Cathy and I dined here twice, once for afternoon tea and cakes back in September, and once for supper in April. Let me say this much - the place is very large, with different rooms with different themes, and so much to look at that it borders on the distracting (but in a decidedly good way). First, I'll say the one bad spot regarding Sketch ... the service is a little erratic, and sometimes takes a while to get noticed if you're drink is needing replacing or you need extra attention to your meal. That being said, let me move onto what I can describe as the magic of Sketch!
We got seated proper at 8.30 on a busy Saturday evening in the Gallery Room, and the maitre-d was an incredibly charming French gentleman who said everything with a insouciant flourish of his well-manicured hands and his impeccable smile. A giant lamp made out of children's toys and action-figures and dolls painted entirely white is by the entrance. Near the coat-check is a porcelain statue of two mating greyhounds. In the entrance is a hopscotch painting in the floor, and one of the doors off to the left appears to be melting, cascading thick red resin down a petite flight of stairs. Outside is a merry-go-round of "out of work" ashtrays that spins and empties themselves into a urn. Cathy and I were seated next to a softly lit wall set in the centre of the room that was impaled with chairs, pieces of antique tables and chandeliers, and one of the first things we noticed was the projections of the Paris skyline rotating slowly on the upper parts of the walls. A DJ was spinning some wicked house music with a lot of bass, and everybody was beautiful.
We ordered a bottle of Veuve Cliqot, which arrived quickly, and received two little shot glasses of a vegetable puree which was then poured over a little shaving of raw tuna with something that resemble lentils. Cathy's entree was a little radicchio salad with slices of Chilean Sea Bass and a balsamic vinaigrette, I went for more of the tuna!
Main courses came a bit later. I dropped a knife once and a server caught it as it bounced off the floor, and immediately replaced it. Good reflexes! I had a rib-eye steak bloody with dauphinois potatoes and leeks, whilst Cathy had a fish dish I can't remember.
After we had this blowout piece of lovely hot chocolate cake, I took off to the toilets. All I can say is ... WOW. You go through a door in the back and you see in the centre of this massive room a small dugout bar surrounded by two semi-spiraling staircases that envelope the bar as they go to the next level. One is back-lit blue for the boy's toilets, and the other one is pink. You ascend the staircase, and come across these pods that look like escape pods mated with the transportation pods from "The Fly" and the eggs from "Alien". The door opens with a gentle hiss, and closes behind you. Everything is bathed in a soft blue (or pink if you're a girl) light, and gentle soaring sounds surround you as you complete your business.
I recommend saving some space in your evening for a last glass of champagne in the little dugout bar when you've finished with your meal. It's rather small, and looks like something out of "Star Wars". The gently domed ceiling is covered with little sketches, the bartenders were friendly, and a single portal in the centre gives way to the blue/pink lights from up above near the pod toilets.
A very interesting, fun, and fabulous evening, I highly recommend it! read more