Sketch, Lecture Room, 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG

Sketch, Lecture Room, 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG

www.sketch.uk.com

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!