Sketch,
Lecture Room, 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG
12/08/2014
She
said: I had good news and wanted a special place to share and celebrate this good
thing. Sketch Lecture Room had been on my radar for a while but his aversion to
Sketch, which he thought was pretentious had kept it at bay. However, following
his recent conversion after our afternoon tea in Sketch Gallery, and despite
his initial push towards another destination, he suddenly favoured the two
Michelin Star Lecture Room. In short, I was blown away. Let start with the
room: pure luxury at every turn. Rich autumnal colours, velvety sheen, stunning
glass dome letting in sunlight which threw further magic across the room. Just
exquisite. It could be so easy in such a place for the service to be affected
but it was quite the opposite; friendly, attentive and delivered in a way that
made you feel so very special. The food the piece de la resistance. No write-up
can do it justice – and we were ‘just’ having the Gourmet Rapide: three courses
for £40 including coffee and petits fours. The food presentation was a work of
art and the substance delicious if a bit petit (but that meant room for all the
different bits we were presented with). I liked the recommendations of which
order to have various bits of the starters in (they were presented in a set of
three) and all the amuse bouche and fresh bread with citrus butter. I loved
that when they brought me my sparkling apple juice, they presented the bottle
to me like a rare vintage as I nodded politely. The three different desserts
were equally appetising and the petit fours original (though I did miss that
old crowd pleaser: chocolate). By the time we left the place was almost full.
Sketch Lecture Room is a special place. A complete experience.
He
said: The Lecture Room is the only place I can remember going to where the
12.5% service charge seems like an absolute bargain. From the second you arrive
to the second you leave you feel like a prince, with a battalion of foot
soldiers drilled to perfection to make you feel like you’re gliding through the
clouds on your magic carpet. And they’re all French! If you ever wondered, on
holidays, why the French are such bastards it’s because all the good ones also couldn’t
take it there and moved to London instead, most of them working at The Lecture
Room. And you can see why: the building is a pretty special place, very French,
in its goofy, surreal maxiness; this is what I imagine the restaurant in Michel
Gondry’s head looks like. The Lecture room is the more traditional of all the
various spaces in this giant eating emporium (the biggest in London?) –more of
the neoclassical vibe of the building comes through, but it’s still got some
wild touches, like the very Goth bathroom. The tables are very widely spaced,
which is good for your plutocratic self-image but also for the champagne
trolley (!) to be wheeled-in moments after you sit down. We opted for the mini
tasting menu, which meant 8 or so small plates, more than I can remember, but
all very visually pleasing and tasty. This is definitely food which has been
handled in the kitchen, literally; if this is one of your phobias (my jury is
still out on this one) then you might be visualizing germs everywhere, which
will impede your ability to appreciate how nice it all looks on the plate. The
Lecture Room is a great place for a long, indulgent lunch or dinner. Another
pleasant surprise from Sketch!
No comments:
Post a Comment