Patty & Bun (CLOSED)

With seven branches (an eighth is about to open in Kensington) and a residency at crazy-golf bar Swingers, it’s safe to say Patty & Bun knows what it’s doing by now. Judging by this latest opening at Hackney’s Arthaus Building, that’s certainly the case. The set-up is the usual – grungy urban interiors, head-nodding playlists – and the burgers are as good as they were when P&B first arrived on the scene. My flavoursome Jose Jose chilli number – dripping with cheese and squashed into a toasted brioche bun – was polished off in minutes. And the rosemary fries? Those went within seconds. Sadly, the cheese balls just didn’t cut it. They were runnier and sharper than expected, but the combo of cheddar, gruyère and blue cheese could have used a bit of macaroni to hold it all together. Drinkswise, a lemony Redchurch Reviver improved things, as great gin cocktails generally do. The odd hiccup is pretty easy to forgive thanks to the charming service, my waiter checking in to see how I felt about those sides (my face must’ve been a massive giveaway). Consider yourself lucky, Hackney: you couldn’t have asked for a better addition to the neighbourhood.