Umami Burger sparks sensory questions

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The new Umami Burger restaurant, which recently opened on La Brea Avenue, surely has some folks asking just what "umami" is. The concept of this so-called fifth taste can be as elusive, but thanks to some enterprising food folks (and clever advertising from companies like Kikkoman), umami is making its way to the tips of our tongues and the tops of our forks.

Tim Hanni, aka Mr. Umami, is the former director of applied sensory studies at the now-closed Copia: The American Center for Food and Wine; he is also the founder of the umami-driven Napa Seasoning Company. Hanni explains: "Umami is a primary taste...An easy way to describe it is to imagine the taste of a raw mushroom—then imagine the taste after it's cooked. That's umami."

Hanni says the fifth taste is recognized in ingredients rich in glutamate, the mere mention of which is off-putting to some. That's because the food additive monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG, has been linked to reports of "Chinese restaurant syndrome" since as far back as 1968. Some diners allegedly suffered from headaches, sore limbs and odd sensory functioning after consuming foods seasoned with MSG. The syndrome has since been debunked by researchers.

Foods made with MSG are appealing because they elicit the same taste-receptor reactions as naturally occurring glutamate, which can be found in foods such as Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, seaweed, soy, cured meats and yeast extract (think Marmite or Vegemite).

Umami Burger, opened by Bottle Rock founder Adam Fleishman, offers a great way to experience the MSG-free application of umami. The restaurant's interior is small and simple, with a quaint Zen-inspired nook and barstool seating off to one side. Burgers are clearly the main event, as signaled by the large black burger stamps on the white butcher paper lining the tables.

The triple pork burger tastes like snapping into a Slim Jim at first bite, but it has so many layers of flavor that it'll have your taste buds swimming in savory porcine bliss. It's made with fresh ground pork, chorizo, corn-cob-smoked bacon, aged manchego cheese and pimenton aioli—all of which are high on the umami meter. A great way to balance the heady punch of the burger is with one of the natural bottled sodas offered; the Faygo vanilla cream is a nice complement.

Another option is the classic umami burger, a beef patty topped with Parmesan, roasted tomato (cooking veggies unlocks the glutamate), shiitake mushrooms and onion. The most delicious of the bunch, the Mideast burger—made with ground Sonoma lamb, red-wine-cooked shallots and honey-harissa sauce—delivers umami by way of Morocco.

As for sides, hand-cut fries come eight to an order, which is an atypically small serving for an American burger stand. It seems a bit silly to shell out $3 for such a tiny batch of starch, though the fries are triple-cooked and sufficiently scrumptious. Umami Burger also offers sweet-potato chips, which are light, crispy and well-seasoned when fresh, but don't let them sit in a take-away box on the way home—they'll end up a bit soggy. 

Umami Burger's introduction of this mysterious flavor to mainstream L.A. should bring some clarity to the oft-misunderstood sensory experience. For a bit of enlightenment, or a tasty burger, it's worth checking out.

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