BACK in December 2015, we reported that the gluten-free restaurant, bar and cafe on High Street had suddenly shut up shop, along with its newer sister site MCR 42 in The Village.
...they have now re-opened under the same ownership, but with a completely different management team
Owners Will Hannah and Jason Abbot felt they had spotted a much needed niche in the market, announcing ambitious plans to roll out twenty outlets across the UK, but the company was formally placed into liquidation in February 2016.
We'd assumed that that was that, until whispers reached us suggesting that the High Street venue had recently quietly reopened. Very quietly, because when I hot-footed it over there one lunchtime this week, I was the only one in there.
According to their social media streams, they’ve had a spruce up in the form of a mini refurbishment, though their trademark camp charm of white leather cushion-backed seating and touches of hot pink remain. It took me a while to work out that the black and white portraits adorning the walls are actually screens rather than prints. Every so often they wink, pull a face or burst into silent laughter – very Harry Potter-esqe.
Tea 42, High StreetAs you’d imagine, from the lack of name change, they still specialise in teas, with a menu offering over thirty varieties. Those still on the wagon can enjoy a virtuous Pornstar Mar-Tea-Ni, blending passion fruit and orange pieces with fine Keemun China Leaf tea, while those off it can go for the Martini version with vanilla vodka and Passoã (£7.50)
So there I was, with a camera and a notepad, trying to appear inconspicuous, in an empty restaurant, asking surreptitious questions about what the heck was going on. All I discovered was that they have now re-opened under the same ownership, but with a completely different management team. They are now in a ‘soft’ re-launch period while they perfect their food and drink offering and get their service up to scratch. ‘When they’re ready’ they will announce their presence with a proper launch event and a corresponding marketing drive.
I honestly had no idea that gluten-free was their USP so was surprised when the serving staff volunteered the unrequested assurance that everything can still be made available in gluten-free versions. I still don’t know if the sourdough bread enclosing my Mexican chicken sandwich with crisp Batavia lettuce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, chilli flakes, topped with melted cheese (£5.75) was sans gluten or not. I suspect the slight resistance the crust gave to my back teeth meant that it was, but it was perfectly fine.
Mexican chicken sandwich
Vanilla amd almond cakeThey offer a range of smoothies and milkshakes but I washed my lunch down with a peach iced tea (£4.75 on the bill, £3.75 on the menu). I suppose them asking if I would like that hot or cold is one of the service glitches they want to iron out. It was refreshing and perfectly balanced with the sweet peach nectar giving way to tannins and slightly bitter base notes.
The menu subsections breakfast, lunch, mains, pies, burgers and nibbles, but as you’d expect from a tea place, they are very much set up for cakes and geared towards afternoon tea. A selection of bespoke cakes is made and delivered especially for them by ‘a lady’ and are proudly on display in a well lit rotating glass cabinet. They are mostly towering three or four layer confections with brightly coloured whorls of butter cream. Me suggesting that a cake portion is ‘too big’ is like a pig saying a puddle is ‘too muddy’, but these are definitely a two spoon sharing job. I chose a comparatively modest vanilla and almond cake which was delicious, but a properly hefty double slice. At £4.50, I suggest they’d be better off halving the price and the portion.
So Tea 42 on High Street is back up and running for now. I overheard them on the phone taking bookings and honouring any vouchers that were bought before their liquidation ‘phase’ (though we doubt Tea42's previous suppliers were so lucky). If they manage to get it right this time, they could once again become a welcome addition to Manchester's limited gluten-free market. If...
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