Umami Burger
Average user Rating: 83
User Restaurant Ratings
Sort Results By
80
4/14/2010
96
Umami Burger
3/15/2010
I've been to umami burger several times and here are the burgers I've tried:
1. umami burger - delicious and perfectly juicy, i loved the parmesan crisp
2. casablanca burger - if you love lamb, i highly recommend thsi burger. It's on the sweet side, but wonderful.
3. manly burger - this one is a bit on the salty side for me. The horseradish was nice in tempering the saltiness of the fried onions.
4. truffle burger - Man, is this burger amazing! It's very simple and the most expensive one, but it was bursting with so much flavor!
5. triple pork burger - Southwestern flavors with the chipotle, really delicious.
All the burgers I've had there are all juicy and mouthwatering! My favorites have to be the umami and the truffle burger.
Also, do NOT get their thick cut fries! It's bland and NOT good. Their skinny fries are so much better and their onion rings are good as well.
Recommended Dishes
Umami Burger, Truffle Burger
65
12/16/2009
It's almost as if Owner Adam Fleischman wanted to open a sushi restaurant...then suddenly the day before opening he realized he couldn't get fish, so scrambling he got meat, so he opened a burger restaurant with an Asian theme.
From the look alone it feels like you've entered an Americanized sushi bar. This feeling is further confirmed when they offer you Iced Green Tea and when you see they serve their sauces in Asian Soup Spoons. Maybe I just don't get it, but this was totally impractical. Not enough sauce can fit into the spoon so when you awkwardly dip a lot of the over filled sauce spills over the side onto the table.
Read more from their blog
93
yummy
11/23/2009
Wow, usually I don't like to eat burgers, but this place was so appealing and so close to my apt, I gave it a try. So glad I did! I tried the lamb burger once and another time I had the chili burger. The lamb one was soooooooooooo goood. I think I would think of it every now and then. *slurp* The chili one was good but not as good as the lamb. Service was great too! I asked for it to be spicy and they gave me this hot sauce they had. OMG one of the best hot sauce ever!!! Can't wait to go again. I don't what it is, but so damn flavorful, must be UMAMI =)
Recommended Dishes
lamb burger, 3 chili burger
85
8/18/2009
I first heard about Umami from from Good Food from KCRW. Almost anything that Evan Kleiman and Jonathan Gold says, I would almost want to try. In addition, I admit i was intrigued with the idea of anything remotely Japanese and with Burgers (though I am not suppose to eat too much red meat - more on that later).
Umami is the 5th taste, translated from Japanese and from their website. The four other tastes are bitter, sour, sweet, and salty. Umami is neither any of those, yet is most similar to salt. Salt merely enhances the taste of umami. From what I understand of tasting it and reading about it on wikipedia - Umami is like a natural MSG flavor. Some foods that naturally have the Umami flavor include mushrooms.
At this Umami Burger, open sometime last year, I had to try their signature Burger - naturally called the Umami Burger. Looking like a $10 gourmet burger, it did look quite delicious. The bun was quite big and seemed to hold it quite well. After biting into the burger, I realized the taste of umami. It was sort of bland, yet subtle with flavor. You could feel the texture of the mushrooms and meat blending together. Japanese people are know to eat with their eyes, rather than their mouths. In addition, they like the subtle flavors of food, rather than spicy hearty foods. This 5th taste might be intriguing to the most discerning palates.
Their fries and onion rings are really good and compliment each of the burgers. I did get a chance to try the pork burger - which I enjoyed a bit more than the Umami one. i would go back to Umami to have the other burgers, not necessarily the umami one. In Los Angeles, we are fortunate to have some many gourmet burgers.
Read more from their blog
93
3/14/2009
"Umami." The 5th taste that can't be pinned down by (english) words. One-up that by putting it all in a burger (Mmm burger ...). Umami Burger has been all over Chowhound as of late, so when I realized my part-time job is actually only 3 blocks away, instead of driving home in the middle of rush hour on the 101, I stopped by for a quick dinner.
There's a small parking lot that's shared with the other stores there, but hey, there's an actual lot and it's free, so don't complain.The space is small, but there were quite a few of tables and stools. It's a nice and clean space with Asian-inspired decor.
As an "amuse-bouche" (a burger place with an amuse bouche, eh? Fancy ...) they brought out a spoonful of shiitake mushrooms in "pure umami ketchup."
Intense is one way to describe it, it may even be too intense for some people, but it's kind of an effective in-your-face intro to that which is "umami".
It's my first visit so naturally I got the Umami burger (parmesan crisp, roasted tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, Umami ketchup, onions) and a side of Malt Liquor tempura Onion Rings ($2.50)
These onion rings are some of the best ones I've ever had. Light and crispy, dip it in their Umami ketchup - delicious and addicting.
Onto the Umami Burger.
The patty was medium rare, and it was quite juicy and flavorful. The bun is buttery, the shiitake mushrooms were a great addition and I liked the crispy parmesan also. Definitely a savory burger full of flavor and quite good (dip it in the umami ketchup for even extra flavor!).
Though, personally this burger is missing a lil something for me. I miss that 'crunch' I get when I bite into a burger filled with lettuce and onions. The crispness that comes out, the textural and flavor play. I suppose that won't be adding to the "umami" rating. Iceberg lettuce would totally kill this burger, but maybe ... arugula? Methinks a bit of arugula would do it for me.
That was a personal preference, don't judge me :P I still enjoyed the umami burger quite a bit and I plan on coming back for it and to try the other burgers, such as their Pork&Stilton and their specials (currently Ahi Tuna burger) - working 3 blocks away would help this mission a lot!
PS. For extra incentive, they have a BYOB policy with no corkage, and they also sell Cake Monkey cakewiches and Yo-Hos which, while not cheap, are yummy!
More Hamburgers Restaurants
- Fatburger
Hamburgers
Santa Monica, CA
- My Brothers BBQ
Hamburgers, American
Woodland Hills, CA
- Red Robin
American, Hamburgers
La Mirada, CA
- Islands Restaurant
American, Hamburgers, Sandwiches
Los Angeles, CA
- Westwood Burgers and Falafel
Hamburgers, Middle Eastern
Los Angeles, CA
- Johnny Rockets
American, Diner, Hamburgers
Burbank, CA
- Johnny Rockets
American, Diner, Hamburgers
West Hollywood, CA
More Restaurants in Los Angeles
- L a Rose Cafe
Eclectic/Int'l
Los Angeles, CA
- Barragan's
Mexican, Steakhouse
Los Angeles, CA
- Pa Ord Noodle
Thai
Los Angeles, CA
- The Six Restaurant
American (New), Bar/Pub Food, Bistro
Los Angeles, CA
- Big Tummy Submarine Sandwiches
Fast Food
Los Angeles, CA
- Noe Restaurant & Bar
American, Eclectic/Int'l
Los Angeles, CA
- Celadon
Pan-Asian
Los Angeles, CA
More Restaurants You Might Like
- Get Shaved Ice Truck
Dessert, Hawaiian
Los Angeles, CA
- Swinger's
American, Diner
Los Angeles, CA
- One Dollar Chinese Food
Fast Food
Los Angeles, CA
- Umami Burger Truck
American, Hamburgers
Los Angeles, CA
- Fatburger
American, Fast Food, Hamburgers
Burbank, CA
- Islands Restaurant
American, Hamburgers, Sandwiches
Manhattan Beach, CA
- Marie Callender's
Hamburgers, American
Irvine, CA
People advanced to this page by searching for:
|
|
