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Sketch - London


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Was at the Inside Soap Awards on Monday which was held in Sketch, pretty nice venue with good canapes (mainly of the mini burger type favoured at such events but there was also a great croque monsieur).

Has anyone been for food recently, I note they do good patisserie (I had an amazing chocolate and fig concoction which was to die for) but how is it in general + service etc? How involved is Pierre Gagnaire nowadays? Is it worth another trip for a meal?

N.B. They had quite a saucy statue of two dogs - is that hidden during the day?

Edited by Julianne_Reddin (log)
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I last went a couple of months ago. I opted for the lunch deal at the The Lecture Room and Library, which is upstairs. It's something crazy like £35 for a variety of freebies, followed by a fixed 'entree' course which is a serving of four dishes. Then you have a main option, and either the cheese plate or dessert (which is 3 separate desserts). Tack on another £10 if you want a half-bottle of wine, coffee and petit fours. It's probably the best way to see if it's for you. I've taken a peek at the ala carte menu a few times but the prices are beyond me unfortunately.

The service has always been great, and I feel the food has recently taken a turn for the better under the new chef. Some of the standouts from the meal were a parmesan risotto for main, and a dessert which included an apple and tarragon sorbet.

I'm not sure how involved Pierre Gagnaire is. I know that last year he made a publicised appearance at the place, where he ran the kitchen for a week or two. You're right, the patissierie is lovely, great place to hide from the crowds!

The art tends to change fairly often there, so not sure if I've seen the two dogs you mentioned. The art does tend to be pretty edgy though, and I've seen the odd mildly smutty piece in view during the day.

I go for the food, I stay for the smut.

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  • 1 month later...

Had a very good meal here yesterday and it soon became apparent why - Pierre Gagnaire, the great master himself, is in town and currently heading up the kitchen at the Lecture Room and Library.

He made his round through the restaurant after the desserts were served. His aim seems obvious. How come Ducasse at Dorchester is a rising three star after a couple of years and Sketch has only a single star after four years. He is trying hard to get a better rating in a competition among other French chefs with London outlets.

Was my meal three stars worth? No. But it was definitely better than its current one star rating. Service very friendly and highly motivated (although I only got the wine list once the starters had been served).

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  • 2 weeks later...
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