Glasshouse Brasserie

Considering it was a Monday night, when Glasshouse charges only one dirham per drink, the restaurant was remarkably and undeservedly quiet 6 Reviews

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Considering it was a Monday night, when Glasshouse charges only one dirham per drink, the restaurant was remarkably and undeservedly quiet. On our last visit we moaned that Glasshouse paled in comparison to its glitzy sibling across the bright glass hall, Verre, but this trip saw a major improvement. The once-sluggish service is now very good and the food is markedly improved.

It’s a self-proclaimed Mediterranean brasserie but also restrained, with neither the minimalist glass interior or the eclectic menu yelling ‘trattoria’. My friend’s appetiser, the king prawn pil pil, may be a Spanish dish but it was fiery enough to have come from Mexico. At least the meaty prawns were succulent and fresh. My chargrilled courgette and ricotta salad consisted more of the latter than the former, but proved a light tasty starter.

In the past, Glasshouse’s steak has always been a bit hit-or-miss and tonight was no exception. Our party ordered two; the tender, flavoursome sirloin and the fatty, tough rib eye, the dud of the night. The accompaniments are miserly too. The fat chips stacked in a Jenga-esque pile gets the thumbs up, but the forlorn charred tomato and teaspoon of mushrooms was nothing to get excited about. My chargrilled lobster delicately smothered in garlic butter was fantastic – generous, meaty and perfectly cooked and with an accompaniment of fat chips it was definitely the star of the show.

For dessert, the warm blackberry clafoutis was sadly bereft of much blackberry action, but the melting scoop of Amaretto ice cream perched atop the warm sponge made sweet amends. The individual chocolate tart was incredibly rich and the caramelised pecan nuts added the important crunch factor to the cardamom ice cream.

Whether it’s to persuade people that the dreaded jaunt across the Creek is worthwhile; a desperate attempt to compete with its cleverer and considerably more attractive older brother, or just out of the goodness of the Hilton’s hearts, Monday and Wednesday see all regular drinks knocked down to a dirham apiece when you order a main course. With food as well-priced and tasty as this, and the drinks costing less than a bottle of local water, you can’t go far wrong with an evening at Glasshouse.

The bill (for two)
Courgette salad Dhs35
Prawn pil pil Dhs45
Rib eye Dhs115
Grilled lobster Dhs150
Chocolate tart Dhs30
Clafoutis Dhs30
Hildon still mineral water Dhs22
2x glass red wine Dhs2
Total (including service) Dhs429

• Previous reviews
  • 19 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 26 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 01 May,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 February,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 June,2003- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 October,2002- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 March,2002- reviewed by Carolyn Robb
  • 01 December,2001- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.