Tama Tama Sumiyaki House
[Non-halal] Tama Tama Sumiyaki House is a new Japanese spot serving Hambāgu (ハンバーグ) or hamburger steak.
Located in Taman Gembira KL, this newly-opened restaurant specalises in Japanese hamburger steak cooked on charcoal, and served with rice and dipping sauces.
Tama Tama Sumiyaki House in Taman Gembira
Inspired by Western cuisine, hambāgu is a popular dish that is commonly made in Japanese homes or at Western-style restaurants in Japan.
While it obviously takes inspiration from Western burger patties, hambāgu are usually served with rice instead of buns.
As we don’t recall seeing any hambāgu served in any Japanese restaurants in KL, we were intrigued that Tama Tama Sumiyaki House had decided to make this dish its main offering.
Tama Tama Sumiyaki serves Wagyu Hambāgu and more
The concept here is simple.
An oval counter takes centre stage here at Tama Tama Sumiyaki – where patrons enjoy a view of burger patties being cooked on two charcoal counters.
Tama Tama Sumiyaki House offers seven types of Hambāgu – i.e. vegetarian, chicken, pork, beef+pork, regular beef, Aussie Wagyu beef, and Japanese Wagyu patties.
All of the patties here are made from scratch and are served in sets with rice, miso soup, and a starter dish.
Note that each patty weighs about 90g – and you can opt for 2-3 pieces for each set.
Tama Tama Sumiyaki House also serves rice bowls, as well as Zaruyaki chicken for dinner.
Charcoal and fire take centre stage
As mentioned, all of the patties here are only cooked over charcoal fire.
Upon serving, the patties are continually kept warm as they are served on a metal mesh grill over hot charcoal (see our Instagram reel here).
The rice is also cooked separately and served in a hot metal pot to insulate the heat and moistness.
There are six condiments/dipping sauces to enjoy with the hambāgu – miso paste, BBQ, pickled chilli, shichimi tōgarashi (Japanese seven spice powder), fried garlic, and their homemade chilli flakes.
Pork-beef patty is juicy!
For this visit, we ordered the Beef+Pork Hambāgu set (RM36 with two patties) and Australian Wagyu Hambāgu (RM52 for three patties).
The combination of pork and beef in a Hambāgu patty is quite popular as it combines the juicy suppleness of pork with the stronger flavours of beef.
Hence, we found Tama Tama’s pork-beef patty to be quite enjoyable.
Compared to Wagyu, this patty was juicy and moist when cut. Hence, it paired well with the stronger dipping sauces – i.e. miso and BBQ – and is good option for those who prefer a more balanced flavour profile when it comes to meat.
Aussie Wagyu Hamburg is sweeter
In comparison, we found the Australian Wagyu hambāgu to be sweeter, albeit not as juicy as the pork-beef patty.
The beef used is definitely very fresh and we liked how the seasoning is kept to a minimum to really showcase the natural flavours of the Wagyu beef. We also liked that the patties were not greasy – and these are likely the healthiest (and still delicious) patties that we’ve eaten in recent times.
Note that Wagyu beef is served with an additional dipping sauce made from daikon which best complements the patty with its slightly acidic and tangy notes.
Summary
Overall, we had a good experience here. The service was impeccable, and we really enjoyed the food and the view of the hambāgu being cooked.
Some minor downside: the rice can get a bit too moist since it is insulated in the tub. Also, we advise getting the 3-patty sets as 2-patty might not be enough if you come with a good appetite.
RECOMMENDED.
Tama Tama Sumiyaki House
Address: C-G-1, Seri Gembira Avenue, 6, Jalan Senang Ria, Taman Gembira, 58200 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11am-3pm, 5pm-9.30pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Phone: 019-382 3900
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