A Different Friday, Umami Burger

It's a Friday, a different kind of Friday. 

That's the Friday I bid goodbye to my babysitting kids.

Usually they are the one who cry, that day, the Nanny and I are the one who cried ourselves a river. 

Here I attach pictures taken with them.

Nanny Ela, Eloise, Paloma and baby boy Rocco.

These two girls

Knowing that I am leaving Chicago, leaving US for good, there are like a list of food and places I want to explore.

Umami Burger is definitely on the top list.

Finally today, this Friday afternoon, I have Bobo and Superstar to accompany me there. 

The weather is hot, sunny and dry, as usual for a summer day.

Business for a Friday afternoon.

Not too bad though (view from where I seated)

Menu

 Dessert Menu

After ordering our burgers, and a side dish, these are the sauces that are first served to us. 

Maple Bacon Fries -$6

Sweet potato fries with maple-braised bacon lardons, rosemary Aleppo salt, topped with chives

Oh yes, this is sinfully good, and totally worth the sin. I hope it could be much hotter. I like it hot lol.

 Manly-$12

house beer-cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked-salt onion strings, and Umami house ketchup

I really like the idea that there are crispy onion strings to change the texture of the burger. Crispy and meaty (bacon a bonussssss), plus in-house ketchup to lubricate the whole burger. It's just kinda too big to munch though.

Umami -$11.50

parmesan frico, shiitake mushroom, roasted tomato, caramelized onions, and Umami house ketchup

First timer usually take Umami (just like me). Like how the patty is so thick and juicy, an U sign on the burger, generous amount of mushrooms with some in-house ketchup and sweet onion and gives the burger a sweet ends.

There are 11 types of burgers for you to choose from. You may order sides to match with your burger

• Small thin fries - $2 
• Regular fries - $4 
• Small potato fries - $3
• Regular potato fries - $5
• Salad - $4

 This is how you should eat a burger. It just makes everything taste better.

TRY IT.

Uni Sushi & Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Uni Sushi

August 1, 2015

Dinner time at Wicker Park, a classy type of Japanese restaurant.

From the outside, as well as the logo of the restaurant, I would never thought it would be a restaurant.  It feels like US's Japanese restaurants always have the sophisticated interiors; most of them have the Bring Your Own Beverage (BYOB) policy, technically it is referring to alcoholic drinks. This restaurant is not an exception too.

Looking in from the right side from the entrance, where we seated.

Uni Shooter

First right up! A plate of 3 shots for the Hero, Superstar and Better Half.

Salmon roe, quail egg, sea urchin, cucumber & unknown sauce - $6.95

Well, I guess I'm not a fan of sea urchin. Like I think I remember how it taste like, at the same time, I don't think I remember. *teehee* 

Comment: The whole shot has a very smooth texture, basically I just "bottoms up" and at the very end I kinda chewed a little, and I tasted the sea urchin. 4 stars

Pork Belly Ramen

Braised pork belly, seaweed, bamboo, quail egg, mushroom, pickles, onions - $114

Comment: first thing I taste from a bowl of ramen would be the soup, the quality itself is very important. What I'm trying to say is that soup made from salt, MSG, and soy sauce is a 

.  

This bowl here has passed the "soup test", then goes the ramen, very Q (meaning it is very chewy). Everything is good except the mushrooms, the smell is too strong.

3.8 stars

Bulls

Spicy tuna, mango, mushroom tempura, crunch $12.50

Sushi, nothing much to talk about it, beside it must not fall apart, it would be the whole feeling because that's how I eat it: dipped the sushi into wasabi and soy sauce and YUMMMM. I just know I feel like having another one, but I would finish up Superstar's dinner.

4 stars

Sox

Super white tuna, salmon, tuna, crab tick, oshinko, oba leaf rolled with radish - $14.50

Comment: It has already mentioned in the menu that this dish does not have seaweed or rice, and it surprised me that it is so presentably beautiful. Side note: fish wasn't as fresh as it feels like.

3.5 stars

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Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Off off we went to the fairly new ice-cream store on North Milwaukee Avenue.

It was 10:30pm when we arrived and there was still a line.  Everyone likey some sweet treat.

Better Half's choice: Sweet Cream and Root Beer 

Oh my the root beer is a yum toooooooooo! I feel it complements the Sweet Cream.

Darkest Chocolate and Brown Butter Almond Brittle. Darkest chocolate is love!

I had Sweet Cream (top) and Brown Butter Almond Brittle. Both pale white in color, they're good! Bourbon Salted Pecan was sold out, and had these combinations: would not choose these two combinations; feeling too sweet. I would love to try Bourbon Salted Pecan and Darkest Chocolate next time! Kudos to the waffle, I saw the lady making it on the spot, fresh, and IT JUST SMELLS AND TASTES SOOOO GOOOD!!! 

Was laughing so hard at Superstar crazy cuckoo face when JM was taking the pic. Credit to JM for the pic!

The Enrichment of Food - Black Apple.

The Wormhole Coffee

July 19, 2015

Wormhole, aka Einstein-Rosen Bridge. The scene in Interstellar...when Amelia holds Cooper's hand from the future.

I like this cafe's concept...wormhole, aliens, back to the past....

I shall let the pictures do the talking for the unique displays in this cafe.

Computer from the 70s.

Floppy disks, elementary school memory....comes in red, green, yellow, blue colors too!

Order, and take a seat- Self-service.

Filled with people.

Ghostbusters

Every drip, every stir, every movement- making the perfect cup of coffee.

FURBIESSSSSS

Beads magnet

The Extra-Terrestrial, aka ET. 

Growing up watching this movie....even got forced by elder sisters to be ET. They covered me with blanket (if you have watched this movie, you would know that there's one scene when the kids covered ET with blanket). 

Well, this is what I get for being the youngest....Good old days.

Wormhole Coffee entrance

Picture for Pleasure Purposes (PPP)
 

From where I sit, above me.

North Milwaukee Avenue, Wicker Park

From where I sit, behind me.

Wicker Park, I make a wish at the fountain here, with the 1 cent Superstar gave me. 

I will tell you if it comes true.