Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library
A Whimsical Dive into the World of Alice in Wonderland in London, UK
As I was heading to the airport last Friday night, I got a message from an old friend:
“You up to anything this weekend?”
“On my way to London.”
“Cool. Meet you there.”
Getting into the air, I looked around for a restaurant for lunch on Saturday, and the only one that was able to accommodate at short notice was Sketch. Now, Sketch isn’t one restaurant, it’s a historical building housing five different venues, all whimsical and together, they are themed a bit like Alice in Wonderland. We managed to get a reservation to the flagship restaurant, The Lecture Room and Library.
Originally opened in 2003, Sketch was founded by entrepreneur Mourad Mazouz, with contributions from the acclaimed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, The Lecture Room and Library has been helmed by Chef Daniel Stucki, earning and defending three Michelin Stars from 2019 to now.
Walking in on a dreary London morning from the Mayfair neighborhood is like stepping into a Lewis Carroll novel - bright colours, child-like designs, and a surprise around each corner.
Waiting for a third friend who lived in London, we took a look around the building, walking past other restaurants like the forest-themed Glade.
Into the washroom, which contained alien egg pods and neon pastel lighting.
A futuristic bar directly beneath the alien egg pods, completely empty at noon.
After our adventure and upon arrival of our late friend, we returned to the front of house, and we were led past a paperclip barrier to the first floor restaurant.
Up the stairs and past a few more oddities, and into a high-ceilinged dining hall.
After being seated into plush velvet armchairs, we were immediately presented with the champagne cart. We went with a bottle of the 2015 La Grande Dame Rose, chosen somewhat at random, and we were off to the races with the lunch tasting menu.
An assortment of canapes, three presented centrally on the table:
A lightly poached mussels topped with a thick and very British-style yellow curry sauce
A creamy Stracciatella ice cream topped with shreds of crispy salted ham
A sour seabass cerviche with passionfruit, served in a passionfruit rind
The canapes continued with a small plate of tiny amuse bouche placed in front of each diner, as well as a beetroot and goat cheese mousse, which is a classic combination, and very light and fluffy with a hit of salt from the goat cheese.
Our friend was the best sommelier of the group, my palate only being sophisticated enough to tell red from white, and he ordered a unique Chablis from Vaudesir, served in the longest decanter I have ever seen in my life.
The appetizer course had three components:
A single scoop of oyster ice cream, with slices of frozen banana, topped with a little basil chiffonade and olive oil. Briny, a little fishy, umami and cold. Didn’t expect oysters and banana to work well together, but surprisingly good.
Cured sea bream on a cauliflower puree, with a bit of seaweed for texture and crunch. Not bad, tasted exactly like what you’d expect.
A mix of grapefruit gel, seared scallops and chervil leaves. Quite neat. I didn’t get a lot of scallop in this one.
Moving on to more hearty dishes, next dish was a filet of dover sole, tightly wrapped with a buckwheat crepe on a bed of seaweed and black olives, topped with some sea herbs.
On the side was a cup of sea urchin bisque topped with some creme fraiche with a single piece of sea urchin inside. I did not expect to like the bisque so much - I ended up finishing two cups of it - mine, and my friend’s who didn’t like sea urchin. An unexpected highlight for me.
The meat course was a slices of Creedy carver duck, wrapped in a grilled hispi cabbage leaf served with some grilled Brussel sprouts, kumquat and Chinese artichoke. Served on the side was a lamb’s lettuce salad with slices of black truffle topping some Delica pumpkin chutney.
Lots of things going on for dessert.
A passionfruit gel on a biscuit on a bed of rocket and candied fruit with a bit of mustard-like pungency
A pink grapefruit marmalade coating a piece of baked rum baba
A piece of sponge roll, with Caraibe chocolate
Dessert didn’t really resonate with me. Perhaps I was less focused on the food than usual, given how long it’s been since I’ve spent time with my friends.
An assortment of petit fours, which involved orange gels, raspberry chocolates and coconut Turkish delights.
Overall, the savory dishes were a huge hit. My personal highlight was the sea urchin bisque, but the dover sole, and duck dishes were amazing as well. The appetizer and desserts I wasn’t a huge fan of, and from a culinary perspective, I found it a bit lacking, both in execution and the quantity of food. I’ve been to The Lecture Room and Library for dinner before, and I found that the dinner service is much more elaborate and refined (and significantly more expensive). Regardless, a good meal with old friends at a unique London destination and somewhere I always look forward to returning.
Total damage: 1200 GBP/3 people