Hey everyone! It's Friday once again and it seems like weeks go really quickly when I actually stick to my blogging schedule! As I mentioned in my Happy List last week, as part of my Birthday Bonanza, Young Man arranged for us to go for Afternoon Tea at Manchester House's Lounge on 12.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, or follow me on instagram, you'll know that tea and cake are my two major food groups, so it will come as no surprise to you that of all the things I could have asked to be included in the Birthday Bonanza, my one request was that some time was made to go somewhere fancy for a sweet treat.
And Manchester House is definitely somewhere a little fancy! Separate to the main restaurant, Lounge on 12 is a top floor bar in the Spinningfields area of Manchester, although the views cover all of the city. The Lounge has an elegant feel to it, with soft orange chairs, and lots of greenery, from the outside looking up you'd never know it was there. This secrecy is added to by the fact that to get up to the Lounge you have to go in through what looks like an office block entrance and wait while somebody at the desk calls the elevator for you.
The lounge is exclusively for Afternoon Teas and drinks, and on the Sunday we visited it had a very calm quiet feel to it. We ordered our Champagne Afternoon Tea and enjoyed the views... both out of the windows and of the feast we were presented with
The Afternoon Tea offerings change regulalrly but on our stand we had, 3 different finger sandwhiches (the usual suspects - egg, salmon and cucumber) a roast beef and coleslaw mini sub, and a Coronation Chicken wrap. The savoury offering was plentiful, and I really enjoyed what I ate, although unfortunately Young Man was limited in the fact he doesn't like coleslaw or salmon - we should have checked first, as I'm sure they would have accomodated for this if we'd asked!
So while the savoury level was as to be expected, the sweet level was exceptional! We had... Scones with clotted cream and jam, eccles cakes, rhubarb and custard macaroons, a lemon posset topped with strawberries, a beach and almond layered cake and violet min ecclairs! Even though Young Man didn't eat all his sandwhiches he certainly wasn't left hungry!
We both agreed that everything sweet was incredible! The scones were everything you could ask for. The eccles cakes, while an unexpected addition were fruity and delicous. The Rhubarb and Custard Macaroon really was rhubarb and custard flavour, the lemon posset was pefectly light and refreshing and the mini violet eclair was small in size but big in taste. Everything was delicous but our favourite was definitely the peach and almond layered cake, with a crispy caramelised almond base topped with layers of flavoured light and soft sponges, it is hard to describe just how good it was! However, when we were asked by our lovely server which was our favourite she wasn't surprised by our answer, so clearly that little cake has got quite the fan club!
Once we'd finished up our Afternoon Tea we ordered cocktails, and on the recommendation of our server, we moved out to one of the open roof top terraces. The lounge has four terraces, one on each corner, and each has a very different vibe and view. Our favourite looked out onto the main city and the town hall, and we sipped our delicious cocktails and watched the sky turn from moody grey to beautiful Sunday bank holiday blue.
It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Calm and relaxed, we were never rushed away from our table, and while more people arrived for drinks as we were finishing it up, the lounge still maintained its sense that it is a bit of a secret.
If you are in Manchester and looking for somewhere a bit special to go, whether that is for drinks or Afternoon Tea I'd definitely recommend Manchester House Lounge 12. But be warned secrecy and luxury comes with a slightly higher price tag!
Find out more about Lounge 12 here.
What do you have planned this weekend? Making time for afternoon tea or are you having a slightly quieter, much needed, weekend in? xx
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