MASH, London

I’ve been going to MASH London a couple of times a year for the past few years. Despite being round the corner in Soho from my favourites Gaucho and Hawksmoor, I find this a ‘safe bet’ with a good range of meat, an amazing setting. What’s the verdict this time?

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I ordered medium rare and got it pretty much how I like it (I think it’s ‘medium’). It was the mid-priced rib eye on the menu, from Nebraska and wet aged. The texture of the meat was perfect on the inside, but could have done with significantly more charring on the outside. The outside colour was like I can make at home, which isn’t good, and probably means it didn’t get hot enough during cooking, for my taste.

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The flavour inside was pretty good. Enough said.

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Weirdly there were ‘chips’ or ‘chilli fries’ on the menu. Not fancying chilli on my fries, I went for ‘chips’. They were okay – too fat for my liking, but perfectly edible. The table across from me though had ‘chilli fries’, and I think it would be better to ask for those without the chilli.

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Our waiter was great; very enthusiastic and friendly, and came round just about often enough. That said, the restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived.

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Image source: MASH website

There’s no getting away MASH London is in a basement 2 stories down. That said, the decor is the best I’ve ever seen for a basement. It’s a very grand room with a unique style, and I suspect they spent a significant amount of money on it a few years ago. Comfy seats, nice cutlery and tables mean the decor gets a thumbs up from me. One thing I didn’t like was the tables are in sets of two, with only a very low panel splitting them up. When the restaurant is quiet (like it was when we arrived), it doesn’t make sense to sit people on the same table across the panel. This is especially true if the person on the other side is dining alone, as was the case with us.

The toilets here are the nicest of any restaurant I’ve ever been to in London.

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2 courses for around £140 including a couple of beers and glasses of house red and service charge. Not bad, although one of the steaks was the cheaper less impressive (reviewed separately) Uruguayan rib eye.

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The white bread and butter was the best I’ve tasted. I’m not entirely sure what made it so nice, but it must be something to do with the sea salt it’s covered in. It even came close (but obviously still nowhere near) to Gaucho’s cheese balls.

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If this place wasn’t in a basement, had a bit more privacy on the tables (admittedly both are difficult to change!), and the steak was more charred on the outside, it would have been a 5/5. As it stands, it’s a great choice if you’re in the Soho area and fancy a Danish restaurant branded as ‘modern American’!