Patty and Bun
Category: Budget (£ )
I just find it difficult to get excited about burgers. A burger is a burger is a burger, right? While I do enjoy an occasional one (particularly when I’m hungover), and I appreciate that there are huge differences in quality and taste between the various burger restaurants in London, I nevertheless don’t understand what the hype is all about. For me, this hype has been going on for far too long already and with 2 American burger chains having just opened branches in Central London (Five Guys and The Shake Shack) and drawing in the masses, burgers seem to be here to last!
Patty and Bun is yet another gourmet burger restaurant, just North of Oxford Street. It’s an attractive little place with minimalistic design and a short and sweet menu offering burgers and a couple of sides to competitive prices. Since its opening at the end of last year, it has risen to one of the most celebrated fast food places in London (no less than 52 blog posts have been written about Patty and Bun (Source: Urbanspoon) and it seems rather redundant to write the 53rd, but here we go… ). Due to its popularity and limited seating (about 30 seats) queues are frequent. I was there at 12:00 on the dot on a Wednesday and got a table without problems, but when I left 25 minutes later, a queue had already formed.
@ Patty and Bun
We ordered the Cheeseburger (7.50) and the Jose Jose Chilli Burger (8.50) with some rosemary chips (2.5) on the side. I loved the packaging of the food (very American), even though from an environmental point of view, plates would certainly be better.
Jose Jose Chilli Burger @ Patty and Bun
Cheeseburger @ Patty and Bun
The burgers were both very enjoyable. The meat was of excellent quality and the patties, thicker than for example at Byron’s, were cooked to medium-rare juicy perfection. The cheese was just the right kind of oozy and the brioche bun not too sweet, light and crisp. I would fault maybe, that even the simple cheeseburger was filled with too many condiments and particularly the smokiness coming from the p&b smoky mayo was overpowering everything else. This may be fine for some people, while others (including myself) would prefer a more simple approach. The chunky chips with skin still on and infused with fragrant rosemary were beautiful, almost too nice to eat them with ketchup.
@ Patty and Bun
So, dear burger Grinch, did you have a nice meal at Patty and Bun?
- Indeed, I did.
Do you then think these burgers are worth queueing for?
- NEVER! (But then again, I think no burgers are worth queuing for).
Apart from burgers – I would urge all single women out there to make their way to Patty and Bun. At my visit, there were 90% men (I actually counted), all attractively covered in meat juices. Girls, you could totally find your future husband there!
- Food: 7/10
- Service: 7/10
- Ambiance: 6/10 (I found the music too loud for lunch)
- Value for Money: 8/10
- Chances of Returning: 20%
- Verdict: Posh burgers of high quality
Baby Factor: 1/5
It’s too cramped and loud to bring babies and little baby James was too distracted by all the meat and beer and testosterone thing going on, that he refused his healthy lunch of pureed butternut squash. Craving a lager and cheeseburger probably.
(If I am too burger-negative for you, may I refer you to the blogs of burger connoisseurs Burgerac and YoungAndFoodish who know their burgers much better than I do)
