January is usually a quiet month - but not this year. Instead, Manchester city centre and beyond is awash with recently opened places to eat and drink. We've mentioned Volta and the forthcoming Beef and Pudding, but two others you'll want to check out are SuperstoreNQ, a new casual, Italian-inspired restaurant bang in the heart of the Northern Quarter, plus a cool teashop out in Chorlton.
Tea rooms are a staple of high streets around the country - but this new one has more in common with the US take on the trend, with a focus on tea and fine blends over cakes. See also Stockport's Himalayas Tea, which we profiled before Christmas.
First things first, SuperstoreNQ has been put together with an eye for easy NYC cool. Cafe-style tables line the room, as lighting is low, and the predominant colour scheme is dusky, cosy, flattering mahogany. Yes, this is the ideal spot for a first date. Small plates are a bit of a theme and good quality wines make it perfect for somewhere to 'share'. We particularly like the sound of shooter sandwiches (hollowed out and pressed loaf, with a filling of your choice, £6), ginger beer battered prawns (£6) and Eggs benedict (£6), plus Sunday roasts, burgers and superfood salads. It's a 'favourites' thing menu-wise and, with wines supplied by leading merchant, Boutinot (also stocked in the Superstore off license downstairs), you can be sure of a quality tipple.
Over on Beech Road, Serendipitea is the place for some of the most delicious, fragrant and elegant teas in town. Choose from 21 blends of loose leaf, including Chorlton Chai and Pear and Elderflower, as well as award-winning Monmouth coffee and cakes like this honeycomb and Toblerone creation, pictured. Open daytimes only (until 6pm), Serendipitea is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
SuperstoreNQ, G18 Smithfield Building, Tib Street, M4 1NB. Tel: 0161 834 3303
http://superstore-manchester.co.uk, Serendipitea, 105 Beech Road, Chorlton, M21 9EQ. Tel: 0161 258 1139, https://www.facebook.com/SerendipiteaChorlton