££££Price: Expensive • Cocktail Bar • Bank
First time here, primarily drawn by the look and the location! Live music on arrival was a touch on the loud side if one sat at the back, so we swapped to front and were able to hear each other a little more. I'm sure perhaps with a different singer or just piano it might have been better (after all, live piano music usually adds to one's experience of a cocktail bar! ) Sumptuous decor contributed to ambience, which did get better anyway once the music switched to recorded. Serving staff as stylish as the decor, again contributed well to the overall feel. We did the "Taste of Engel" for something to eat. Descriptions of hot dogs sounded very tasty; on arrival my bun was fully cut in half (as opposed to split) making it tricky to eat in the usual way, and was quite dry, but the pork sausage and dressings were nice enough. Superb cocktail menu and those we had were professionally executed. Overall I would say this is a beautiful place where one would absolutely go for drinks, and if one wanted a bit of carb/protein to offset them then it's provided, but is not - and nor should it be, given the type of venue it is - the main focus of this Royal Exchange gem.
