Ookuma Burger Brings a Taste of Japan to the Cedars

In May, chef Reyna Duong announced she would be closing Sandwich Hag, the beloved bánh mì shop in the Cedars. After a decade in the Dallas food scene that included recognition from the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit, Duong decided time had come for a break.

In a social media post, Duong wrote that we should consider this a hiatus for Sandwich Hag. In the interim, Duong will continue to partner "with cities, companies and organizations to create inclusivity in the workforce for our IDD [intellectual or development disability] population on a local, city, state and national level." We can't argue with the cause, and if it means losing one of our favorite sandwiches in the city for the time being, so be it.

While we'll certainly miss the bánh mi, a new shop in the Sandwich Hag space fills the gap in our regular lunch rotation quite nicely. Ookuma Burger is serving traditional Japanese-style teriyaki burgers, chicken karaage (fried chicken) and korokke that we've quickly fallen in love with. The fare comes courtesy of chef YuYee Sakpanichkul Kaiho and husband George Kaiho, who also own Ka-Tip Thai Street Food in the Dallas Farmers Market.

Teriyaki burgers are a Japanese street-food staple, and Ookuma aims to bring that same experience to Dallas. The premise is pretty straightforward: a quarter-pound pork or beef patty glazed in teriyaki sauce, a sheet of lettuce and a few pickle slices tucked into a brioche bun dressed with Kewpie Japanese mayo.

The result is a burger that's overflowing with flavor. We wanted to try a pork patty, which you'd commonly find on the streets of Japan, but they were sold out on our late Saturday visit. Turns out, the beef burger ($10) is just fine, and we'll gladly come back again to try the pork version. There are layers of flavors and textures happening in each bite — the crunch of lettuce, the richness of the Kewpie mayo, the salty teriyaki glaze — that will send your taste buds into a tizzy.

Afraid of trying something different like Japanese mayonnaise? You shouldn't be. Unlike our Americanized mayonnaise, Japanese mayo is made with egg yolks, not the whole egg, which imbues the dressing with a pale golden color. A dash of MSG kicks up the umami, while a blend of white, rice and balsamic vinegars adds complexity. Kewpie is sweet, tangy and creamy, and for most sandwich use cases, it puts regular mayo to shame. (Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that your author stocks his refrigerator with Kewpie from Costco.)

You also get a side of Kewpie to dip your nuggets of chicken karaage ($7). Ookuma's karaage is another flavor-packed banger, starting with the chicken thighs that taste better straight away rather than boring breast chunks. The thighs taste as though they've been marinated in a vinegar-based marinade, so there's a twang to each juicy bite. The batter encasing the chicken is fried golden, and if we had a single wish, it would be that the bites came out bit crispier. They still taste fantastic, though, and dipping chicken into Kewpie should make you a believer in the powers of Japanese mayo to make everything better.

You can add fries to your burger, but we're here to stretch our boundaries, so we ordered a side of korokke (fried potato and veggie croquettes) for $5. The healthy-sized croquettes came two to an order, along with a teriyaki dipping sauce. Here, the croquettes emerge from the fryer with a notable crunchy exterior, the potatoes underneath pureed into a smooth texture. The croquettes remind us of a McDonalds' breakfast hash browns, but thicker, with a flavor that's more than just fryer grease.

Between the juicy glazed burger, our Kewpie-dipped karaage chicken and the croquettes, you're going to end up with messy hands. The pro move here is to grab a handful of napkins while you wait for your food to appear in the ordering window. But sticky fingers are a small price to pay for such goodness. We're not saying that a succulent Japanese burger is going to hit the same cravings as a bánh mi. But with Sandwich Hag's return up in the air, Ookuma Burger fills in admirably by bringing tasty Japanese street fare to the Cedars.

Ookuma Burger, 1902 Botham Jean Blvd. Wednesday –- Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.