Umami Burger Tasting

It's always a fun and invigorating experience to explore an unfamiliar city all the while hitting up four restaurants back-to-back with a good friend who shares the same passion and love for food as you do. Throwing it back to one of the most memorable days I've had in a while - exploring Oakland with Bay Area food photographer and friend Jeremy Chung. Thanks to Jeremy, I had the honor of experiencing my first food tasting at Umami Burger in Oakland.

We arrived at a crowded Umami Burger a little past 12:00PM on a Friday afternoon, but were seated immediately in a spacious and private booth in the corner of the restaurant. The staff members who helped us out were extremely friendly and kind. As the servers came out with various appetizers and entrees, they made sure to clearly explain what ingredients they used in each dish. Jeremy and I started off with my favorite kind of food - the fried assortment, heh. We sampled Umami Burger's Maple Bacon Fries, Truffle Fries, and Cheesy Tator Tots. As I predicted, I found all of these appetizers pretty addicting, but the cheesy tator tots were definitely something I couldn't stop reaching for. Melted cheese in every tator tot bite? I'm sold. Along with the fried appetizers, Umami Burger also served us delicious dipping sauces and my favorite had to be the Garlic Ailoli.

Next on our menu, three unique burgers made it on to the table - the Truffle Burger, Greenbird Burger, and Ahi Tuna Burger. Never have I ever tried a burger with an ahi tuna patty before until that day and it was amazing! Also, I thought the Umami Burger hamburger buns were very unique and different in taste than your average hamburger bun. They carried a hint of sweet flavor that resembled a donut and I found that pretty intriguing.

To end our delicious meal, we shared two "mini dessert burgers", which comprised of a scoop of salted caramel ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate brioche buns. Now THIS was a dessert worth trying! The ice cream was packed with a sweet yet salty flavor and the chocolate buns tasted like freshly baked chocolate bread with a crunch. It's the perfect combination if you ask me.

Thank you Jeremy and Umami Burger for allowing me to experience my first food tasting! Also, be sure to follow Jeremy on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop for the hottest spots to dine at in the Bay Area. After all, this is just the beginning of many future food posts to come :)