Afternoon Tea at Le Meridien Piccadilly
This week London is a feast for the senses. On Monday I got a sneak peek at the new Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs exhibition at the Tate Modern, which opens today. The exhibition is a feast for the eyes, with color playing a dominant role in the artist’s works. And in a feast for the mouth, Le Meridien Piccadilly hotel has used the cut-outs as inspiration for a delicious Matisse-inspired afternoon tea.
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I have the opportunity to sample the goods in another sneak preview at the hotel in Mayfair this week. The tea is served in the Terrace Grill & Bar, a bright space covered in a glass atrium that overlooks Piccadilly. I meet a couple of other London bloggers there and settle in for a lovely time.
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As with any good afternoon tea in London, it starts off with a celebratory drink. No, not tea. A cocktail. This one happens to be made with gin and rose champagne, and comes with a pretty lemon and raspberry garnish.
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Also accompanying the tea is a box full of crafty things to create our own cut-outs. Bright colored paper, pencils, scissors, and other decorative implements all encourage us to channel our inner Matisse.
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But soon we get distracted by the food, which arrives on pretty tiered trays with square plates. The sandwiches are all French-inspired in a nod to Matisse’s heritage, and range from mini croissants with brie and jambon to provencal vegetable wraps. There are a couple of classic British sandwiches thrown in for good measure, and overall it’s a satisfying plate of savories.
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The scones are served with cream and jam, and the pastries come on a plate dusted in green that reveals one of Matisse’s most famous cut-outs when all of them have disappeared. The sweets themselves are bright in color and creative in shape, all in keeping with the exhibition. Everything from a blue opera cake with an irregular edge to a pink eclair and a bright red raspberry tart is there to tempt our taste buds.
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And no afternoon tea in London would be complete without the main event: tea. We enjoy it in clear glass pots and cups that allow us to appreciate the color and texture of the tea as much as the food.
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When all of the cups and plates are empty, we linger in the lounge before making our way back out onto Piccadilly. It’s a gorgeous sunny day, and London is in bloom with spring flowers. It’s as if Matisse’s colorful cut-outs have not only inspired an afternoon tea, but also an entire city.
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The week has certainly offered a feast for the senses, and I can’t help but think that combining a trip to the exhibition followed by afternoon tea and a walk through the spring gardens around St James’s Park would make a great day out in London.