miss b loves......'teacup on thomas street', Manchester

I regularly visit Manchester but for some time now I have been disappointed by the distinct lack of really good tea shops until two weeks ago when I discovered teacup on thomas street in the heart of the trendy Northern Quarter. It's light and airy - so much bigger than you expect from the front window and so quirky with its polka dot table cloths,vintage-style crockery and bright red chunky tea pots........

                     

Owned by Manchester DJ Mr Scruff, it's frequented by a mixed group with many arty, creative types and the laid-back atmosphere is perfect for a leisurely lunch or a pot of tea, cake and a catch-up with friends. 

The choice of teas is wonderful and so varied from Mr Scruff’s fair-trade English Breakfast to the more unusual Blooming Flower Tea - we opted for spicy Chai (and for caffeine lovers there's cappuccino and lattes too!) The smoothies looked delicious and were named after famous singers - Arethra Franklin, Chuck Berry, .......Our tea arived swiftly with a little dish of honey , a timer and instructions from our waitress on how to achieve the perfect brew! Absolutely delicious !

           

There's a food menu to suit all tastes including eggs served in a variety of ways, soup, and piches (described as quiches that want to be pies!!) After much deliberation, I opted for a mature cheese and gammon ham sandwich on home-made bread which arrived with two cute espresso cups filled with raddish and gorgeous coleslaw. Just perfect!

                                   
Cakes here are an absolute must and the waiter described each one in detail to me as I stood in front of the display at the counter  - he was so patient as I kept changing my mind  - but it just had to be the Manchester Tart (named Flirty Manchester Tart at teacup) but this was a posh 5* Manchester Tart (no ressemblance to the one we were served for school dinners!) Perfect sweet pastry filled with a yummy creamy custard, finished with a coconut tuile on top! Stylish too!

                           

I'm going to have to make a return journey just to sample the Flourless Chocolate Cake and the amazingly colourful, layered Vibrant Rainbow Cake or the Victoria sandwich or Cupcake Deluxe.................. 
 

There are some amusing touches too - a tee-shirt hanging on the wall with the message - 'A  balanced diet is a cake in each hand’....... and I've never seen such a cute receipt!!



'A cake is for lunch not just for
 Christmas'

            
So......there's Wi-Fi, attentive, very friendly and helpful staff, fantastic food and drink and a collection of cups, tee-shirts and tea to browse and buy - this is more than just a café - it's an experience and one I'm going to repeat very very soon.................on Saturday!!!!

miss b recommends:

• visiting the online store for tea, quirky mugs, tee-shirts etc.