Glas

Love it!!

I disagree with the previous comments.

Glas has now moved and you find it in Angel as Upper glas.

The food is as good as always, and as a big fan of the previous restaurant, I'm convinced that Anna's the greatest and the most cheerful woman in the industry.

Her and her team brings a refreshing change to the cold stiffness you find in so many other restaurants. This restaurant is not trying too hard, It just is what it is! Amazing.
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Richard Lawrence
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 26, 2007

After having purchased some lovely beetroot gravadlax from Glas at Spitalfields Food Fair, I booked a meal here to kick off the long weekend. It was not great.

It was almost empty. The space is cavernous without people, and just lacked atmosphere.

When our order arrived, the roasted root vegetable salad was replaced with a leaf and apple variety, with no explanation. The portions were small. The bill came to £80. For 2 of us. With only 1 glass of champagne and 1 beer to push the bill up, it makes the food very expensive for what it was. The herring was lovely. I must say that. But the portion size was just so small that it was just so hard to be pleased. I really wanted to like this place. The girl at the markets was just so lovely, and so was the gravadlax there.... but Upper Glas wasn't.
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Lacey Seber
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

We went for Sunday Lunch expecting the same high standards as Glas (Borough Market) and were very disapppointed. My wife had Toast Skagen which bore no resemblance to the real thing with poor flabby prawns and a mayonnaise dressing. We both had beetroot gravad lax (with dill stuvad potatoes) which was tasteless with 25% beetroot coloured and the rest pink. No Swedish hardbread was offered and we presume had run out. The staff were friendly but where oh where was the Borough Market chef??
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Sunday, March 18, 2007

We booked a table on a Saturday lunchtime for a party of six. Nice welcome, the staff are relaxed and relaxing. Only a few other tables were taken so it seemed a little dead but maybe the evenings are livelier. The service was friendly but a little scatterbrained and so slow we became hungrier the longer we stayed. However without pressing in any way we were offered a free sweet course when the main course failed to arrive for a very long time. The food is well presented and cooked with flair. Don't go if you are hungry though - the portions are minute and the bill was in line with the average of £25 per head (without the pud).
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Friday, February 23, 2007

We've been to this restaurant twice and loved it. The owner personally greeted us on our 2nd visit, and was absolutely charming.

However, things did not go that well the 3rd time. I tried to book a table for the 6th Januaray at 10 PM, after our show at Sadler's Wells and explained that this would be a special birthday dinner. However, to our disappointement, we were informed that the management "did not think that it would make sense to serve just 2 people at this late time and during this quiet period of the year." I will leave it up to the other readers to comment on these very words.

Toine 3rd January 2007
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Toine
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Glas has just opened on Upper Street, Islington (to the former site of Lola's) under the name Upper Glas. The setting is lovely - elegant and cosy at the same time. The service - from owner Anna Mosesson and the almost entirely Swedish staff - is charming, friendly and attentive without being intrusive.

On the night I went, I arrived a little early and was invited to sit down on one of the comfortable red sofas in the corner and have a champagne and lingonberry liqueur cocktail while I waited - it was absolutely delicious.

The food is equally good. The menu advises that you either share a selection of starters (they recommend 3-4 each), or follow a more conventional starter and main course route. We shared three starters between two, since everything sounded so tasty we couldn't make up our minds - spiced ‘matjes’ herring with sour cream and chives, ‘skagen’ prawns with dill mayonnaise and toast, and beetroot in warm beer batter with walnuts and thyme foam. All delicious and - according to my Swedish boyfriend - very authentic. The main courses were also excellent - I had incredibly tender venison with 'gingerbread sauce', shallots and fennel, and my boyfriend had a West Coast fish and mussel casserole. To finish, we had cheeses with biscuits apricot and fig chutney. Like everything else, this was very good, but it was less distinctively Swedish than the starters and main courses.

We had a wonderful evening and would happily recommend Upper Glas to anyone. The atmosphere is relaxed - quite romantic, but it would also be good for groups of friends or, during the day, for business lunches - the service is excellent and the food is delicious and (for London, where there are not many Swedish restaurants) unusual. It is also very good value, with starters between £4 and £8, mains averaging between £10 and £13 and puddings around the £5 mark.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Jane- there is a lot more to swedish food than meatballs. Maybe next time you want to try it, go to Ikea.

One of the best meals you could have if you want to try authentic swedish food by great waiters and atmosphere.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, September 07, 2006

Now closed as unable to renegotiate the lease. Reopening on Upper Street.

I'm gutted!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, September 05, 2006

I'm Swedish, and I go there all the time.

No, it's not the traditional Swedish food you get at tourist traps in Stockholm - it's actually excellent nouvelle suedoise cuisine, with traditional influences.

Don't expect meatballs, but do try the duck. The herring selection with beer and schnapps is a must - or if you're adventurous, the matjes herring (it took me 25 years to learn to appreciate matjes, but Glas' herring is fantastic. Like giant anchovies.)

For the beer drinkers, try God Lager, which surprisingly translates as Good Lager. Which it is.
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Kicki Frisch
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Palatal ecstasy!

Raw egg yolk, venison, roe, and red onion never tasted so good! Every dish was as good or better then the last, and the small-plate sharing arrangement only added to the experience. Service was excellent as well.

Highly recommended.
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HN
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 31, 2006