Humble Potato: Excellent Chicken Katsu Curry Sandwich and Shichimi (?) Fries

I go wherever a good burger calls, so naturally I headed to Humble Potato located in the middle of nowhere in Westchester near LAX. The verdict is that the burger sucks but there are enough redeeming qualities that I'll be returning.

First off, the Shichimi & Garlic Parmesan Fries alone were worth visiting this cutely decorated self-service joint. The fries were hot and crispy and the seasoning that is a Japanese mix of chili powder and sesame seeds that usually added to soups and udon was one of those aha moments that could only be conceived in Los Angeles. The fries were also sprinkled with some thinly sliced toasted seaweed and grated Parmesan cheese. Just genius! I liked the pink "special dipping sauce" that was house-made although I could do without it too since the fries had so much flavor on their own.

The best thing after the fries was the chicken katsu curry sandwich. 'Nough said. Who thought of the brilliant idea to stick chicken katsu curry in a bun? It's chicken cutlet breaded and deep fried, smothered in a gooey Japanese curry sauce with some cole slaw. I absolutely loved this combination but I must say, the bread didn't hold up to the hefty meat. It was getting soggy and fell apart. Even though I usually do a pork katsu curry (I still dream about that donkatsu I had in Seoul) and I do believe this restaurant should offer donkatsu curry sandwich, this chicken sandwich was excellent. The chicken was fried to perfection and the curry sauce was just right -- salty, saucy and the best complement to the chicken.

The bacon wrapped hot dog, also known as the Little Tokyo Doggu, was good. It was a bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with soy pickled jalapeno, grilled onions and a house-made spicy sauce (could use more kick though).

Now for the burger. Man, I was so ready to love this burger but alas, it was incredibly disappointing. We got the original Hambaga, a five ounce patty, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and onions in a bun that most definitely could not hold up all these ingredients. But the biggest culprit was the tasteless and bordering-on-mushy patty. For one thing, it was too anemic. Then the whole thing had this disturbing sweetness that ruined the whole experience for me. Where did that come from? Possibly the so-called HP original sauce. The ginger, etc ingredients in it sounded great but perhaps the execution failed somehow. I was so bummed I couldn't take another bite. Why waste stomach space with sub-par food?

The guys were super friendly and I really wanted to like all their decidedly "100% LA" food. I loved the space and I wish they had opened on Sawtelle instead, or...a food truck?! I can't believe I'm saying this since I hate most of the nouveau food trucks. But Westchester is far to travel for a quick comfort food fix. Maybe I'll return once they have a liquor license. Kirin Free won't cut it for me, sorry.