Lord Nelson - The Mandela Burger

The Mandela Burger - 7oz Springbok Burger (Gamston Farm @ Boro' Mkt) topped w/ Boerewors Sausage, Fried Onions, Hot & Spicy South African Chutney + Chips, Coleslaw, Salad £11

Burger type: Pub/Gourmet/Inbetween/Dirty

'The Best Burgers in London' the sign outside the Lord Nelson pub in Southwark boldy proclaims. Perhaps a bit of a stretch that one, but if it said 'Biggest Burger Menu of London Pubs' I'd be surprised if it wasn't true - I counted around 25 burger options on my visit. I haven't been reviewing pub burgers on here so far (but may appear eventually) as this would open the floodgates to a whole load of posts, and I suspect a lot of mediocre burgers. However, the reason for this trip had been to try their well publicised and perhaps slightly controversial Horse Burger (meat sourced from Gamston Farm at Borough Market); alas Black Beauty was not available so I opted for the Mandela which is built around a Springbok burger (also sourced from Gamston Farm). The burger is well thought out - the Boerewors sausage adds a smoky meatiness and the chutney adds tang and moisture. It's served lid off to show off the fillings and it looks quite good (at least to the carniverous). I liked the flavour of the Springbok burger - there's no doubting the quality of the meat, but it was overcooked and therefore dry. Whilst the sausage and the chutney helped to make up for this, the bun was reasonable but again a bit too dry. A lighter and moister bun would help here. The sides make up in quantity what they lack a little in quality - I approve of the skin-on rustic chips but they were hit-and-miss; as a fellow burger fan pointed out whilst happily munching on his Elvis Burger (beef and peanut butter), it's a definite plus that they come with the burger and you don't have to muck around ordering extras just to fill the plate (and your stomach). It was a decent enough burger and the score perhaps seems a little low, but if the meat was cooked medium rare and the bun was improved this could be a 7 or 8 / 10 burger. For a small, and predominantly student pub (you can get a pint of drinkable lager for the very non-London price of £2.50 on production of a student card), the Lord Nelson is serving up a lot of innovative pub quality burgers and should be commended for that. If you fancy trying an exotic game or a Horse Burger then gallop down Southwark way.

Rating: 

Meat 1/3

Bun 1/2

Fillings 2/2

Package 1/2

Extra point? No

Overall 5/10