House of Fraser gets Zesty!

Department store cafés sit in a sort of grey area in the world of restaurants, cafés and bars.

For me, they evoke childhood memories of being subjected to canteen style lunches at the BHS café by my grandparents, after a morning of being dragged around the homeware section. I seem to remember lots of old people eating egg and cress sandwiches and mildly warm lasagne.

In recent years however, department store cafes have improved, even, as in the case of Harvey Nichols, becoming top destination restaurants in themselves.

Until recently, the café at the House of Fraser seemed in my book to be stuck more towards the old-people-eating-egg-and-cress-sandwiches end of things. But now things are looking up, with a facelift that’s transformed the café into Café Zest, a rather lovely little lunch spot in its own right with a bright, modern new look and a scrumptious menu. I can heartily recommend the spinach and ricotta cannelloni.

Restaurant manager Luke Strattan explains: “We felt the café needed a fresh, new look so this was a natural progression really. “The response so far from our customers has been fantastic. We now have a much more varied menu, which caters to all tastes. There is even a children’s menu so that parents who have been browsing the new toy department located next to us can come for a well-earned break.”

Located on the fourth floor of the Deansgate store, Café Zest is a sleek, modern take on a department store café, with waiter service and an extensive and top quality menu, incorporating snacks and larger plates from around Europe, and an extensive wine list.

Just make sure that you head straight for the exit after a few glasses of wine – tipsiness, a shop full of beautiful things and a purse full of credit cards is not a good combination.

The café is open from 9.30am until 4pm, and shoppers can stop off for breakfast (served until 11.30am), lunch or afternoon tea. Try the scones – we love them.

Jayne Robinson