3. Marked 5

September 29, 2009

I had it all worked out, today. I got word last night that Marked 5 was going to be on Wilshire, in Korea Town, during lunch time. I had a light day and a perfect window to jet over there to check them out. After driving up and down the 3 block radius where they were supposed to be, to no avail, I decided to head back west (good ole Miracle Mile) to see if they were there (I got opposing Tweets on the matter).

To my utmost delight, I found them! They were right behind LA BBQ Guy, another one of the trucks on my list. Quandary. I want them both. I am not THAT hungry. Lord, I'm never THAT hungry. In the end I went with Marked 5 as they were the original intention (although the wild goose chase thing was slightly irritating).

I was only aware that Marked 5 served burgers. Apparently I was not privy to how that was defined until today.

Named after our 5 senses and inspired by Japanese fast-food chains, Marked 5 uses thin, square patties of sticky, long grain rice in lieu of a bun. I ordered the Torakku Beef ($5), a 100% Angus beef burger served with a torraku, or "truck" sauce--what tastes like a mixture of teriyaki, barbecue and sriracha sauces. The burger was juicy and delicious, but I was, sadly, not a fan of the rice bun. The rice did not absorb all of the saucy juiciness, and made the whole thing very messy. I will add that the sheet of nori under the burger did help to catch a lot of the drippies (I assume that was it's purpose?). I must say, though, that those flavors were indeed impressive. I also ordered the Shrimp Spring Rolls ($3), which were crunchy, whimsical and tasty.

I'm curious to return to try one of the 4 other burger options (5 senses, 5 burgers). The Chicken Curry partcularly interests me.