Jun 24

Jun 24 Afternoon tea @ Grand Pacific, Manchester

GRAND PACIFIC: MANCHESTER

13/05/17

By Beth

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT:

To take in the impeccably styled interiors
Feast on a delicious and unique afternoon tea
Enjoy a fantastic selection of cocktails
Indulge in a cocktail in a brass pineapple and take it home with you!

As soon as I heard about the opening of Grand Pacific in Manchester I knew I had to pay it a visit. Featuring an abundance of palm trees, brass pineapples a-plenty, House of Hackney detailing, Barneby Gates fabric and and Cole & Son wallpaper, it's pretty much my idea of interior heaven. If I could move in, I probably would and I ascertained this all from social media before I'd even set foot in the building. When I did arrive in person on a sunny Saturday afternoon, it really didn't disappoint.

My Mum, sister and I were visiting Grand Pacific to try out their afternoon tea and we were seated at a high booth next to one of the buildings beautiful windows and brought a glass of Moet champagne each whilst we took in the vast and intriguing afternoon tea menu. Grand Pacific do things differently and their afternoon tea isn't like any I've eaten before. The menu features a savoury offering before you get to indulge in cakes and there excitingly was only a couple of sandwiches amongst the savoury delights.

We were brought a show stopping brass pineapple cake stand filled with Crumpets with Cornish Crab Butter, Arancini with Goat's Cheese, Salmon & Tuna Lomi, Smoked Salmon Potato Cake, Eccles Cake with Lancashire Cheese and Egg & Cress and Coronation Chicken Sandwiches. Since I don't eat mayonnaise, which featured on both sandwiches, the chef made me a different sandwich of chicken and sun blushed tomatoes, which was delicious. All of the savoury bites were really tasty and it made a real change getting lots of individual items rather than just a plate of sandwiches. My personal favourites were the Smoked Salmon Potato Cake, which melted in the mouth, and the Eccles Cake which just worked so well with the creamy cheese.

Before our sweet selection arrived, we decided to sample a cocktail and I chose a Baked Banana which was mouthwateringly good! It contained rum, Banana liquer and syrup and was topped with baked banana foam and cinnamon which tasted just like toasted meringue! My Mum and sisters cocktails of a Kiwi Blanc and a Jasmine were equally good.

The array of desserts, again arriving on a brass pineapple cake stand, all looked wonderfully indulgent and we were presented with Lemon Tarts, Mango & Passion Fruit Brûlée, Chocolate Truffle, Jasmine Tea Bread with Rose Jelly & Cream, Lamington Lollipops, Sherry Trifle and Mini Pavlova. We didn't know where to start but it wasn't difficult to get stuck straight in with the delightful aroma coming from everything. My favourite had to be the Lemon Tart but other than the Lamington Lollipop, which was a little dry, it was all really enjoyable.

The finale to the afternoon tea was of course the tea itself and we each chose a different type of tea including Chai Spice, Silver Needle and Earl Grey. The tea was presented on Grand Pacific's own china and we were brought a little timer each which told us exactly when our tea was perfectly brewed, which was a nice touch.

We didn't feel rushed during out visit at all and the service we received during our time there was friendly and attentive. Grand Pacific is a delight for the senses and I can't wait to go back for my next visit.