Home / Lifestyle / Drinks

Go London, Glo London

By Li Xinzhu | China Daily | Updated: 2012-09-02 11:19

Go London, Glo London

The bar at Glo London offers a variety of signature Mojitos. Provided to China Daily

For those who like to eat-out, a place that can satisfy hunger all day long from breakfast to supper is perfect. There is exactly such a place in Shanghai to please the busy or the lazy, along the Wulumuqi Road in the fashionable former French Concession, where many restaurants and cafes are already attracting regular clienteles.

Glo London combines it all - bakery shop, dining hall, lounge bar and BBQ restaurant all together in a four-storey building. And, it aims to transplant London-style cosmopolitan chic to China with a new concept of Western cuisine.

"We get the taste pretty much identical to what we do in the UK," says Gavin White, group general manager of Glo London.

On the ground floor, the bakery starts selling freshly baked bread from 7 in the morning with croissants, pastries, scones, pizza slices and cakes. You can get your favorite pastry and pair it with freshly squeezed juice and hot coffee made from roasted beans that you can pick to be freshly ground.

While waiting for your drink, browse a shelf stocked with souvenirs such as T-shirts with "I love London" emblazoned across the front, or mugs printed with the Union Jack.

It is comfortable and warm perching on a wooden stool enjoying the sunlight coming through the bright windows in the morning, as you sip a cup of frothy cappuccino. Even more mouth-watering aromas waft from upstairs when day turns into night, and that's when guests move upstairs.

The second floor is a paradise for meat-lovers. Unlike the coziness downstairs, the entire space here is modern, neat and stylish. Your only problem is figuring out what to eat from the extensive menu.

Go London, Glo London

In addition to small bites and starters, the huge menu lists stone-baked pizzas, hickory-smoked BBQ meats, sizzling grills and international favorites. One order stands out - the Manuka Steak topped with the tea tree honey imported from New Zealand that is beautifully rich and dark.

The roast chicken and baby back ribs are also popular choices, and the portions often seem amazingly huge to first-time diners - especially as the meal is served on what looks like an enormous cutting board.

After dinner, the cocktails at the bar may cause you to linger - with not one, but 12 signature Mojitos waiting. The lounge offers drinks straight off from London, such as the Kumquat Caipirinha and Lemongrass Wokka. If you are still hungry, there is a generous selection of tapas to share.

With autumn just creeping in, you may want to sit in the open-air terrace, and enjoy the rooftop BBQ, and the best views of the city skyline. In fact, you can spend an entire day here, and still find something fresh for the palate, and the eye.

lixinzhu@chinadaily.com.cn