Of earthquake & burger

Earthquake

August 24th, 2014.  3.20am.
The bed was vibrating violently. Was the bed possessed by ghost or supernatural beings? Did that mean ghosts were real? Was I hallucinating from the unbearable insomnia? The world was still trembling. Not just the bed. The curtains were moving with the invisible force as well. Oh no, it's an earthquake!

That were the thoughts going on in my mind during the seemingly long one minute. My first earthquake experience! A quick Google search showed newsfeeds that a 6.1 magnitude earthquake just occurred at Vallejo, a city 40 miles away from Davis. A strong one indeed.


Umami Burger

I was going to pick up a friend from the airport. The initial plan was to meet up with an old friend in San Francisco before going to the airport. Too bad, the friend cancelled this morning at the last minute. Since doing the 3-hour roundtrip drive just to the airport seemed uneconomical, I decided to go get some nice food to reward myself. Usually, I'd pick some sort Asian cuisine, but I was kind of craving for something American today. It just happened I remembered a burger joint I have always wanted to try - Umami Burger.

I think I read about it in an article in a food magazine, and the review was raving. There were 2 joints in san Francisco, and each joint has the same menus except for the one exclusive burger. The joint I picked was located on Union St. It was my first time venturing into that part of the city. There're many restaurants and bistros on that street. I like the modern yet relaxing vibe of the street, away from the hustle bustle of the touristy San Francisco. It wasn't that hard to find a parking spot since it's 8.30pm on a Sunday night, and I parked right across from the Umami Burger.

The restaurant was not even half full when I entered. I grabbed a seat at the bar. The bartender was very friendly. Knowing I'm a first timer at the restaurant, he quickly explained the concept of the restaurant and Umami, and recommended a few burgers to me. Well, I did research on the menu back at home. I already eyeing for the exclusive burger served that particular joint - the Bacon-wrapped Scallop Burger. I like seafood! And, come on, who can resist bacon-wrapped anything! So, I got my order in.

The wait was kind of awkward. I was sitting at the bar, and usually the bartender like to have a friendly chat with the customer when they're free, but I wasn't in good in chatting. So, I kept watching the news at TV and tried my best to avoid eye contact. Luckily, the burger came quite promptly, within 10 minutes of ordering. Time to dig in!

I must say the burger was surprisingly good! The flavor profiles were quite unique, it's not the ordinary burger flavor that I have expected. I still couldn't find a word to describe it. I did taste some Asian flavor in the burger sauce, something like soy or Worcestershire sauce or Ramly burger sauce, maybe it's Umami flavor! It was quite interesting and surprising good!

Halfway through my gobbling down the burger, a young lady customer  approached me and asked if I've paid for the burger. As I replied 'no', she gave me a coupon for a free burger! Wow, a yummy burger for free! It must be my lucky day!