Masters Sandwich Bar

This is one of those places that I’ve walked by every day but am always scared to go in because I feel like you need to ‘know the drill’ or else be yelled at. I eventually managed to muster some courage and went in. It’s very confusing. There’s no menu but a glass case with pre-​made paninis you can have toasted. Two people stood behind the counter, one at the till and the, possible, owner making food. They were both taking orders but not in any logical way so I didn’t know what to do. The owner seemed to give some people pre-​made sandwiches but he made a fresh one up for the regular in front of me. What? Weird.
It seemed like you need to be a regular to know what to do and I can’t be bothered with all the crap. Just make it easy for people and have a damn menu.
I wanted a bagel with salt beef but didn’t know if they did that so I just ordered a cheese and chicken escalope panini with tomato. Honestly it wasn’t great, they had added cream cheese also and it just melded with the tomatoes too much into a sticky mess and the chicken escalope had no bite. So it all just tasted soft and doughy. I would like to try the smoked salmon bagel or even one of the cronuts but the service didn’t exactly blow me away so I doubt I’d be back.

My first impressions of this sandwich shop were very positive, you walk through the door to be greeted by fresh salads and an array of tasty looking sandwiches, meal options, and treats.
It’s got a warm interior, that’s well laid out, light, open and you can clearly tell that it’s loved by regulars by the conversations you’ll overheard at lunchtime, and how busy and buzzing it is.
It’s a cold winter day out there today, so I decide to treat myself and order myself a hot salt beef bagel and a salted caramel cronut.
At £7 take-​away, (£5 bagel, £2 Cronut), I feel a little shocked by the price, however comparing this to the bagel shops on Brick Lane, it’s not that far off their prices. The bagel, whilst small is perfectly formed, tastes amazing and is of better quality of its Shoreditch counterparts — yes I know!!! — with less fat and is overall a better cut of meat, and as they toast the bagel, it’s melts in the mouth and adsorbs the zingy mustard and pickle accompaniments.
The perfectly presented cronut is also pretty good, whilst I’ve only tasted a few, this one, whilst not being as crispy as I would like, satisfies my sugar tooth itch with a rich caramel topping and doesn’t seem as fatty as the ones I’ve tried before.
Whilst I would love to think of myself as a fan of Masters, what really puts me off is the attitude of the staff. I know it’s busy, but they tell the person in front of me ‘no we can’t make that because we’re too busy’, and are very dismissive. The guy behind me who is obviously a regular, decides to change his mind immediately after ordering, and gets a bit of a sneer and I leave frustrated at how bad English customer service can be!
Also it’s really not cheap! It’s great quality, but then if you’re paying for it, then isn’t that what you should expect?
I’d highly suggest you try this place out if you want a treat, but if you want a quiet coffee or a regular haunt, it might be worth shopping around first.