Shoreditch’s Mason & Taylor

Ah, the fickle world of London dining. The last time I was at 51-55 Bethnal Green Road, possibly around 15 months ago, the address was the site of a Mexican tequila bar.

Its gaudiness and decently priced margaritas seemed to have the venue well set up. However, there is no such thing as a sure thing when starting a new establishment. Time has passed and that bar has just become another statistic, joining that number of new businesses that fail within two years. However, this is not the time for mourning as there are many more willing to try and succeed where tequila bars have failed.

In place of the former establishment, there is now another restaurant, which couldn’t be more removed from the previous inhabitants. Instead of tacos and burritos, the emphasis now is on sturdy English cuisine. In place of the sloshings of tequila, the main beverage of choice is a considerable range of beers taken from around the world. Such is the array that you might need to take advantage of the special sized glasses that are on offer. They are a third of a pint, which will allow you a couple of hearty swigs from German, Czech or even home-grown offerings.

I went on a Thursday night, which was a very busy night. I started off with an interesting plate of Scotch eggs using quails eggs as their centre with a side offering of gribiche. It wasn’t the best of starts with the quails eggs unsuited to the twist on the dish. Quails eggs are very delicate and trying to combine them in a Scotch egg was like watching a humming bird trying on a fur coat.

However, the next two dishes were much better thought through. The wild boar and apple sausages with beetroot mash were fulsome and flavoursome. Also worthy of commendation was the smoked fish.

To go with dessert, I looked to the specials board and picked out a perry. This accompanied my delightful Eton Mess, which was lovingly gloopy and with an abundance of strawberries and blueberries.

Mason & Taylor is a tidy little venue, offering decently priced food with a plethora of beers. Indeed the food is in danger in taking a back seat to the booze given the variety that is here. Whether it is wheat beers, black beers or hooch brewed by monks, there is bound to be something on the menu that will take your fancy. And just to remind you that there is a special glass to enable you to make your way through it without getting too smashed.

Mason & Taylor
51-55 Bethnal Green Rd
Shoreditch
E1 6LA

Tel: 020 7749 9670