I finally remembered not to eat before going to the Lotte Market! I was excited to try one of the many options inside the mini food court and opted for Izziban Katsu as my first meal on the premises.

I ordered the Chicken Bento Box which came with well marinated and tender bite sized pieces of thigh meat chicken over a stir fry mix of carrots, onions, and other veggies. It also came with a bite sized portion of rice, three gyoza, 1 tempura battered piece of shrimp and 2 pieces of tempura zucchini (which was so freaking good), and a small cup of miso soup with green onions. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and found every piece really tasty. That tempura batter was light and fluffy, everything was cooked to perfection.

Downside: the price was quite high, I believe it was $18. With that sticker price, I expected a bit more chicken, however – there were so many sides that I left completely full.

Great food and even better service. Nice family owned place. Great combo of Japanese and Korean cuisine.

The absolute worst chicken katsu I’ve ever had in my life, I have no clue what these other reviews are talking about. The chicken was hard, dry, and unseasoned and then it’s served with some kind of cabbage topped with mayo and ketchup? And then the instant curry topping- disgusting.

Ate here for the first time and the food was amazing! I’d never had tonkatsu before so I was pretty excited, I ordered the cheese tonkatsu. Everything was hot and fresh and had really good flavors! The breading was super crispy and the cheese pull was impressive. The portion was fair for the price, id definitely come back to try some of the other menu items.

The food here is okay at Izziban Katsu.

Takoyaki: It's my kids/ favorite here.

Fried calamari: Good

Korean corndog with mozeralla cheese. It's not made of corn flour, but rice flour, filled with a fishdog, not hotdog, and lightly sweetened mozeralla cheese. I think they charge $5 each and those are the frozen food you get in the package in the freezer section if you do like those. My son and I like this but we rather buy the frozen package than buy an individual one from here.

Pork Katsu with tempura udon soup combo: This was our first time trying the katsu and we didn't like it. It tasted like old pork fried with a crisp oily texture. My kids liked the udon noodle and broth here. It's seasoned with soy sauce/salt and cooked with nappa cabbage, lots of white onions, scallions, and served with one shrimp tempura and a few pieces of fried tofu skin. We didn't like the fried tempura when soaked in the broth because it becomes mushy and makes the simple broth turns oily too. At other places I have ordered, the tempura is served on the side. Definitely not ordering this combo again.

Salmon bento box – first time I ordered for my son, they cook the salmon just right, soft and tender for my kids to enjoy. The second time, it was overcooked and dry, thus ending up in my compost bin when I brought it home. This is even after I told the cashier to make sure to tell the chef not to overcook it. I'll just buy the salmon steak and cook it for my family from now on. Inconsistency with cooking the salmon means a hit or miss, whether the food was worth the money or a waste.