New on Wine List Confidential: MASH Steak House

A number of MASH’s board members trained and worked as sommeliers – and erudite manpower on the floor is the key to success, particularly in carefully assessing guests’ requirements, including the importance of respecting budgets. Indeed, this is a list devised to deliver to the discerning, notably good value.

With little street frontage, the actually mighty ‘MASH’ handsomely unravels deep beneath Brewer Street in a Mad Men-esque set of red leather and marble, replete with meat lockers on view. This vault was once part of the 800-room Regent Palace Hotel before being overseen by Marco Pierre White who operated it under the ominous title, ‘Titanic’. Today, the Danish-owned, ‘Modern American Steak House’ unites gently-rested steak with gently-rested wines within, continuing the near foolproof concept launched by sommeliers at the top of their game in Copenhagen in 2009.

A number of MASH’s board members trained and worked as sommeliers – and erudite manpower on the floor is the key to success, particularly in carefully assessing guests’ requirements, including the importance of respecting budgets. Indeed, this is a list devised to deliver to the discerning, notably good value.

Sicilian head sommelier, Salvatore Castano long harboured a vinous interest, with his arrival in London, principally a position at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, widening his appreciation of the globe as a vineyard. ‘As soon I got into London everything changed,’ he says. ‘A magical city with wines from all over the planet…’

At MASH, Castano further accrued greater a gamut of grape based knowledge while working with sommelier, Jess Kildetoft. ‘He is one of just 249 Master Sommeliers on Earth and looks after all of the MASH restaurants in Denmark as well as London.’

At MASH Copenhagen, lists may exceed 3,000 bins, while London features circa 900. A particular focus is lavished on the dedicated cellar, part of which is visible beyond a glass partition, of North American wines. ‘I believe we have the biggest selection in London, which we’ll probably enlarge.’ Wines may include the full frontal, boldly labelled wares of Charles Smith, the Washington State producer who formerly managed Danish rock bands. Also neatly racked are tantalising flights of Amuse Bouche, Au Bon Climat, Diamond Creek, Dunn Vineyards, Hanzell, Harlan, Opus One, Williams Selyem, Ridge, as well as Domaine de la Romanée Conti, although there are plentiful pleasures sub £40, too.

Dishes may include MASH Tartare with piquillos or half a lobster thermidor, followed by, of course, steaks from Uruguay, Denmark, Japan (including kobe wagyu), the USA and Britain – and it can be good fun to compare the character of the cuts with willing friends. Followed by a few Old Fashioneds at the brilliant bar.

‘As an American Steak House, we sell full bodied Americans, Bordeaux and Italians. Obviously, the wine will change depending on what kind of Angus you’ll choose,’ says Castano.

Incidentally, producers and punters take note – according to the list, MASH ‘charges a reasonable £20 in corkage fee per bottle of 75cl and allow a maximum of four bottles per table.’

To see the WLC position and scores for this review click here.

Wine List Confidential, brought to you by the drinks business, is the first platform to rank London’s restaurants on the strength of their wine list alone, providing a comprehensive guide to the best restaurants in the capital for wine lovers.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point scale based on five criteria: size, value, service, range and originality. For a full guide to London’s best wine lists visit winelistconfidential.com