Cloud 23 at The Hilton Hotel, Manchester

Cloud 23, Sunday 4th August 2013

We booked online on the morning and as with many the online booking lets you choose your time. there was plenty of availability even with short notice and we chose mid afternoon.

On arrival at the hotel it is quite grand in that you have your own lift that only goes to the 23rd floor and it has a personal attendant with the guest list.

Once on floor 23 the greeter is ready to seat you and it is all very nice indeed. We were fortunate as we were given a window seat and the views are something else.

We were offered a traditional afternoon tea with or without Champagne. The cost is normally £19.95 per person but at weekends has a £3 supplement per person. you are given a choice of teas and coffees to choose from and you do get refills as and when necessary. On this one occasion we opted for the Champagne version which is exactly the same but £10 per person more for one glass of rose with a strawberry. (Not worth it in our opinion but then we are not Champagne drinkers).

The service was excellent it cannot be faulted from start to finish.

The drinks were served first, the coffee was a decent size and the pot of tea and crockery all matched. It was a tea bag tough not loose tea.

The food arrived and as you would expect it was very nicely presented, but the sandwiches were far from traditional.

There was a tuna triangle, a couscous wrap, a chicken wrap and a mushroom tart. To be honest had I known that these were on offer I would not have gone. As it happens Paul and I shared but neither of us were overly impressed.

There was one small scone each served with a pot of jam each and a pot of cream to share and these were very nice.

For the cakes we had just three each and consisted of a chocolate macaroon, a fruit tart and a piece of coconut cake. All very nice but not out of this world. 

Over all the experience was very good mainly for the view and the service but it was far from value for money. Having enjoyed a number of afternoon teas this year from small cafes to top London hotels this one was good but not wow. The chef is obviously very talented but this is not a traditional afternoon tea but an alternate version, fine but have a more traditional one as well. I think everyone should try Cloud 23 but whether that is for afternoon tea or for a cocktail is another matter.

Cloud 23, Hilton Hotel Manchester