Audrey Hepburn-inspired afternoon tea is a tribute to the enchanting elegance of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” at Larry’s in the National Portrait Gallery.
Guests can indulge in treats like ‘$50 for the Powder Room’ purse, a 54% Callebaut dark chocolate and passion fruit mousse purse, and ‘Seeing Sally Tomato’ single origin chocolate and salted caramel sunglasses. The collection’s well recognised Mars bar cheesecake is reimagined as the ‘Blue giftbox’, a homage to the iconic jewellery boxes, with an ‘1837 blue’ glaze and edible bow.
Finishing the patisserie are the ‘Revlon Pink’ lipstick with raspberry crémeux and the ‘Pearl Necklace’ macaron with fresh strawberry and vanilla cream, finished with edible pearls.
A touch of glamour
It’s not all about the sweet stuff, though. The savoury selection features a variety of delicacies, including hot smoked salmon with horseradish cream, Chicken Caesar with macadamia, and cucumber ribbon sandwiches with cream cheese and preserved lemon. More substantial bites include Chorizo and San Simon croquettes with saffron aioli, Australian Wagyu party pies, and corn fritters with avocado cream and house labneh.
Complementing these offerings are freshly baked scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam, along with a selection of rare fine teas. For an added touch of luxury, guests can choose to enjoy their afternoon tea with a glass of Champagne Piaff or the signature Hepburn White Lady cocktail. This is the most elegant afternoon tea we’ve tried so far.
Underground cocktail bar
Larry’s Bar, named after Sir Laurence Olivier, used to be a Victorian coal storage spot under the gallery. It’s now been transformed, quite literally, into what looks to be a very elegant drinking spot.
The interiors pay homage to Hollywood’s heritage with iconic photos of celebrities from the golden age of cinema. Daisy Green worked extensively with the National Portrait Gallery to curate and install over 100 contemporary portraits from the Gallery’s collection.
Here is a copy of Terry O’Neill’s portrait of Faye Dunaway, taking breakfast by the pool with the day’s newspapers at the Beverly Hills Hotel on March 29, 1977 on the morning after her 1977 Oscars win.
Cecil Beaton’s Marilyn Monroe’s portrait with a bird is on another wall. The permanent hang is a must-see for all guests to the space. You can also enjoy jazz piano inside under the glass roof and on the beautiful terrace over the summer months.
‘Breakfast at Audrey’s’ Afternoon Tea is available from Wednesday to Sunday, 2pm to 5pm at the National Portrait Gallery (St. Martin’s Pl, London WC2H 0HE).
More information can be found here.
Image credits: © Melisa Coppola
