Sketch

[lxt]

Jonathan, interestingly, we had lunch the day after at Gordon Ramsay. I made a mistake in my original post mentioning it among the restaurants at which we had dinner. GR offered several prix-fixe menus, one of which was a seven-course “Menu Prestige” for about £80, and was served also at dinner. It seems that at least GR keeps a couple of similar options open for those who are interested in food for both lunch and dinner.

Originally we had a dinner reservation at Sketch, as I was concerned that the lunch may have not been at the same level as dinner, but we switched our reservation to lunch per the advice of a knowledgeable acquaintance. I browsed through the Sketch dinner menu as well, and it seemed that the lunch prix-fixe was in no way downplayed.

However, considering the cultural trend in London, according to your description, do you think that the quality of a lunch experience is in general in any way less than that of a dinner? I wonder whether any members had both lunch and dinner at Sketch and what is their opinion.

[lxt]

While we gazed out in fascination through the window of our bus, our tour guide-- a cheerful, red-headed, tiny middle-aged woman, lacking several front teeth --counted us like chickens, shamelessly thrusting her finger in our faces, binding everyone on the bus with the invisible rope of absolute faith that defines a community embarking on cultural exploration.

A quick mazurka through the harmony of the immortal spirit of man with God at St. Paul, a light polka amongst the tombs of triumphant Westminster Abbey, a rushed gallop through the magnificent history and art of Windsor Castle all ended with the words of our guide, “If you liked the tour, my name is Jane. If you didn’t, my name is Mary,” and the bus spit us out near Victoria Station at 2:00 p.m.

“I want Thai,” said my consort in a voice barely above a whisper, but which was at once forceful and pleading. It seemed that a compromise was a better solution than a confrontation in that situation, and voila, after a mediocre lunch, my turn for a wish came, and we set off to sample little pleasures from The Sketch Parlour.

The patisserie, located on the ground floor of the restaurant, had a certain charm. It reminded me of a dollhouse with miniature furnishings, accessories, and dainty pastries sparkling with all colors of the rainbow under the long glass counter right across from the wide-open entrance.

The restrained exuberance of neoclassicism, encasing the Louis XVI–style within its contemporary shell -- where slenderness of proportion was emphasized in light wood furniture, and delicate blue-gray, pastel tones dominated the room and ornaments of carved flowers on the chairs’ velvet and wall mirrors; where crystal chandeliers were enclosed in clear plastic cylinders, and symmetrical, oval frames painted on the walls contained motifs of rough stones instead of puffy cherubs -- seemed not too kitschy, and we settle down at the back of the room at one of the tables surfaced with embossed grayish ladies and gentlemen having tea.

We had nine little delights, and each of them had a character and a theme.

- Garance (raspberry marmelade, diced litchees, white chocolat sheet, genoise and rose syrup, diplomate cream with rose water, quince jelly with rose water)

Any bird or butterfly could be seduced by this dessert’s bursting, stunning colors that would complement most every garden color theme. The dessert was served in a small glass, and each element, indicated in the menu’s description, was presented as a separate layer of color, flavor and texture. A deep-red raspberry marmalade was a base of the dessert and resided on the bottom of the glass. Fragrantly sweet, but not syrupy, with a subtly tart overtone, the fluffy marmalade contained droplets of almost fresh raspberries. A profoundly light-purple jelly with big chunks of translucent blue-white litchee pulp, the sweetness of which contrasted with the tartness of the raspberries very well, rested on top and was covered by a thin disc of white chocolate serving as a base for a thin layer of delicate, buttery sponge cake saturated with rose scent. Custardy diplomat cream, made of very light pastry cream and whipped cream, continued to convey rose perfume bringing luscious smoothness to the dessert. Vibrantly orange quince jelly bound the taste of the apple with the rose wonderfully and was crowned by a deep-violet addable flower. When all elements were eaten together, the blend of earth, exotic bloom of passion and rose was enrapturing. This dessert was only slightly sweet, so as not to overpower the natural taste of fruit and flower, with rose scent dominating the theme, leaving an impression just short of divinity.

Garance

- K.J 32 (low calories, rhubarb and green apple pulp)

This dessert was served in a glass. A bottom layer of brownish jelly, thickened with thin strings of rhubarb, was topped with tiny, white cubes of apple and dark-green, slightly gelatinized apple purée with tiny dots of green apple skin, and was crowned by a triangular piece of green melon. There was an interesting counterbalance of very light sweetness, salt and spice in the dessert. However, though we thought that the dessert had an interesting concept of mixing sweet and savory flavors, we didn’t find it special.

K.J 32

- Gariguette (strawberries, blackcurrant, grapes, blueberries, pomegranat, lemon jelly.

This jelly dessert was presented in a glass. My grandmother used to make a compote of whatever fruit were available from her garden. The trick was to cook the fruit just enough to extract their maximum flavor into the liquid without making them mushy and losing their individual flavors. I enjoyed stealing the fruit from her compotes. This dessert brought all these memories back. Ruby red, the dessert had layers, indistinguishable in color, of each fruit mentioned in the menu description and was topped with a bouquet of fresh fruit. This was a nice, but not an exceptional dessert.

Gariguette

- Victoria (spicy cooked pineapple, diced fresh pineapple, coconut dacquoise)

This dessert, served in a glass, had a bottom layer of intense pineapple purée, lending a hint of curry, with shreds of fresh pineapple. A middle layer of passion fruit cream custard, with passion fruit seeds, topped with a thin sheet of transparent passion fruit jelly crowned with caramelized orange peel, rested on top of coconut cake. This was a very nice dessert indeed.

Victoria

- Baba (traditional French baba au rhum, refresh (sic) with mango and vanilla cream)

This was a good dessert with the traditional baba au rhum notes and a mango twist. Smooth, deep, dark-orange, fresh mango purée was on the bottom of the glass in which the dessert was served. The next layer of snow-white vanilla cream was enriched with rum, leaking from the saturated thin cake above it. The cake was topped with another layer of mango and a thin glaze of rum jelly. A caramelized, though still plump, moist and deliciously fragrant vanilla pod completed the composition. The combination of a predominantly mango flavor and rum was very appealing.

Baba

- Zanzibar (shortbread pastry, passion cream, passion jelly and sweet angelica)

A small, elegant basket, made of a thin, buttery, crumbly crust, so good that it could be enjoyed on its own, was filled with a base of passion fruit cream covered with passion fruit jelly and fruit seeds and topped by pomegranate jelly swathing fresh pomegranate seeds. A half of a pale-green, sweet angelica candy with a refreshing and minty taste was set in the center of the dessert. This dessert was very good, though I didn’t care much for the candy.

Zanzibar

- Castanea (chestnut shortbread, chestnut cream, caramel nougat and quince mousse)

A rectangular, crunchy shortbread was covered with light-beige, slightly acidic, creamy quince mousse and light-brown, buttery and smooth chestnut cream separated from each other by a thin sheet of dark chocolate. Caramel nougat, set atop and shining with dark-orange-brown caramel glaze, was crunchy and lent a very distinct nutty taste. The combination of nut, chestnut and caramel flavors offset by the freshness of the quince fruit and enriched by a hint of chocolate worked out just wonderfully. This was one of the desserts we enjoyed greatly.

Castanea

- Avelina (pate a chou, praline cream, glazing praline and chopped nougat)

An elongated, oblong pastry, that is an éclair, was filled with light-brown praline custard and iced with caramel/praline glaze sprinkled with tiny bits of chopped nougat. The pastry was quite delicate and gave just a slight crunch with each bite. The praline cream was so intense that it overwhelmed our senses with the taste of toasted nuts where sweetness played a secondary, offsetting role. The praline glaze added a tint of saltiness to the dessert and the crunchy bits of nougat gave a taste of real chopped nuts. Despite the similarity in main ingredients between this dessert and the Castanea, the Avelina delivered a completely different combination of flavors, which we enjoyed tremendously.

Avelina

We saved a rich chocolate Caraibe (shortbread cacao, creamy chocolate, chocolate biscuit and ganache chocolate) for the last. A relatively thin, long, rectangular, crispy shortbread cacao base served as a foundation for a dense but creamy and velvety chocolate ganache, topped by a layer of biscuit and light-brown, smooth and shiny chocolate mousse in between chocolate sheets. A slightly bitter aftertaste seemed to have neutralized the potential cloying sweetness of the dessert. For chocolate lovers, this dessert was a real diamond.

Caraibe

Conclusion:

Only a person who was pampered by his mother, indulging her child’s every whim by making wonders with pastries and cakes daily, only a person whose mother’s unconditional love was expressed in nothing less than putting a jar of home-made jam by her child’s bed in case he or she should feel an inexplicable urge for something sweet at night without having to take a long walk to the kitchen, only this person would understand the intensity and passion with which one is drawn to a pastry shop window and which can be compared only to the fervor with which some women are drawn to windows displaying jewelry. My expectations of Sketch were high, and they were certainly met.

A master with fruit, Gagnaire managed to present light yet intense, delicate yet vivid desserts. A procession of fruit desserts where each one was more seductive than the next wasn’t tiring but exuberating to our senses. The lavishness and extravagance of other desserts nourished our taste buds with luxury and sumptuousness. However, I feel that any verbal interpretation of the little delights we sampled may not be adequate and in the end his creations must have the last word.

Edited August 18, 2003 by lxt (log)

[ahr]

Beautiful, but just reading this makes my teeth and pancreas ache.

[lxt]

Not at all, ahr. The desserts were made in such a fashion that sugar didn’t seem to be the main element to amplify the flavoring. It served as a background and wasn’t powerful enough to neutralize one’s taste buds from one dessert to another, let alone “hurt one’s teeth.” Each dessert had a theme, and if it was a fruit dessert, the fruit, presented in different textures, dominated the flavor. Even the non-fruit desserts seemed to balance the sugar and the theme of the dessert very well. I could've had another round of these little treasures with no problem at the time.

Edited August 22, 2003 by lxt (log)

[VivreManger]

Wonderful report. i can't wait to try these when next I get to London. I am curious if you have ever been to Pierre Herme in Paris which does desserts similar to these variations on the English trifle.

[rshorens]

These desserts sound scrumptious- my idea of a great lunch. What is the address/location of Sketch?

Roz

[VivreManger]

Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London

http://www.pierregagnaire.com/anglais/sket...etch-repere.htm

The Parlour : Pastry Shop and Tea Room

Open hours: - Breakfast, lunch and tea : 9 AM to 6:30 PM

- Monday through Saturday

Reservations : 44 0870 777 44 88

That should do it.

[lxt]

Wonderful report.  i can't wait to try these when next I get to London.  I am curious if you have ever been to Pierre Herme in Paris which does desserts similar to these variations on the English trifle.

Vivre, thank you. Unfortunately, my limited acquaintance with the Herme products doesn't extend beyond their chocolate line, which, when bought by weight and individually, is absolutely delightful and the delicious tiny macaroons called “Nicolettes” from Wegmans in the US. Since we passed on the two macaroon pastries suggested at Sketch, I can’t make a valid comparison.

The nicolettes I tried at Wegmans included vanilla (my absolute favorite), chocolate (second favorite), raspberry and passion fruit. The tiny, round, plump macaroons were semi-soft with a luscious fruit or other padding sandwiched in between. I found the passion fruit stuffing too acidic with an artificial tang and raspberry filling seemed to be too sweet and rather reminded me of a cheap raspberry jam. However, vanilla filling was subtle, smooth and luscious and complemented the macaroon flavor wonderfully. My only disappointment with the Herme chocolate was with my buying a prepackaged box, which, despite the firm assurance of the sales lady, turned out to be a complete fiasco. The chocolate was stale and tough, demonstrating that the Herme name is no guarantee of quality, or at least freshness.

Can you tell a little more about Pierre Herme’s pastries in Paris and what similarities with Sketch you find based on the description?

Edited August 26, 2003 by lxt (log)

[lxt]

These desserts sound scrumptious- my idea of a great lunch. What is the address/location of Sketch?

Roz

Roz, along with pastries, Sketch Parlour also serves lunch from noon to 3 p.m. I would certainly be curious to give it a try the next time I am in London and up for a light lunch.

Here are a couple of examples. All spelling (quite poor) and typography is that of the menu.

Jakob’s (18)

Smoked salmon rolled with fresh chesse, served with barley, green lentils, pak choy, seasoning olives oil and lemon juice. Crispy bread and fresh herbs.

Mix salad (16.50)

Organic babies salad and fresh shredded carrots, courgettes, tomatoes. French beans. On the side 3 sauces: mustard, stilton, tarragon vinaigrette.

Euros sandwich (18)

Italian bread, aubergine caviar, tuna-tomatoe-basil. English loaf toasted, cheddar, bacon, cream. Duck smoked salmon, chestnut bread. French baguette, cooked ham, butter.

Etc…

I am sure the menu has changed since then. Also, each dining room, be it patisserie, bar or the second floor dining room, has a separate kitchen. However, I am not sure whether pastry production is not centralized.

[Jonathan Day]

Thanks for a detailed report and especially for the pictures.

Could you say just a bit about the prices for these desserts? Do you have to order them as a "flight", or are they sold by the piece? And how large are they? Would one of these treats be the equivalent to a stand-alone dessert plate in a fine restaurant (e.g. Daniel) or are they sized more like petits fours?

[VivreManger]

lxt Posted on Aug 25 2003, 07:43 PM

Can you tell a little more about Pierre Herme’s pastries in Paris and what similarities with Sketch you find based on the description?

I can't find it right now, but there have been a number of threads in the French forum with contributions by Cabrales, Loufood, myself and others on the Herme patisserie.

I might ask Jason to help track them down. Otherwise I will get back to you with the info.

[Verbena]

The size of each dessert is the same as a shot glass, they are served in plastic shot glasses to allow people to buy and take them home.

The pastry section is not centralised and everything is made on site.

The discriptions of the desserts was accurate and I advise anyone to go and have a look at the place, I do however think that it's far to expensive for what you get and not that great a place to work{worked there for a while and thought it was to disorganised}

[VivreManger]

lxt Posted on Aug 25 2003, 07:43 PM

Can you tell a little more about Pierre Herme’s pastries in Paris and what similarities with Sketch you find based on the description?

I can't find it right now, but there have been a number of threads in the French forum with contributions by Cabrales, Loufood, myself and others on the Herme patisserie.

Here is the promised link which includes my Herme report. A search for Pierre Herme in the France forum will yield even more details.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...hl=pierre+herme

The similarity resides in the trifle-like glass enclosed desserts.

Edited August 30, 2003 by VivreManger (log)

[lxt]

Thanks for a detailed report and especially for the pictures.

Could you say just a bit about the prices for these desserts?  Do you have to order them as a "flight", or are they sold by the piece?  And how large are they? Would one of these treats be the equivalent to a stand-alone dessert plate in a fine restaurant (e.g. Daniel) or are they sized more like petits fours?

Jonathan, my pleasure.

The portions are much smaller than a stand-alone dessert usually served at Daniel, for instance. One appetizer plate possibly could fit three desserts easily. They are a little bigger than a tease, but not enough to be fully satisfying. In other words, the size of the desserts encourages one to order more than one. Though each dessert is sold individually, for the experience to be complete, I’d suggest sampling a variety, especially if you're making a meal of desserts.

If one is to design his own tasting at Sketch, it can be compared to Jean George's approach (though I don't enjoy Jean George's desserts): a set of small desserts featuring one theme. The desserts at Sketch are designed and packaged, as Verbena noted, to be taken out easily. Aside from the size, this type of dessert is different in style and composition from a typical restaurant dessert, and I am not sure whether they are comparable.

I’d be curious to know whether there are any other patisseries or restaurants in London, similar to New York’s ChikaLicious (which I have not visited yet), for instance, which deserve attention.

As to the price, I agree with Verbena that it is quite expensive, and despite the level of thought, creativity and labor invested in each dessert, an average price of £12 did seem to be excessive.

Garance - £12

K.J 32 - £11.50

Gariguette - £11.50

Victoria - £12

Baba - £12

Zanzibar - £13

Castanea - £13

Avelina - £12

Caraibe - £13

[lxt]

The pastry section is not centralised and everything is made on site.

Verbena, does it mean that each kitchen prepares its own set of desserts, and that the desserts prepared for the Sketch Parlour are not supplied upstairs to the Lecture room for instance? Also, would it be possible for you to give more details on why you found it "not that great a place to work," and whether you could attribute a certain level of disorganization to the fact that the place was just recently opened?

Edited September 1, 2003 by lxt (log)

[lxt]

Vivre, thank you for the link. Your report was excellent indeed. I see now what prompted your original question.

VivreManger: “Particularly enjoyable is the chocolate with passion fruit. The cruchiness of the meringue is well-complemented by the smooth passion fruit paste at the center.”

In the description of the meringue, you mentioned it being crunchy. The macaroon version sold at Wegmans, which claims a Herme’s association, had no crunchiness in the meringue at all. Also you seemed to be enamored of the passion-fruit macaroon, which I found less preferable than others at Wegmans. I wonder whether it is due to the difference in our personal tastes or a preparation technique. I’d be curious to hear from people who tried both versions. Did you have a chance to sample oil/vanila and caramel/fleur de sel macaroons since the time of your last report?

[VivreManger]

Living far from Wegmans and not having been back to Paris since, I can't answer your questions. I hope to get to Paris this spring -- London is in the fall -- and perhaps then I can help.

Edited September 1, 2003 by VivreManger (log)

[Matthew Grant]

22/10/03

Lunch at Sketch yesterday was very enjoyable and could almost tempt me back for the carte in the evening.

3 courses for lunch is £48

Starters were 5 small dishes

Various peasant amuse were served while we chose from the menu before the main event.

Starters:

Paimpol white bean veloute with tomato concasse, sweet onions, fresh coconut and scallop moussline – fantastic

Roasted endive with watercress and braised radish – dull. The watercress wasn’t at all peppery and the dish was under seasoned.

Baby Aubergine and roasted figs was served in a sweet shortcrust pastry, very simple but a good combination that worked surprisingly well.

Vinegar infused sweet and sour jelly with beetroot sorbet was outstanding. I would have happily eaten a bowl of the vinegary jelly.

Aigullette of smoked duck with fine carrot puree perfumed with cumin and orange was a little run of the mill. It is only referring back to the menu that made me realise that the sauce was a simple orange sauce. The duck was sliced a little thickly and served with baby spinach and rocket.

Mains:

Dover Sole “Meuniere” with parsley veloute, young vegetables and on a side plate macaroni gratin with mussels and curry. Rachel found the sole to be perfect, served in a bright green parsley veloute which tasted rich with butter. The Macaroni gratin and Mussels were served with a wonderfully French curry sauce (it reminded me of the leak and curry coulis in Michel Roux sauces book) which again was very rich.

Braised Knuckle of veal with baby cabbage, almond cream and potatoes comtesse – nothing complicated about this dish, melting veal knuckle eremoved from the bone served in the cooking juices which had a slightly sweet edge. Excellent potatoes cooked in stock with mushroom,

Four desserts were very good and included a fantastic beer ice cream and a fennel ice cream which worked superbly. A dish, which I forget, was paired with mint and vervaint (?) – outstanding. Excuse my vagueness on the dessets but I found them to be very good, I was so perplexed by the mint and vervaint though that my mind seems to have blanked out the other good things.

The wine list is horrendously priced, hardly a bottle under the £40 mark. Service was friendly but not as polished as I would have liked in a restaurant of this quality, waiters were friendly but didn’t know the preparations very well and clearly hadn’t worked in Michelin restaurants before (one came from Caviar House). However they did take the napkin test to new levels by replacing them after the main course without us even having to leave the table.

Overall it was very interesting and some elements were outstanding, I would return for the evening if it wasn’t so expensive.

[MobyP]

Thanks for posting that.

I reckon you would save money on dinner by getting yourself a reservation in Paris, and have Gagnaire in the kitchen to boot.

It's still expensive, but the experience was spectacular.

[Matthew Grant]

According to my waiter Gagnaire is onsite once or twice a week.

[paulbrussel]

The two interesting reports seem to indicate that actually the three course lunch consists of about 5 starters and 2 main courses and 4 desserts?

Is it much comparable to Pierre Gagnaire himself? (Because Gagnaire offers such a lunch as well.)

(Anyway, now I am puzzled whether I should go to Sketch instead of Pied à Terre, in a couple of weeks.)

EDIT: And are the wines really very expensive here? If I read elsewhere: "half bottle of 1989 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande at £135 " which was last year at RHR 110 £ and in my favourite one star restaurant in Brussels 55 € (of 1988, I must admit, but there is not much of a difference; last year it still costed 38 € though and I have been drinking this superb wine several times for the 38 €), I think it is really very expensive...

Edited October 24, 2003 by paulbrussel (log)

[Matthew Grant]

EDIT: And are the wines really very expensive here? If I read elsewhere: "half bottle of 1989 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande at £135 " which was last year at RHR 110 £ and in my favourite one star restaurant in Brussels 55 € (of 1988, I must admit, but there is not much of a difference; last year it still costed 38 € though and I have been drinking this superb wine several times for the 38 €), I think it is really very expensive...

In monetary terms it may not sound much but at Sketch the wine is 23% more than GR@RHR which al;redy has a hefty mark up on the wine.

[paulbrussel]

Indeed: very expensive then! Well, if the meal is rather cheap, it doesn't make much of a difference.

Although lunch at RHR is 35 £ for three courses. And I had a bottle of good Saint-Véran there for 28 £.

But Matthew, are you able to say anything about my two first questions, or are you not able to compare Sketch with PaT or Gagnaire?

[Scott]

EDIT: And are the wines really very expensive here? If I read elsewhere: "half bottle of 1989 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande at £135 " which was last year at RHR 110 £ and in my favourite one star restaurant in Brussels 55 € (of 1988, I must admit, but there is not much of a difference; last year it still costed 38 € though and I have been drinking this superb wine several times for the 38 €), I think it is really very expensive...

Paul,

not trying to be funny, but there is quite a difference between the PLL 1989 + 1988. The estate really could have done much better in 1988, though the vintage does lack a little charm anyways. the tannins are too hard imo.

the 1989 is a great success, and worthy of a much higher price.

though obviously not those prices.

Edited October 24, 2003 by Scott (log)

[paulbrussel]

Yes well, I had both this year. But I drank the 1988 out of a half bottle, the 1989 out of a magnum, the latter having been opened about 3 hours before I drank something out of it. After that I thought that I liked the 1988 more, although indeed the 1989 is considered to be better.

I must admit that after a while in the glass, the 1989 opened more, but still.

And I also do admit that half a bottle and a magnum, you should not compare.