Cafe Zest

I ventured into the House of Fraser café after being invited here for a lunch. I had never actually been in here before; I only usually venture into the lower ground (clearance section) and ground floor of the department store, as I don’t really buy a lot of «upmarket» clothes or homewares.
First thing of note, it was a bit of a mission to find. It’s on the 2^nd floor (there are 3 eating and drinking venues in House of Fraser), hidden around the back of the escalators. It’s not signposted that well, so keep em peeled! Secondly, the décor is clean and tidy — but a little bit soulless. It doesn’t really have a theme (unless you count convenience), but it’s well laid out with lots of chairs and tables.
The clientele are generally the people who shop in House of Fraser. Expect lots of ladies of leisure in the day or poor old boys who have been dropped off while their wives blow their credit card balances. It had a bit of a snooty air, but the staff were friendly and welcoming.
I went for a tenderstem broccoli salad. It was surprisingly good! It was colourful and fresh and filled with different flavours. The americano to wash it down with was a suprisingly good coffee too! Not too strong, not weak — but a nice balance of caffeine and taste. My partner in lunch went for a sandwich (which I was assured was also very nice) and tasted super fresh. The fries looked delicious too!
All in all, if you are in House of Fraser, by all means pop in and grab a bite or a quick coffee. However, I wouldn’t make a point of stopping in here if I was just «around the area».