The burger at Camphor

I was curious about how good a burger from a 1-Michelin-starred restaurant could be so I decided to go to Camphor on a weeknight for dinner around 7:30. I was able to walk in and get seated at the bar within about 5 minutes. The place is beautiful and the staff are amazing. I ordered a drink and the burger. They immediately brought out a hot towel that expands when they pour hot water onto it. The towel had camphor essential oil in it so it smelled great. Shortly afterwards my drink came and then a little amuse appetizer thing made from chickpea flour and bits of pickled veggies and a white foam. It was refreshing and had a nice crunch but didn’t wow me flavor-wise. Next came the burger and fries. Their burger is comprised of ground sirloin and ground duck, smoked Gouda, caramelized onions, house-made honey mustard, and a brioche bun toasted in duck fat. The burger was really good. It was cooked to a perfect medium doneness (beautifully pink throughout), the bun was super soft and squishy, and the cheese and onions melted beautifully into the burger with each bite. The only thing I didn’t care for was the honey mustard spread. It was a bit too sharp and kinda camphory tasting. Other than that, it was really an excellent burger. The fries good but not great. They didn’t taste like house made fries but they were cooked perfectly and came with three sauces, two ok-tasting house made sauces and the third was good old reliable Heinz 57. I give them bonus points for not fucking around with ketchup. Overall, I would put Camphor in my top 3 burgers in LA.

TLDR: the burger was excellent, fries were mid, service was outstanding.

by Celestron5