Harvey Nichols is a name synonymous with luxury, and the Fifth Floor Café and Terrace at the flagship Knightsbridge store is no exception.

The Venue
Being set in Harvey Nichols department store in salubrious Knightsbridge means the Fifth Floor Café and Terrace has a reputation to uphold. The café and terrace share the fifth floor with a luxury food market as well as a very plush champagne bar and restaurant. The open-plan café overlooks all the action at this thriving foodie floor, with its splashes of white decor adding an airiness to what could otherwise seem like somewhere a little cramped. The glass doors dividing the café and terrace also add to the lightness.

At nighttime, lighting is used to great effect – bulbs are affixed to white wooden rings hanging from the ceiling, as well as individual bell jar lamps that litter the darker corners of the café. Through the glass doors is the terrace, overlooking Knightbridge’s lavish rooftops. It's fitted with patio heaters which come in handy, and pretty trees are lit up by blue lighting in the winter months.

The Atmosphere
The café and terrace lack the exclusive atmosphere of the restaurant and champagne bar, but this relaxed take on dining is no bad thing, especially during the daytime. You may still see the kind of highfalutin clientele you might expect, but there are more casual diners amongst the smattering of pretentious posers.

The Food
The cuisine at the Fifth Floor Café is modern European, with an accessibility suited to its all-day opening hours. The prawn lollipops (£7.75) are a fine example of how quality of produce is the focal point – the prawns are succulent and dressed in a sweet, sticky marinade of Kentucky bourbon, sea salt and lime. They’re so delicately tasty that the sweet chilli dip on the side is actually rendered superfluous. The creamy burrata and tomato salad (£10.75) is less impressive though. It does boast delicious, quality produce, but doesn’t quite succeed in either balancing the flavours or living up to the price tag. There is far too much of the creamy mozzarella blend and too scant a serving of salad leaves, spring onions and cherry tomatoes.

Luckily, main course options deliver the goods with more success. Seafood plays quite a big part on the café’s menu, and fresh catches include Atlantic sea bream (£15.50). This sophisticated dish is hard to fault, with delicious meaty fish sitting atop a mushy bed of celeriac mash, whose delicate flavour is offset by the big taste of wild mushrooms and truffle oil. Grandma Ingrid’s Swedish meatballs (£12.95) highlight head chef Jonas Karlsson’s heritage. These balls of herby, succulent meat are served with creamy mashed potato on the side, and a sweet lingonberry jam typical of Scandinavia is served in a separate dish. Unfortunately, vegetarians may struggle to find anything to tuck into for mains, with most dishes championing meat, game or seafood.

Dessert is exactly as you’d expect from Harvey Nichols – pure indulgence. Pina colada trifle (£6.75) is refreshing, creamy and exotic; exactly like the cocktail. The sweetness of this dessert more than makes up for the absence of booze, with a layer of crystalised tropical fruit topped with sponge ladyfingers and a coconut cream, all served in a cheeky cocktail glass on a paper coaster. The head chef adds another quirky Swedish touch to the menu with a Daim bar cake (£6.75), which cleverly recreates the almond and chocolate snack; fans of the Daim bar will not be disappointed.

The Drink
World wines are the order of the day on the drinks menu. Bins range up to the £45 mark for a quality bottle of 2005 vintage Rioja. The champagne menu is a lengthy work, divided into vintage and non-vintage sections and delivering the kind of breadth and depth you’d expect from Harvey Nics. The house labeled Prosecco (£30) is just as good though, and is a refreshing and light option that no doubt goes down well with the ladies.

Beers and ciders are just as global as the wines, with the usual Italian and Czech lagers sharing space on the menu with Icelandic Einstok pale ale (£5.50) and Rekorderlig cider (£4.75). Several varieties of whiskies, gins, vodkas and brandies are available by the glass, with top drawer options such as Martell XO cognac costing up to £25 a measure.

For more of a detox feel, fresh fruit cocktails come at £5 a glass, and include options such as Fifth Floor’s ‘famous’ glamour mocktail, featuring apple, carrot and ginger. Smoothies are also just as enticing, with cucumber and elderflower wasabi (£5) standing out for combining oriental flavours with banana, mint and apple juice. And of course, no café would sit right without a selection of teas and coffees, and Harvey Nichols provides plenty of speciality teas (£2.75) as well as Illy coffees, with a latte coming in at £3.50.

The Last Word
High expectations are definitely met but this café perhaps benefits most from a surprisingly laid-back and relaxed approach to its well-sourced food and creative European cuisine.

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