Katsunam: A New Tonkatsu Spot in Hongdae (and a Farewell to My Old Favorite)
While looking for lunch near the office, I discovered Katsunam, a new tonkatsu restaurant that replaced my go-to bibimbap place! :-)
I originally headed to Naranga, but it was too crowded. After a brief detour, I ended up here.
TMI: For years, I'd been a huge fan of Naranga's lunch special, a steal at just 10,000 won. Sadly, it's no longer on the menu! The cheapest option now is the sushi set below, which costs 17,000 won. Since I occasionally eat out, I figured I could still visit. However, the marinated shrimp was a bit sticky and the tuna sushi wasn't really my taste.
It's sad to see my favorite restaurant change like this... The salmon and raw fish were still delicious, as always!
That was a quick update on Naranga.
Seogyo-dong Tonkatsu: Katsunam
※ Hours: Weekdays 11:00 AM - 8:40 PM / Saturday 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
[Closed every Sunday]
The exterior of the restaurant is as you see above. They offer a 10% discount on takeout orders.
There's a menu outside so you can check the dishes and prices. The interior is clean, and there are plenty of single-seater tables, making it a great spot for solo diners.
I went during lunch hour, and it was packed! Everyone was waiting for their tonkatsu, so I was worried it would take forever. Luckily, they brought out several orders at once, which was a relief.
Menu and Price Information
Each table has a kiosk, making ordering easy. I ordered the Ansim Katsu (Pork Tenderloin Cutlet) :-)
★ You can get a 10% discount if you participate in a Naver or Instagram review at the time of checkout!
Ansim Katsu (Pork Tenderloin Cutlet)
This is the crispy, perfectly fried Ansim Katsu! You can see the tender pork loin filling the cutlet.
It goes well with the cabbage salad.
I dipped it in the tonkatsu sauce and enjoyed it with the cabbage salad and rice.
However, the breading was a bit thick, so it got a little greasy after a while :-)
I ate about half of it as is, then started removing the breading. The texture of the pork tenderloin was similar to chicken breast!
I felt like I was eating a healthy dose of protein :-)
For dessert, they gave us this nostalgic yogurt drink, which I happily finished :-)
The friend I went with ordered the Deungsim Katsu (Pork Loin Cutlet), and found a foreign object in it near the end of the meal, which we reported to the owner.
The owner handled it well and apologized, so we had no complaints. (I recently went to a bar where a clump of tissue was found in the soup, and the staff wouldn't even acknowledge it...)
Overall, the restaurant is clean, so I recommend giving it a try if you're looking for a Japanese-style tonkatsu place in the area!
Overall, the restaurant is clean, so I recommend giving it a try if you're looking for a Japanese-style tonkatsu place in the area!
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