Le Méridien Piccadilly is a luxury 5-star hotel in London, England recognised as the landmark hotel in Piccadilly Circus situated between Piccadilly and Regent Street.
Location
The hotel is set 1 minute away from London’s most vibrant area. Turn left or right, and you are surrounded by many of the city’s favoured restaurants, bars, art galleries, museums, theatres and other cultural icons.
The shops of Regent Street, Bond Street, Soho are all within 1 mile from the hotel and are yours to discover. Oxford Street is also a short journey away from Piccadilly Circus station.
The Tate Modern gallery with its expositions is 15 minutes away by tube or by the Tate Boat service. For the business guest, Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel in Piccadilly Circus is within easy reach of the city’s financial centre and the main corporate offices.
As soon as your enter the hotel, the focus on art and elegant design is evident.
The Art and Chess-inspired afternoon tea is inspired by the current exhibition “Chess Potraits” by Francesco Ridolfi, curated for Le Meridien Piccadilly By Doinel Gallery #Terraceart which will be on display at Terrace Grill & Bar until 1st of April 2015. Francesco Ridolfi is a self-taught portrait photographer who has worked in the fields of both commercial and fine art photography. His series ‘Chess Portraits’ is a collection of 12 images representing the six characters from each side of the chessboard; Queen, King, Rook, Bishop, Knight and Pawn. Ridolfi photographed the same models in contrasting black and white outfits to create a ‘set of archetypes that convey different aspects of human nature’. Ridolfi’s meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout the series, from the elaborate, custom-made costumes to the impeccably-cast characters – the end result is a striking and contemplative observation on dualism in human nature.
The Chess Portraits Photo Exhibit
The Art & Chess-inspired Afternoon Tea is taken at the Terrace Grill & Bar which is extremely elegant. Michael Dutnall, Chef de Cuisine at Terrace Grill & Bar, and the team specially created a Chess Afternoon Tea to be enjoyed with the stunning photography as a backdrop.
So to start, I and my guest decided to try something different and opted for the Gin & Tonic Afternoon Tea which is a choice of herbal or fruit infused gin accompanied with tonic syrup. The Gin infusion has 6 options. I opted for the Vanilla and Chili infused Langley’s No.8 while my guest opted for the Bulldog gin with French Lychee Fruit. The Chili warms your throat after. It was very nice. Not too strong, just perfect.
Gin & Tonic Afternoon Tea
The sandwiches served on the day were Scottish smoked salmon with dill and citrus Creme fraiche on whole meal, roast beef & crotchet with horseradish on caraway seeded bread. The bread was fresh and lovely. The homemade scones was fluffy and warm, and accompanied with strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream.
The pastries were done with a twist! Inspired by the six characters from each side of the chessboard. They were chequered bitter chocolate tart, pawn’s coconut & pistachio frangipani, queen’s sable biscuit. It was Light, fresh and yummy.
Pastries
I had a lovely time! Everything was delicious and well presented, but the gin and tonic twist on the classic afternoon tea at Le Méridien Piccadilly’s Terrace Grill and Bar was most welcome. Overall I thought the service was pretty good. Great food, great views and great company.
Le Meridien Piccadilly. 21 Piccadilly · London, England, W1J 0BH · United Kingdom. Website: www.lemeridienpiccadilly.co.uk
