Tongyeong restaurants: Cafe R handmade tonkatsu with kids

A meal in Tongyeong with crispy tonkatsu and jjolmyeon

Hi, I’m CULT.
I’d like to tell you about a restaurant in Tongyeong called Cafe R (카페알).
Tongyeong is a very appealing destination for adults traveling without kids or anyone who loves seafood, but the food options make it less appealing for a trip with children. As someone who photographs kids, I find it hardest when clients ask me where to eat with their children. There really aren’t many options for them.
Fortunately, Cafe R was recently renovated and serves a decent meal, so I suggest giving it a try. It has café in its name.. but it’s actually a tonkatsu place.

I live nearby, so I know the area well.. There is no large parking lot of its own, but you can use the parking lot at Daegyo Mart (대교마트) right opposite, and there are plenty of places to park along the road. Although it is not listed in the summary, keep in mind that the restaurant takes a break from 3 to 5 p.m. Also, it is closed every Sunday.

The restaurant has entrances on both sides. The one I photographed feels like a back entrance, and the main entrance is just to the left. Go through the main entrance and the ordering kiosk is right there. It is only three steps away, so I recommend using the main entrance. My first visit was on the day it reopened after renovation, and I have been back several times since.

Here is the interior. I only photographed one side, so this does not show all of it. Including the opposite side, it is roughly 30% larger. I think it used to be a café, and it seemed to draw on Japanese kissaten culture, serving both meals and coffee.. But after several visits since the renovation, I would say it is more of an ordinary restaurant than a kissaten.

Here is the menu. The menu on the table and the one on the ordering kiosk differ. The kiosk has a few more options.

This is the Uridongne tonkatsu I had on opening day. It is described as gyeongyangsik tonkatsu.. though it looks a little different from the gyeongyangsik I know. The crisp, well-fried handmade tonkatsu comes with a little rice, cabbage salad, freshly seasoned chives, pickled radish and udon broth. It cost 13,000 KRW.
Europeans and Americans will really enjoy this dish, while Japanese visitors may wonder why there is so little rice. You can order extra rice for 1,000 KRW.
Think of it as thin tonkatsu by Japanese standards, or a thick cutlet or schnitzel by Western standards.
I have been to many famous schnitzel restaurants in Europe.. but tonkatsu from an ordinary neighborhood place in Korea tastes much better. This one is good too.

It comes as one large piece and one small piece. I prefer dipping mine in sauce, but having it poured over like this is fine if you eat quickly. Some Western friends ask me why Korean cutlets do not come with lemon or lemon juice.. Usually, you squeeze lemon juice on pork to cover its smell, right? If the pork smells in a Korean restaurant, that place will go out of business. They do not give you lemon because the meat does not smell.

Here is the inside. This is tonkatsu fried just the way it should be. Tastes good.

I ate every last bite. It is a place I generally recommend for meals with kids, Western friends or Japanese visitors.

I have a business credit card now, so I no longer need to do this, but I photographed the receipt because I did not have one at the time. European companies never get to claim food as a business expense, do they? In Korea, it qualifies as an expense if you regularly create content like this and it is relevant to your business. Anyway, this is the receipt for the Uridongne tonkatsu at 13,000 KRW and three chicken burgers for 10,000 KRW.

These chicken burgers are takeaway only. At three for 10,000 KRW, they are excellent value for money. They are filling and tasty, so you could buy some to eat on the go, or enjoy a casual picnic at Nammangsan (남망산), Yi Sun-sin Park (Isunsin-gongwon:이순신공원), or up at the top of the cable car ride overlooking Tongyeong.
Daegyo Mart is right opposite Cafe R, so you can buy drinks more cheaply than at a convenience store.

Here is the inside. I wonder how they can sell three of these for 10,000 KRW. They seem far too cheap. Sliced cheese is inexpensive in the West, right? Sliced cheese.. is really expensive in Korea and Japan.
To avoid any misunderstanding caused by cultural differences, this is a burger generously filled with ingredients that are relatively expensive in Korea. In Europe, though, sliced cheese is an inexpensive ingredient, so it comes across differently.

Here it is cut in half. They cut it in half when packing it, so you do not need to do that yourself. I really enjoyed it. This is another burger I can recommend.

As I mentioned earlier, the café presents itself as inspired by Japanese kissaten culture.. but the udon does not seem to follow suit. It cost 5,000 KRW.
This is typical Korean-style udon rather than Japanese-style udon. This is just my impression, but there are many elderly people in this neighborhood, and I think the udon was made with them in mind. It is lightly salted, with the usual soft noodles and an unremarkable flavor.

Fortunately, the noodles have a square cross-section. Personally, I really dislike round udon noodles. Cafe R’s udon is fine for a simple meal.
For the record, the places that serve round udon noodles in Korean-style udon broth are near Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (Dongseoul-jonghapteomineol:동서울종합터미널). The worst udon in the world.

Next is the Donjjol set. It cost 11,000 KRW.
It comes with the regular tonkatsu and jjolmyeon. Let me say this first: the jjolmyeon is too spicy for Japanese or Western visitors. If you cannot handle spicy food, do not even think about having it. For Koreans, it is just a meal with a moderate kick.

These are the fried dumplings that come with the jjolmyeon. Of course they taste good dipped in the spicy sauce.

You need to mix the jjolmyeon noodles with the cabbage salad. After seeing so much red food while traveling in Korea, do not just dig in because this does not look very red. You will regret it. As I said earlier, this is really spicy for Japanese and Western visitors.

This is Cafe R’s regular tonkatsu. The sauce comes separately, just the way I like it. And of course, I really enjoyed it. I tried various dishes, and I liked the Donjjol set because it was the most filling. If you come as a family and your child is too young to eat much tonkatsu, I think this is a good choice. The child can have the tonkatsu while mom or dad has the jjolmyeon.
That’s all for today. I’ll leave it there and be back soon with more travel information 😀

Cultravel

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