My sister-in-law wanted to go to Sketch while we were in London, so I booked a table for us (plus…read moremy husband and brother) on our last night in town. When I looked it up, I learned that it had three Michelin stars, and that I had been once before, on a random date in 2009.
Sketch, it turns out, is about five bars and restaurants in one. The part I remembered was the East Bar & Pods, with the giant egg-shaped bathrooms. Dinner was in the Lecture Room & Library, a completely different space with a completely different feel.
It was spectacular, the decor bright and over the top, an opulent Wonderland fantasy. We sat in giant armchairs in muppet colors, surrounded by expensive upholstery and crystal. Service was impeccable, warm and attentive, well deserving of those Michelin stars.
We drank well, starting with a round of cocktails. I liked my Manhattan, with bourbon, pineapple rum, sweet vermouth, crème de cacao, muscovado, and chocolate mole and Creole bitters. The Champs-Élysées was great, too, with Henessy VSOP, green Chartreuse, lemon, sugar, and peach bitters. I was also impressed with the mint-green Grasshopper, a dangerously drinkable mix of two rums, Briottet menthe verte and cacao blanc, Velvet Falernum, and cream. Once dinner started in earnest, we enjoyed the wine pairing, seven thoughtfully selected wines to go with our tasting menu. They were all lovely, and added a lot to the experience.
We opted for the tasting menu over the a la carte, which offered more choice but actually cost £10 more. This was the right choice, no decisions and a stream of surprising delights, starting with a spread of welcome bites. There was cured sea bass with strawberry and a foam of green peas, a mussel with green curry, a tiny tartlet of parmesan and chorizo. Compressed watermelon with Campari, mozzarella rolled in zucchini, a sandwich of shiso, green apple, and lime. Two little jellies came served on ice: a burst of tomato and olive, and another of dirty martini. Bread service brought butter brioche, fennel focaccia, and a brown bread with candied walnut and currant. A trio of butters, too, salted, caramel, and citrus.
Then, the first course of the tasting menu. Cornish mackerel and shellfish mariniere with leek and Dijon mustard, as well as duck foie gras Chantilly with confit red bell peppers and nasturtium leaf ice cream. Superb. Course two was all about lobster. Native lobster tail coated in carrot reduction with lemon, with borlotti beans, smoked aubergine, green strawberry, and zucchini. Then a lettuce roll stuffed tight with claw meat, along with fromage blanc, mint, and sweet corn.
The third course was built around tomato. Tomato foam emulsified with olive oil, topped with tapenade and pistachio, and dried tomato leaf with oregano; a sort of tostada with tomato, grilled spinach leaves, onion, caper, and shortcrust; tomato pan-fried with chickpea flower on a Montgomery cheddar mousse with pink pepper; a cool, intense clarified consommé with tarragon.
Next, a unique blue fin tuna tartare, with Japanese rice, Oscietra caviar, vodka pearls, and smoked eel sauce infused with pinecones. Then, a wild sea bass fillet cooked in demi-sel butter and wrapped in cabbage, served over squid with anchovy, tomatillo, and scallion with chorizo. Our last savory course was French black leg chicken with Perrier-Jouët Brut "sauce ivoire," summer leaves fondue, fresh almonds, and apricot coulis; as well as confit chicken thigh with potato crystalline and sorrel with raspberry.
Dinner ended with a dessert extravaganza. If my notes are to be trusted, we had poached strawberry and rhubarb with pineapple granita, wasabi, and finger lime; orange yogurt foam with hazelnuts; an il flotante with peach and sangria jelly; rhum baba with orange foam and pink grapefruit marmalade; a Chartreuse parfait with white chocolate, celery, and verjus; and a chocolate tart with layers of pastry dough and crispy capers. Finally, a few mignardises, which I failed to document.
It was 11:30 by the time we settled up, but we asked to see the rest of Sketch and ended up staying until one in the morning. We skipped the East Bar, which was too loud, but used the egg pods. Less impressive this time around, reminiscent of airplane bathrooms. The Lecture Room bathroom, on the other hand, was a Vegased out infinity room.
We had a nightcap in the Glade, a stunningly beautiful lounge with excellent cocktails. I had the Glade twist on the Kingston Negroni, with pineapple rum, cachaça, Campari, vermouth, strawberry, and tomato water. My husband had a Gin Basil Smash with yuzu liqueur, basil, and citrus. I believe my brother and sister-in-law had a Gimlet with sake, Belvedere, tutti-frutti, and olive brine, and a Porn Star Martini with Belvedere, passion fruit, citrus, sugar, vanilla, and Champagne. A+ all around.
If you want to treat yourself in London, Sketch is a truly marvelous destination. Splurge on dinner, or just grab a drink and use the loo.
