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The made-in-house breadcrumbs do make a difference, and they were Eunjo Kim’s idea. “She said, ‘I will bake the bread and you make katsu,'” said Kim. “Normally, other katsu places, they get breadcrumbs from suppliers. We make breadcrumbs ourselves and I bring fresh meat from suppliers, not frozen.”

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It might just be as simple as this: You have to root for a place that bakes its own bread to make its own breadcrumbs. Who knows? You might even wind up preferring katsu to schnitzel.

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Half order of spicy pork hock at Hanyang Jokbal on Bank Street. Photo by Peter Hum /Postmedia

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Open: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

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Prices: $42 to $48 for platters of pork trotters or should meant to be shared, including side dishes

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Access: No steps to front door

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Opened at the corner of Bank and Slater streets in January 2026, Hanyang Jokbal Ottawa is a cheap and cheerful place with several dozen seats. It continues the spread of a Korean eatery chain that launched in 2019 in Toronto. Now, there are also locations in London, Mississauga and Montreal.

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Clearly, its core specialty — platters of long-braised pig’s trotters or pork shoulder, meant to be shared — is finding a wider following. I’ve seen Koreans and non-Koreans alike partaking at Hanyang Jokbal, fitting slices of fatty, chewy meat into lettuce leaves along with garnishes and fermented sauces that lead to umami-bomb bites.

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Different flavours of meat are available, including spicy, garlicky, barbecue, roasted and even Sichuan hot and tingly. I’ve only tried the spicy and garlicky renditions and ultimately, the pork, which was especially gelatinous in the case of the trotters, was a vehicle for sauces, bits of raw garlic and chili, and kimchi. Rounding out platters were bowls of bean-sprout broth and scallion salad.

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You can order half-and-half platters to try two flavours and also half-platters, which are ostensibly for one person, but are still generously portioned. Leftovers will be likely.

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Although the braised meats and their accompaniments were a feast on their own, we ordered starters during my two visits.

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A bubbling bowl of spicy seafood tofu soup ($20) was boldly flavoured and hearty.

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Seafood soontofu soup at Hanyang Jokbal on Bank Street. Photo by Photo: Peter Hum / Postmedia

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I enjoyed the seafood pancake ($24), although not as much as a similar, flawless delight that I had a few years ago at Korea House in Chinatown. A little better fried was the kimchi bacon pancake ($22) that I had on my next visit.

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Seafood pancake at Hanyang Jokbal on Bank Street. Photo by Photo: Peter Hum / Postmedia

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Kimchi bacon pancake at Hanyang Jokbal on Bank Street. Photo by Photo: Peter Hum / Postmedia

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Seafood soontofu soup at Hanyang Jokbal on Bank Street. Photo: Peter Hum / Postmedia Photo by Photo: Peter Hum / Postmedia

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Hanyang Jokbal is licensed, and it offers beer, makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and soju (a clear, rice-based alcohol). The latter can be neutral or fruit-flavoured.

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Vagharela khaman and chutney at Mr. Khaman on Carling Avenue Photo by (Photo: Peter Hum/ Postmedia)

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Open: 8 a.m. to midnight daily

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Prices: Most dishes under $12

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Access: Steps to front door

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Like Hanyang Jokbal, this no-frills vegetarian eatery has its roots in the Greater Toronto Area. The first Mr. Khaman opened in Etobicoke in 2021 and the Ottawa franchise opened in late April 2026. Now there are seven locations in Ontario, as well as ambitions to spread across Canada and into the United States, bringing khaman to the masses.

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Khaman are steamed chickpea flour cakes served as snacks in Gujarat, a western, coastal province of India.

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At Mr. Khaman, I’ve had steamed-to-order, soft, fluffy vagharela khaman ($10.99), which took the more neutral cakes and added mustard seeds, curry leaves, chilies and spices. On the side was a thick, bright green chutney that combined chili heat and sweetness. I enjoyed the khaman, but wished that I’d visited with some companions to help me eat it.