I first took notice of Yoyogi back in 2023 and I thought the menu looked rather interesting. Burger patties served on rice. Hmmm....
And "Hikiniku To Kome" means "minced meat and rice". Then I was curious what was "Binchotan-infused special patty" and it turns out that Binchotan is a type of charcoal. So I learnt a few things that day.
The space is small and cosy, nice for small groups or the lone diner like me. The lighting is dim, so not conducive to take nice photos.
Ordering is via QR code. Let's take a glimpse into some of the items on the menu. There are so many, so I can't post all of them here.
I was most attracted to the Avocado Coffee but the price is a bit steep. So I decided to abstain. Kedekut pulak.
There you go, my Hamburg on Japanese Comfort Pearl Rice. I opted for two patties (of course, right?), the Classic Binchotan.
There are another four options - Savory Yuzu, Umami Mentaiko, Creamy Curry, Crispy Mentai Katsu and Smokey Black Pepper. I chose the most basic flavor to taste the beef (which was not such a good idea as I found out later).
As for the egg, I chose Onsen Tamago (other choices - raw egg [a bit risky this] or fried egg). In fact you can even choose the meat - beef, lamb, chicken or vegetarian. There are also add ons but I did not want to spend extra money.
That's my two (hefty) beef patties served atop Japanese Pearl Rice. The patties are 100g each and I could eat three patties if I did not eat the rice. Maybe next time, no rice.
The patties were very smokey and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. The beefy aroma was quite strong. Perhaps I would like it much better if I chose the other options which will mute the strong beefiness.
The mixed vegetables consisted of beansprouts, mushroom, broccoli and ladies fingers. You will notice that there is a small cast iron pan next to the bowl. I was wondering what it was there for and why it was empty (did they forget to give me something?)
Then it occurred to me that it was there so that I could place my patties on the pan in order to eat the rice and the patties properly.
The clear soup was very strong in beef taste and I'm afraid I did not like it. I just had a few sips and that's it.
As I was enjoying my meal, a member of staff came to ask if I would like to refill my pickles. Oh! Yes, please. He also brought another serving of the mixed vegetable which I declined as I was pretty full (due to the starchy rice).
Besides, there was a lot of taugeh which reminded me of how I hated beansprouts I was a child hah..hah.. If I am not wrong, you can also refill rice (or ramen) but that would be too much carbs for me. My partner would probably do that.
Well, that was a very filling meal and although I found the beef a bit too strong, I won't mind coming back for other beef variations or the savory rice bowls. Maybe the Avocado Coffee too, eh?
Thank you for the review of this place. I miss places like this with Nana's exit from the local market. Now I am very curious about how strong the beef taste is so I will put this place at the top of my list if I ever go to uptown. Can't wait. 😁
ReplyDeleteI didn't even have a chance to go to Nana's >.< I hope you get to try Yoyogi's beef patties and I am curious what you would think of it.
DeleteThank you for the detailed write up of this small cosy Japanese restaurant. Ah patties served on rice, reminds me of Mos Burger (from Japan) which serves rice burgers with meat patties. Ah, avocado coffee, I am curious, wonder does it come hot or cold?
ReplyDeleteThe Avocado Coffee is cold I think. If I try it I will blog about this coffee :)
DeleteUnder the savoury rice bowls, vegetable tempura serves with curry rice is something new to me, as I always associate tempura with soy sauce.
ReplyDeleteNowadays there is so many of these fusion foods, some are nice but some taste weird to me.
DeleteBeefy taste too strong in the meat as well as the soup is something I won't enjoy either. A word of caution on the avocado coffee though as my experience with other flavoured coffee (especially fruit-flavoured ones like coconut, banana & blueberry) has been more negative than positive...weird tasting in fact! >.< Maybe avocado could be different.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning! I remembered enjoying avocado milkshake with chocolate sauce and now I am wondering if I should take the risk LOL! There is a small kiosk in my area selling Vietnamese coffee with fruit flavors and also with egg >.<
DeleteEgg coffee is popular in Vietnam, did not get to try it when I went Hanoi with my friend last time.
DeleteAh, avocado milkshake with chocolate sauce reminds me of my trips to Batam with friend. Sweet and I love it as I have a sweet tooth.
DeleteYeah, bookmarked this place for my weekend lunch, then proceed to popular at 1U or IPC to shop for Sam's workbooks for tuition. What a great plan, right! LOL
ReplyDeleteRight! hah..hah... Hope to see your review!
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