Le Meridien

Walking into Le Méridien Piccadilly and being handed a neon molecular cocktail that smoked with dry ice and befuddled the taste buds is not your everyday occurrence, but for a handful of Starwood Ambassadors, the hotel organised an artistic treat in homage to the manipulation of perspective. The event was followed the morning after by a visit to the hotel’s Unlock Art™ partner, Tate Modern, and an expert led tour of the Damien Hirst exhibition.

For dinner at Le Méridien guests were seated around a butterfly-adorned table, shrouded in pink lighting as glitter particles hung in the air. The hosts offered a menu that showcased the creativity of Le Méridien Piccadilly’s consummate cooking skills. Fabergé eggs, suckling pig and a board of discovery delivered mind-bending taste experiences. Exploding chilli chocolates, ice-cream lollipops and chocolates sprinkled with glitter. Each course was masterfully conceived, with fine wines paired with each dish, rounded off with a vanilla and chilli-infused G&T, poured from a teapot into a cup, making it more akin to an afternoon brew, an intriguing twist to complete this feast for the senses.

After a night as guests of Le Méridien Piccadilly, the group made its way across the river to the Tate Modern. Described by the gallery as a survey the Damien Hirst exhibition covers the last 24 years of his career, the show (which runs until 9 September) includes many of the artist’s most renowned works, from a stomach-churning severed cow’s head abandoned in a Plexiglas prison of swarming flies to a windowless graveyard for exotic butterflies. All agreed the star of the show is For the Love of God, Hirst’s iconic diamond-covered skull, presented in the Tate’s huge Turbine Hall.

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