A friend’s Birthday is always a jolly good excuse to catch the train to ‘The Big City’ don’t you think? Our nearest ‘Big City’ is Manchester, and with it’s eclectic array of restaurants,shopping and bars, its officially ( according to Sunshine and Celandines 😉 ) ,the perfect place to go for a day out with the Girls.
Instead of immediately hitting the shops, the first thing we did was go for a cuppa. I know, we sure are Party Animals. 🙂 Proper Tea at Manchester Cathedral has a contemporary feel even though it’s in a traditional setting. Despite being feted for its impressive selection of teas , I decided to try a Macchiato ( my first!) which is a serving of espresso with a small quantity of frothed milk.This set me up for the day! I also enjoyed a delicious homemade gingersnap .Don’t worry there are also a mouthwatering array of cakes displayed on the counter. 🙂
After a spot of City Centre shopping it was time to head to our lunch venue. The restaurant of choice was Australasia which the Birthday Girl had booked a few days previously. This subterranean eatery on the Avenue in Spinningfields is accessed via an attractive glass pyramid. Stairs take you ‘down under’ for an enjoyable dining experience influenced by Australian,Japanese and Indonesian cuisine.
Our very friendly waiter recommended the Tapas and the menu has a wide and varied selection. I’m not going to describe everything individually. I will just spam you with lots of photos instead. 😉 Everything without exception was delicious.
We were told to choose our preferred cocktails from the extensive Cocktail Menu which could be viewed on an Ipad.This is a pretty good idea as you can see what your choice will look like, though it does take away the element of surprise.And The Birthday Girl received a complimentary Birthday dessert, which she was nice enough to share. 🙂
After our lovely lunch and cocktails we headed back out into the outside world. We had noticed a little craft market that had been set up just outside the John Rylands Library nearby. The Makers Market appears in Spinningfields and in The Northern Quarter, Manchester throughout the year.. We loved the stalls and all of us treated ourselves to bits and pieces.
There was a wonderful mixture of merchandise including Vintage clothing,jewellery,baked goodies for dogs, stuffed animals,prints, antiques and collectables….and Manchester Tarts!
Most of our afternoon was devoted to shopping though there was a pit stop in one of my favorite Manchester bars, The Gas Lamp on Bridge Street. This is another subterranean pub which started out life as a children’s mission. Although it is essentially a real ales type of joint, they serve up lovely cocktails too. These Turkish Delight Martinis were to die for.:)
Hope you enjoyed sharing our day out in Manchester. I have another one planned next month, so join me here again soon. 🙂
sunshine and celandines 
Looks as if you had a great time.
We did have an enjoyable day. X
Hi, Fab blog! I have just set up mine and the focus is on Manchester venues, but im still in the very early stages! Just making efforts to link in with fellow bloggers to improve our followers and get the word out there for us both. I would appreciate you having a peek at my blog, as I have just published my first post. Feel free to like, comment, follow or just take a peek. Maybe you will find some tips and vis versa. Thank you 🙂
Great, I will be sure to take a look.Always happy to follow blogs about Manchester. 🙂
Thanks Shazza, I hope you like! Yes Manchester is a great place, so there will be a lot for me to blog about. Looking to post once a week, so keep your eyes peeled 🙂
very beutifull.
yours:)*
Looks like you had a fab day, I do love Manchester. We still haven’t tried Australasia but it’s been on our list for a while. There are so many amazing restaurants to chose from in Spinningfields aren’t there? Have you tried Fazenda? That’s another good one too x
Hi Manchester is great! There are such a variety of places to eat out though its hard to choose!I will have to try Fazenda someday.Xx
Hey Shazza, I was thinking, when everyone has time, in the upcoming future we should look to organise a Manchester bloggers meetup, what do you think? Would give us bloggers a chance to network, share experiences, have fun and of course more blogging material!
Oh wow never done anything like that before but sounds good though.X:)
Cool, not sure on the logistics of organising it all and how to get the word out there…ie specifically reaching out to Manchester bloggers…but happy to give it a whirl. Probably thinking a cocktail gathering in the city centre, may be a good first meetup! Btw my email: forkwardthinkingfoodinista@gmail.com xx