London, England: Afternoon Tea At Sketch
Afternoon tea should have been high up on our list of things to do when we moved to London but it seemed to have slipped far off and out of our radar. One of those—we'll get to it eventually—things. After making my way to Sketch last year with a fellow blogger to enjoy The Glade part of the restaurant, I knew I needed to eventually go back with Rico to get the full experience of afternoon tea in The Gallery. The (mostly) all pink restaurant may look familiar to you since it's a pretty hot spot to Instagram. I wouldn't be surprised if it was in some top lists—I've seen it pop up quite a bit AND after all, it truly is beautifully weird.
When we decided to go to The Wallace Collection, it made sense to pair the day up with a trip to Sketch as well. The restaurant opened its doors in 2002 and isn't an easy one to get into. While I was able to walk into The Glade on a weekday mid-afternoon, The Gallery is a whole other story. It took weeks of excessively checking their weekend reservation availability so if you are interested, you know what you need to do—stalk that website like it's your job. I promise you it will be worth it in the end, though. The magical pink space is a treat to sit in and we enjoyed some of the best tea of our lives (blackcurrant hibiscus—see my mmm this is good face below, ha). The experience was nothing but pleasant and the staff had to be some of the sweetest people around London.
With the afternoon tea, you get a selection of finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets. It was relaxing to sit back, sip our tea, and enjoy each others company as the food came out at our own pace. You get a chance to really appreciate the surroundings. Of course, the one thing that is hard to miss is all the art and design that has gone into making this place so unique. From the sketches hung around by David Shrigley to the chairs by India Madhavi—all of Sketch is so purposely put together. The Gallery has morphed a few different times—each completely different from the last (check it out here). To me, this restaurant is art within itself as it transports you to its whimsical worlds.
While we stayed in The Gallery during this visit, each of the spaces inside Sketch offered a different feel—even the bathroom that you can see and wonder about below. The first time I stepped in there I thought my pod was literally going to take off as it began counting down like a space ship. It provided for some good laughs after. There isn't a corner that was left plain when the concept was put together and then created (even the website). With a team of chiefs and designers, Mourad Mazouzz and Pierre Gagnaire brilliantly put this place together.
Afternoon tea here has made its way onto a list of recommendations we keep for friends coming to visit. It's so unique to London and gives off such a different feel than the typical tourist attractions around the city that focus more on history. Sketch is all about experience and pulling in the quirky art culture that exists.
For more information, check the Sketch website.
