Glo, Reading

"You are heading to London?", says UK colleague while I was still in Sydney. "You should live in Reading and commute in, the train is only 40 minutes". That was my first introduction to Reading. I am glad I didn't follow his advice as I would have been stuck with no train home on many a late night out.

I may not have ended up living in Reading but to pay a visit is definitely a possibility. So one sunny day, my lovely girlfriend K and I went exploring.

Hoi sin duck pancakes £7.25


What immediately caught my attention when the duck pancakes arrive were the wrappers. We were served thick dough wrappers that is used in 'Gua Bao' 刮包 instead of the standard paper thin versions.

Paper thin versions have been used for a reason and these thick wrappers do not make for a good substitution unfortunately. They were too thick that it disrupts the balance of the wrapper, meat, sauce and cucumber, but it does show the adventurous side of the kitchen in doing something different. The duck meat I found was too bland.

  

Thai calamari £5.95

The calamari were quite salty but has a fresh and chewy texture. The sauce complements the fried calamari well but some of the pieces were too big which resulted in a mouthful of greasiness. It is still much enjoyable.

Manuka rump Steak £14.95

Marinated in Manuka honey, it lends a rich sweetness to the steak that was a nice surprise. The steak was cooked according to what was ordered and it was good. Special shout out to the chips which were spiced Cajun style and it was just a thin fried crispy coating the warm and soft potatoes.

Indonesian Rendang in baked garlic loaf £11

The baked garlic loaf is a tasty novelty touch and I love it. The rendang itself unfortunately tasted nothing to its original. It was too creamy and lacked the depth of the spices and balance.





Sharing dessert platter £10.75

The dessert platter comprises of a few of their dessert selections. There is the cherry and almond cheesecake with red cherry compote and topped with toasted almonds, whipped cream and raspberry sorbet on the side.


Next was the Elderflower and lemon slice. A frozen lemon sponge base sandwiched with lemon and elderflower ice cream and finished with meringue pieces and shredded lemon zest


The one that I was most looking forward in anticipation are the money bags. Deep fried ice cream wrapped in oriental pastry with warm honey drizzled on top.

The raspberry and honeycomb sorbet were the highlights of the dessert platter. I expected the money bags to be slightly different and not a huge fan of this but K had a more positive experience. The cheesecake and elderflower slice were unmemorable.

It was a good meal with the highlights being the Manuka steak and the baked garlic loaf. I love seeing the adventurous side showing even though it might not always work. In a few short words: muted, decent, no fireworks.

This is one of those places where I wouldn't travel to dine here but I wouldn't dismiss it if I’m in the area.


Chopsitx2steaknives dined as a guest of Glo.

Will I recommend: Yes if you're in the area
Will I come back: Will consider
Have I had better: Yes

Glo, Reading
http://www.glohq.com/html/index.html