Bachi Burger by Max Jacobson
Sometimes I kvetch about our lack of cutting edge concepts, but then, when one opens, I wonder if the locals will support it. That was among my first thoughts upon visiting Bachi Burger, the new Asian fusion and non-traditional burger stop on E. Windmill Lane.
The concept belongs to a chef named Lorin Watada, a Japanese Hawaiian who was, for years, the corporate chef for the Roy’s chain. I made him laugh when I told him he cooks better than his mentor, the mega-millionaire Roy Yamaguchi, who sold his company to Outback for a pretty penny indeed. To call Watada’s food complicated would be an understatement. To call it simply delicious is almost one, too.
Bachi Burger, (“bachi” is short for hibachi-how obscure is that), seems like a natural for cities such as L.A., San Francisco, or anywhere in the Northwest, not to mention Honolulu.
But here, dishes like the chef’s “banh mi” burger, served with Vietnamese nuoc mam fish sauce, or his amazing tsukemono, six multi-colored, house made Japanese pickles, feel out of sync with a restaurant that has the word burger on the front sign.
There is hope, though. On two lunch visits, the restaurant had a good crowd, in spite of the fact that Watada has not yet done advertising or put up proper signage.
The room is boxy and rectangular, filled with willy-nilly, shoestring decorations such as glossy, wall sized photos of national parks from local art photographers, and the occasional Japanese screen, looking lonely indeed amid all the shopping mall objets.
It’s a medium-sized room, but it will grow. When Watada puts tables out on the front patio, he’ll have a good-sized restaurant. If the people discover his cooking, that could be sooner than he is planning.
If you haven’t guessed it by now, I’m crazy about Watada’s cooking. On my first visit, I was blown away by how good his chili fried chicken, his The Lonely Bird sandwich, and his garlic salt & pepper French fries, all among the best dishes I’ve eaten this year.
The Lonely Bird, in particular, got me, almost bringing tears to my eyes when I associated it with a little lunch counter place I once frequented in Tokyo. The burger is made from ground chicken and turkey, just like it might be in the Japanese pub dish, tsukune, a trio of tiny meatballs on a wooden skewer that you can order in any yakitori joint over there.
The fries, including the very good sweet potato fries, come in a metal cone, lined with paper. The garlic salt & pepper fries are topped with a slurry of fried garlic, chopped green onion, cilantro, pepper, Maui onion sea salt and garlic, with a pink tinged chili aioli in a side dish.
Save room for Peking duck steamed buns, as well, which are served plain, just the buns and three pieces of beautifully done, spice crusted Muscovy duck meat inside a split, steamed Chinese style bun. There is a condiment plate of cilantro, scallion, boiled egg and Hoisin sauce on the side. The idea is to roll your own, so to speak.
As to burgers, there are around a dozen, a few of which are dubbed Signature BBQ Burgers, and others which are just plain eccentric. All of them are to my taste, I must say, although a friend found the simple BBQ Bachi Burger 5 oz. Angus beef, served with lettuce, tomato and onion, a tad sweet, from what tasted like a caramelized soy glaze.
My favorite burger might just be the Kalbi burger, ground beef, pork, soy, garlic, ginger, chili paste, green onion, ko chu jang (hot fermented Korean red bean paste) and a dab of the notorious stinky cabbage kim chi, that most people would say you have to be Korean to love.
I also give high marks to the Chop Salad, made with avocado, mixed greens, red onions, Fuji apples, smoked bacon, candied walnuts, and lots of other stuff. But who comes to a burger joint to eat a salad? I’m certainly not someone of that persuasion.
And desserts are nothing if not creative and highly eccentric. They were out of the Port wine cherry glazed Pop Tart with white chocolate yuzu gelato on my last visit, but I live in hope. The Portuguese donuts, meanwhile, called malaisadas on the Islands, are terrific, piping hot in a Vietnamese cinnamon and sugar bath, with excellent coffee gelato.
Watada is also serious about his drinks. There are several boba drinks available in milk tea or milk shake form, and a number of oddball soda concoctions such as calamantsi lime (a Filipino citrus), and a jasmine lemonade to beat the band.
Coffee is even more serious, provided by a Portland organic roaster, Pacifica, which specializes in Fair Trade Coffees. Have the Hawaiian sea salt coffee, if you dare. It comes with condensed milk underneath, and salted whipped cream on top. Mix it up, and it’s like eating a salty caramel at a County Fair.
The only real knock on Bachi Burger is the speed with which food will come out from the kitchen. Watada and his brother cook everything in a small kitchen, and are meticulous about plating and quality. It’s also worth noting that in the same mall, a sake bar called Miko’s, where the specialty is not sushi, but Japanese pub fare, has opened.
This makes the mall a double threat for any serious foodie, a starved Henderson gourmet, or anyone who like Pacific Rim cooking. Go now, before these places are overrun with fashion victims. Or the chef has the acclaim to raise prices, which I predict will be soon.
Bachi Burger, 470 E. Windmill La. 242-2244. Open 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
editor’s note: with late hours, quality food, and beer, wine and sake- Bachi Burger is on our short list of after hours chef hang-outs.