Second Floor Restaurant

Situated in the Harvey Nichols store in Exchange Square, with panoramic views of Manchester's skyline, The Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie has quickly become one of Manchester's leading destination dining and drinking venues.

The Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie provides three very different venues which open independently from the main store: a formal 92 cover restaurant and a more informal 102 cover brasserie, and an adjacent stylish bar.

This top floor space encompasses a number of cutting-edge design features created by award-winning architects Lifschutz Davidson to provide a stylish environment in which to eat and drink. The mood of the Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie is dramatically transformed from day to night by an integrated lighting system using illuminated glass tanks and coloured, ceiling lighting. By day, the space takes on a cool white appearance, while at night it is transformed with more theatrical, coloured lighting.

A striking black, white and pink colour scheme with polished, black granite flooring, red 'pin cushion button' detailing on the bar, and clean white walls complements these modern design elements.

Second Floor Restaurant:

An A La Carte lunch menu is served in the Second Floor Restaurant from 12.00pm until 3pm. The A La Carte dinner menu is available from 6pm with last orders at 10.30pm; while afternoon tea is available between 3pm and 6 pm (5 pm on Sunday).

A Modern European menu using the finest local ingredients has been created by Executive Chef Alison Seagrave. Each course carries around seven choices, with starters of, say, potted crab, Waldorf salad and toasted brioche, wild boar prosciutto, malt loaf, figs and parmesan or roasted quail with white onion purée and red wine sauce.

Main courses could include pan-fried swordfish, confit Jersey Royals, warm potato gazpacho and broadbean salsa, whilst the more traditional may feel drawn to the fillet of English beef, foie gras cabbage, fondant potato and Madeira jus. But for something refreshingly, in every sense, different do not lightly dismiss the goat's cheese croquette with broad beans, wilted chard and red pepper dressing.

Nor are the side dishes to be lightly overlooked, with duck fat roast potatoes, creamed leeks and broccoli with almond butter. Why can't more restaurants make their vegetables as palatable as these? Some legendary names appear amongst the cheese selection, but with a honeycomb cheesecake and bitter chocolate sorbet amongst the options, it's an open field.

One of the great virtues of The Second Floor is the views from the large windows which, whilst not exactly on to open countryside, give the same sort of feeling of wellbeing that comes from riding in a well-off-the-ground 4 x 4. And that's before you even start on the pretty faultless food.

There is a separate entrance on Cateaton Street to access the Second Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie, which is served by two express lifts. This allows customers the convenience of direct entry during the day and after the store has closed.

For more details please visit the Harvey Nichols Website.

Photographs - Copyright Chris Gascoigne.