Patty and Bun’s – Ari Gold/Smokey Robinson DIY

If you are hit up Google for burger recommendations in London, you will find a variety of “Top ten” or similar lists published by a wide range of media sites. Patty & Bun will likely be on the majority of those lists, especially if they have more than a few entries.   Their “Oh Gawd” spicy burger last summer was really good so I was excited to try their core offering of the double DIY kit where you can make either the Ari Gold or the Smokey Robinson.  Read on to find out how they were.

The Bun: 15/20

A pretty good burger bun.  Lovely brioche texture, decent taste, no random seeds.  And a good size for the patties.  They came squashed together in a bag, and were sitting directly under an ice pack when we opened the box, which seemed odd.  Most of the DIY kits we get have the buns laid flat on top of the chilled foods.  Noot sure if it was just a packing error or not, but either way our buns were a little mis-shaped, and a little dried out, perhaps a day past their prime.  Also not pre-sliced, which isn’t a big deal of course, just a note.  

The Toppings: 8/10

The bacon was pretty good.  Normally I complain when there is only one full slice per burger, but these streaky rashers were very meaty so they were enough.  The flavour could have been a little stronger perhaps, but at least it wasn’t overpowering fake smoke flavour like you get with some bacon.  What separates the two burger options are the onions and the kit comes with two kinds.  For the Ari Gold you get bright pink pickled onions, which smelled a little strong but had a nice crispy texture and were more subtle inside the burger.  For the Smokey Robinson you get caramelised onions which are a favourite around here.  These were a lovely deep brown with a smooth, rich buttery flavour and obviously had been cooked for a long time.  They did come a little congealed and we found we preferred after heating, just tossed them on a corner of the grill for 30 sec before tossing on the burger. They The recipe card calls for lettuce and tomato but they are not included, which is always a small aggravation.  

The Condiments: 6/10

The lone condiment is their smokey mayo.  Our testers varied in their responses which ranged from “that’s really good” to “tastes more like smoked ketchup than smoked mayo” to “meh. Have you got any mustard?”  But it does give a little tang and fit with the rest of the burger decently well, better on the Smokey Robinson in my opinion.  Just not everyone’s cup of tea,  and everyone did add some of their own more traditional condiments after.    

The Cheese: 15/20

The kit comes with some nice sized slices of Red Leicester, which I like for lots of items, although I generally prefer American cheese for a burger.  But this was less dry/brittle than some of the Leicester slices I have had in other DIY kits and covered the patties very well.  Flavour nice and smooth, although perhaps just not quite sharp enough to fully balance the onions and smokey mayo.

The Patty: 14/20

I must stress that I grew up on USDA beef and so still struggle with the gamy flavour of some of the grass fed beef products here in the UK.   If you like that flavour than you may score these a lot higher as they are a nice size at 150g each and were well marbled and juicy, without shrinking too much. Better than completely bland, cardboard patties you can get in the US, but not optimal for my palette I am afraid. One of the reviews that I love without the gaminess is the Five Guys review you can read here

The Taste: 15/20

A pretty good flavour overall.  The gamey flavour of the beef is muted a little in the final product with all the other tastes in the mix.  Bun was a little dry, even with smokey mayo on both halves.  Next time I might use a little butter for the toasting stage and/or steam them.  The balance is a little out with some of the items, but I do have to give P&B credit for creating some flavours that are distinct from their competition.  

Our Verdict: 73/100 

A pretty good cheeseburger.  Not as good as going to Patty & Bun of course, and some of the issues here would be eliminated in one of their restaurants so hopefully we can get back in before the summer is out.   I must also add that I know some of my London friends and colleagues love Patty & Bun more than I do, and why not as they use good ingredients…just not quite perfect flavours for my heathen taste buds from across the pond. If you want to check out Patty and Bun you can see their list of locations on their website here