The Register Club
I’ve had a couple of solid moans about the arrival of St Andrew Square’s so-called ‘cuisine quarter’ in recent times and remain yet to be convinced that good outweighs bad from the development.
However, the arrival of The Edinburgh Grand, with a new offering from the Bon Vivant group along with a branch of Hawksmoor, has long looked more likely to provide something fresh to add to the diversity of our dining options in the city.
Hawksmoor’s arrival is imminent, but I fear I won’t get a chance to visit before I head off on travels, so I look forward to reading the verdict from others about how well it does.
The Register Club opened at the start of June after a sprint finish to get doors open. It occupies the fourth floor of the Edinburgh Grand building, previously a large bank headquarters building.
It is squarely aimed at top-end custom with reservations required and a concierge desk welcome in the entrance lobby to escort you into the lift in which you ascend to the lofty heights.
Once elevated, the first thing you notice is the impressive light-well surrounded by some of the plushest pile carpet I’ve walked on in a while. The club itself is spread across four rooms that retain the wood-panelled features of the original banking committee rooms. It’s as stylish a venue as the city affords.
On my first visit I sat at the bar and had a brief look at their stylish cocktail list. At £10-15 per drink pricing feels right for the quality. I tried their top of the list Champagne cocktail, the Custodian’s Fizz, with amontillado sherry and Italicus. It was splendid.
On a second visit I was joined by regular guest questers Rachel and Vicky. After sampling further from the excellent cocktail list we decided that something to eat would be in order.
The menu again evokes the club room feel with lobster rolls, club sandwiches and some excellent snack options to the fore.
Vicky opted for their club sandwich, while Rachel chose the lobster bisque. I opted for several whatnots with a small plate of crab and avocado, some Gordal olives, tapenade and toast, then some goat’s cheese gougeres, and some fries with truffle mayo.
These promptly arrived delivered by one of our smartly liveried servers.
The bisque looked super elegant with pieces of lobster tail neatly arranged then topped at the table with a beautifully silky soup. It was warmly appreciated.
The club sandwich was a monster, with Linda Dick chicken at its heart. Served with a portion of lightly crisp fries this was a substantial and satisfying eat.
My selection of whatnots were similarly impressive. The gougeres were puff-ball light and had good goat’s cheese tang. The tapenade was excellent and the olives of very pleasing quality.
The standout dish was the crab and avocado which had been recommended by our original lift host. With dots of a bright apple gel, wonderfully fresh crab and soft avocado topped with black sesame seeds, this was a highly accomplished and elegant dish that I enjoyed muchly.
The coffee, from Dear Green, was very good giving further support to the idea of this being a very good spot for a relaxing afternoon, as well as a stylish evening.
So overall, The Register Club is an establishment of extremely good quality and is very much worthy of your attention. You’ll likely run up a fair bill on your visit, but this is more due to there being so much you want to try rather than pricing representing poor value. I can see it developing into a very popular spot. Make sure to visit soon to relax in its cool elegance.
Scores
Blythe scores The Register Club
4.5/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4.5/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 17/20
Today’s questers were: Rachel, Vicky, Blythe
We ate: smoked mussels, club sandwich, lobster bisque, Gordal olives and tapenade, crab and avocado, goat’s cheese gougeres, fries
We drank: cocktails, wine, beer, water, espresso
We wore: nae flip flops, nae cameras (hence the no photos with the review), nae branded sportswear
Total bill: £156.20
Address: The Edinburgh Grand, 42 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2AD
