So, the Cube hasn't been around for -very- long in Birmingham, but I hadn't had a chance to…read moreproperly check it out as yet. As I very rarely come to the Mailbox area of the City (this probably stems from being a student and not being able to afford to come here), when I saw an offer for Afternoon Tea; I thought it was about time to get down and properly have a nose.
I was looking for an excuse to meet up with my friend (Lula Belle of http://www.glamourinthecounty.com/) for sparkly and chats, it was a good an excuse as any to book up and invite her down to join me. First thing of note, the renovations/work that is currently going on in the Mailbox has made it a darn confusing place to be. Rather than going in the main entrance, we had to walk around the side of the building and then travel the escalators to then go down the stairs to get to the Bridge for the Cube. This, however, was only the start of our incredible journey to find the Lounge in the Cube.
Once we had got in the Cube, we went down to the ground floor (where the are is most visible) just to realise all the doors are closed off. There was signs on the doors advising us to go the level 6 though. "Great!" we thought and toddled off. Are there any signs telling you what floor you're on? No, No there aren't. After finding an exit had been closed off (for more work), we finally found a friendly security guard who advised how we could get to the Club and spa (up the escalators, around the building, along the bridge and down yet more stairs).
Once we had finally got into the building, however, it was worth the trek. We were greeted at the smart reception (by a gigantic climbing wall, who knew that was there?) by a friendly member of staff who gave us directions to get through the warren like building to reach the cafe/bar. Once we had reached it, it was like a little breath of fresh air. Greeted by bright purples and yellows with fabulous design details and obvious cleanliness and care; we knew this was the right place to be.
Once we had confirmed our reservation, we were asked whether we would prefer tea or coffee, if we had any allergies and whether we wanted sweet Prosecco (the answers were coffee, no and Of Course!). We found ourself some comfy high backed chairs towards the back of the venue and sat back to await our Afternoon Tea. First thing of note, I have never HAD afternoon tea before. As another hit in my "Festival of First's" activities, I thought this might be one I would really enjoy (spoiler alert: I wasn't disappointed).
The coffee and Prosecco was delivered within a couple of minutes. The coffee was hot, strong and delicious. The staff (and the company) was wonderful throughout the whole experience. As soon as we had finished a pot of coffee, it was refilled and bought back promptly. The selection of finger sandwiches, cream scones (with fresh fruit and jam) and cakes were fresh and delicious (and we were given just the right amount).
We were booked in for tea at 3pm. By 6pm, we were still sitting and enjoying the chilled out atmosphere (as well as the last of the coffee). Even though the venue closed at 6pm, we weren't once hurried out or asked to move on. The food, staff and overall experience was fantastic. As a note to the Cube though; better signage would be a good idea!