We recently visited Sketch for our end of term afternoon tea celebration. We were excited to see the newly refurbished room. The room was a wonderful shade of pink, and had beautiful features. The room was large, and as a result of the colour of the room, it was wonderful and light.
I am not usually one to comment on toilets, after all this is a food blog, but the toilets were certainly unique. Oval pods which had rainforest noises and information about frogs! I really liked them, they certainly added to the quirkiness of the restaurant. The beautiful stained class window really lit up the room well with wonderful colours.
Interesting crockery.
-Assorted finger sandwiches: smoked salmon and Jacob’s cream with cucumber, ricotta and asparagus, mozzarella and pesto croque monsieur, egg and mayonnaise, quail egg, caviar. My favourite was the mozzarella and pesto croque monsieur; it was nice to have a warm sandwich feature in the selection. My second favourite was the egg mayonnaise sandwich- it seemed to have mustard incorporated into the mayonnaise, which I felt really enhanced the flavour of the sandwich.
- Sultana or plain scone served with clotted cream, fig and strawberry homemade jam. Of all the afternoon teas I have had the scones were the best. They were large, with a wonderful crust on the outside, and warm and soft in the middle. The fig jam was a nice alternative to the usually strawberry jam.
- Selection of sketch pastries: old fashioned pistachio macaroon; this did not have the consistency of a traditional macaroon, it felt more doughy. I liked the pistachio in the pastry, and the filling of pistachio and raspberry.
- Almond and berry tartlet: Rich, buttery pastry, with fresh fruit and an almond base.
- Coffee éclair: Not so keen on the coffee éclair, I prefer a more traditional éclair.
-Strawberry cheesecake in a glass: Delicious- sharp strawberries, served on top of a creamy middle selection and shortbread biscuits on the top.
-Mousse malabar marshmallows and raspberry meringue. Not so keen on the marshmallows. I am not fond of marshmallows and I did not like the bubble gum taste of these. The raspberry meringues were lovely, nice and sharp which worked well with the sweet meringue.
- Sketch opera: This was probably my favourite cake of them all. Rich dark chocolate with a nice nutty praline.
The tea I chose was: blackcurrant and hibiscus: Vivid, intense and lively, with a rich spectrum of berry fruits, bright supporting acidity and a sweet, perfumed finish. I felt that it was a little sharp, but it did go well with the food.
Quality &
Presentation of the Food
The quality of the food is excellent. Every item was very flavoursome, and some interesting flavour combinations. The food was very well-presented. Although I was reasonably full by the end of the meal, I was surprised to see that none of the food or tea was replenished. This seems to be what some afternoon tea venues are doing in London, but at the very least our tea should have been topped up!
Service & Ambience
In my opinion the service could have been a lot better. When our afternoon tea came to the table it was missing some items, but they were later brought out. Surely it would have been better to bring everything out at once and then explain the items? Moreover, my friend nearly had her plate taken away before she had finished and when there was food still on the afternoon tea plates. Several waiters disturbed our conversations asking if we had ordered more tea, we would have loved more tea, but we had not been asked, nor were they for us. No one came to check whether we were okay.
I liked the ambience of the restaurant, it is really beautiful.
Value for Money
The afternoon tea came to £39 without champagne. I did like all the elements of the afternoon tea, but the service needs improving. I enjoyed the experience, but it is not a place I would hurry to go back to.
The quality of the food is excellent. Every item was very flavoursome, and some interesting flavour combinations. The food was very well-presented. Although I was reasonably full by the end of the meal, I was surprised to see that none of the food or tea was replenished. This seems to be what some afternoon tea venues are doing in London, but at the very least our tea should have been topped up!
Service & Ambience
In my opinion the service could have been a lot better. When our afternoon tea came to the table it was missing some items, but they were later brought out. Surely it would have been better to bring everything out at once and then explain the items? Moreover, my friend nearly had her plate taken away before she had finished and when there was food still on the afternoon tea plates. Several waiters disturbed our conversations asking if we had ordered more tea, we would have loved more tea, but we had not been asked, nor were they for us. No one came to check whether we were okay.
I liked the ambience of the restaurant, it is really beautiful.
Value for Money
The afternoon tea came to £39 without champagne. I did like all the elements of the afternoon tea, but the service needs improving. I enjoyed the experience, but it is not a place I would hurry to go back to.
Website: Sketch Afternoon Tea
Overall Rating:
No comments:
Post a Comment