Area: The Dongping Delta, that confluence of the Lus Dongping, Taojiang, and Wulumuqi as they flow into Hengshan. Glo London resides where Keven's Chinese Restaurant once was. That's more or less adjacent to , down the street from and , and a stone's throw from , , and .
What it is: Glo London is the latest in a spate of what I've come to call "kitchen sink" concepts, ambitious restaurants with expansive menus that seem to offer everything but. For some other examples of this recent phenomenon you can click , , , and . Yes, as the name implies, the company does originate in England, but, as several Brits have been quick to point out to me, not quite London. I'm guessing they decided that didn't have quite the same ring to it.
Glo's four floors serve four distinct purposes. At street level there is a bakery/cafe concept dealing in fresh-baked bread, pastry, cookies, smoothies, and sandwiches. As you would expect, it's counter service with a focus on breakfast and lunch. It all has something of a vibe, but unlike that ubiquitous chain, Glo will soon start roasting their own coffee beans, so watch for that.
Upstairs is their "Gastro Grill." The laminated menu here leans heavily (heavy being the operative word) toward Anglo-American cuisine in both style and portion. For mains, we're talking a lot of pizza and barbecue. Pizzas here are oblong like a Turkish pide with a thin crust and range from your traditional Margherita to a strange-sounding duck and five spice-roasted plums. They come to the table on logo-stamped cutting boards with a nifty fork and pizza-cutter contraption. They're a signature item here and there are plans in the near future to start up a delivery service for them. From the grill, there's a selection of imported Aussie steaks marinated in Manuka honey as well as whole chickens and racks of baby back ribs slathered in their homemade barbecue sauce. Additionally, there is a brief list of "International (read: English) Favourites" like beer-battered halibut with hand-cut chips and mushy peas or chicken tikka curry. Desserts, likewise, take a decidedly English turn with sweets like sticky toffee pudding and jam roly-poly. On the weekends they do brunch until 5pm. Expect hefty helpings of Anglo-American breakfast staples in all their artery-clogging glory -- English breakfasts, honey pecan French toast, etc.
The third floor is a cocktail lounge with a list that is largely Mojito-centric. They've got at least a page of variations on the popular Cuban cocktail with names the Coco-lito, and the Italiano, which is made with limoncello and rosemary, the Lychee Mojito, as well as traditional variations like the Cubano.
Finally, up top is the terrace, which in the coming weeks will open as an open-air barbecue joint.
Atmosphere: If Glo play their cards right, they'll not only expand Shanghai's waistlines, they'll expand to a few more stores too. As such, the decor of the place is heavily branded and easily replicable. Once again, RED Design, the firm behind and proved well up for the task. In a nutshell: it's mid-range casual, quasi-Zen with angular lines, lots of stained wood, and Glo logos cookie-cuttered out of partitions here and there. The music follows suit. Nothing particularly striking, but, by the same token, nothing objectionable either.
Damage: Small plates are anywhere between 45 and 145rmb. Salads are 60 or 70. Pizzas are 75-120. Items from the grill will cost you anywhere between 180 for a char grilled honey and coriander sea bass to 288 for a T-bone, with specialty sharing platters for two clocking in 490rmb. A barbecued chicken will set you back 180. A rack of baby back ribs, 225. Other "International Favourites" like lasagne and fish and chips are 100 and 135, respectively. Most cocktails are either 65 or 70rmb.
Who's going: So far, lots of English hungry for a proper English breakfast and curious to see if this local boy will make good.
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