Going Umami

"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, $8) 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 ($4), are yummy!


Umami Burger
850 S La Brea
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 931-3000

My 5-cents on Nickel Diner

I've read so much about Nickel Diner and in particular its bacon donut, so I made my way to downtown LA for brunch one Saturday afternoon.

After parking on the street about 2 blocks away and walking through dilapidated hotel-turned-apartments, we found the place and put our name on the list. The decor and the people are retro-hipster cute, which is kind of fun.We waited about 15-20 minutes before finally getting a table.

When we sat down we were served these tiny red velvet donuts.
Didn't taste much red velvet and wasn't too crazy about the icing. It was not bad.

Apparently Nickel Diner doesn't do fresh squeezed juices - my default 'brunch' drink. Boo. But they do have a selection of interesting sodas.

I ordered the 5th and Main, which is a "spicy pork bbq hash"
The pork was tender and the sauce was only slightly spicy. I wish there had been more sauce though, as the meat itself without the sauce was rather bland and there wasn't enough sauce to go around. The dish definitely has potential though, maybe ask for extra sauce.

My companion got the vegan ranchero (tofu ranchero)
It tasted ... vegan and healthy. Don't know why he ordered this ...

He also got the vegan chili.
It was okay, didn't do much for me. A bit spicy, but it needed something extra (like meat? not necessarily meat, but something :P ).

Moving on. Naturally I had to try the iconic bacon donut.
Yeah, it was good. That's about it, though, it didn't do much more for me. The donut itself was a bit heavy and super sticky and sweet that the bacon flavors didn't come through as much. I would've liked it better if it was a lighter fluffy donut.

To get another shot at a satisfying dessert, we went with a ding dong.
This was more like it. This reminded me of Cake Monkey's. Rich chocolatey cake with icing dipped in chocolate - yummy!

Overall, Nickel Diner was not bad. But not great enough to make me do this drive for brunch regularly. I think it's more of a neighborhood place, and if it's in my neighborhood, then yeah, I probably will frequent it. As it is, I have John O' Groats/Hugo's or Auntie Em's and many other places near home/work, so I don't really see any reason to trek down to downtown. Thought the bacon donut would be a reason to, but it really isn't.

Nickel Diner
524 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 623-8301
www.5cdiner.com

South Coast Dining Deals: March 20-29

Don't cancel that hot date because of the recession just yet!
For 10 days on March 20th-29th, the restaurants in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa are offering prix-fixe $20 3-course lunches and $40 4-course dinners for a promotion they're calling Fashion Plates.
We're talking the fine dining establishments here, and these ten days span the weekend also - sounding better than DineLA already here ...

Participating restaurants include:
Pizzeria Ortica (David Myer's new restaurant)
Marche Moderne (Lunch only - but their lunches are always $20 weekday, $25 weekend anyway ..)
Morton's the Steakhouse
Leatherby's Cafe Rouge (dinner only)
Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's
Pinot Provence
Hamamori
etc.

For more info, visit http://www.southcoastplaza.com/ or just call up the restaurants directly! :)