My Top Ten London Burger Guide

After visiting 50 places 50 different burgers I think is time to do a retrospective analysis to see how the quest is progressing and what are the results so far. 

Burger Time

My top 10 in a galaxy not so far away… 

Hawksmoor 

Korean style Kimchi Cheeseburger, have to say every bite was glorious, the spicy fermented vegetables done properly playing with the melted cheese superb. 

Kimchi Time

Goodman 

Their simple burger which you can upgrade with several toppings like sautéed mushrooms, cheddar, bacon and even fried egg. Another perfect score for the runner up, the crispy bacon with the cheddar just awesome. 

Goodman Burger

Bar Boulud 

Daniel Boulud spin off of his NYC restaurant, with the same 3 burgers, same style, same Yankee, Frenchie, and Piggie, but also on special occasions a fabulous burger comes into play just like the Moroccan burger I had in their anniversary a great burger. 

Yankee

The Admiral Codrington 

Burger Masterchef Fred Smith gastropub, never stop to impress with his creation and special burgers, the special Iberico burger I had was perfection in a bun. 

Iberico Special

Rivington Grill 

Simon Wadham takes on burger, the Luxury one with all the trimmings, perfectly executed and great flavour. 

Luxury Burger

Brasserie Malmaison 

The Mal burger, beef supplied by Donald Russel cooked to perfection, but the melted gruyere with the special tomato sauce makes the difference. 

Mal Burger

Bistro du Vin 

The indoor bbq grill A.K.A. Josper Grill gives the BdV Burger another dimension, classic approach with bacon and melted cheese complete the scene. 

BdV Burger

Opera Tavern 

A slider made it to the top ten, but is a hell of a slider, Iberico pork burger with foie gras, melted manchego, and aioli, you will be proud to be Spaniard while eating this baby, be prepare to eat more than one. 

Iberico Pork Burger 

MEATLiquor 

The city saw how the buzz created by the blogging community and doing things right took Yianni to another level, after a food truck, some festivals, and a pop up, we got a permanent location, be prepared to queue for a while as the buzz is as strong as the early days, the Bobcat burger is an icon in the city. 

Bobcat Burger

Elliot's 

The small restaurant in Borough serving a consistent and pretty good cheeseburger, the mix of cheeses they used, sourced from the market is to die for.

Elliot's Cheeseburger

Burgers remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Parking Garage” 

Jerry: Why do I always have the feeling that everybody's doing something better than me on Saturday afternoons? 

Elaine: This is what people do 

Jerry: No they don't. They're out on some big picnic. They're cooking burgers. They're making out on blankets. They're not at some mall in Jersey watching their friends trying to find the world's cheapest air conditioner

London

UK

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Burger Wars Episode XXXI: The Sith Burger

One place I was really looking forward to visiting was Brasserie Malmaison. The restaurant of the Malmaison boutique hotel in Clerkenwell, just a couple steps from the Smithfield market. There were two main reasons, first I have read good reviews about the burger, and the second one to see the Butchers Block, I’ve been dreaming going there since I read a review by Kang. Their promise simple British classic, big portions and not compromise in quality..

The Hotel

Butcher's Block

Got to the place, a modern atmosphere, good service, and pretty straight forward menu. Didn’t take me long to decide as the main was already chosen, a brief browse to the menu to ask for the fried squid, and the Mal burger.

The menu

The squid was superb, oh my god! I think one of the best ones I have had, the batter was amazing the dipping sauce brilliant, and the rocket gave a balance between the peppery flavour and the sweetness of the dipping sauce, and the presentation of the dish was spot on.

The star of the night

The Mal burger, naturally reared ground beef supplied by Donald Russel comes with bacon, melted gruyere cheese, gherkin, lettuce, tomato, and onions, a special tomato base sauce, home made fries, and I asked as a side the tarragon aioli.

Mal Burger

The verdict, brilliant! The burger was amazing, medium rare, cook to perfection, amazing flavour, the sauce, the bacon, and the cheese giving an extraordinaire uniqueness to the bloodiness of the patty. The fries on the other hand for me swing and a miss, oily and soggy.

The damage, 16.45 quids for the Mal burger, fries, and a coke.

The conclusion, Malmaison met the expectations, the burger was spectacular, the squid stole the show, sadly the fries failed to deliver. I would give them a solid 9, Chef John Woodward just get those fries crunchy to get you into the top three burgers in town, apart from that keep it the good work.

This is a real bad boy

Mal could be translated to Spanish as Evil, and that reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Face Painter” when Puddy paints his face as a Devil to support his hockey team.

Elaine: That poor priest. He was just visiting from El Salvador. Now he's gone completely loco.

Jerry: The one Puddy screamed at in the car?

Elaine: Yeah. He thinks he saw the devil. He won't leave his room in the church basement.

Jerry: Well, that's what you get for getting mixed up with a face painter.

Elaine: I mean, what compels a seemingly normal human being to do something like that?

Jerry: Got to support the team.