HIDDEN between the city of London and Spitalfields, the Devonshire Club sits quietly in the old stomping ground of the East India Company’s vast empire. Housed in a renovated warehouse we found ourselves visiting the private members club and hotel over a weekend, a weekly treat whereby non-members are welcome to enjoy its luxury also.
Number Five restaurant on the ground floor is clearly the centerpiece for the club. Headed up by chef Adam Gray, it takes the vast majority of the space up. On the weekend we visited, the club’s weekday suited guests were replaced by families and couples, the red wine drank of an evening was replaced with afternoon champagne cocktails. Seating 110 in the restaurant, it has been designed to be full and busy but enjoyment was taken from the calm and quieter nature of the club on a Saturday evening.
Starting us off was the sommelier’s choice of Pinot Bianco by Vorberg – a fresh grape for a summer’s evening working well with our roasted octopus and seared scallop starters. We played it safe with our mains and enjoyed the spelt risotto, with English tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and potato Gnocchi, Crushed Peas, Broad Beans. Despite the restaurant being described as modern-British we seemed to navigate towards an Italian direction!
Organised around a semi-courtyard garden, the restaurant looks out through floor to ceiling windows to the gardens and across from that the garden room, a light and bright cwtch with floral fabrics where we can imagine glorious afternoons of reading and drinking champagne.
Designed by March & White – interior designers renowned for doing luxury residential and private members clubs – the club have been given a bold bright colour palette, quite different from their signature paired back luxury aesthetic. Pops of tropical prints and feathers are combined with grownup textures of leather and suede in darker palettes, a refreshing break in a city environment while giving the club a distinctively feminine edge.
Rooms follow this lead with mustard yellow in armchairs and headboards and finished with brass fixtures accumulating to give a relaxed welcome to staying here but in a distinctively luxury environment. Don’t be surprised if staying over the weekend Devonshire Square is extremely quiet, but for us that was a huge factor in the enjoyment and service throughout even more attentive.
Sundays are rounded off with a brunch in the garden on summer mornings, taking a lead from dinner à la carte menu with mornings in mind. We started saintly with grapefruit juices, continued with eggs all while sipping champagne in the sun. An area that’s so busy during the week and so relaxing on the weekend has its charms and with that so does the Devonshire Club.
by Stephanie Clair
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday – 7am-3am
Devonshire Club, 4+ 5 Devonshire Square London, EC2M 4YD
@Devonshire_Club
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