I have embarked on a mission to eat at least 50 burgers in the coming months. My aim is to find the best burgers in London , chronicling the process on this blog. Here are the guiding principles:

• The food will always be the main focus of this blog - but I might use it occasionally as a soapbox. I guess I am paying for the hosting, so that's my prerogative.
• I will comment on service, but it won't impact on my rating of the food. Ditto, the dining room and the loos.
• I won't give marks out of ten - it's too difficult and too boring to apply consistently. However, I will at the end of the first ten reviews be awarding Golden Monkey Awards for excellence.
• Whenever I go to a restaurant with a companion(s) their view will be considered, but mine is the one that counts.
• Value for money is subjective. My view is that the spread between the cheapest and most expensive is not much more than a tenner so why get too hung up on it?  But I will give you the bill and you can make your own mind up. Some people will think the best part of a score for a hamburger is silly money - and they might be right.

The burger I am looking for:

• Patty - It should be beef, and beef only. Cooked medium if there's a choice. The meat's provenance will be of interest, but its flavour is key.
• Cheese - Yes please: cheddar, gruyere, whatever.
• Bun - Bad or obviously inappropriate bread will be a serious downer. Overly chewy bread is doesn't make sense for a burger, nor does bread that doesn't stay together.
• Chips - Too many times a decent burger has been let down by crappy spuds. They take it seriously in America. In Britain they often come straight out of the freezer which is lazy and at the prices some places charge a serious pisstake.
• Sauces and other stuff -  Mustard, ketchup, mayo, onion, gherkin, tomato and lettuce as they come. I am going to exclude bacon, fancy add-on sauces or themed burgers. If you want half the contents of burrito in your burger that's fine, but its too many variables for me to cope with.
• Build - It should stay together as a sandwich, not need a knife and fork to eat and fit in your mouth.