I'm always conscious that I don't look up enough. Life can be busy and we're all often a little guilty of whizzing around, phone in hand, thinking only about getting from A to B, without stopping to take in what's around us. But Manchester, albeit one of the busiest cities in the UK, is a place where you should definitely take a moment to look a little higher.
That's particularly true around Manchester's former banking area of King Street, where the historic architecture provides some impressive details to the city's ever evolving skyline. We recently got a front row seat at Honey, located atop the boutique Hotel Gotham housed in one of the city's listed buildings, when we stopped by for afternoon tea.
Gotham has been on our hit list for quite some time after several failed attempts to reserve a spot (our fault as eternal late bookers) but this time, the Bat-Signal was calling, and undoubtedly worth the wait.
With the sun shining through Gotham's stunning arch windows, tables are dressed in black cloths and accessorised with rolled-up Gotham Bugle newspapers which double as a hotel guide, a subtle nod to the Gotham theme - though, Gotham City fans note, you won't find much evidence of the Dark Knight himself.
Diners can choose the Gotham Afternoon Tea or upgrade to a Champagne option. We went for the former, starting off with a traditional breakfast tea and Americano but if you peruse the menu, there are plenty of infusions and Gotham recommended teas to satisfy avid tea-explorers out there.
The food arrived on an elegant three-tier silver stand, loaded with colour and some of the most perfect-looking scones you could wish for.
To start, a selection of four sandwiches each, including; coronation chicken, smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber and crème fraiche, and truffled egg mayo. A dream combination of fillings and breads, all perfectly fresh, and each of our favourites ticked off. Good start.
Next, the scones. I can't remember the last time we came across an afternoon tea with such a generous scone tier; two plain, two fruit, and a nice size too. The taste test certainly matched up, delightfully soft, served warm with a spot of jam and cream - though we could have perhaps done with a little more of each topping (I don't know if that says more about us than the portion sizes?!).
Finally, the patisserie assortment was an eye-catching mix of classics, livened up by their bold and unexpectedly bright colour palette. We each had a miniature rhubarb cheesecake, strawberry tart, earl grey macaroon and Victoria sponge finished with a playful Barbie pink buttercream top. I couldn't honestly pick a favourite, and though traditionalists may miss a token slice of carrot cake or chocolate delice, you couldn't fault this selection of fun favourites.
As locals to the Manchester area, we're often asked what our go-to afternoon tea spots are around the city. The list has stayed pretty much the same for a long time with a number of Manchester venues some of the most dear to our hearts. But we must say, with its delicious food and unique setting, we'll be adding Hotel Gotham to that list in future.
Gotham Afternoon Tea is priced at £25pp. For more information and to book visit: https://www.hotelgotham.co.uk