you see the gorgeous meat color peeking between the slices? @@

My hands were itching to put it straight on the grill

A dedicated gyukatsu burner was already set on the table, and the plate was well pre-heated, haha

So I loaded it up with gyukatsu, and that sizzling sound as it cooked was just ㅠㅠ Somehow eating while listening to the gyukatsu sizzle made it taste even better ^ㅇ^

The heat on the plate was quite strong so it cooked faster than expected Leave it too long and it overcooks quick, so I'd recommend grilling it a little at a time and eating right away

Crispy on the outside, tender and soft on the inside!!

The cut was pretty thick too ㅠㅠㅠ, and the juices felt moist and rich

Personally I'm a wasabi fanatic, so I piled on tons of wasabi — the pairing with the meat was really great

Putting a piece of gyukatsu on rice and eating it like a rice bowl was also seriously good ㅎㅅㅎ

There were also two sauces served alongside, both delicious, so I kept alternating between them Honestly I got curious enough about what the sauces were that I kept dipping into them, ha Out of all the gyukatsu I've tried, this one wasn't heavy on oily smell and was really clean — personally quite satisfying

A place I'll definitely think of again when craving Japanese food in Sangam,,,

Cold soba M: flat-plate style, noodles that don't go soft

Cold soba that won over even this buckwheat noodle fanatic I genuinely love buckwheat noodles, so I get pretty picky if the cold soba is even slightly off, ha Noodles too soft, seasoning weird, broth bland — all of that annoys me ^^^^

But this place serves it panmomil (flat-plate) style, so the noodles aren't sitting soaking in broth the whole time, which I liked

The plump buckwheat noodles came with a neat layer of seaweed on top, and the visuals were quite satisfying too

They pour the cold broth from a small gourd-shaped flask into the bowl already prepared with ice, add some radish, then plop the noodles in!!!

Took a bite and wow seriously so good ㅠㅠ

One bite of gyukatsu, one bite of cold soba, one bite of gyukatsu, another bite of soba — I kept looping this until I somehow finished it all alone

I was probably making audible noises while eating and other tables were probably like, what's up with her; ^^^^

If you're heading to Sangam-dong for lunch and want to genuinely enjoy the gyukatsu-and-soba combo,,, I really want to recommend this pairing to you ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Both are seriously so good ㅡㅡㅡugh

Wrap-up: from solo dining to group gatherings in Sangam

I clearly went there after lunch, and still ended up clearing both the gyukatsu and cold soba alone,,, The gyukatsu — crispy outside, tender and soft inside — was genuinely delicious The cold soba was also clean with noodles that didn't go soft, and the combo with gyukatsu was excellent If you're craving Japanese food in Sangam and want to go solo dining lightly by yourself, or you're looking for a place with a friend for an engagement gathering plus a meal in Sangam-dong, definitely visit Izawa Sangam!!!

What I liked

• Crisp-outside-tender-inside gyukatsu with zero oily smell
• Springy cold soba noodles that don't go soft
• The gyukatsu-and-soba combo worked way better together than expected ㅜㅜㅜ
• Great for solo dining
• Also good for family gatherings or engagement meet-ups with high chairs available
• A filling, satisfying lunch option in Sangam-dong!

Recommended for

• Anyone who loves genuinely crisp-outside-tender-inside gyukatsu
• Anyone who knows their gyukatsu, ha
• Anyone who wants to enjoy gyukatsu and cold soba together
• Anyone wanting a comfortable solo dining spot in Sangam
• Anyone looking for a friendly Japanese restaurant in Sangam
• Anyone searching for an engagement gathering spot near the office in Sangam-dong
• Office workers deciding on a lunch spot in Sangam-dong
• Anyone looking for a casual place for a date or a meal with friends

A Sangam restaurant recommendation for DMC Sangam office workers