I went to the launch night for Danish restaurant MASH back when it opened in 2012 and had a great evening eating canapés, meeting lots of interesting people, drinking too much Champagne and vowing to return for a proper dinner.
Fast forward almost two years - time flies - and I finally went back. We had an aperitif at the bar where there are lots of delicious cocktails along with beers, American spirits and bar snacks - I ordered the Lord of Dogtown (spice blend-infused Ketel One vodka, fresh white grapefruit juice, agave nectar and Californian sparkling wine, dusted with delicate plum sugar) and he ordered the Star Hill Negroni (Maker's Mark Bourbon, sweet vermouth and campari). Both good.
I'm a sucker for Art Deco decor and this massive, 350-cover underground dining room in a former Soho ballroom, is glorious: red leather seating, cut glass lights, restored 30s wallpaper and panelled mirrors. We were led through rows of cosy red booths and sat down with menus, a wine list and a basket of fresh white bread with warm butter (always good - tearing bread trying to spread cold butter is a pet peeve of mine).
The Head Sommelier talked us through highlights from the fairly intimidating 1,000+ wine list, before we went for the easy option and ordered a nice pale bottle of Cotes de Provence rosé (it was still summer): Whispering Angel from Caves d'Esclans. The starters - tuna tartare with avocado for me and serrano ham for him - were both excellent, but MASH stands for Modern American Steak House, so onto the main event...
The simple menu focuses on quality cuts: if you're a steak lover, this place is definitely for you. We ordered a 200g filet of grain-fed Uruguayan Hereford beef and the marble-y, "Kobe style" Wagyu beef from Australia and let the steakfest begin. Mmm. The steaks were cooked to perfection, but quite expensive.
The simple menu focuses on quality cuts: if you're a steak lover, this place is definitely for you. We ordered a 200g filet of grain-fed Uruguayan Hereford beef and the marble-y, "Kobe style" Wagyu beef from Australia and let the steakfest begin. Mmm. The steaks were cooked to perfection, but quite expensive.
So overall: the food was good although quite pricey (and bearing in mind the amount of decent steak places in London), the service was perfectly acceptable and the decor is fantastic but due to the sheer size of the dining room, it's not massively atmospheric. It was about 1/3 full when we went, so it wouldn't be high up on my list for date nights. It's a great place and I'll be back, just next time in a group.
MASH, 77 Brewer Street, London W1F 9ZN
