Katsu Burger...The (College) Kids Are Gonna Love It! (Probably)

Aug 20

Aug 20 Katsu Burger...The (College) Kids Are Gonna Love It! (Probably)

A.W.

It was bound to happen sometime. 40 some years of running finally catches up and I am confronted with the dreaded runner’s knee. Mostly in one, but kinda in both. Treatment—rest, knee strengthening exercises, Aleve, low impact yoga, ice, etc. The sucky part of these is the rest. Sure, I’ve taken some breaks here and there but usually it is more like a week, maybe two at the most without any type of pavement pounding. This time around—a whole month! Barely two weeks into it and I’m already in withdrawal and feel like I am turning into a potato- yoga notwithstanding. Next week I can add in some walking, but ugh, boring! Still, sticking with it because this is what one does when they are old(ish) people.

I have noted before I run to eat, not the other way around. But the not running makes me antsy and when I get like that, I stress eat, because that is healthy! It is an endless cycle of trying to somewhat watch what I eat during my low impact and the pull to just eat my feelings. Though I am working hard to moderate succumbing to my need to feed, every now and then(ish) I just go f**kit and give in to the food sin and let my stomach do the talking and walking to the nearest place serving up carbs and calories in a tasty form. This usually starts with a deep dive through the internet search of “food near me” and eventually leads me down a path of “ooh this looks good!” And this time around brought me to a place I had walked by many a time in my hood called Katsu Burger.

Katsu typically features a breaded and deep-fried cutlet of meat, most commonly pork or chicken. The preparation starts by tenderizing the meat, giving it a delicate texture that perfectly complements the crunchy exterior. The meat is then coated in a mixture of flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs, which are unique for their airy texture. Traditionally served with a side of steamed rice, miso soup, and a vibrant shredded cabbage salad and accompanied by a tangy and slightly sweet tonkatsu sauce, made from a blend of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, and various spices. Katsu Burger takes this idea and pares it down to burger form combining most all the ingredients from above, sans the rice. (Though I’m sure if they tried hard enough, they could figure out a way to get it on the bun with everything else too.)

I decided to start my culinary gluttony with the Ninja Deluxe Burger. Chicken katsu (though you can choose your own meat) with shredded cabbage, lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion cheddar cheese, bacon(!), tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mayo (the same as American mayo except it is made with only egg yolks instead of the whole egg thus making it richer and giving it slight light yellow color) on a toasted kaiser type roll.

As you can see, there is a lot going on here. And while you can’t necessarily tell from this pic, they are very aggressive with the shredded cabbage—you are definitely getting your roughage here. Though that much cabbage I felt, need more sauce to offset it than I got on this burger. They also did not skimp on the red onion which, in their raw form, can be overpowering. Good thing I could take some off. Oddly enough, the rest of this monster of a burger does kind of come together in a big mouthful that was crunchy, sweet and tangy. Which is to say it was filling the craving I was having in all the good ways. It was decent sized cutlet and there was also ample enough bacon to get the back hints of smokiness. The cheddar could have been sharper as it did get lost a bit, but that is a minor quibble for this two handed burger. Props also for using a bun which held up for every bite and did not disintegrate under the weight of everything going on here. Something that happens more than I’d like.

Next up was the Samurai Select. An actual beef patty katsu with bacon, pineapple(!), cabbage, tomato, red onion, pickles, wasabi mayo and tonkatsu sauce on a toasted kaiser roll. Yes, except for maybe some cheese, I went really off the rails with my taste buds for this one.

I know it is part of a regular katsu plate but they continued to not skimp on the onion and cabbage. This time there was more than enough of the sauces to to handle everything going on here and taste almost like some cole slaw on a burger—which I am here for. This definitely fits the places name as it was a deep fried breaded beef patty on there. The wasabi mayo really gives it a kick that tingles the nostrils but not so much it is all you taste as that pineapple really cuts it with some sweet. Kind of like sweet hot mustard if you will. I was dubious of pineapple since I do so loathe it on a pizza so wasn’t necessarily down for it on a burger—it is why I usually bypass Hawaiian burger things. But I was willing to give it a try. Not gonna say I’d always get it but for my current craving, it seemed to hit a nice salty sweet and heat level for me. I did still have to pull some of the onion off as they were too much. The bacon got lost a bit but unlike the abundant cabbage which does gives it a nice continuous crunch and again, good on the bun for holding up to all the wet piled on it. Definitely a taste choice combination if you are up for it.

What’s a burger without fries?! When you are eating your feelings—it’s a sin that is what it is! Here you get a nice giant pile of them and while you can go the plain route, they got seasonings like curry, nori or 12 spice along with your choice of dipping side (too many to list check their menu). I went curry and spicy mayo. Since they are cooked to order so you get them hot and crisp. They were also seasoned just right. Not too much and not too little. You could taste the curry flavor well and the spicy mayo was nice, but the fries stood out on their own.

Fries were not enough for me as I was intrigued by the wasabi cole slaw since I do so like a good slaw. This has two types of cabbages, carrot and edamame mixed with some wasabi mayo. Much like the Samurai the slaw was giving some nice sweet heat and the edamame was a nice different addition. I liked it but whoooboy! Getting this plus all the cabbage on the burgers is A LOT of roughage for ones stomach just so you know. My only knock here is compared to the fries, this is kind of a mini serving for sure considering that as a meal deal add on it will run you the same cost as the fries—of which you get plenty. Just saying.

Which bring me to the pricing, not gonna lie, these things will run you $12 and if you add a side as a meal deal it will be another $3.75. That being said, the burgers are huge and unlike other places, they don’t skimp on stuff. These really are true two handers and for what comes out to around $17 with tax it is kind of like a other places where you a burger and a side for about the same thing. I mean, my fave chicken sandwich with tots at Bok-a-Bok is $15. Still, I will call this place a splurge, but a decent one if you are having cravings.

Which then brings me to the idea that many things I seem to have around this city fall pretty close to stuff you might crave if slightly drunk or a little bit high. I feel like I might need to add some kind of crave-o-meter for a level of how drunk/high you gotta be to enjoy it. Katsu Burger (which does have three locations around the area) would definitely rank kind of high. I mean, perusing their menu, their combinations are definitely a wide variety and combo of flavors we all start searching for in whatever state we are in. The space for the one in Capitol Hill is also like a giant loft like space with a bar and giant mural that makes you wanna hang out an just watch whatever is on the various giant screen televisions hanging around. It also probably helps that they are just a few blocks over from Seattle University and on each of my visits, the place seemed have a steady stream of young folks (not to mention a lively Uber Eats driver parade).

Either way, good on them for finding a niche and I did quite enjoy everything I had. Each bite of deep fried crunchy, salty, sweet and heat really hit the spot. The big bite mouthfuls and copious amount of fries really filled me up. It was nice departure from your standard burger. And hey, even though I was eating my craving feelings, with all that cabbage I didn’t have to feel too guilty since I was definitely getting my daily does of veggies. I just needed to make sure I didn’t get trapped in a small room with no windows after eating—if you know what I mean! (That’s a fart joke—my first in 12 years—and also my last for sure)