The Japanese are head over heels for hambagu, which is distinctly different from its American counterpart, the hamburger. In Japan, the hambagu is a bunless beef patty that’s usually served with rice and some sort of sauce, often a sweet, tangy demi-glace. It’s Japanese comfort food that is simple and always hits the spot.
In Hong Kong, the latest hambagu concept to land here is Yamamato Hamburg, sister restaurant to charcoal-grilled burger specialist Hikiniku to Come. The brand’s first Hong Kong location is an interesting one: PopCorn mall in Tseung Kwan O.
Founding chef Shohei Yamamoto’s juicy, ultra-savoury patties are made with freshly ground Australian Black Angus beef and Spanish pork (you can watch the patties being formed by hand in the glass-fronted kitchen). What sets them apart from the hambagu lot is the variety of toppings and sauces on offer, from grated daikon and ponzu (HKD88) to kimchi and cheese (HKD118).
With affordability at the forefront, all of Yamamoto Hamburg’s sets come with bottomless Japanese rice and miso soup, as well as a small cup of homemade veggie and fruit juice (+HKD18 for 18ml set upgrade; HKD38 à la carte).
The best-selling dish is the signature Yamamoto’s hamburg (HKD118), which requires a 20-minute wait. There’s a lot going on with this one; a hollandaise soufflé cloud crowns the seared cheese-filled patty with its hint of umami miso. It comes with spaghetti, fresh veg, and a soft-boiled egg in a Japanese-style broth that carries a dashi-like undertone. All of the elements intermingle to create a rib-sticking, deeply satisfying dish.
Our preferred hambagu option is the spicy mentaiko hamburg (HKD98) with its blanket of tangy, creamy sauce made out of salty (not very spicy) cod roe, acting as a foil to the beef’s savouriness. It’s best eaten with the accompanying rice to balance the richness.
You can even come to Yamamoto Hamburg for breakfast, served from 8AM till 11AM, when Yamamoto’s hamburg breakfast with spaghetti and sausage in tomato soup (HKD78) is the star of the morning show. Scrambled egg (runny), toasted Japanese milk buns, and green salad are served on the side. This hefty brekkie option provides a nice change of pace from its Hong Kong cousin: the macaroni soup with ham found at your local cha chaan teng.
During lunch and dinnertime, it’s not just hamburgs on the menu at Yamamoto Hamburg. The eatery dishes up a range of starters, such as warm vegetable salad with ham (HKD78) and chicken nanban (HKD45), pasta and rice plates, and more.
On the non-hambagu front, we enjoyed the shiso Genovese spaghetti (HKD95), an East-meets-West pesto made with both Japanese shiso and Italian basil leaves. There is an abundance of shiso in the recipe, making for an aromatic and robustly flavoured bright green paste that coats every inch of pasta. You can opt to have this dish with a topping of Wadajima smelt (+HKD40) if you’re craving an even more intense flavour profile.
Our verdict of Yamamoto Hamburg
The long queues at lunchtime go to show that Yamamoto Hamburg has gone down a treat with Hong Kong diners seeking out wallet-friendly Japanese comfort food. During this grand opening period, when queues are a given no matter the time of day, you’ll need to build in extra dining time to devour the restaurant’s tasty hambagu offerings.
Yamamoto Hamburg, Shop F23, 1/F, PopCorn 1, 9 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O, 3154 6800
| Order this: Yamamoto’s hamburg breakfast, Yamamoto’s hamburg, spicy mentaiko hamburg, shiso Genovese spaghetti Menu: Yamamato Hamburg menu Price for two: HKD300–400 | Atmosphere: wooden and homey in design; the service is well-meaning, but staff may seem frazzled by the demand Perfect for: the complete Japanese hambagu experience |
This review is intended to offer an individual perspective on the dining experience and should not be considered as a definitive judgement of the restaurant’s overall quality or reputation. The views expressed in this review are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of Foodie.
