Katsu Burger Capitol Hill — Restaurant in Seattle

Some months ago, owing to some distressing housing circumstances, I began to worry about two things: my physical fitness and my protein intake. Of all the things I had to worry about, protein seemed curiously top of mind. So, somewhere along the way, I started eating meat again. Hell, I was surreptitiously eating cheese, why not...surreptitiously eat meat, too?

There were competing feelings of guilt and satisfaction in doing something I wanted no one to see while I presented myself as the vegan/vegetarian I had actually happily been for many years. But that's the funny thing about housing instability: you have nowhere to cook. When I had a place to live, I could regularly visit the grocery store, and choose the healthiest options, largely because I had a kitchen. Poverty due to bad life choices took care of that, and eventually, I made unfortunate compromises. Explicitly, Taco Bell and Domino's, both of which are awful, because I know how to cook and how to eat healthily.

One day recently, I visited a friend for a gathering of fellow filmmakers, and I had the opportunity to cook for the first time in months. Among the components was chicken. And I ate some. My friend saw this, and remarked on it, but I didn't take it amiss because we know each other, and I knew better than to feel ashamed.

But it made me think: all those occasions when I actually chose to eat meat (and eggs, which precipitated weird, constipated symptoms) began to slowly feel like a forced feeding, which I did not enjoy. Not even one encounter with the legendary Dick's Burgers brightened my mood. I finally came to the realisation that meat (still not off cheese as of this writing) is not for me.

I refuse to make anyone ashamed of their food choices: you want to eat meat and dairy? Go for it. I really don't care. It's legal, and it's your life to live.

But during my time in the abyss, I did make one, last foray into the land of cooked flesh: Katsu Burger.

My financial fortunes (if not my housing ones) began to improve somewhat, so I decided to splurge: why not try the Ohio Gozaymasu burger? Panko-encrusted beef topped with a fried egg and all sorts of other goodies. Surely, this would be heaven! The Honey Miso burger I usually ordered was certainly satisfying and flavourful, how much more so could be this gargantuan monstrosity? (I greedily ordered the tofu burger, anyway, just for good measure, and also got the Sumo Size, with chicken Banzai Bites, 12-spice fried potatoes and wasabi coleslaw - totally decadent!)

And to my surprise, upon sinking my teeth into the Ohio Gozaymasu, I was.....underwhelmed?

The beef and panko combination struck my tongue like a soggy dish sponge, with a similar taste affecting my palate. The egg did not help. It was bland and lacking utterly in character. Honestly, the Banzai Bites were better, despite my growing regret in eating them, too.

All the burgers are cooked medium; you cannot order a specific temperature, which for those of you who are meat connoisseurs, this is sacrosanct in the enjoyment of meat and game. I used to order medium rare, which an even smaller subset of beef devotees might understandably consider sacrilegious. Medium-cooked burgers taste of styrofoam and sadness. Anything more deserves the tar and feather treatment to the offending person.

But the Miso Honey burger was everything I had expected it to be: toothsome, rich, varied in its flavour profile, and satisfyingly crisp to the bite. That and the marvellous 12-spice fried potatoes (yes, I admit to overindulging) made the meal complete.

So, why four stars for Katsu Burger? Their Capitol Hill location is clean and welcoming, with a splendid view of the street (or rather, the Ferrari show-room). Their staff are friendly and warm, without seeming overly-familiar. I like the graffiti murals and the dark lacquered wood tables. And doggonit, I just really love the looping video of a burger being lovingly made. I'm gleefully jealous of the person who made that video - I could tell the Katsu Burger gig was nothing but...

It’s the Japanese take on an American classic!

I’ve been to other Katsu burgers before and I have to say aesthetically, this location was the best. It’s way bigger than the Bellevue and Georgetown location, slightly more mature with mood lighting and a bar, and when I went... it was 80’s jams all night, who could pass that up?

Onto the food—I got the wabi wasabi with nori fries and Japanese mayo dipping sauce. I’m trying to cut down on my beef consumption, so I loved that they were able to sub out the standard beef katsu on this burger for chicken katsu with no cost or hassle. I believe they also have a tofu katsu for non meat eaters which is nice. The fries and sauce were delicious! I’m looking forward to trying the curry mayo, wasabi mayo, or spicy mayo next time... so many options.

The burger itself was good, about $9, but it was HUGE. Not a bad thing, but midway through the meal, it was a struggle to keep it from falling apart. Tip: only unwrap half of the burger wrapped to keep your hands clean and your burger together. That was my mistake.

I also got their special caramel apple milkshake for $6. Pricy? Yes. Would I order it again? Also yes.

I docked one star because after I paid, their was no way for me to get my receipt. They have one of those new tablet looking cashiers and usually there is an option for a paper or emailed receipts, however, for all 3 transactions I made, the screen refreshed immediately after so I couldn’t select them. I’m a person who likes to budget and keep track of these things, so it was a little bothersome. Not too big of a deal though.

If I’m ever craving a burger in Capitol Hill again, you know where...

Solid Japanese comfort food with an American burger twist.

On a recent trip to Seattle, Katsu Burger was on my radar as a place to check with its multiple locations throughout the city. The Capitol Hill was the closest to where I was staying.

For this Japanese burger joint, Katsu and Curry are two of my favorite Japanese comfort foods so I was interested when they were so prominently highlighted in the menu. The combination of the Katsu Curry Burger was something that I wanted to order but I tried to reserve my expectation. Fortunately, I was rewarded with a great burger. They have some larger options but the simple burgers would be my go-to's at this place.

Decor:

The interior design was funky and creative with different Japanese nods of Godzillas and other anime items. There was a lot of space during our early dinner visit.

Food:

We shared the Katsu Curry Burger for $9.25 and Ninja Deluxe Burger for $10.25 The Katsu Curry Burger comes with Japanese Curry Powdered Natural Pork Loin Katsu, American Cheese, Tonkatsu Sauce, and the signature Curry Mayo. The Ninja Deluxe Burger comes with Crispy Natural Pork Loin Katsu, Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Tonkatsu Sauce, and Japanese Mayo. This burger is one of their most popular items. We had their Nori flavored fries and 12 Spice Blend flavored Fries for each $3.15. We went with Spicy Mayo which is made with Sriracha and mayo, and Wasabi Mayo for dipping sauce. I enjoyed the burgers, fries and dipping sauce.

Overall:

It's a great Japanese inspire burger joint. I look forward to trying some of their other offerings on...