thrillist

Deep within the recesses of our humanity, there lies a desperate secret only the most unshakable of men have dared face, a dizzying enigma that can ravage the mind, discussed only in hushed whispers. The ancients call it...the fifth taste. Now eat it, at Umami Burger.

From the guy behind longtime Culver City fave BottleRock, Umami's an Oriental-styled (Asian-lantern light fixtures, painting of an oddly muscled, meditating Buddha) high-end fastfoodery, plating burgers bursting with its namesake savory/brothy/meaty taste, discovered by the Japanese as an addendum to sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, and roughly translating as "delicious flavor", and therefore, often confused with Ho Hos. Burgers include truffle-, pickle-, and Stilton-covered beef, a turkey confit patty, "Triple Pork" (ground pork shoulder, chorizo, and cobb smoked bacon) w/ manchego and pimenton aioli, the lamb/spiced yogurt "Mideast Burger", as well as an "Umami Burger", enriched with six different savory ingredients in a blend the owner says "you'll have to figure out yourself", because in actuality, Clarissa can't explain it all. On the side, Umami's got a salad, homemade sweet potato chips, garlic potato salad, triple-cooked french fries, and "hi-end" chili, made with only the most musical of fruits.

There'll soon be a live DJ on weekends, and though there's no alcohol on the menu, you can BYOB with no corkage fee -- something the ancients call boo-yeah!

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Umami soft-opens today; blow your mind with the menu, right here