“Joe’s buzzing effervescence is a refreshing foil to the nonplussed world-weary bar staff…”

You might have read our review of Patty and Bun in Battersea, the inaugural outing for this pop up. The burgers were alright, but there was obviously potential for improvement. Now in residence in the much more sensibly located Soho, we went down to see if anything had changed. And so off to The Endurance we went, a boozer we once often frequented when a buddy of ours worked upstairs.

If Patty & Bun were the bright eyed, naive, freshman at Doodle Bar, then as a sophomore they’re a little bit taller, more muscular, and have worked through their gameplan. The progression and improvement is impressive.

Again, there’s no faulting the prep of the ridiculously tender patties, as each one was eye-poppingly pink inside. The bun is the next big secret: forgiving, shiny and, for London, exemplary. With the basics near faultless, you know you’re onto a good thing.

The cheese has a slight sharpness that swoops down and through intermittently. The smoky signature mayo has a pronounced sweetness familiar to burger sauce, (weirdly, the Ari reminded Rob ever so slightly of the kebabs he oft noshed during his Uni days). This, with the brioche and ketchup, only just tips it too sweet, the pickled onions not countering quite enough. The inclusion of gem lettuce pleasantly crunches in a mouthful but, is too much: the whole leaf sliding around between burger and bottom. Remain vigilant holding the thing together otherwise you’ll find half of it ruining your dry selvedge.

But this is idle nit-picking: it’s one frickin’ enjoyable sandwich.

The Smokey Robinson raised the bar with a swift jab of bacon to counter the sweetness. But the Jose Jose is so vastly improved it’s not even the same burger. It’s one messy fucker, thanks to the chilli chorizo relish housed inside, and it’s a mind blower. Whilst not particularly heat-packing (there’s a slight tingle), it’s the greasy, chunky cubes of chorizo that add another level of meatiness to the burger, kicking the custom mayo squarely in the balls in the process. The longer you leave it the more fatty paprika juice gets released from the chorizo too, turning the bottom of the box into a crimson crime scene.

We hands down loved it. It really is filthy.

We also grabbed some wings, another good barometer. While the sauce was delightfully thick and super-tacky, the barbecue flavour bordered less on the smoke and more on the sickly sweet, something that lives in sugary abundance down the road at Bodean’s.

Price-wise, they’re at the increasingly standardised £7-8 or so just for the sandwich. Fries extra.

Whether P&B’s Joe intended it or not, there is something reminiscent of an Ad Cod burger in his efforts (and that’s not just because Fred was there at the time), which is a big compliment.

An intense but remarkably likeable fellow, Joe’s buzzing effervescence is a refreshing foil to the nonplussed world-weary bar staff. Drinks are morosely served while Joe is bouncing off and spinning around from one table to the next conversing with his customers at a frenetic pace. Go check him and his wares out this week, before he’s gone again.

No doubt he’ll reappear again soon enough though, the spritely bastard. We’re looking forward to v3.