Selfridges has opened the Imagination Café at the centre of its London store, transforming Dolly’s Café on the lower ground for a three-month summer residency.
The concept at Selfridges combines an afternoon tea and all-day menu by food and drink agency Malik Acid with an immersive installation by artist Katie Stout. The temporary café occupies Dolly’s Café on the lower ground floor.
Art Installation Extends into the Atrium
Large-scale inflatable horses, butterflies, snails and other creatures are suspended above the central atrium, with a related dreamscape forming the backdrop to the café. The installation draws on the bold colours and exaggerated forms associated with Katie Stout’s work.
Malik Acid Develops Afternoon Tea Menu
Malik Acid, co-founded in 2024 by Cameron and Missy Malik-Flynn, has created the Wildest Imagination Afternoon Tea, priced at £75, alongside sweet and savoury dishes available throughout the day.
The afternoon tea includes prawn gilda, beetroot devilled egg, wild mushroom tartlet, ricotta and herb crostino, a mini club sandwich and a salted olive oil scone served with clotted cream and either morello cherry jam or blood orange marmalade.
Sweet items comprise a black tea caramel bon bon, lychee gummy, mango choux, chamomile financier and cherry dream cake. The menu also includes a pot of Selfridges tea or Darjeeling sparkling tea, a peach velvet cocktail or glass of champagne, and a gift to take away.
Cocktails Explore Three Flavour Profiles
Three cocktails using Three Spirit non-alcoholic elixirs have been created around the Social, Livener and Nightcap variants. These comprise a peach and matcha champagne cocktail, a tequila, cherry and Darjeeling tea highball, and a fig leaf, miso and sencha tea gin sour.
The wider petit four offer includes a black tea caramel chocolate bon bon, sour lychee gummy and mango choux pastry. According to the announcement, these are paired with a dessert-style cocktail topped with matcha foam, connecting the food, dessert and drink elements.
“When we started Malik Acid, one of the very first experiences we added to our dream project list was afternoon tea. It’s a dining experience with huge creative potential and while the ritual itself is timeless, the flavour profiles have remained largely unchanged.
“Through the Malik Acid lens, we reimagined it with brighter, more contemporary flavours, creating unexpected moments of surprise across every tier whilst also taking inspiration from artist Katie Stout’s bold use of colour and exaggerated forms. Expect tropical notes, herbs, spices and a range of tea flavours in both the food and drink, playfully presented to take you somewhere unexpected!”
Cameron Malik-Flynn
Co-Founder, Malik Acid
Three-Month Summer Residency
The Imagination Café forms part of Dream On, Selfridges’ summer programme of windows, installations, pop-ups, live appearances and events. It opened on 20 July 2026 and is scheduled to remain on the lower ground floor for three months.
