The Admiral Codrington serves up a stunning cheeseburger.

Location:
The Admiral Codrington is located on Mossop Street, several stone's throw from South Kensington Tube. I've had a number of burgers there before, but never from the main menu (see the Ad Cod burger swarm posts: Admiral Codrington three burger tasting, and the Admiral Codrington MockDonalds).

This visit it was time to try the much lauded Admiral Codrington Cheeseburger.

Price:
8oz Cheeseburger - £15. This includes burger, pickles and hand cut chips. 
Mac 'n' Cheese - £6.00.

This time around, me and my dining companion started with squid. It was beautifully crispy, yet remained tender, and the green chillies lend a satisfying bite to the dish. 

Chilli salt and pepper squid at the Admiral Codrington

The stand out starter, however, was a rich and creamy Burrata cheese, similar to mozzarella but made from cow's milk, rather than buffalo milk. It's a delightfully soft cheese with a mild flavour and at the Cod they sprinkle Maldon rock salt over the top, and add a basil oil (along with fresh basil and marinated peppers) which makes for a divine yet light starter.

Creamy Burrata at the Ad Cod

But enough of this starter nonsense, let's find out what the burger's like!


Presentation: 
Stunning. Fred, the head chef at the Admiral Codrington, gets burgers. The presentation is a shiny brioche bun, wrapped around a patty oozing cheese and dripping its juices onto the plate below. Chips and mac 'n' cheese come separately.

The Admiral Codrington's stunning cheeseburger

Toppings:
Perfect composition. Every element in the Admiral Codrington burger has been carefully thought out, and tested to ensure the perfect combination of toppings with the patty. A thin layer of tomato reduction applied to the underside of the bun add a touch of acidity and umami to the mix. The cheddar is mild, and doesn't dominate the meat, but applies a Monterey Jack style gummyness and flavour.

Underneath the patty, thinly sliced pickles sit on a single slice of beef tomato, and in turn they sit on a bed of mustard-mayonnaise mixed, chopped iceberg 'slaw, again adding that acidity and ensuring the juices freely flowing from the patty don't get to destroy the bun. A recent addition to these toppings is the addition of a spoonful of the burger juices applied to the inside of the bun lid, adding another layer of flavour.

Meat:

Stonking. The 8oz patties at the Ad Cod are a combination of 50% chuck, 50% rib cap from Jack O'Shea. They're 28-day aged from grass-fed beef (with 200-250 days finished on grain) from the West coast of Ireland. Head chef Fred Smith minces the meat through. They are pure beef with no seasoning added until just before cooking.

Fred talks us through the process below:

The Admiral Codrington burger cut-through

Bun:

Excellent. The burger bun used at the Admiral Codrington is the classic Miller's of Wimbledon brioche bun. This is a light and fluffy bun, but has the capacity to hold the mass of juices this burger patty throws at you. It is lightly toasted, and a thin layer of tomato reduction is applied to both the insides, as well as some of the fat and juice left from the settling burger patty. Those that fear brioche, fear not, this is not a sweet bun.

Mac 'n' Cheese at the Admiral Codrington.

Accessories:
Outstanding. We opted for a portion of smoked raclette chips, which had a fabulous deep smoked flavour, and a portion of Mac 'n' Cheese, which was excellent. Fred's secret ingredient in this dish is the addition of a swirl of hollandaise sauce just before topping off with parmesan and finishing off under the grill.

Overall Rating: 10/10


I can't find a fault in this burger, from the bold and masculine presentation to the perfectly thought out composition, and the constant attention to the detail. There are reasons this burger has been getting rave reviews on the blogging circuit and I've listed them for myself above.

This burger is only the second that has received the Burger Me! full marks rating and it is bloody well deserved! Another week, another 10/10 rating! This burger deserves to be in my 'Top 5 Best Burgers in London' list.
On a final note, as if the starters and burgers weren't enough, we couldn't resist trying a couple of puddings.

The sticky toffee pudding was bold, gooey and utterly decadent. 

Sticky Toffee Pudding at the Ad Cod

And the Pannacotta was awesome.

Admiral Codrington Pannacotta