Holy sweet mother of mercy. I am in love with the Japa Burger, yam fries and Kara-age bowl. It's like a trifecta of delicious arteriosclerosis and heartburn that are almost worth the painfully disgusting taste of Tums, Maalox or Pepto. I need more. Would eat here every other day if I could... Although my wallet & waistline might beat me upside the head with a sledgehammer. In spite of being the usual pig, I split every item with my sister that day (THANK GOD).
Wanted to marry the rice in that Kara-age bowl. It was almost as good as, if not better than the rice I make at home in my $500 Cuckoo pressure cooker with precision-measured rice to water ratios. I am an insane stickler for perfectly cooked, deliciously chewy rice & will only make it when I'm home alone or have the kitchen to myself. What rice or cooker do you use, EkiBento? I could sleep with you for the answer.
However, the bright red julienned ginger (beni shoga) was an acrid pile of salt assault with no hint of sweet & sour flavour whatsoever. Sis & I thought it would taste bloody amazing so we eagerly heaped 2 huge tablespoons onto our burger & rice bowl. I guess we were expecting it to taste like those sweet pickled ginger slivers that accompany sushi (gari)... or did we simply arrive at a bad time? She was encouraged to get the 'red strings of death' due to a yumtastic ramen house experience in NYC. Felt so duped. LMFAO!
The yam fries were lightly coated in airy, translucent tempura batter & were crispy on the outside & mashed potatoey on the inside. We violently shaker-raped it with Japanese seven-spice powder (shichimi/nanami togarashi). I was shoving fistfuls of yam ciggies into my mouth at breakneck speeds. It was a miracle I saved any for my sister.
The Japa Burger was a glisteningly gorgeous teriyaki-flavoured mound of awesomeness. I loved the mayo* they used (was it the yolk-rich Japanese Kewpie mayo?). The bun was a borderline kaiser-type affair. I think it was of an exceptional quality. It was also grilled. I need to dissect this burger next time I dine here so I can reconstruct this marvel at home.
*It was garlic sauce. Now I can't remember whether it was butter, cream or mayo-based. Goddamnit!