Being an ex-Londoner means I regularly pine after London life, and the excitement the city brings. I'm often in London for work which gives me a chance to run riot for an evening in my past stomping ground. Last Tuesday one of my favourite bitches, Amy, was also being a business woman in London; so after work we decided to catch up over dinner and cocktails.
One of the main things I miss about London, is heading to a different bar every night to catch up with a different friend. Although that did mean constant bankruptcy and a constant minor hangover. Some things never change.
We decided to check out Sketch in Mayfair which has had rave reviews. After a couple of overpriced but delicious cocktails in a swanky hotel bar, we headed over for our two hour slot in The Gallery, which is a barbie candy floss dream world. Pink basically. Very, very pink.
As you walk in through the entrance, so many interesting things draw you in. Firstly there's a hopscotch drawn on the floor which you obviously have to go on. Be a child. Live a little. As you walk further in and down the stairs to the Gallery, you pass the entrance to the two Michelin starred restaurants upstairs. This stairway is covered in red paint to make it look like a gruesome murder scene. Very cool!
On the right hand side as you walk through the restaurant door is a ceiling to floor vending machine which sells the crockery used in Sketch, designed by David Shrigley. Again, very cool.
We were the first ones in that evening and were welcomed by a beautiful man who led us to our pink table of dreams. After a couple of cocktails we managed to decide from the delicious options on the menu, ordered a bottle of red and settled down to chat the night away.
Amy has been one of my best friends since college and we have got ourselves into many hilarious and awkward situations in our time. Every time we meet up, we spend the whole time laughing until our faces hurt, reminiscing about all of the trouble we've caused. She also loves travel, so we sit telling stories and giggling over countless glasses of red for hours on end.
Our first course came out which made me dribble just looking at it. Myself and Amy both went for a dish called 'Chantilly Lace: black rice, basmati rice, lobster bisque, red pepper and horseradish cream' NEED I SAY MORE. It was one of the tastiest things I've ever put in my mouth and we couldn't even talk it was so divine. Lobster is up there on my list of life favourites and it did not dissapoint.
Main course came and was just as delightful. I went for crispy hake with Cornish mussel velouté, tarragon, barlotti beans and heirloom tomatoes. Again, GOOD GOD IT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. I used a spoon to ensure all sauce was in my face and I didn't leave a drop. Amy decided on oregano scented, salt-marsh Yorkshire lamb with aubergine caviar and black olive. We were both so wrapped up in a love affair with our own choices so I'm not sure I even asked how Amy's was, but it looked bloody splendid.
After we were full, content and a little tipsy we took it in turns to check out the toilets (I could live in them). You walk up some shiny white stairs which are glowing with pink lights, into a room full of white pods. Inside, they make different noises as if you are in a spaceship or in a rainforest. Incredible. And a wonderful excuse to take the classic Sketch selfie.
Our two hours were nearly up so we had just enough time to wolf down some macarons, finish our wine and decide if we should ask for the beautiful man who welcomed us in's number. We didn't. Damn.
I highly recommend Sketch, for the toilets alone really. It was an evening of superb food, wonderful wine and such beautiful company. What more does a girl need?
