An al fresco haven in the heart of Mayfair come rain or shine, the heated Le Magritte Terrace bookmarks either side of the revolving door entrance belonging to The Beaumont Hotel, with green awnings to complement the handsome house car, a customised Bentley Mulsanne V8, standing ready and waiting to whisk residents to local destinations. However, if you’re anything like me when I check-in here, you’ll decide that everything can wait.
When you’re in the best place, why go anywhere else? The Art Deco interiors pay homage to the golden age of travel, and comfort is never sacrificed at the expense of style, the charming front of house team treat regulars as if they’re a member of a club or luxury New York apartment block, while the timeless elegance of The Beaumont makes you feel, just as Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) did about Tiffany & Co, Fifth Avenue, that the “quiet and proud look of it” makes you feel as if “nothing very bad could ever happen to you.”
The intimate Le Magritte Terrace, a hidden oasis nestled behind beautiful floral displays, is a wonderful extension to the sophisticated red leather seated bar where Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming might have rubbed shoulders if The Beaumont had existed in their day, while the no-reservation policy of the Terrace with its all-day dining, cocktail and cigar menus offer those who like spontaneity, but know a good thing when they find it, a peaceful interlude away from the mayhem of city life.
Le Magritte have just launched a new Great American Songbook cocktail menu inspired by the golden age of American music and created by Head Bartender Giovanni Dellagio so as to pair perfectly with the curated selection of Havana cigars and oysters, caviar and elegant light bites; Come Fly With Me (banana rum and chocolate bitters), Summer Wind (gin and bergamot), That’s Amore (pisco and peach liqueur), and Mr Bojangles (bourbon, port, and Laphroaig), while I can personally vouch for their alcohol free cocktails featuring Everleaf.
The laid-back style of Le Magritte Terrace encourages you to take your time, with a button on every table to alert a member of staff whenever you wish to place an order: offering a sense of privacy and an appealing informality, with no compromise on service. The Beaumont is a hotel which has always recognised that guests yearn for their own space occasionally and never more so than when smoking a fine cigar.
We’ve only been unlucky in finding a table on the terrace once in five years and spent more than four hours reacquainting ourselves with Le Magritte’s offering on our last visit; indulging in the Beaumont club sandwich with the triple cooked chips Nigella Lawson famously lauded, followed by a Basque cheesecake and 3-scoop Build Your Own Sundae which comes with your preferred sauce and as many toppings as your heart desires. Other popular transatlantic choices include a lobster roll and an exemplary take on the classic prawn cocktail.
Since moving out of London, Le Magritte Terrace has been our first port of call whenever we return to the capital, the ideal place to unwind after a long journey. The relaxation surpasses that of even The Beaumont Spa in the opinion of my cigar-loving husband, who follows Mark Twain’s philosophy, “If smoking cigars isn’t permitted in heaven, I won’t go.” In the meantime, Le Magritte Terrace awaits.
Le Magritte Terrace at The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, Mayfair London W1K 6TF. For more information please visit the website.
