Brunch spicy pork jowl rice bowl set near Kkachisan Station: Hekbap

I went out for an early meal today, which doesn't happen often. Usually I eat around 2pm, but this time I went with a friend for an early brunch. We picked Hekbap, one of the hearty rice bowl spots on the list of Kkachisan Station lunch places.

It's about a 1-minute walk from Kkachisan Station. So let me start the story of Hekbap, a Kkachisan Station lunch favorite.

One minute from Kkachisan Station, on the 2nd floor

First, a photo of the storefront. It's on the 2nd floor of the building, and all sorts of menu items were listed right there.

Right up the stairs, in front of the entrance, there were menu photos with descriptions. Everything looked delicious, so we went straight in.

The atmosphere and the morning hour

A photo of the interior. It was definitely quiet since it was still early, but it filled up fast once lunchtime hit.

Toward the back there was a long row of tables — spacious overall, with a clean, no-fuss diner feel.

The tables even had instructions on how to best enjoy each dish. Of course the signature rice bowls and ramen were there too.

There were even instructions for soba and katsu, so it's worth checking those out while you eat.

The tablet menu — what's on offer

A photo of the menu at this Kkachisan Station lunch spot. The variety was really impressive, and it was nice being able to browse it all on a tablet. First off, my beloved rice bowls came with all kinds of toppings to choose from.

Beyond that there was a full lineup of Japanese noodle dishes — ramen, soba, udon. Spicy ramen, tonkotsu ramen, miso ramen and more as single dishes, plus set meals served with katsu. The udon ranged from Fukuoka-style to spicy Fukuoka-style, and the set meals let you pick sides like katsu or karaage, which was great.

Finally there were curry rice bowls and katsu dishes, and the variety was genuinely huge — fried chicken, extra-meat, pork katsu curry rice bowls and more. If you're into Japanese home-style cooking, this lineup is basically perfect.

Ordering the spicy pork jowl rice bowl set — what's in it?

Our orders came out together not long after. The wait wasn't long at all, which makes this a great spot for office workers to grab a quick, simple lunch.

Both my friend and I were craving something filling with a bit of spice today. After some deliberation, we went with the spicy pork jowl rice bowl set. Honestly, if this place were near me, I feel like I could come here every day for lunch and never get bored with the variety.

The basic rice bowl set comes with a big bowl piled with rice and toppings. The udon also came in a pretty generous bowl, which I liked. The main sides were cabbage salad and karaage, with kkakdugi (radish kimchi) and pickled radish as side dishes, plus Japanese rice cake for dessert.

The kkakdugi and pickled radish were nice and crunchy, a clean pairing with the rice.

The spicy sauced pork jowl rice bowl

The pork jowl rice bowl, the star menu item of this Kkachisan Station lunch spot, was seriously delicious. Instead of just grilling the pork jowl plain, they brushed on a spicy sauce before grilling it, giving it a bit of smoky char flavor along with amazing savory depth.

The meat came loaded with peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions and other vegetables, and it all worked together really well. I scraped the bowl clean, not a grain left.

The udon and karaage that came with it

The udon was, as always, the perfect pairing. Even just the hot broth on its own would've been great, but it also had noodles, fried tofu, and ham.

It made the meal even more filling. This wasn't a bite-sized mini version — the portion was generous enough that even a grown man could eat his fill.

On top of that, my favorite side dish, karaage, came with the set. Three well-fried pieces of chicken thigh — delicious piled on top of the pork jowl rice bowl. I finished off even the cabbage underneath it all.

Finally, we finished with the sweet Japanese rice cake for dessert. A perfect lunch.