The buzz: Everyone already knows about tonkatsu, the crunchy fried breaded pork cutlets popularized in Japan, but fewer know that you can swap the pork with juicy medium rare beef. Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu hailing from Japan specializes in just that. In fact, they’re the ones who popularized the beef cutlets trend in Japan. After quietly marketing through its Facebook page, the beef katsu chain has finally opened in an unlikely spot at Siam Center. 

 

The vibe: Situated on the 2nd floor of Siam Center—the one sandwiched between Paragon and Discovery—Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu still sports a typical shophouse-esque atmosphere with only 16 seats. Due to its limited seating and, well, its location at the very epicenter of millennial crowds, the place is insanely packed for lunch and dinner, so hit it up in the afternoon.  

 

The food: The cutlets at Gyukatsu are notable for their thinner panko bread crumbs and premium-quality cuts of beef, ranging from sirloin, chuck rail flap, tenderloin, tongue, and prized marbled wagyu—accompanied by a bed of sliced cabbage, hitomebore rice from Miyagi province and akadashi (a blend of soybean and rice) miso soup. The fun part, though, is the wide range of condiments you can pair with your pink beef, including wasabi, curry, sansho pepper, katsu, ponzu, and soft boiled shoyu egg. Order the chuck rail flap set (B490 regular; B580 large). For those who aren’t keen on the pink beef—we’re not judging—Gyukatsu provides a mini grilling pan where you can sear the beef to your liking. Be careful not to burn it, though. 

Why we’d come back: Dining in malls usually winds up in misery. But Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu provides an option where what you spend matches the quality of what you eat. There are also many other cuts of meat that we haven’t tried, so this is enough to warrant another visit.