Offering Anglo-French comfort food to north Londoners, The Patate is the first permanent site from rookie restaurateurs Martin Le Boulc’h and ex-Frenchie operations manager Paul-Henry De Vassoigne. Prior to setting up shop in Kentish Town, The Patate only functioned as a street-food operation, with various stalls around London’s markets.
However, the bricks and mortar site offers the same wacky food as the stalls, headlined by the signature beef bourguignon burger, but in the comfort of a cosy restaurant overlooked by an open kitchen.
The burger-bar style restaurant has an unpretentious feel to it with space for just 30 people and diners going up to the counter, which is right in view of the open kitchen, to order their food. Customers then have to take their food to the table, making The Patate seem like a traditional fast-food restaurant. However, the fun and well-priced food is a notch up from your standard grab-and-go joints.
The signature beef bourguignon burger is the most notable item on the menu and the one which made The Patate famous, with its red wine-flavoured patty smothered in raclette cheese and a signature sauce all served in a brioche bun.
There are other options available here too, though, such as the French-Canadian classic of poutine, which sees chips topped with grilled beef bourguignon and jus, and a choice of cheeses including Fourme d’Ambert, Applewood Smoked Cheddar and raclette de Savoie among them. You can also choose to have these same cheeses melted over a standard portion of fries too for even more decadence.
Vegetarian choices, meanwhile, include a veggie burger featuring grilled mushrooms, goats’ cheese, and truffle honey, all served in a brioche bun. Alternatively, there’s the option of the Patate toastie which allows you to pick one of the many cheeses to be melted and served inside a brioche bun.