Los Feliz, CA
www.umamiburger.com
The Order: Kombu Meal #3: Hatch Burger, medium rare. 4 types of green chilies, house made American cheese
Side order: Kombu Meal #3 comes with Tempura Onion Rings
$16
Drink Order: Kombu Meal #3 comes with a Poleeko Gold Pale Ale
I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Everyone always talks about how good Umami Burger is, and there must be something to it right? I mean, they now have five locations. There has to be something great about this place. I've only been here once before and I wasn't thrilled, but after a friend recommended a specific burger over the signature Umami Burger, I thought I'd give it another shot.
First of all, what is with the letter "U" stamped on the top of the bun? Is it ink? Food coloring? A slight searing? Great. They've put their stamp on the bun. A good thing because honestly, the bun is the best thing about the burger. 4 types of green chilies! Great! No taste. Not even any heat. I didn't feel anything at all in the way of spiciness until I was almost done with the entire burger. And some of you may say that I have a huge tolerance for spiciness. Not true at all. I just happen to really enjoy spicy foods now, even though they burn like volcanoes in my mouth. The house-made American cheese did nothing to add to the flavor of the burger and the meat was cooked past medium rare, even though medium rare is supposed to be the standard preparation for all of their burgers here. So yeah, the bun was sweet and delicious. But that's it. What the burger lacked in flavor it had in price.
These are by no means cheap burgers, and while I haven't had all of the burgers, I'll definitely think twice about coming here again to try something else. The Kombu deals are pretty good for your money, but you still end up having to eat a lackluster burger.
The onions rings, however, are delicious. Umami Burger definitely has gotten their side dishes right. A taste of the special Truffle Cheese Fries was great, and the Tempura Onion Rings with Umami Ketchup was fantastic. They had great tempura flavor (the rings are basically just coated with tempura style batter and then deep fried), with the sweet and tangy ketchup working together in a really interesting combination. There could be a few more onion rings in the order, but I won't complain about it.
I wouldn't choose this over the myriad other places to go in Los Angeles. Break the cycle. Tell all your friends to go somewhere else that is better and cheaper.
