Shrimp soy rice bowl set near Gangseo before fireworks: Hekbap

Today's September 5th, the big day of the Hanwha fireworks festival! My boyfriend and I stayed near Kkachisan Station the night before so we could go see it together ~

I woke up hungry and wanted to fill up properly before enjoying the fireworks, so I searched hard for good restaurants near Kkachisan Station. That's how I found 'Hekbap Kkachisan Branch.' I wanted a hearty meal before the fireworks, so I gave it a visit — here's what I ordered at Hekbap Kkachisan Branch and my honest thoughts on the taste!

How far is it from Kkachisan Station?

Hekbap Kkachisan Branch is on the 2nd floor of a building just a 1-minute walk from Exit 3 of Kkachisan Station, Line 5.

• Hekbap Kkachisan Branch
• 🏬 35 Gangseo-ro, 2nd floor, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Daily 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–16:30 / last order 20:30)
• ⭐️ Group seating, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, kids' chair, takeout, delivery, reservations
• 🅿️ No parking (please use the nearby public lot, Kkachisan Station Hwagok-bon 1-1 public parking lot) - ₩50/5 min, ₩2,000 daily max

A place for solo diners and families alike

Climbing the stairs into Hekbap Kkachisan Branch, the interior was bigger than I expected, with generous spacing between tables so you can eat comfortably. There's also a solo-dining zone plus seating for groups of 2-4 or larger, so you don't have to worry about finding a spot.

Hekbap Kkachisan Branch also has a kids' chair ready for anyone bringing their little ones along !! Parents can visit without worry ~ (though there's no elevator, so it's best not to bring a stroller...)

How to order and what we got

You order through a T-Order tablet and prepay haha. Here's exactly what we ordered, for anyone who wants to copy our order ~

• Jaru soba ₩10,000
• Shrimp soy sauce rice bowl set ₩16,900
• Mini okonomiyaki ₩3,000

Every table at Hekbap Kkachisan Branch had a hair tie, pepper, kimchi, and chili flakes on it. (Having a hair tie ready was such a nice touch)

Since we ordered soba and a rice bowl, we followed the suggested way to eat them and enjoyed it to our taste.

As the dishes came out one by one, the table filled up with mouth-watering food🤎 It looked so good our excitement was already sky-high before we even took a bite ~ hahaha

How was the ₩10,000 jaru soba?

The jaru soba (chilled buckwheat noodles served with dipping sauce) had noodles that were bouncy yet chewy, with a subtle, nutty buckwheat aroma. Dipping them lightly into the savory, slightly salty zuyu (dipping sauce) gave a clean, light flavor, and adding wasabi brought a sharp kick that made it even more enjoyable.

₩16,900 shrimp soy sauce rice bowl set, mixed with egg yolk

The shrimp soy sauce rice bowl set is made by aging shrimp for 12 hours in Hekbap's own secret soy sauce, apparently really bringing out the shrimp's natural flavor and umami ~ The savory, faintly sweet soy sauce soaked deeply into the shrimp, and it paired really well with the rice !! The plump texture of the shrimp combined with the nutty rice made for a meal that felt clean yet full of umami haha. The warm, mild broth with chewy udon noodles was also comforting to eat alongside.

Mixing in the soft-boiled egg with its yolk sitting on top, together with the shrimp soy sauce, into the rice added a nutty, soft richness. The salty shrimp soy sauce and the mild egg yolk balanced each other out, softening what could otherwise be a strong soy sauce flavor and making it even more moist and nutty.

Is the ₩3,000 mini okonomiyaki worth adding?

Small but satisfying, the mini okonomiyaki was crisped up nicely and nutty on the outside, while the inside stayed moist and soft. The sweet-salty okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes came together for rich umami and nuttiness, and being bite-sized made it easy to enjoy without feeling heavy.