Patty & Bun bring out the Dirty Guns

Another burger place. I've lost track of the number of gourmet burger bars that have popped up around the city last year. I got as far as MeatMarket, then lost the curiosity and hunger for Honest Burger, Dirty Burger, Icelandic Tommi's or even LondonEater's much praised Admiral Codrington by Fred Smith. So what brought me to Patty and Bun? Selfridges. After a defeated battle with crazy post-Xmas shoppers, I needed cheering up.

No queue before half 12 today; I was one of the three diners in the little burger room. Joe bobbed around for small chats until the place was suddenly flooded with people at 1pm, and before I knew it there was a small queue outside. About 10mins wait for food after ordering and then everything came on a small tray.

'Smokey Robinson' Burger beef patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, mounds of caramelised onions, bacon, ketchup, smokey P&B mayo, brioche

Whoa I got excited just unwrapping this fatty; greased up and shiny, dripping in juice, slopped with melted cheese, properly toasted brioche bun, inch-thick patty, with invisible 'bite me...' plastered all over it. And it was love at first bite. 

The patty was medium rare, firm in shape, loosely held with that scrumptious smooth texture; smoky, meaty and macho. The savoury melted cheese and thick-cut bacon with a slightly crispy rind were in perfect balance with the caramelise onions. The burger was a juice bomb, it left a pool of cheesy  puddle on the wrapper. Each bite came with an hmmmm, because there are no words, not even when the cheery waitress pops by to check on you. All I could manage was a series of nods and moans of ultimate satisfaction. It's okay, coz that's all everybody else could do with their greasy smirking lips and mouthful of devilish burger.

Anything this good should really have warning signs: highly addictive - devour at your own risk. 

'Winger Winger Chicken Dinner' smoked confit wings with BBQ sauce and spring onions

Confit wings? I see, the wings meat fell off the bone. Smoothered with BBQ sauce, sprinkled with spring onions, there are more to these wings than what meets the eye. They weren't deep fried, but there were crispy bits at the tips. Not sickly sweet, finger-suckingly moreish, and hey, check this, this meat actually tastes of chicken!

Chips with Rosemary Salt

Good chips with skin, not too much rosemary.

I suddenly remembered the day when I thought the Dead Hippie was gold. Shit I need to think again. Patty & Bun was in a different league. The patty was easily the best in town, so perfectly seasoned, blushingly pink and masculinely hunky. A fellow diner asked how P&B compared to my (other) favourite burger joint, Lucky Chip. Can't really compare the two, I'd say LC does more exotic and original combinations while P&B does the classics extraordinarily well. Anyhow Patty & Bun has topped my burger list in Central London.

Patty & Bun

54 James Street

London

W1U 1HE

Tel: 0207 487 3188

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