I’m a vegetarians nightmare, I truly am, and I’m not proud to admit that I’m quite obnoxious in making my love of meat known to just about anyone who wants to hear it (or doesn’t).
If I was sad enough, I’d thank God everyday for creating an animal which provides many of us with so much joy and variations – in particluar I’d thank him for THE STEAK.
There are a lot of steakhouses in London, some perfect (aka Hawksmoor obviously), some great (Gaucho) and some mediocre at best (won’t name and shame). So what category does MASH London fall under?
‘Modern American Steak House’ aka MASH is located in Soho and does what it says on the tin. It is a very popular joint in Denmark focusing mainly on American and Danish steaks (much to the annoyance of some who won’t touch anything but British beef).
Upon entering, I can guarantee that you’ll be shocked by the unassuming grand lobby on street level. A friendly receptionists takes you to the lift which brings you to the piece de resistance – the main dining room.
You descend the luxurious spiral staircase and discover a gigantic space you’d never expect it in a million years. It’s all decked out in Art Deco, with one of the highest ceilings I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. The colour combination involves lush red furniture, dark brown wood panelling, bright lighting and glass cabinets showcasing some serious cuts of raw beef ( just to get you in the mood).
As it was a Monday night it was pretty quiet but I liked that.
We were seated at our booths and given our menus. It was a tad bit intimidating at first seeing all the different choices on offer.
The menu is extensive and after ten minutes of deliberation, we ordered are starters.
Starter #1 was the steak tartare-lightly seasoned with herbs, spices and peppers to give it that edge. Originally enough, the tartare was served with crisps (perhaps to create different textures or maybe for more superficial reasons) but I ditched them and went straight for the raw stuff. It was a good enough starter and it was refreshing to see it not being served with an egg yolk (not that I dislike the egg, it’s just nice to have something done a bit differently).
Our second starter were the garlic snails. God, I do enjoy snails when they’re done well and these didn’t disappoint. They were meaty and flavoursome and the garlic wasn’t too strong, no complaints here.
Our lovely dimpled waitress did extremely well by helping us with which cut, type and nationality of steak to go for. We decided to get two of the heavier ones (one Danish, one American) to share.
We ordered a dry aged Danish ‘Long-bone ribeye’ (£44) and an American ‘Bone-in NY strip’ (£45).
Now I know everyone has a different opinion, but I’ve no idea what the MASH sceptics are talking about. These were some of the best steaks I have had in a while. Yes, you can try to compare it to Hawksmoor (no steakhouse really has a chance) but I’d advise against doing so because it’s not trying to be Hawksmoor.
Both steaks were prepared medium rare and were extremely juicy, flavoursome and any other cliché descriptive terms one would use for steak. Seriously though, they were both succulent, easy to chew and were not in need of any side sauces as their juices already did the trick.
As for the fat lining edges of the N.Y strip, it just melted so easily in your mouth and was tasty as hell, who knew fat could taste this good.
I need to reserve high praise for their superior chips which were golden, delightfully crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and all in all- were thick strips of goodness which I could never grow tired of eating.
If you’re looking to wow someone or close a deal (which kind is none of my business) then you better take them to MASH. The interior alone is enough to make anyone’s eyes pop, but it’s really the steak which brings home the bacon (well in this case… the beef).
I went, I conquered, I loved and I’ll go again and again.
