The River Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel

The River Restaurant is modern yet warm, with dark woods and burnt-orange seating. When we visited, it was quiet and cosy, creating a relaxed atmosphere. We had a Groupon afternoon tea, which began on a rocky note. Despite phoning ahead to confirm our halal dietary requirements and allergies, the kitchen was unprepared upon our arrival. This later appeared to be due to our requirements not being noted at the time of booking. Our waiter, Denilson, was attentive and Prosecco was swapped for non-alcoholic mocktails: the Apple Mojito was refreshing, and the Passion Fruit one very pleasant. Teas were unlimited; I enjoyed Chun Mee with the savouries, Jasmine with the scone, and Dragon Well with the desserts, though some items were disappointing. The savouries were underwhelming and included two identical types. The sultana scone was overly sweet and needed generous clotted cream to balance the flavour. The desserts were hit-or-miss: the brownie tiffin was cloying and the cherry liqueur off-putting, while the cheesecake was uniformly soft. In contrast, the Gâteau Opera was perfectly balanced, and the Passion Fruit Tart was a standout. Initially, we were each served two identical desserts. When we queried this, the waiters returned with four different desserts, which we were told were halal. This left us unclear as to why suitable halal options had not been arranged from the outset. Of these, two were mediocre, so in hindsight, we shouldn’t have asked; the original Gâteau Operas and Passion Fruit Tarts were excellent, and we bought four of each to take home. Staff’s inability to describe desserts beyond generic terms like “chocolate cake” or “lemon tart” suggested a disappointing lack of menu knowledge and reflected poorly on the hotel. Nsingi, the supervisor, kindly stored our desserts while we shopped and arranged for the next manager to be informed before he finished for the day. That manager seemed dismissive of our concerns about lapses in service. Overall, the teas and select desserts were enjoyable, but poor preparation, inadequate replacements, and staff unfamiliarity with the menu marred the experience.