Han Il Kwan

Rating: OK
Meal:  Dinner
Price:  1500 yen
Payment:  Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Bibimpap, cold pork trotter, edamame, sesame bean sprouts, kimchi
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: Yes

Han Il Kwan is one of those places I've walked by every day on my way to work for the past year and a half.  The prominent kanji at the top mean "yakiniku" (i.e. cook your own meat) so I haven't been too interested.  But still, the fake food display shows some korean dishes, so I have still maintained some interest.  Tonight, that interest was fulfilled.

Edamame

It's an izakayaish sort of place, and I was promptly served with some steamed, cold edamame.  This was, incidentally, delicious.  At first I was resigning myself to another night of not particularly welcome yakiniku (and something called "beef womb"), but then I turned the page and found comforting bibimpap, and on the next page, the kanji/romaji for something that promised to be pork feet.  Sign me up!

Sesame bean sprouts

They brought out another unasked for treat, sesame oil soaked bean sprouts, which are delish.  The pork feet arrived, cold, gelatinous, and quartered.  I realized this was going to be a messy meal and promptly abandoned all attempts at using my chopsticks and picked up a piece to gnaw on it.  It was pretty plain tasting, if you go in for pig skin, fat and cartilage.  Luckily there was a plate of spicy sauce to dip it in.  It was wonderful!  It took a while to get through all of it, and in the mean time my bibimpap arrived.  I realized this place might be the real deal, so I ordered some kimchi to round things out.  Kimchi in Japan can be sweeter than I personally think it ought to be, but this stuff was nice and tart, very little of the sweetness.  I promptly dumped it all on the bibimpap, which is a vegetables on rice kind of dish.  I did miss the usual egg, but it was still good, with lots of rice.  I think it's meant to be a side dish to the yakiniku, but I don't care, it was good stuff.

Cold pig's trotter

Quite a surprise given the scary looking nature of the place and the location.  I am happy once again to be taken aback by good food in strange places!

Soupr, bibimbap and kimchi