sketch lecture room

what is sketch you ask?  is that something that artists do?  just drawing and doodling given a fancy name so that they can charge you more?  sketch, at least least the restaurant, it actually 5 minute restaurants all housed in the same building.  all entertaining very different styles and decor.  from breakfast cafe to fine dining. it was the latter where my obviously exquisite tastes would lead me.

a visit to sketch is certainly an interesting and rather ott experience. i felt rather like a kid with a golden ticket to willy wonka's chocolate factory. as you enter the building you have the parlour on your right, where you can order an indulgent breakfast, afternoon tea, comfort food and cocktails. the rather low key parlour is in stark contrast to pierre gagnaire's michelin stared restaurant in the lecture room. the name of the restaurant does not really conjure up what is revealed after you are escorted up the exotically lit staircase. the doors are dramatically thrown open and you find yourself in a jewel box like room, decorated with a red, orange, blue and gold palette.

the first hurdle is the champagne trolley, something i am not a fan off. if i want a glass i prefer to check the menu first to make sure i know what i am getting, so we just stuck to tap water while we made our menu selection. despite the hefty prices you can still go down the less expensive route by ordering from the gourmet rapide menu. however as we wanted to get the full experience on our first visit we opted for the regular tasting menu (it is expensive, but as you will see from this post - you do get a lot for your money) and asked the sommelier to recommend a bottle of wine that would suit the whole menu. he selected a reasonably priced bottle of irouleguy, xuri d'ansa 2004 that was drinkable both on its own and as an accompaniment to the food.

next came the bread, served with some rather spectacular tasting seaweed butter. then the feast began. we had a wonderful array of beautifully presented dishes served by sketches very efficient staff. ironically though the presentation and service did eclipse the food a bit. the food was very good, don't get me wrong. the foie gras terrine with mackerel bouillon and clams was an excellent start. the marinated stone bass, peas, spring cabbage, mint and smoked lardons was quite lovely, nice flavour combinations and textures. the huge king scallop served with nettle cream, haddock, watercress salad, seaweed butter and rhubarb was fabulous, and the other dishes were enjoyable too. they just didn't quite meet our expectations, which were perhaps a little too high, due to the rather excessive hype that sketch gets. this was a tasting menu that definitely filled you up though, we were getting full even before we started on the grand dessert which consists of no less than five desserts and a selection of petit fours. however sometimes less is more and i think i would have preferred just a couple of spectacular desserts, rather than five ok ones. that said, it was still discernibly better than a lot of michelin starred restaurants out there, and as such i would have no qualms about recommending the sketch experience.

amazing place in london. i love the food. can’t wait to come back here again. congratulations to the staff.

ye jagah mujhe bahut hi royal lagi or yaha aake ek dum raja waali feeling aa rhi thi. yaha ka khana mujhe bahut tasty laaga. sab aaiye or yaha ka maja leke jaiye

two michelin stars : excellent cooking, worth a detour!  i’m not sure about anyone else, but i always find the michelin guide’s definition to stars, a tad, well…under-stated.  originally established back in 1936, i personally have to wonder whether an element of refinement is now required in the 21st century.  i mean, seriously – ‘excellent cooking, worth a detour’?  based on where i live, that could define a number of exceptional eateries in cardiff!

the staff is very polite and friendly. the ambience and the decor is beautiful. the food is simply outstanding. the service is quick. i was satisfied as a customer and a big time foodie.

i should mention that on the day of my visit, the uber-chef pierre gagnaire happened to be in the kitchen and i feel that the food could not have been better.

everything was really top notch, especially the vegetables scented like a hermes perfume. coated in a light foie gras sauce; it was just devine.

dishes come with many different elements and the food is altogether very very complicated- but yet delicious.

service is really good- just as you would expect from this place.

it is mayfair, so prices are very very high. value for money is not as good gauthier in soho but if you rich- this is the place to go.

i had a wonderful experience in this restaurant.

the service is perfect, waiters pay a lot of attention to details and serves maximum two tables per person.

the atmosphere is exceptional. the hall is very large, with a dome in the middle. only few tables, giving the opportunity to have privacy during the dinner.

i had the duck and my friend took the lamb. they offered some starters.
if the service was impeccable, the food was not less.

it is a pricy restaurant, but it is worth trying it.

classy dining room. very formal service but generally helpful. excellent variety on menu. food tasty well seasoned and filling. very well sourced ingredients. overall a very good experience.

fabulous and comfortable dining room. interesting and tasty food. formal service. massive wine list supported by sommeliers. one of london's best.

beautifully dining room.  formal and excellent service particularly from the sommelier. food was very good but sometimes over elaborate but always tasty. a great experience naturally very expensive. .

entering sketch in mayfair you feel a little bit like alice falling down the rabbit hole. coming through the door you are immediately greeted with a feast for the eyes, a wonderland of art work  and a rabbit’s warren of different rooms and unique places to explore. even just in the entrance foyer there is a quirky hopscotch drawing…

i've been to the sketch lecture room & library a few times and must say it's the best fine dining experience in london. the location is great, you feel like being a guest in alice's wonderland. impeccable service and the most creative food on the planet. it's pretty much the only place where a vegetarian tasting menu can really blow me away. i will definitely keep coming back!

the lecture room is the fine dining option (holding two michelin stars) at sketch, an impressive venue with different spaces that function as independent restaurants and bars.

after having cocktails in the glade (one of the sister venues in the same building) we were led to the first floor restaurant, which is very well designed, with plenty of space between tables for privacy.

the menu is quite daunting: they have two tasting menus (vegetarian and nin-vegetarian) and the a la carte option. i went for the latter, which presented its own challenges, as each starter and main course consists of four or five plates centred around one or two ingredients.

as a starter, i chose the langoustine, which was presented in five guises: grilled, poached in a light bouillon with lentil gnocchi and chanterelle mushrooms, in a dim sum, as a frozen carpaccio with aloe vera pearls (my favourite) and as a soup with farfalle (the flavour here was a bit overpowering).

for my main, i went for the venison and wild boar option. the venison was perfectly cooked and pink, and came with red cabbage, quince paste and a chestnut ice cream, as well as some potato straws with finely diced fried sausage. the wild boar was in a stew with marinated onions, which had a strong earthy flavour.

for dessert, i chose three of the six components of pierre gagnaire's grand dessert: the apple and lemon verbena jelly (very light), the pistachio parfait (very nutty, with roasted walnuts) and the cheesecake cream (again very nice).

service was correct and all the dishes were thoroughly explained. i did, however, get the impression that the sommelier was trying to push the more expensive wines on the wine list.

we pulled back the curtain stepped over the hopscotch and checked in at the front of house.  as we waited for someone to collect us i sat and admired the art.  this was the first time i had visited sketch its such a fascinating place with so much art to get lost in.  the red rope was pulled back and we were shown up stairs.  we passed the toilets, which i must say are by far the most glamorous toilets that i have ever seen! wow!