Harvey Nichols 'Second Floor' afternoon tea has long been on our list of places to visit, so the other week we finally decided to bite the bullet and pay them a visit. Here's how we got on:
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| Strawberry Tart and other Sweet Treats |
Environment
Caroline:
Expansive views over Manchester's Exchange Square offer the perfect afternoon tea vantage point, whilst striking black themes complete the look at Harvey Nichols 'Second Floor' Manchester. Personal highlights included their lovely black velvet chairs which added an arty touch to the surround, perfectly complimented by the striking abstract art decorating the walls. A lovely environment in which to take tea!
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| Inside |
Laura:
For city girls with a penchant for designer and mini
pastries, Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant is a complete dream. A modern
oasis of sharp décor complimented by crisp white tablecloths makes this the
ideal place to sample one of the city’s fantastic afternoon teas and certainly
one of the best views too.
The monochrome palette with just a few splashes of colour,
give the restaurant a real touch of exclusivity. It doesn’t feel as though you’re
in a department store - however there is definitely something to knowing you’re
sipping tea only metres away from a fabulous display of designer shoes!
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| Stunning views |
Food
Caroline:
Small in size but delicious in every way, the Harvey Nichols 'Second Floor' afternoon tea is perfect for anyone wanting a mid-day treat in the city. Presented neatly on slick ceramic stands, the menu contains all of staple classics catered to a high standard. The sandwiches available during our visit offered a choice of Egg, Prawn, Beef, Salmon, Cucumber and Ham, served on a variety of different breads, whilst the second tier presented the classic fruit scone prettily dusted with icing sugar.
As ever, cake was the focal point of the afternoon, offering a quirky choice of summer flavours which included: a Strawberry Tart, White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake, Carrot Cake and Lemon Macaroon. Being a stickler for a good cheesecake, my favourite out of this selection had to be just that - a fruity and light addition, prettily presented with a white chocolate disk - perfect for enjoying on a late summer afternoon!
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| Sandwiches |
Laura:
Continuing the contemporary theme, our Afternoon Tea arrived
on a minimalistic silver tea stand featuring vibrant pops of colour from the
pretty array of cakes served on top. As Caroline said, this tea was slightly
smaller than some others in the city but personally I found it to be just right,
especially for a late afternoon bite.
To start we had a generous sandwich selection with six
different fillings (Egg, prawn, beef, salmon, cucumber and ham). These were
served on a decent range of breads and cut to just the right size. As I am
absolute fiend for salmon finger sandwiches as of late, this was my favourite –
light, soft and gorgeously fresh.
Moving on, the scones were really yummy, dusted with sugar
and served with Harvey Nick’s very own raspberry jam and clotted cream.
Normally I do like a mix of plain and fruit scones but on this occasion I will
forgive as the desserts to follow most certainly filled the gap!
I always love having macaroons at Afternoon Tea and the
lemon flavour here was a real fresh palette cleanser but like Caroline, my
favourite dessert by far was the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake. It
was quite an odd take on the staple dessert with a mousse-like texture and a
sprinkling of biscuit on top but this worked perfectly in a bitesize portion.
Fab!
Perhaps the only thing I would add to this menu would be a selection
of fruit teas. We were given the choice of simply tea or coffee, however I
think a fruit based menu like this would have gone down a treat coupled with more
exotic tea options.
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| Sugar Dusted Scones |
Service
Caroline:
The service at Harvey Nichols was tip top, with out every need being catered for with the greatest of attention - well done!
Laura:
The staff were very courteous and made us feel welcome - could
not fault them!
Overall Thoughts
Caroline:
A great place to visit if you're looking for a good quality tea in the city - and the perfect respite from a hard day's shopping!
Laura:
If you’re all shopped out and looking for a place to drop
then Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant is the perfect place to treat
yourself to a bite to eat. Style, sophistication and yummy sweet treats – need I
say more?
Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant is located in the heart of Manchester's Exchange Square. Afternoon Tea is served between 3-5pm Monday to Saturday and 3-4.30pm on Sunday. For more information and to book, please visit their website: http://www.harveynichols.com/
