Fancy food with a beautiful view - We tried afternoon tea at Gino D’Acampo Sky Bar Liverpool

Afternoon Tea Week may be over, but many Liverpool venues offer the traditional British treat all year round.

One such venue is Gino D’Acampo 360 Sky Bar, Old Hall Street, and we were invited to try their special Franciacorta Rosé Afternoon Tea - fancy food with a beautiful view!

The venue is truly impressive, and feels incredibly luxurious. The spacious Sky Bar is filled with natural light and surrounded by beautiful views - though not ideal for those with a fear of heights, as it is 18 floors up.

The service was exceptional and staff were incredibly friendly, making the whole experience feel all the more luxurious.

Myself and my dining partner were each given a glass of Ferghettina Rosé Brut - which was delicious - and we both ordered a cocktail each too.

For the cocktails, I opted for the Postcard From Portofino, which features watermelon vodka, passion fruit, watermelon, peach, raspberries, lime and cranberry. It was absolutely unbelievable and I’d go back in a heart beat just to drink it again.

My dining partner chose the Albert Dock, consisting of Liverpool gin, Fiorente elderflower, apple, mint, cucumber and lime soda. His sentiments were the same as mine - 10/10 cocktail.

I would honestly recommend a visit just based on drinks alone and as far as cocktails go, they’re not too pricey - ranging from £9.25 to £12.50. But, the food didn’t disappoint either...

The selection of savoury items included a truffle cream cheese with pickled cucumber sandwich, free range egg mayonnaise with watercress and mustard butter, as well as parma ham bruschetta with spicy ‘nduja and salmon with crème fraiche on toasted Italian ciabatta bread. My dining partner throughougly enjoyed all of the savouries, however, he didn’t try the salmon as he isn’t a fish fan!

For vegans, the savoury items included a cream cheese with cucumber sandwich, a sandwich with a delicious assortment of Italian style vegetables and a tomato bruschetta and a bruschetta topped with a lovely sweetcorn mix. I wolfed it all down and loved the options. Previous vegan afternoon teas I’ve had have just featured hummus sandwiches, so it was really nice to feel like I was getting fancy food, and I loved the Italian twist.

Both the standard and vegan options included two scones - one plain and one sultana. The vegan version came with two little pots of margarine and a pot of jam, and the standard of course came with jam and clotted cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the vegan scones, and I was glad to be given margarine as at other venues I have just been given jam. However, the scones were a bit dry and not as fluffy as other vegan ones I’ve had. That being said, I ate them all and still really enjoyed them. My dining companion absolutely coated his scones in cream and jam (cream first, always) and couldn’t fault them.

For sweet treats, the normal option included a chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake with Ferrero Rocher, panna cotta with strawberries and amaretti, a lemon and blueberry tart with Italian meringue and a tiramisu. My dining companion did not leave a crumb, and again couldn’t fault the sweets! He especially loved the tiramisu, and said it was perfect.

The vegan version was very similar, with panna cotta with strawberries and amaretti, a coconut rocky road, tiramisu and a little fruit salad with strawberries, raspberries and passion fruit. By this point, I was feeling pretty full but the tiramisu really was perfect. It was the first tiramisu I’d ever had and I think I’ll judge any future ones on Gino’s! I didn’t like the panda cotta at all, but again, I’d never tried it before and I think that’s just personal preference. The fruit salad was lovely and so was the rocky road, but I didn’t mange to finish it! I did really love that there was coconut and dark chocolate in there, it tasted like a bounty.

About afternoon tea at Gino’s:

Afternoon tea is available from 12pm to 5pm Sunday to Friday and 12pm to 3pm every Saturday, and there are three options to choose from – Afternoon Tea (£29pp), Franciacorta Rosé Afternoon Tea, served with a glass of Ferghettina Rosé Brut (£35pp), and Champagne Afternoon Tea, served with a glass of Lallier Grand Cru Brut NV (£37pp).