We arrived there just sly of 12 midday, and I'm glad we did because within half an hour of us arriving, this place was bustling with people, and we probably would have struggled for a seat.
We were situated in the larger rooms of the two, which was quirkily decorated with subtle hints of Alice in Wonderland (i.e. the magic mushroom statues on the windowsills, and fairytale-esque wallpaper. It also had a cute undercover area that added even more uniqueness to the room. The decor wasn't as strong and themed as next door (I caught a glimpse and the color scheme looked predominantly red and black, reflecting The Queen of Hearts I presume).
Although the menu had lots to offer, both sweet and savoury snacks, as per tradition, we of course opted for the Queens Afternoon Tea, which I believe retailed at £18pp. The service was very efficient, and no sooner had we put our orders in, the mis-matched vintage teacups and saucers were arriving, and 5 minutes later, out came the afternoon tea stand. This is always the most exciting bit of any afternoon tea visit; exploring the stand and seeing what quirky cakes are on offer. I took the obligatory photos, and a kind lady who worked there offered to take a photo of both Mike and I sat at our table. I asked a few questions about the cafe and she was really informative and helpful.The selection of sandwiches were perfect (and there were no salmon fillings, which was a refreshing change - these always get passed to Mike and he reluctantly eats them!). There were also 2 croissant style pastries, however these were filled with warm melted cheese which was really yummy and made a lovely change from just the standard 4 sandwiches that you are usually presented with in most afternoon teas. All the sandwiches were soft and fresh, and both the filling quantity and quality was perfect.
Onto the second tier (and arguably the best tier!)... the cakes! We had battenburg, but with quite unusual colours (I've only ever seen the pale pink and yellow one before, so these bolder colours were something new). Who doesn't love a good battenburg though? Some mini macaroons were also included, which is one sweet product that I think is so over-rated, and I'm sure people just buy them because they look pretty for social media photos when a few filters are thrown over! There was also a jelly/mousse style sweet, that I really couldn't tell you the name of because I'm still trying to figure our what it was today! Either way, although it was ok, I would have rather this have been replaced by something else, maybe something with a chocolate kick? Each to their own though... There was also a small sugared sponge type pastry? It reminded me a little of the sponge fingers that you place at the bottom of trifles at Christmas! Again, I couldn't quite figure out what this was, but it was A-Ok.
Top tier held the biggest scones I ever did see! They came with the standard jam and clotted cream, and were so very filling. I think I had to give Mike half of mine because my stomach had given in by this point!
All-in-all, although some of the cakes were a bit of a let down, the setting, pleasant service and remaining food items made up for it. I wouldn't hesitate in re-visiting here on our next trip to Manchester.
Have you ever visited Richmond Tea Rooms?
