Jimmy’s Grill – Brigadeiro

Over the last year, we have reviewed most of the burger chains around London.  We still have a few on our wish list but this month I wanted to get to at least one independent burger restaurant as finding that “diamond in the rough” is the secret wish we all have as reviewers.  Last week I had to run an errand in South Kensington and a quick map check turned up Jimmy’s Grill with an impressive 4.7 Google review score which made it the tops in the area.  Read on to see if that score was justified on our visit…

The Bun: 10/20

The bun looked amazing when it was put in front of us.  Looked light and fluffy, and had lovely grill lines on the outside that made it an Instagram moment.  However, the reality was much less amazing as the bun was dry and cold, and the grill marks were obviously made by the baker and not the cook.  It was a little stodgy, but at least held together well.  A little toasting or frying in butter could have made this as tasty as it looked so there is potential at least.

The Toppings: 7/10

One big slice of tomato, a generous helping of caramelized onions (which were the reason we ordered the Brigadeiro), and a pile of rocket leaves lightly dressed in oil.   From worst to first…the tomato was a little slimy as if it had been prepped a few hours earlier.  The rocket was less bitter than I normally find it and added a little moisture to the burger which helped with a dry bun.   It did lack the crunch you get from lettuce in most burgers but I liked the idea, and always nice to see something new in a recipe.  I may try that at home.  The onions were cooked perfectly and added a lovely savoury tang to the overall taste.

The Condiments: 6/10

One of the other reasons to try the Brigadeiro was the mystery ingredient “relish sauce”.  I am a big fan of burger relishes but this one was disappointing as was really just a spicy tomato paste, and there was a lot of it on the burger.   There are no other condiments on the burger but the tables come with a set of the American standards from Heinz and French’s so was easy to tailor to your own tastes. 

The Cheese: 6/20

Besides the onions and the relish, the appeal of the Brigadeiro was the double cheese.  But it was a bland and dryish British cheddar that I am sure would have been ideal for a Ploughman’s but had nothing to offer this burger.  It was absolutely lost in the final taste and didn’t melt very well.  I will give some marks for being double cheesed and at least it covered all of the patty.

The Patty: 16/20

The patty was really good; it tasted like a good US diner burger, although perhaps just a minute overcooked as it was a tad dry.  Better cheese might have made the cooking just right with the added moisture/creaminess from melting American cheese for example.   Clearly some work had gone into getting the “smashed burger effect as our patties all had a lovely patina that brought out the best of the flavour.  We were disappointed with some of the other aspects of this cheeseburger, but the beef was a potential star.

The Taste: 12/20

A bit of a clash of flavours, as the relish was strong and the cheese weak, but when you could get to the beef and onions, there was some real harmony.  I scraped off the relish and added mayo, ketchup, and mustard and was much, much happier with the burger after that.  Again, goes to show there is potential here.

Our Verdict: 57/100

I did really want this to be a higher score because we had such pleasant service and because we could tell someone went to a lot of work to find a great patty to build their burger around.  The marketing materials make me think there is a desire to franchise the brand and with a few changes, I think they can get there.  The bun looked amazing but was just too cold and dry…that could be fixed with some butter and a little frying time.  Some melting mozzarella might have worked better with the relish and onions.  I will go back and try again next time I near Earl’s Court as they have some interesting options on their extensive menu like Hawaiian or Pepperoni burgers, and  I saw enough potential to want to see if one of the others is that “diamond in the rough”. If you would like to check out Jimmy’s Grill website you can click here