The Spence

Until 2017, this was the Royal Bank of Scotland's Edinburgh headquarters — one of the grandest banking halls in Scotland, with granite columns rising to a spectacular glass cupola that floods the space with natural light. The Radisson hotel group converted it into Gleneagles Townhouse, and The Spence occupies this extraordinary room with the confidence it deserves.

The Gleneagles name carries its own freight. The resort in Perthshire is one of the most prestigious addresses in Britain — associated with the world's finest golf, with heads of state, with a standard of hospitality that few properties in the country can match. The Townhouse on St Andrew Square brings that brand to the heart of Edinburgh's financial district, and The Spence is its dining room.

Chef Elliot Hill, who came to The Spence from the five-star Chester Grosvenor Hotel, has built a seasonal menu that draws its inspiration and its produce from Scotland's extraordinary larder. Signature dishes include an onion soup with truffled Anster cheese that reimagines a French classic with entirely Scottish ingredients, halibut Cullen Skink with smoked haddock and seaweed, and a heather honey baked Alaska with whisky and oats that closes the meal with theatrical pleasure. The cooking is confident and modern without being restless — there is no reinvention for its own sake, only the pursuit of the best possible version of each dish.

The room operates all day — from breakfast through an all-day a la carte, with a Sunday roast that has developed its own reputation. For business purposes, the dinner service, in this extraordinary former banking hall, is the clear recommendation.

The combination of the Gleneagles name, the St Andrew Square postcode, and the grandeur of a former banking hall creates a setting that communicates seriousness and taste in equal measure. A client who arrives at Gleneagles Townhouse for dinner has already received a signal about the calibre of the host before they sit down.

The service is calibrated for business contexts — attentive, informed, and paced to accommodate conversation rather than to drive it. The menu's Scottish focus provides a natural framework for discussing the city and its culture, which is valuable in international business settings where guests may be visiting Edinburgh for the first time. The wine list, with its emphasis on French classics alongside interesting regional selections, supports extended dining without imposing on the conversation.

The halibut Cullen Skink — reinterpreting Scotland's famous smoked haddock soup as a refined fish course — is the dish that best captures what The Spence is attempting: a modern re-examination of Scottish culinary traditions through a skilled contemporary lens. For meat, the sharing dishes — particularly roasted highland lamb and dry-aged beef preparations — show the kitchen's confidence in the quality of its suppliers.

The Sunday roast has become something of a destination event — a full highland beef service with all the trimmings that manages to feel genuinely celebratory rather than merely traditional. The indulgent dessert trolley, which arrives at the table with theatrical flourish, makes a Sunday lunch at The Spence an occasion in its own right.