As a second burger of the day, the Bun Bun and Sum by The Old Quarter had a lot running against it. I ordered it via Delivereasy and ate it in front of a YouTube video that was competing with it for my full attention. It’s messy, saucy and I needed gloves to scoff it down without drenching my hands in grease and birria.

But that first bite was heavenly.

The roast beef was thick, tender and juicy, perfectly complementing the crispy lean bacon that lay on top of it. In a surprising departure from the restaurant’s Vietnamese roots, the burger was accompanied by Cajun-spiced chips and a tub of birria, still hot despite the travel time. The milk bun took no issue in absorbing the gravy on the dip. Every crevice of the bun filled with meaty juice and exploded like a sponge upon biting.

I wolfed it down so quickly that I forgot to remove the pick holding it all together. The joy of dipping the burger over and over as it disintegrated in my hands was overwhelming and I was left slurping the burger up from the plate. The Bun Bun and Sum is more than the Bun Bun and Sum of its parts; so unexpected coming from an establishment known for its finesse, but it just shows how well The Old Quarter can do messy when it wants to.