On this page:
Smiths of Smithfield
Mash
Smiths
of Smithfield
67-77
Charterhouse Street, London EC1
020-7236 6666
European
Wednesday
11th April 2001
Adrienne, Ben, Tania, Grant, Ces
The bar downstairs
was incredibly full, very loud, lots of city types.
We went upstairs to the dining room, but were surprised that there was
another restaurant on the top floor. The dining room is an open space
with red walls, dark furniture and is fairly loud. It turned out all for
the best as the upstairs restaurant was much better for conversation.
Mash
19-21 Great Portland St
London W1
020-7637 5555
EuropeanSaturday 8pm, 14 April 2001, Easter weekend
Adrienne & Ben, Briget & Kurt, Mandy & RhysDoormen opened the door for us as we arrived out of our black cab, and we were met with a wondrous sight - Mash is v. cool. Predominantly orange, lime and chrome.
At the back of the restaurant is the micro-brewery and on one side is a chrome bar, and to the other side is a recessed bar area with comfy couches and trendy wall decal.
The dining area is situated upstairs, and it too has cool and funky décor.
We were told upon booking that we would have to vacate the table by 10, but with London being quiet on Easter weekend, we were allowed to stay for longer! We were shown to a comfy booth type of seating, with a rickety table.
Starters sounded good, but we were mindful of the 10pm curfew, so we skipped and went on to the main. I had a warm chicken salad, with mushrooms on a bed of watercress and parsnip thin chips. Very good with a sweet dressing. (£10) Mandy ordered salmon (£12), and it came to the table with just that, salmon. Mashed potatoes and chips have to be ordered as an extra side dish. Ben's Roast chicken with saffron on a bed of chickpeas was good and quite a large portion.
Dessert looked promising at roughly £5 each with pavlova and passionfruit, chocolate and rum and raison ice-cream with biscotti, raspberry sorbet, bread and butter pudding with ice-cream, chocolate tart with poached pear and chocolate ice-cream. My ice-cream was very good.
The atmosphere in Mash is fun, loud and trendy. All in all, not bad. However a little bit pricey for what you get. Total bill £30pp
Décor: 8/10
Food: 7/10
Service: 6/10 adequate as they forgot my cup of tea.
6/10
Upon going up the stairs through a door, the noise dropped considerably. We were pleasantly surprised by the fantastic view that the restaurant has from its windows that go all the way around allowing a lovely night view of St Pauls.
Service was quick and efficient and friendly with a no-nonsense waitress. Complimentary bread which is served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar was a little dry. Smiths excel at steaks and meat cuts, unfortunately with the recent foot and mouth crisis and BSE, we were all paranoid and none of us were keen to try, although I chose rack of lamb.
Tania and I chose the oysters for starters, 6 Irish Coast and 6 Irish, which were yummy! The Irish coast were rounder and saltier.
The mains were beautifully presented with large portions. Ben's grilled scallops were of the size we are used to in NZ, and tasted sensational. My rack of lamb drew envious stares from the boys as it was a LARGE portion. It was coated in breadcrumbs and served on goat cheese mash. Grant's main of duck and foie gras was rich but tasty, and Tania's monkfish was crispy and delicious.
Dessert was also a crowd pleaser, with pavlova and passionfruit sauce (£5), and Ces enjoyed his ice-cream.
Extra points
from Grant as he asked for a 'flat white' and got it!
Total bill £50pp
8.5/10
Disclaimer: Please note reviews of restaurants are the personal opinion of a particular dining experience only. The writer is not a professional food critic and dining encounters are experienced in the role of a customer and the meal is paid for out of one's own pocket (or Ben's).
All content and images are the property of Adrienne Wong and may not be used or copied without permission. © 2002