The LA Restaurant That Uses Ketchup Leather As A Burger Condiment

The burgers at Plan Check are consistently named some of the best in Los Angeles, and ketchup leather is partially to blame. Thick, juicy beef patties are topped with dashi cheese and dehydrated ketchup, then placed carefully inside a bun textured with panko and served with fries or cole slaw. The Chef's Favorite Burger is crowned with bacon and cheese (both two ways), one fried egg, hot sauce, and the ketchup leather — which will have you biting into your order with wonder and awe. 

The chefs at Plan Check set out to keep burger buns as fresh and as crisp as possible, and by removing slatherings of ketchup, have managed to deliver equally delicious burgers in a firmer, less messy form. To turn regular ketchup into leather, a nonstick baking pan is covered with the condiment, then baked for several hours until something that looks like fruit leather but is, in fact, dehydrated ketchup can be cut into squares and placed onto burger orders.

Upon first glance, Plan Check's burgers may look similar to the kinds of burgers you've taken home from a drive-through, but after one bite, you'll quickly accept that this is a renovated recipe. Though glossy pieces of burgundy may look like some hybrid of beet-flavored cheese, the texture offers a meaty bite and satisfying flavor. Sinking into one of Plan Check's burgers offers crunch from panko bread crumbs, and the house cheese made by the Plan Check chefs delivers umami flavors with the inclusion of kombu seaweed. 

If ketchup leather isn't a unique enough addition to your sandwich, burgers can be customized with smoked blue cheese, pig candy, bacon, and fried eggs, and fries can be topped with cheese and minced pastrami. To cleanse palates between bites, Japanese whisky and yuzu soda pop are available to guests determined to finish every bite from their plates. The best part? Your shirt is less likely to be stained with any drops of ketchup.