BurntZilla, the much anticipated fusion of The Burnt Truck and Dogzilla, has finally opened in Irvine. I was on hand for the grand opening to try out some of the delicious sliders and “zilla” hot dogs.
When I was younger, I remember visiting this spot for Golden Spoon. When Golden Spoon closed, I was pretty upset. Luckily, BurntZilla has taken over this spot which makes me extremely excited being a fan of The Burnt Truck.
The interior of BurntZilla is exactly what you would expect it to be. It’s not some big, spread out corporate restaurant with servers and large tables but keeps with the food truck theme. Just good food and the right amount of space.
The restaurant occupies a corner location with large, garage door style windows that slide up revealing a bar seating area that is both inside and outside.
A simple but modern wood and brick backdrop display only the name Burntzilla and televisions that display the menu.
The menu is separated into sections of sliders, zillas, pot pies, sides, desserts, and drinks.
Not many people know this, but BurntZilla also has a secret menu. This menu includes a chicken parmigiana slider and quail eggs. You can add a quail egg to anything including the tater tots and fries.
Orders are taken at the counter. After you order, find a seat, and wait for your food to be ready.
Dogzilla and Yaki Dog
I’ve never actually been to the Dogzilla Food Truck, so this was my first experience trying their sausages. A quick look over the menu reveals that the hot dogs served here are unique with interesting ingredients.
The Dogzilla ($3) comes with an all beef frank, avocado, Japanese mayo, teriyaki, bacon, and furikake (a dry Japanese seasoning of seaweed, salt, sugar, and sesame seeds).
The Dogzilla is different than any other hot dog I have had before. The small sausage had a perfect snap with loads of flavor loaded on top of it. The Japanese mayo and avocado were both creamy, the teriyaki added a great mix of sweet and salty, and the bacon and furikake added a contrasting crunch.
If you have ever heard of Japadog, from Canada, they offer a very similar hot dog known as the Terimayo.
The Yaki ($3) is made using a spicy pork link, yakisoba noodles, okonomi sauce, red ginger, and aonori (an edible seaweed).
Even though I really enjoyed the Japanese mayo on the Dogzilla dog, I have to hand it to BurntZilla for adding yakisoba noodles to the dog which added some nice texture to the already plump and crispy sausage.
The thing I loved about the Yaki is the use of okonomi sauce and aonori. If you have never experienced Japanese flavors on a hot dog, stop what you are doing right now and head over to BurntZilla right now.
I was actually pretty full after eating two of these. The dogs may look small but they are more filling than they look, thanks in part to the delicious toppings.
Cheeseburger and fried chicken sliders
I have eaten at the Burnt Food Truck a few times in the past, so I ordered the same sliders I had before: cheeseburger and fried chicken.
The cheeseburger slider ($3) was made using angus beef, american cheese, grilled onions, and an avocado spread that I really didn’t notice.
To be honest, the cheeseburger was just a smaller version of the classic cheeseburger. Simple, but it was still enjoyable. The meat had great flavor and was seared nicely, the cheese was melted perfectly, and the onions were soft and smokey. I loved the soft and slightly toasted buns. But, in the end, it’s still just a cheeseburger.
The fried chicken slider ($3) was made using buttermilk fried chicken, country gravy, and a garlic potato spread.
This thing was great. The chicken was crunchy, juicy, and fried well, though a little under salted. The garlic spread mixed well with the gravy almost like mashed potatoes and gravy. The sweetness of the lightly toasted Hawaiian roll complimented the chicken and garlic spread very well.
I was told that the quality of the fried chicken at BurntZilla was increased due to the fact that frying chicken in a brick and mortar restaurant was easier than frying on a moving food truck.
Service
Since it was the grand opening, the service was top notch and the restaurant was sparkling and new. I briefly talked to some of the owners and they seemed like genuinely great guys. I would only expect the same type of service and friendliness in the future.
Pros
- Unique flavors
- Secret menu
- Friendly staff
Cons
- Limited menu
- Small portions