The Admiral Codrington

I hope everyone has enjoyed the Jubilee Weekend. I'm not the biggest patriot but seeing everyone out celebrating despite the miserable weather is really heart warming. On Sunday I went to the Jubilee Festival at Battersea Park where I was lucky enough to bag a spot on the river right opposite the Royal Barge so I was eyeballing the Queen for a good while as the flotilla passed. Yesterday was much more chilled and a lovely opportunity to spend some quality time with my other half. We wandered to the Mall from my flat taking in some shops on the way to take in the atmosphere of all the people out to watch the concert on big screens there before heading down though St James Park towards Victoria. The evening was unexpectedly beautiful, the skies were clear and crossing the bridge I couldn't resist taking a photo of the view down the river to the Union Jack flying high despite the security lady telling people not to stop for photos.

By the time we got to the south side of the park we had been walking for hour and were feeling pretty peckish. The Admiral Codrington came to mind as it has been mentioned so much on food blogs recently so we set off towards Chelsea.

The pub itself is a little off the beaten track and the exterior seemed a little unprepossessing as it is set halfway down a residential street. Our concerns were proven to be unfounded as soon as we entered the building. At the front is a traditionally dark bar area with lots of squishy sofas and cozy nooks which leads though to a wonderfully light and fresh dining room with an open hatch to the kitchens meaning it is filled with the wonderful aromas of cooking. As we sat perusing the menu of quite traditional British offerings we were constantly tempted by the plates of food going past, in particular the steak and the fish & chips.

To get things going we ordered some Pork Crackling with apple sauce and Welsh Rarebit to start with. I found the Crackling a little disappointing as it was just crispy with little of the unctuous fattiness that I enjoy with a good roast although I still happily munched though the lot. The rarebit was much more successful; a single slice of bread oozing with cheese and mustard.

For mains there was no question - we both went for the Cheeseburger made with O'Shea beef, rare, to see if a £15 burger could stand up to the hype. This was a satisfying hunk of meat, beautifully pink and juicy in the middle, that came encased in a smooth, shiny brioche bun with zingy pickles and a slice of classic orange burger cheese. The meat, oh that meat, a rich, slightly smokey flavour from the charred exterior and a smooth almost buttery interior made it quite clear why the meat from this butchers is so famed. The bun was a good thickness that it absorbed the burger's moistness without being to claggy in the mouth. The accompanying chips were pleasant although they didn't have as much crispness as I would liked, however they were still enjoyable, particularly when slathered with the house's home-made mustard-mayo which was quite wonderful.

The service throughout was friendly and efficient and the dining room had a lovely warm atmosphere, although it was not as full as I had expected for a bank holiday weekend. The pricing isn't the most reasonable but we didn't feel robbed, for a bottle of house red, two starters and mains we paid £30 per head. All in all a lovely, relaxed place to unwind over a hearty meal or even to nurse a drink or two in the bar.