63rd & 1st Burger

Having been to 63rd & 1st last year I found the environment to be really nice in Cobham, service good, just lacked a little on the burger. It was a lunch meeting this time that brought me back to 63rd & 1st, and a quick check of the menu meant we were able to give the 63rd & 1st Burger a try. I must admit that the idea of swiss cheese on the burger did give me reservations from the jump but I knew I would enjoy the ambience in the restaurant nonetheless. Read on to see how the burger scored…

The Bun: 16/20

The seeded bun was very seeded! I have to admit that, on first impressions, the bun looked a little dense from the outside looking in but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the bun looking like it had got a serious amount of bread content, which I typically find is too starchy and heavy for my stomach, the bun was light and fluffy. The bun did not have much of a flavour profile to it but the seeds were a nice contrast to, what is usually my favourite, the super-soft shiny brioche bun. The inners of the bun were chargrilled slightly to showcase nice grill lines and give a little more texture to each bite. It held particularly well against the stack and from the first bite I could taste that it was going to be better than my last experience at 63rd & 1st, Cobham.

The Toppings: 7/10

The burger came with lettuce, tomato, and crispy onions. I cannot remember the last time I saw a tomato that big, it covered the whole circumference of the bun. I thought the lettuce was okay, could have been a little more crispy but that is a personal preference. I thought the positioning of the salad was well thought out; being on the heel of the stack I found it to be welcomed afterthought. The crispy onions were really good, though I was a little disappointed at the amount. They seemed to be thrown on with not much care and so this led to inconsistency in the taste a little. The onions that were smack in the centre of the stack were moistened by the lump of sauce which was placed precariously in the middle of the burger.

The Condiments: 7/10

Anyone that reads our reviews regularly knows that I love spicy sauces and I was excited to taste the chipotle mayo from 63rd & 1st. As it happened, the mayo was excellent. I found it to be flavourful with the smoothness of mayo and a slight twang that sat nicely on the tongue. My issue with the condiment was the lack of it! It looked like the chef had used a teaspoon and positioned a small amount smack bang in the centre of the burger. This meant that I could taste it, for maybe two or three bites, and what I tasted was good, but the amount and the lumping of it meant that the mayo was completely redundant in at least 70% of the burger. Perhaps it was my last review from Fego in Cobham, with the jalapeno mayo, that left the 63rd & 1st Burger with stiff competition? You can read that review here

The Cheese: 15/20

Surprisingly I liked the cheese, although I didn’t expect to. Maybe it is the thought of swiss cheese, colloquial stigmatization for us regular folk, that played a part in my preconceived ideas. I actually enjoyed the flavour that had a slightly sweet and nutty taste but it was perhaps the consistency I enjoyed more. The smoothness of the cheese reacted well in the stack against a coarse ground patty. I liked it.

The Patty: 16/20

I saw the patty and thought this was going to be a rough day at the office. Large patties, especially this large, are tough to cook and if overcooked can leave you chewing on tasteless meat for a long time! I did think it was a little overcooked for my own personal taste, it was touching on well done from medium, but the taste was great. I was tasting a well-chargrilled burger with a slight depth of richness you should expect from a prime beef patty. I thought the fat content had been cooked out a little too much which left the patty a little dryer than I would like and it was coarse, verging on being too well done for me. Overall though, the patty brought a good, well-balanced flavour to the rest of the burger and I enjoyed it.

The Taste: 16/20

The patty had good flavour and definitely stood out, in an otherwise, average offering in the 63rd & 1st Burger. I would definitely eat this burger again, perhaps next time with some directions for the chef as I think with a little more sauce, a little more onions and this burger could have creeped a few more points. The overall taste was saved by the patty and the smooth cheese, if I was served just the cheese, patty, and bun, it would have scored just as highly in this section.

Our Verdict: 77/100

63rd & 1st in Cobham has a really nice feel to the place, it is relaxing and, during the day, quiet. The food is good and the staff is excellent. We also had the short rib croquettes, loaded fries, and chilli dogs. Yes, it was one hell of a lunchtime meeting! The chilli dogs were something I have not had before and deserve their own special mention because they could be devastating to a person on a diet, you could get through a good five of those things! The 63rd and 1st Burger was good, better than I expected it to be, but still couldn’t compete with some of our high flyers in our Hit List. If you are heading to Cobham at any point and fancy a very good cocktail, decent food, and a nice environment, you should check 63rd & 1st out, you can view their website here