Sketch is at the top of the game when it comes to afternoon tea. To be honest, I have been a bit obsessed with it ever since it was included in Vogue’s guide for best afternoon tea in London for 2018. An iconic pink plush heaven in the middle of Mayfair, with playful illustrations by David Shrigley and a quintessentially British afternoon tea experience? Plus it blooms every May to host the Mayfair Flower Show? Naturally, I couldn’t resist adding it to My Ultimate London Bucket List.
So on one of the most glorious sunny days of this year’s early May Bank Holiday weekend, we finally headed west to 9 Conduit Street to one of the most instagrammable spots in London. You can find our Sketch afternoon tea review below!
First Impressions
*gasp* Sketch is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Luxury screams from the very beginning: the 18th century building it calls home was the former RIBA headquarters, before later becoming Christian Dior’s London Atelier. Now, the two Michelin Star restaurant welcomes you with a cheeky hopscotch at its entrance, while its signature afternoon tea china (full of playful inscriptions and designed by David Shrigley) shines from down the hall. Before you realise it, you are led by professional staff (dressed in pink or bright attire, of course) to one of its stunning rooms: the Lecture Room & Library, the Parlour, the Glade, the East Bar or the afternoon tea room, the Gallery.
The Sketch Gallery has to be one of the most beautiful dining rooms I have ever seen. It is the ultimate rosé nirvana. The cosmopolitan décor and chic interiors feature pink velvet seats with golden details, while the equally pink candy floss walls turn this luxury hotspot into a Pink Wonderland. The flamingo from Farm Girl Café would totally be at home here!
If this wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with Sketch already, you’ll find yourself giggling at the multitude of humorous sketches by David Shrigley that cover the walls and humming to the live music coming from the violins playing in a corner. During Mayfair Flower Show, this luxury hotspot goes the extra mile and turns into an indoor garden with hundreds of flowers welcoming visitors at the entrance and creating a vibrant jungle in the toilets.
Oh and the toilets at Sketch. With or without flowers, those are simply UNBELIEVABLE. Long white staircases on each side of the East Bar lead to a multitude of extravagant egg shaped cubicles, while bright-coloured tiles cover the ceiling and create a sci-fi style atmosphere.
A sophisticated British afternoon tea with a quirky twist
Now, let’s talk about the most important bit: the food. Sketch’s afternoon tea menu is of course at the highest standards. With a quirky touch, it offers you the choice to go for either a traditional, alcohol free sparkling/bellini (like us) or champagne afternoon tea (poured OVERHEAD!).
After you’ve made your choice and selected from the variety of teas (you can try as many as you wish and refill), the afternoon tea goes something like this:
- The caviar man, dressed in a pink suit and equally elegant hat, brings the starters: caviar, cheese and sticks (a reinterpretation of the quintessential Egg and Soldiers).
- This is followed by a three-tier stand full of finger sandwiches and desserts:
- Coronation chicken, smoked salmon and Jacob’s cream, foie gras tartallete and our favourite – eggs truffle gougère!
- Caramel and chocolate éclairs, pear tarts, strawberry Battenberg cake.
- Cheesecake and violet marshmallow.
- You finish with scones of your choice (plain or sultana) served with Cornish clotted cream, fig and strawberry organic jams, and a piece of Victoria Sponge cake to complete your quirky afternoon tea.
Now, the best part is you can ask the staff to refill the stand as many times as you want. I would absolutely recommend you do because everything is just TOO GOOD not to try again. Plus, you can take home anything you haven’t eaten. Did I ask for a bag for my leftover food? Hell yes! I can’t say I have tasted anything like it before, so obviously, I had to have more. Simply delicious.
Verdict of Sketch
I honestly have no objections, we had the most delightful of times at Sketch. From the very beginning, we were welcomed by extremely professional staff who were not only friendly and helpful, but make you feel at home and spoilt at all times. This, mixed with the creative and inviting décor and the exquisite meals, builds an absolutely delightful atmosphere. I am beyond happy I crossed it off my London Bucket List and I cannot recommend it enough. Seriously! If you are fan of food (erm, who isn’t anyway, right?), are looking for a fancy and unforgettable experience or want to just share a special moment with someone, add Sketch to your list. But make sure you book in advance!
Have you been to Sketch before? If so, what was your favourite part of the experience? Or where was the best afternoon tea you’ve experienced? Has our Sketch afternoon tea review inspired you to visit? Let us know in the comments below.
G.x
Sketch | 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG, UK | Telephone: 020 7659 4500 sketch.london
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Looks like you had such a fab time! The interiors are amazing and the food looks pretty decent too! I think Sketch is every bloggers dream, I know I would love to go!
Grace x
http://www.gracebee.co.uk
Omg I just cannot recommend this place enough! It is so dreamy, and the food is unbelievable! A must for afternoon tea lovers 🙂
x
Everything about this place looks amazing, I’m so so jealous. The food looks incredible and the toilets, what the heck!
Shevy
http://moonsomnia.com
Haha, the toilets are so bizarre! I was actually told off for mistakenly going into the men’s because they all look exactly the same!
x
this place looks so fancy and nice, I love a good old afternoon afternoon tea too! I’ll have to make a note of it for somewhere to eat in London on a special occasion x
Definitely do so! The food is amazing and I guarantee you’ll love every single bit of it 🙂
x
I’ve seen this place all over Instagram at the minute, it looks so beautiful. The afternoon tea looks and sounds incredible. Will have to put on my list for next time i’m in London!
Amy x
http://www.whatamysays.com
You’ll love it! I cannot imagine anyone going and not liking it. Even my boyfriend couldn’t stop talking about it!
x
Oh this sounds like a wonderful place for a tea! I wish we had this kind of a tea culture in Finland too, haha 😀
It is a must when you visit London, or just Britain in general! But Finland is awesome too, I am so jealous of your pastries! We definitely need more pulla in the UK 🙂
x
This place looks so pretty! I’m so in love with that wall full of frames!! And the orange color vibes. This actually gives me the impression of dining on space, for some reason! Love your post :)x
Oh thank you! It is way prettier in real life, trust me! 🙂 x
Wow! What an afternoon tea! The place and food all look delicious, I would definitely go for seconds like you did. I’m not sure I would be able to eat the caviar but I would give everything a go.
I have just found the next place I want to have afternoon tea.
Aimsy xoxo
I believe you can choose to have your Egg and Soldiers without the caviar, actually! But I am sure you will enjoy the rest of the food as much as we did! Yumm 🙂
x
I’m craving tea sandwiches now! This place is so neat, what a cool concept! Those bathrooms are insane! I don’t know how I would feel being in one, haha!
The cubicles were quite claustrophobic haha! It kinda reminded me of something between a plane toilet and a time machine!
x.
Wow this looks amazing! A fantastic location for a special time. Thanks for sharing 🙂
http://www.mjw.wales
Oh thank you 🙂 It is really nice, I couldn’t recommend it enough!
x.
I NEED to visit this place as soon as I can, it is certainly at the top of my bucket list for instagrammable places haha! You’re photography is beautiful too.
Lily x
Thank you for the lovely comment 🙂 I can’t get enough of how cute and chic Sketch is!
x.
This seems like such a lovely place to visit. For sure on the bucket list if I ever end up that way!
Absolutely! definitely pay a visit if you have the opportunity!
x.
Ugh your pictures are amazing! My shitty iPhone did not do well with the lighting. Guess I’ll have to go back!
Hahaha, absolutely! Any excuse is good to go back 🙂 x
Good Lord this place looks amazing! Definitely somewhere I would want to visit.
Lizzie Florence | http://www.lizzieflorence.com
I love it too! I couldn’t recommend it enough x
The food and the decor look amazing.
They do, it’s even better in real life! x
OMG!! As a pink fanatic, I absolutely fell in love with this place just by looking at the pictures. We’re maybe travelling to London next year and I’m definitely putting this on my bucket list. And as weird as this may sound, I can’t wait to experience those toilets first hand!! I love tea, new foods, fancy places and the color pink. What more could a girl ask for?! Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed reading this post. xx
Awe thank you so much for the lovely comment! I would recommend booking one month in advance, as places tend to be booked pretty quickly! I have no doubt that you will fall in love with it even more in person 🙂 x
I’d love to eat at Sketch at some point, I’m obsessed with anything pink and the food looks delicious!
It’s like this cute pink palace and everything from décor to food is on point! I am sure you’d love it 🙂
You are soooo on the mark! I could not agree more! My daughter and I were fortunate enough to be in London during Mayfair… Can you imagine???!!! May is my birthday month and it was a “milestone” birthday for me. As a gift, my daughter booked reservations for “Sketch” during Mayfair. When she made the reservation, it was months prior to the announcement of the Royal wedding of Meghan and Harry. As fate would have it, the reservation was the weekend they married! Needless to say, Sketch was bursting with people yet the service and staff lived up to its reputation. Truly Outstanding! Sketch, by far, was one of the most memorable highlights of “The Most Extraordinary, Special, and Unforgettable Vacation” I’ve ever been apart of. God willing, I can hardly wait to go again!
Wow, that’s absolutely amazing! Sketch is truly an extraordinary place and your daughter couldn’t have picked a better place for your birthday! I am so happy you got to enjoy it as much as you did 🙂 Thank you for the lovely message and I hope you can visit again soon! x
I’ve always wanted to go to sketch but have never gotten around to it!
It looks like such a beautiful place and everything sounds incredible! 😊
Love Lozza xo
http://girlygabble.com
Oh you need to add it to your bucket list! x
This looks like a romantic place.
It’s really nice! x
Wow that’s one of the prettiest restaurants I’ve ever seen, loving the decor and pink details! That afternoon tea looks delicious too, I definitely have this on my London Bucket this now 🙂
Kate | http://www.katelovesx.co.uk/
Awe, I’m glad you liked it Kate! x
I am dyinggggg to try this place it’s so pretty !! x
It’s even better in person, trust me! x
Wow the decoration is so beautiful!! Looks like you had a great time x
It’s gorgeous isn’t it! x
This looks super classy, I’ll make sure I wear my best shoes when I go there! The toilets are unexpected, haha! Thanks for sharing your beautiful day with us.
Anthony @ greenmochila.wordpress.com
Thank you so much, Anthony!