The Admiral Codrington, South Ken

Meeting friends after work on a friday for a beer and a burger is something we all look forward to, but for me especially so when the burger in question is cooked by a burger enthusiast, called Fred.

The Admiral Codrington is nestled away in a quiet street in South Kensington, and on this Friday evening in the unusually warm September evening the bar and the street outside were rammed with punters (pic on right taken on way home). We had a beer outside while we waited for our table. 
The restaurant is peaceful and spacious, quite a contrast to the busy bar. The restaurant's roof was open (like a convertible) and we could see the stars, an impressive touch.

We all ordered medium rare cheeseburgers which arrived along with bowls of chips. Initial impression is that this is a good sized burger with good bun to patty ratio. 
The burger is constructed as follows from the bottom up: A toasted Brioche bun with a coating of tomato relish, lettuce slaw with mayo and dijon mustard, a slice of tomato, slices of pickle, an 8oz patty nicely encased in melted cheese (cheddar i think) and topped with the other tomato relish coated toasted bun. 

I'd not really been a fan of lettuce slaw until this moment, but this was great. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy plus the mayo stoped bits of lettuce falling out like you're fighting with a big-mac. 
This burger has the perfect ratio of each of the ingredients. There is just the right amount of everything. Each mouthful is a perfect balance of flavours and textures. 
The Jack O'Shea meat patty is great, really beefy tasting and super tender, the texture light and juicy. I was reminded of Heston's hamburger creation in which the strands of minced beef all pointed in the same direction. I really like a loosely formed patty and this is a perfect example. Cooking was spot on and done on a griddle, the crust caramelised, perfectly keeping the dark red rare insides in place. I think the patty shape is ideal, its taller in height and less wide than usual, the result is an even juicier patty that allows for an even rarer centre. Its bigger than, but a similar shape to the Bar Boulud patty.

Great bun too, not too squidgy, not too sweet, not too big or small, not too toasted. The whole thing was executed really well, or crafted really well i should say. 
My first reaction when eating this amazing burger was that i preferred it to anything else i could remember. But i had to think about it and compare to the other greats - Why is it better than Goodman? The bun is nicer, the bun to patty ratio is closer to perfect, but what about Hawksmoor? The patty is juicier and was cooked better. But overall its better because the ingredients work together so well and result in every single bite being superb.

So you know what, when i really think about it, i'm pretty sure this is the best burger i've ever eaten. Nice one Fred.

17 Mossop Street, SW3 2LY