[title]
The end of March sees Harrods customers able to sample a bit of Italian style with their chit-chat (or should that be chiacchiere?) while taking their ease, with the launch of a new pop-up: the Prada Caffè.
If you are not familiar with the brand, Prada is a fashion powerhouse founded in 1913 that sums up the Italian notion of sprezzatura – the art of performing a difficult task so gracefully that it looks effortless. Prada’s elegant monochrome aesthetic with hints of pale green is carried into the new café’s interior, which pays homage to the label’s historic boutique on Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II in Milan, with its black-and-white chequered floor and green velvet upholstery.
The tastefully restrained environment extends to the tableware with pale-blue Japanese porcelain with black detailing along with blown-crystal glassware featuring the signature Prada triangular patterning.
Opening on March 31 and keeping London shoppers stylishly Milanese until January 7 2024, the Prada Caffé is open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, light bites and aperitivi. As you might expect, the menu has a distinct Italian slant, but with a modern flavour, with starters such as burrata and zucchini, and mains including spinach and ricotta cannelloni with black truffle. To complement the cocktails and Italian wines, there are tramezzini (little dainty sandwiches) and pizzettes (miniature puff pizzas) plus for sweet-lovers there are pastries such as an indulgent cake laden with pistachio croccantino and all manner of sponge and cream, to ensure you can’t move from the spot for at least an hour or so.
If that isn’t alluring enough, the warmer months will welcome an outdoor stall serving up a superior range of gelato flavours.
Now we just have to find something juicy to gossip about over the Negronis.
Prada Caffè, Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd, SW1X 7XL. Until Jan 7 2024.
We’re giving away 100 tickets to the Sony World Photography Awards this year.
Lido fatigue? Head indoors with London Fields’ swanky new pool.