BRUNO CLEMENTS heads to London 
to sip cocktails and enjoy high tea surrounded by 
an exhibition of photographs revealing the work 
of some of Europe’s greatest artists

IF you’ve ever dreamed of glimpsing artists such as Picasso and Dali at work, while sampling one of London’s finest high teas, then the Revealed exhibition at Sofitel London St James could be right up your street.

Selected by Olivier Widmaier Picasso, the exhibition’s commissioner and grandson of Pablo, visitors can see the creative process of various iconic artists in seldom-seen photographs originally published in Paris Match magazine.

The exhibition at the luxury hotel is free for anyone to visit but, to really immerse yourself, Sofitel London St James has created an indulgent Revealed overnight stay package complete with an exclusive cocktail and high tea surrounded by the exhibition.

A former bank, Sofitel London St James certainly isn’t short of space and our room at the hotel, which emphasises its connections to the French-owned group, certainly wasn’t short of any sumptuous detail.

Chocolate-filled macarons — specially prepared for the Revealed package — were in our room to greet us, along with an abundance of mineral water, an extensive room service menu and a view from the window on to Waterloo Place.

We started our visit to the exhibition with a glance into the Rose Lounge, a harpist playing to add to the ambiance.

Then it was into the atmospheric St James Bar, open from 8am until midnight, which was inspired by Coco Chanel’s 1920s Paris apartment, and fittingly offers a choice of eight champagnes and a breathtaking range of whiskys along with gins, rums and wines.

We felt perfectly at home sampling the exclusive Revealed cocktail — a subtle mix of St Germain elderflower liqueur and Bombay Sapphire gin, mixed with fresh fruits and green Oolong tea, served from a teapot.

Three other cocktails are being offered until the Revealed exhibition finishes at the end of the month — the St Germain (St-Germain elderflower liqueur, soda water, Prosecco), Elderfashioned Rocks (St-Germain elderflower liqueur, Dewar’s White Label, Angostura bitters) and Parisian Daiquiri (St-Germain elderflower liqueur, Bacardi rum, lime juice, gomme syrup).

Served as part of the package, the Revealed cocktail made a perfect aperitif to the afternoon tea, which is served from 2.30pm until 5.30pm, as you are surrounded by the intimate photographs offering a look into the imaginative worlds of some of the most creative minds of the last century.

I chose a white Chinese tea with its distinctive but subtle combination of rose, apricot and passion fruit flavours, which followed on well from the cocktail, while my partner’s Darjeeling, described as having a very subtle taste of ripe fruits, also got our vote of approval.

They both went well with the selection of four seasonal sandwiches, including salmon and egg, which we soon followed with fresh-baked, homemade scones served warm with Devonshire clotted cream and rose scented strawberry jam.

These delicious treats were followed by lemon curd and chocolate Parisienne pastries to round off the experience.

Returning to the hotel room we could have relaxed in the armchairs, watched the wide range of TV channels or even plugged in our computer and sent some emails.

The bathroom features a spacious walk-in shower, monsoon and handheld, with the option of showering in the full-length baths too. As fitting for a French-owned top-of-the-range establishment, the toiletries are all Hermes with towelling robes to relax in.

Perhaps to get you in the mood for the showers, or the hotel’s own spa, a jogging map is provided for those who want a choice of energetic routes around the capital.

Well, the hotel is only a stone’s throw from St James’s Park and Green Park although you might prefer to stroll around them after experiencing the Regent Street shopping experience.

Designed as Europe’s first purpose-built shopping street by John Nash in 1811, it boasts world-class brand names from Apple, Boss and Burberry to rare tea and coffee brews at Whittard of Chelsea, Zara and Zara Homes.

Another way to get around is by ‘Boris bike’, officially now the Santander Cycles.

Hiring one is now simpler than it’s ever been, with registration not being needed.

Charges start at £2 and if you return the bike to another of the 750 or so docking stations within 30 minutes of each journey’s start that’s the most you’ll pay for 24 hours — a bit of bargain by any standards.

During our visit we called in at the nearby Picturehouse Central cafe in Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly.

As you can guess from the name this is one classy cinema, complete with a restaurant and bar on the first floor… but if you don’t want to climb the stairs or see a film there is plenty to enjoy in the ground-floor cafe with its breakfast and brunch menu with a variety of egg dishes, pastries from £1.80, and a great range of coffees and juices. It shuts at 11.30pm each day, as does the bar.

We also supped a Shepherd Neame beer in the Tom Cribb pub, named after the famous Bristol-born 19th-century boxer, in Panton Street, conveniently opposite the Harold Pinter Theatre, which is also home to Busaba Eathai — one of our favourite ways to enjoy a Thai green curry when in London, although award-winning fish and chips at the St James Tavern, in Great Windmill Street, was another tempting prospect.

Before leaving Sofitel London St James we simply had to have breakfast at the adjoining Balcon restaurant, which is served from 6.30am to 11am, Monday to Friday, from 7am to 11.30am on Saturdays and until 12.30pm on Sundays.

We enjoyed fresh fruits on yoghurt, full English breakfast and as much coffee as we could handle before a short stroll up the road to the underground at Piccadilly Circus and the start of our return journey to Swindon.