FatManSeoul

Myeongdong is generally better known for its many chain restaurants and crowded commercial streets than a place to grab really delicious food.  The high holy days here are all for shopping, not for feasting.  But hidden in the myriad alleys of boutiques and stores are some real gems . . . one of them being the best deal on Japanese food in all of Seoul:  Katsura.

Katsura tackles a wide variety of Japanese food, from standard izakaya fare like fried chicken and gyoza, to the “have it your way” okonomiyaki, and on into lunchtime favorites like fried pork cutlets, deep fried shrimp, and croquettes.
It’s these lunchtime sets that form the real backbone of Katsura’s attraction – where else are you going to get a salad, soup, rice, potato croquette, two fried shrimp, a fish fillet, a pork cutlet, and udon for less than 10,000 won?

It’s pretty fantastic stuff, too. The pork cutlets are thick, juicy, and very meaty. The exterior panko breading stays lovely and crisp, with just the right amount of oil. Croquettes are smooth and creamy, with just enough potato chunkiness to show that it was handmade. The fish fillet, although not panko breaded and thus not as delightfully crisp, still has a nice crunch to the crust and a good density and moistness for the fish.

Rapturously good fried shrimp round out the plate with their fresh, sweet flesh encased in crispy panko. But even though the plate is already piled high in meaty, seafoody goodness, you’re still not done.

Fatman might prefer the noodles be a little more toothsome, but there’s no denying that this generous bowl of floury, soft udon noodles hits the spot. The broth is nicely flavored and richer than the usual watery slosh you get in Japanese restaurants in Seoul. Extra points as well for the very lovely, chewy fishcakes and generous slice of fried tofu skin.

The biggest challenge at Katsura is getting in: With excellent value, and some of the best quality Japanese food in Seoul, this place attracts a solid crowd of hungry Myeongdong office workers, and both the main and annex locations are packed solid during regular dining hours. Unfortunately, in order to make a dinner reservation, Katsura requests that you also reserve a bottle of alcohol, so the sober and the weak livered may have a problem. Just show up, and you may be facing a substantial wait. Still, if you can catch a seat in either the tiny ground floor area (which Fatman strongly recommends so you can watch the chefs at work at the grill and enjoy the okonomiyaki show) or in the posher downstairs version it’s well worth a fistful of your hard earned won for what a Japanese aquaintance has christened, “the best Japanese food to be had in Korea” for anyone not blessed with a company expense account.

In addition to their broad menu of Japanese main dishes and izakaya sides, Katsura has a very decent sake and shochu menu, as well as Japanese beers both bottled and drafted. Hope you like them, too, because Katsura also has a bizzare insistance on ordering something alcoholic with certain foods. They will not serve you okonomiyaki if you don’t down an asahi alongside, and there is no crispy Japanese-style fried chicken for dinner if you won’t swill some sake. Call them the tempura tyrants, if you like, but do indulge yourself a bit.

Lunch sets go for approximately 8-10,000 won, and ala carte items run about the same. Expect to spend 15-30,000 per person, including drinks, at dinner time.
To find Katsura, take exit 6 from Euljiro Ipgu (1-ga) Station on line 2. Go straight about twenty meters, and Katsura will be in a small recessed doorway on your left. Go all the way back for the small ground floor annex, or head immediately downstairs for the larger dining room.