Dining, or should I say drinking in the parlour of Sketch is like going out with that boyfriend who was so fun, so beautiful, so wild, and so different from the boring types you had been to before that you thought he might very well be the one. Your parents would disapprove, making him even more irresistible. Very quickly however, you realise he's just too loud, too trendy and at about £10 for a mere nibble, he's stealing from your wallet.
'Smash Capitalism' and 'Eat the Rich' declare canvases splashed across its walls in the parlour of its 18th century Mayfair establishment. Judging by the clientele here and its prices, an obviously ironic joke at themselves. Although they wouldn't admit to it, most eaters were clearly rich. Their jeans have that distressed look through the careful work of designers, not dodgy washing machines. Their get 'just got out bed' hair has taken hours and oodles of expensive styling products to create. In fact it would be wrong to describe the diners as eaters at all- portion sizes are minuscule and cocktails and tea are the order of the day.
But a damn fine cup of tea it was. Sketch may focus on drawing in the uber trendy types with its deafening house music beats or its sparkling crystal spider web in the girls' toilets, but they don''t loose sight about how to make a great cup of tea. I ordered the Margaret's Hope Darjeeling Second Flush. It arrived in flowery gilded teapot so chintzy to be trendy, with the leaves already removed. Whilst I do like to see what I am paying for, removing the leaves after brewing meant that the liquor was brewed to perfection, and I didn't have to rush to gulp it all down before it stewed. The Assam, Ceylon and Chai varieties were from specialist tea company, Jing, which is also a sign that Sketch takes its tea as seriously as it does the decor in its toilets.
Sketch is not a place for comfort eating, relaxing or a cheap bite. It is however fun, unique and like my Darjeeling, hugely refreshing. As a 28 year old tea lover, I am seen by many as a contradiction in terms and often find myself out of place in a sea of blue rinse set perms. Here at Sketch, I am not alone in my youth. Hoorah!
Sketch is the wild boyfriend that you swore you would never go back to. However it is just so fun, so beautiful and so young that you know that you will be seduced right back before you can say 'tea time'.
A lady waiting for the loo
Quality of tea: 9/10
Service: 6/10 (the waitresses were a bit too focused on the music, or perhaps they had gone deaf)
Ambiance: 8/10
Food: N/A (I didn't eat, neither did most around me)
Value: 6/10
Address: 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG, United Kingdom
Website: www.sketch.uk.com
For a look at the menu on a simpler website click here
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Fellow tea lover, thank you for letting me know what you think.