Royal Exchange Grand Cafe

Had breakfast here in between meetings during a stay in London.
Food was tasty. Had Eggs Royale — Poached Egg, Smoked Salmon on a English Muffin covered in Hollandaise. They do it in two sizes — one egg or two. I went for one and it was just enough.
The service was terrible. I was sat at the bar. Had orders taken but no confirmation that they were bringing me what I’d asked for. Had to ask to order food — then 10mins later someone else came back to check what I’d ordered. When the food did arrive the waiter almost tipped it over me. Considering the price the service could just be better.
That said I’d go back and recommend it.

I booked the Grand Café for an early dinner, but then when I turned up they sent me upstairs to a table in the Gallery, so I am confused! However, this is a really lovely place overlooking the Grand Café, same stairs to access as the Sauterelle, at the top of the stairs, you go left instead of right. Check out their offers on their website, you can get two courses plus a glass of wine for £15 for the Grand Café.
The meal was a lot nicer than at the Sauterelle and portions are a decent size, but you do get charged for the bread which you do not at Sauterelle. I had the butternut squash soup with crème fraîche which I thought was a bit too much as it made the soup almost cold. I prefer my soup piping hot. I then had the pan fried sea bass fillet, with cherry tomatoes, capers and potato salad, which looked nice and tasted quite nice too, it was fresh and cooked well. For dessert I tried the apple and black berry crumble with custard. The crumble was large chunks which was lovely and crunchy but the custard was not what I was expecting. It was cold and watery. However, when I queried it with the waitress, she said that is the way it comes as the crumble was hot. I saw what she means, when I poured it over the crumble, it was fine, but I still preferred it a bit thicker rather than a liquid consistency. But that’s just me.
My companion had the cured beef with pickled mushroom and cheddar fondue, He then followed it with Chicken Saltimbocca. Both courses got a thumbs up from him.
By the way, do not wait until you are dying to go to the ladies or gents, they are a long way away, down in the lower floor at the opposite end or far end of the Royal Exchange.

This one’s hard to review.
The Royal Exchange is one of those legendary city spots you always mean to check out. And when you do, it’s hard not to be impressed. The architecture is phenomenal, breathtaking even, as it rises high and then higher with stone arches and pillars with intricate designs and then epic murals around the space. Just wow.
And the service, top notch. We were looked after by people impeccably dressed, who checked in on us at every occasion. And we sat in the less formal, café area overlooking the grand foyer and it was beautiful. So, doing great so far.
However, we came here for dinner and dinner was… disappointing.
And not one or two courses, but everything we tried. Not a single thing wowed. We started with shrimp cocktail, which was a sort of sad mushy bowl of little prawns and shrimps, and lobster broth soup, which had a sheen of oil on top that made the whole thing uncomfortable when sipping. Our mains were no better. We had specifically come to try the whole lobster tail burger, as we’d read about it online, But it was a mess — literally. It was a giant lobster tail on a bun so flimsy it fell apart in my hands the moment I picked it up, turning the plate less into a burger and more into a deconstucted mess. The lobster itself was fine but bland and for £20, I kept thinking I should have just headed to Burger and Lobster, who do the same thing, for the same price, but better and with fries and salad. Even the side of beans and almonds were bland and boring.
At the end, our meal with a drink each was over £100, and it felt like such a waste of money,
Perhaps the formal dining room would have been better. But at the prices we paid, and the food we ate, everything was so disappointing that the two stars with the tagline, «Meh, I’ve experienced better» seems to fit it.

I realized i hadnt written a review for this place and i so often come here for coffees with clients; drinks with colleagues and nibbles with friends. It is a beautiful venue with an open area in the middle of these amazing shops for drinks and food. There is also a quieter mezzanine area which is great for drinks and bites with friends. I always get the hummus and the charcuterie plate with the sauvignon blanc carafe. This is a good place to chill and have a nice conversation rather than a loud niosy bar.

Had lunch yesterday in the mezzanine section. Wonderfully relaxed atmosphere and excellent service. Could happily have stayed all afternoon. Great selection of meat, fish and vegetarian food in generous portions.
My colleagues tried the crab starter, which looked absolutely delicious. I had a difficult moment with a prawn and brown shrimp cocktail which came so carefully balanced in a tall cocktail glass that the slightest movement of the knife and fork (no spoon) provided with it, would have knocked the contents over the table. I was slightly irritated by the restaurant’s refusal to provide a small piece of bread (I’d misread two different dishes on the menu) but at least they supplied a plate on which to decant it.
Most of our party chose steaks, which were cooked to perfection. My mushroom risotto was delicious if perhaps not quite as hot as I would have liked it. No room left for dessert, which is always a good sign, but enjoyed a selection of pretty macaroons with our coffee.

When a guy offers to meet me in the City on a first date, this bar has become my go-​to suggestion for drinks.
Let’s face it, dinner can be too much of a first date gamble if you don’t really know the other person — sitting through a 3 course meal when you’ve decided you want to make a sharp exit after your drinks arrive is pretty torturous (trust me — I’ve been there!).
Once you’ve decided on drinks, this setting should suit all tastes, and is quiet enough to find out what your date’s tastes actually are for potential date two! No blaring music just nicely humming with people (mostly city types), so good for a getting-​to-​know-​you chat.
The gorgeous historic building is guaranteed to impress, and you can have drinks in the central courtyard café which has a lovely airy feel to it. Personally though I feel a bit too ‘exposed’ there and prefer the more intimate mezzanine bar — up one flight of stairs and still gives you nice views of the columned atrium.
Prices are steep but to be expected for the setting — about a tenner a cocktail I think, though I usually make a beeline straight for the wine list (and the £7 glass of viognier on it). Worth it for the pros I’ve mentioned and to make it a bit more special than your local boozer (and you can always head there after if it’s going well!). Bar service is also really professional and polite, though always dangerously keen to get you to start a tab!
Watch out for the private events that sometimes book out the ground floor courtyard — it’s often still fine to go to the upstairs bar though. Last week we rather amusingly happened to stumble upon a wedding fair, which caused my slightly terrified date to ask me if I’d arranged for that to be there on purpose. Priceless ;)

Good food. Good service. Good atmosphere.
So, I’ve had oysters and fois gras terrine. Oysters were nice and fresh with some mellow onion dressing. Fois gras was a bit chewy for my liking but tasted nice with the raisin dressing and watercress.
The service was good — my friend and I sat at the bar so everything was pretty quick.
I liked the atmosphere — a lot. There is a central restaurant on the ground floor that has a casual touch to it and very bright because of a tall glass ceilings; and side restaurant on the 1^st floor which has a lot more ambience, darker and more private perhaps.
The crowd? Usual City folk :)

Eggs Royale… mmhmm. There is something just fitting about eating this for breakfast in the middle of the Royal Exchange. The Grand Café and Bar is just that, a café and bar in the grand central space of the Royal Exchange building (which I imagine used to be one helluva bank back in the day). The bar is the centrepiece with an array of tables and cloistered armchairs splayed around it. The shell of the building holds restaurants, high-​end boutiques, and two of my favourite sweet shops in London.
As to be expected, this is a prime spot for power breakfasts, power lunches, and, yep you guessed it, power dinners. Each morning, the hall itself vibrates with the number of deals casually being discussed over freshly pressed orange juice, soft boiled eggs, and crisp buttery toast. As night falls, the bankers come in their tens and even their hundreds to sip glasses of fine burgundies or smoky scotch.
At this point, you ask yourself, «Self, what on earth am I doing here?». The answer is in the eggs, those oh so tasty and very expensive eggs. (Sadly, I’m not one of those special few with an expense account, but thankfully the recruiters who want to keep in touch are! At least I hope so, otherwise I’d feel bad about always picking this place.) But back to the eggs.
I’ve been here for a number of breakfast meetings as I have a fairly busy work schedule and almost no way I’m getting out of the office for long enough to have to travel for a meeting unless its work related. Each time, I opt for a large glass of fresh OJ and the Eggs Royale. I’m not an egg person, and usually the only times I’ll use them is when baking or attempting to rapidly boost my protein intake. But there is something about how they do them here that just makes me happy.
The eggs are cooked to perfection with runny yolks yet firm moist whites. The colour is brilliant and makes you want to dive in and swim around in its silky golden goodness. The English muffins are warm and toasted just enough to take on a crunchy crust while maintaining enough fluffiness to soak up the egg yolks. The salmon is cool and fresh (but not cold enough to sap the heat out of the rest of the food) and without that ultra saltiness too many places insist on (do they brine it for days or something?). And of course, there hollandaise sauce with its seductive creaminess and light acidity which cuts through the richness of the dish. The orange juice is refreshing and I don’t mind the pulp so much as the taste is something Tropicana can only dream about.
The downside is the price. A glass of OJ is the better part of a fiver and the Eggs Royale run you about £15−20 (the exact price eludes me). So say around £20 for breakfast. Not outrageous but more than I’m willing to spend on a daily or even weekly basis for a meal easily taken care of by a bowl of porridge or a bit of hummus.
Other things… this is an excellent place for a chat as it manages to remain subdued despite the number of people there. The bar is pretty good for an after work cocktail and location is easy to get to for anyone in the area. Given the double (or triple) height ceilings, you have an incredible feeling of space even when it’s packed. And the service is top notch without a doubt.

The best thing about this place? At 7 PM on a sunny Friday we could still find a seat at the bar. The place is enormous given that it takes up the «courtyard» of the Royal Exchange shopping plaza, but not in a food court kind of way. There were lots of people, lots of tables, but the open concept meant that you could still hear the person next to you has to say.
If you’re like me and happen to wander down somewhat accidentally from Spitalfield wearing Friday jeans, mod top and metallic shoes (some would call the look fashionable, others would call it lazy and slightly derranged), you may get some weird looks from the suits who clearly own the place. But don’t let that stop you from ordering a bottle of the reasonably priced prosecco.
Beer drinkers take note: no ales on tap, only bottles. A slightly odd mix as well — sort of a tour du monde with everything from local lagers to Asahi.