Dining notes from two Mervyn's meals so far: This place brings something UNIQUE and REAL to downtown MV casual eating. I experienced two impressive, extremely satisfying, inexpensive lunches on this new kitchen's expert theme of free-format Japanese-styled "burgers" (reportedly a recent fashion in Japan). This is the work of a skilled female Japanese chef in charge of Mervyn's new kitchen. The restaurant uses the buzzword "J-Love" (for Japan Love Burgers) to describe the specialty.

$10 buys a "lunch special:" your choice among the fancy Japanese "burgers" I'll describe with (important angle!) "bun" of choice; fries of your choice (regular, sweet-potato, or -- not yet on printed menu -- anchovy fries, I've now tried all three); and one of two salads. Some options (such as sweet-potato fries) charge extra.

"Burgers" include: Kinpira Beggie (2nd word is borrowed Japanese xcription of English "veggie"); Fish Filet; Menchikatsu (ground beef and pork patty very lightly, delicately breaded & deep fried, with Japanese garnishes and sauce); a variant version without the crisp coating, but with added "meat sauce;" and Yakiniku, which is marinated shaved beef & onions, stir-fried, served on "bun" per below, with tasteful Japanese garnishes. "Bun" is your choice of conventional hamburger ("brioche") bun, or with a surcharge, either rice patties, or noodle ("ramen") patties. I tried the last two options, and though unusual (and sometimes a handful), they were delicious and worthwhile. You also get a small salad, either simple green&veg. salad or a Japanese "tofu" salad with garnishes and spicy sauce. After trying both, I strongly suggest the "tofu" salad, very interesting in its own right.

First lunch: Menchikatsu on ramen "buns." Ample crisp-coated meat patty, garnished with cabbage and sauce, came between two molded cakes of noodles. I was (barely) able to eat it in hand like a conventional sandwich; flavors delightful, noodles made a remarkably good foil for the savory parts. One companion enjoyed fish filet (creamy tartar sauce) in brioche bun, another got "meat-sauce" burger with noodle patties, which proved (with the extra, loose element of meat sauce) too hard to handle by hand, but amenable to knife & fork. Second lunch I tried the Yakiniku, with (on server Una's advice that it paired best) rice "buns." This arrived as not one, but two small "burgers" with again very creative and tasteful garnishes flanking the stir-fried delicate meat & onions, each between two molded cakes of rice, each such sandwich partly wrapped in paper for easy handling.
A neighbor has separately reported enjoying the veggie "burger" (braised vegetables heaped on a bun with a bit of lettuce underneath and some finely shredded nori on top).

Impressive flavors, clearly a chef that knows what she's doing. Keep in mind this restaurant just recently opened: no sign out front yet, expect a few loose ends. But I'll be back to try the rest of the menu and I'm already sold on Mervyns Restaurant and its "J-Love burgers" as a worthy addition to the downtown options.