After a quiet August most of London was on holiday so it was a bit scary, but as soon as we hit September we were back on form, that has carried on strongly into October.
After a quiet August most of London was on holiday so it was a bit scary, but as soon as we hit September we were back on form, that has carried on strongly into October.
Generally we serve about 30 - 40 for lunch, but they tend not to drink much and will order wines by the glass. At dinner it's more like 40 - 50 diners with a mix of business and tourism.
The Glasshouse has the biggest wine list in the UK. The 3,400 wines on our list are global but we have a very strong classic French, Bordeaux and Burgundy leaning.
Some of the wines come from the cellars of owner Marlon Abela, who has an amazing collection and will never, ever have time to drink.
White Burgundy seems to be selling well at the moment and well as classic red Bordeaux especially 01's 02's and 04's. They're regarded as off vintages but are good value at £70 - £80.
We've had a few good nights recently with people spending around £1,000 per table. Recently I've sold wines such as Chåteau Lafleur 1978, Chateau Haut-Brion 1996, Chåteau Latour 1978, Båtard Montrachet, JM Boillot 1999 and 2000, Hommage à Jacques Perrin 1999 and 2000 and 1996 Chåteau d'Yquem.
There's myself and three other sommeliers and a barman at the Glasshouse. Much of my time is spent doing admin. As we have such a large wine list, it's changing constantly, whether that be a new vintage, or running out of wines and sourcing new.
I'm happy working somewhere that has the second biggest wine list in Europe, where customers can drink the best. Looking at it from that perspective - it's a fantastic place to work.