Dinner at Umami Burger

Goodbye Virginia, hello Los Angeles!!! I arrived at night just in time for dinner and the start of a totally different dining experience. Welcome to land of stars and showbiz. Too bad I didn’t see any celebrities during my short stay.

My cousin picked me up from the airport and gave me a choice where to have dinner. Umami Burger or Umami Burger? Great choices Sid! I’ve been wanting to try their burgers since 2010 when my other cousin Polly insisted that I try it. I didn’t have time then so in Dec. 2011 it was my first meal in L.A.

This is my cousin Sidney and my nephew Kevin. I don’t know if they’re just so happy to see me or because they will be eating at Umami Burger.

There were so many burgers to choose from! The triple pork burger and the Umami burger were calling out to me.

burger menu

Even the specials looked really tempting.

daily specials menu

Coca-Cola in a glass bottle isn’t anything special in the Philippines but in the USA it isn’t sold that way anymore. Coke is sold in cans or plastic bottles. When you see Coke in a bottle it only means it’s Mexican Coke which has a following in the US by fans who claim it tastes more natural. It’s also made with natural sugar unlike the US counterpart which uses high-fructose corn syrup. You can read more about the this here. Kevin knows his stuff so he ordered this right away.

Mexican Coke $3

Kevin immediately ordered 2 orders of sweet potato fries. I told him to order just one since I won’t eat any because it’s not allowed in my diet. Thank goodness he didn’t listen to me. The thin cut fries were soft, not greasy and very sweet. I couldn’t stop eating them! They were specially good dipped in the Umami ketchup or roasted garlic aioli sauce.

sweet potato fries $4

The boys looked strangely at me when I wanted to order a salad. I ignored them and loved my Umami salad made with butter lettuce, shaved veggies, sprouts, green goddess dressing. I never knew shaved veggies tasted so good in a salad. It gave the salad a different texture. I really liked the light herb dressing too.

Umami Salad $7

With all the burger choices available all three of us ordered the truffle burger. It’s their favorite and I really love truffles so I ordered one too.

truffle burger $12

Just the way I like it, no veggies, only pure hamburger slathered with truffle glaze and house-made truffle cheese.

The burger was cooked medium rare by default. This wasn’t how I normally how I like my burger but I must say it was excellent. It didn’t taste raw as I feared. The beef was chunky and had that steak taste I always look for in a burger. There was a slight truffle scent and the cheese was mild.

You may notice I got rid of the bun. I ate my burger with the salad and that’s the way I like it. I commented to Sid that I found the burger to be small. It was probably one of the smallest burger I’ve ever eaten in the US where everything is super sized. For me it’s a good thing. The serving size was just right for my diet.

condiment choices

I was really impressed with the Umami ketchup which was so rich and tomatoey. The flavor was sweet and spicy and about a million times superior to any bottled ketchup. It they sell this I will buy it.

The roasted garlic aioli was surprisingly strong and intense. A little went a long way.

Umami ketchup & roasted garlic aioli

daily desserts menu

I swore I was too full to eat dessert then these babies come out. They source their desserts from Cake Monkey Bakery and Milk.

Milk cookies n cream ice cream sandwich $4.50

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Of the two yummy desserts I liked the maple gingerbread cakewich best. I didn’t know which one Kevin ordered so it was a surprise and a delight to bite into gingerbread cake filled with a creamy maple cream and covered with good quality dark chocolate.

maple gingerbread cakewich $3

I spotted a food truck outside. Sid asked me if I wanted to try it. Nooooo! I was too full and satiated already. All I wanted was to go home and sleep since I was still in East Coast time which was 3 hours ahead. Thanks for a fab first meal Sid and Kevin. And yes, the burger was indeed umami.

full menu

Umami Burger
500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401
telephone: 310.451.1300
hours:  M thru W 11-10 Th thru Sa 11-11 Sun 12-10