Dining experiences do not come much better than Sketch. One almost struggles for sufficient superlatives. My dining comrade and I spent over four hours in the beautiful Grade II* Georgian townhouse which houses the venue on a recent Saturday night and felt wowed throughout. Since our previous visit in February 2019, Sketch’s fine dining room (where we spent the majority of our time) has gained a third Michelin star, making it one of only seven restaurants in the UK to hold such an honour. Success certainly hasn’t gone to its head, however. There remains the same winning combination of panache, exuberance and class.
What makes the whole venue work is its understated outrageousness. The décor throughout is boundary-pushing, but done in a much less bling in-your-face way than, say, Annabel’s. High Georgian meets 21st Century in the downstairs bar (which features neon lights and busts); the hallway is currently kitted out to resemble an urban jungle; and the upstairs Lecture Room & Library – where the fine dining experience takes place – is a wonder of opulence. The sensation of awe does not diminish on each occasion when my dining comrade and I have visited. The host pulls open a heavy set of black double doors to reveal a room furnished in shades of orange and silver, with richly upholstered armchairs in purple and crimson. Possibly the world’s biggest chandelier hangs from the domed centre in its centre.
Were all this not enough to put one in a positive frame of mind, then the sight of a laden champagne trolley ought to. We enjoyed a glass of limited edition ZoDo British fizz from the talented Dermot Sugrue (only 1700 bottles were made) while perusing the menus and receiving our amuse-bouches. In true French style, these certainly did amuse our palates and the sense of playfulness – pairing flavours and textures without forgetting aesthetics – prevailed throughout. Although a la carte options are available, it should be obligatory to experience the tasting menu at Sketch, special occasion or not. This way it’s possible to see Pierre Gagnaire’s full flight of culinary imagination, faithfully interpreted by head chef Johannes Nuding. Amazingly the whole menu changes every four-five weeks, we were informed.
To describe every dish in full would take too long, but consider the decoration and conceptualisation of one of my three starters, pictured: it comprised cubes of foie gras paired with beetroot and its juices along with carrots and nougatine. Other stand-out options included the langoustine with puréed aubergine and my favourite of the evening, the grouse. It’s always a highpoint of Gourmand Gunno’s year to eat grouse and Sketch’s interpretation has to be the clear winner of 2021. Not only was the bird’s meat supremely tender here, but paired amazingly with braised kimchi and caramelised pear in a whisky jus. Plaudits too to the Sommelier who matched this dish with a 1999 Viader Cab Sauv/Cab Franc blend. Throughout, the pairings were intelligent and thoughtful, even if with a slightly greater nod towards the classic than the novel. Further, my vegetarian dining comrade received wines different to mine and again chosen with consideration to pair with her food options. In marked contrast to our previous fine dining experience (at the somewhat underwhelming Bibendum by Claude Bosi), her vegetarian dishes were far from an after-thought and I marvelled at how the humble turnip was transformed into a main to rival my grouse. End on a high we certainly did with the venue’s famous ‘grand dessert’, an explosion of five different miniature dishes taking in everything from chocolate textures to a very posh version of jelly and ice cream. The Ben Ryé wine pair was also a delight. Even if my wallet was considerably lightened by the evening (and this has to be one of the most expensive tasting experiences in London), my comrade and I left with wide smiles, veritably bouncing down the street.