Afternoon Tea at Sketch London
When my sister in law asked me if I wanted an afternoon date in London, I was obviously never going to say no. We decided to go to Afternoon Tea at Sketch London. You see, Sketch is one of those popular, instagrammable spots. One of those that everyone books because of its pink interiors and unique toilets. Or so I thought. This meant that we did not really give it much chance. I suppose, we just thought it would be a cute, girly day out regardless of where we were having tea.
Spoiler. We absolutely loved it. I think we were caught by surprise as soon as we stepped into this popular yet mysterious spot.
Reservation
My sister in law reserved our spot via the website.
Afternoon Tea is served between 11.30am and 4.30pm on Mondays to Sundays. We initially booked the 1.30pm slot but as we had arrived Oxford Street sooner, we rang to rearrange. Thankfully, they were able to accommodate us at noon.
When we got there, it was half full but by the time we were leaving, every seat was occupied. Although it was a weekday, it was clear that Afternoon Tea at Sketch London is still quite popular.
Location
Sketch is located on 9 Conduit Street, W1S 2XG. Conduit street is off the popular Regent’s street in London so it’s quite easy to find. The Afternoon Tea we went to is served in the popular pink room, The Gallery.
Ambiance
This might be my favourite thing about Afternoon tea at Sketch London. Ok, not favourite; probably my 2nd fave. Afternoon Tea came with a live classical string trio and it was wonderful. The 3 ladies sat not quite far from our table and played melody after melody. Some melodies I recognised, others were quite new to me. All were beautifully strung.
The Gallery, where tea is served, is the most beautiful dusty pink room you will ever see. Probably why it is so famous on Instagram. There are a lot of quirky art pieces adorning the walls and a fabulous bar at its head. Sketch London is a grown up spot, which I absolutely loved. It felt like a fancy and semi dressed up sit down tea.
The Menu
Now this was definitely my favourite part of the entire experience. We went for the classic afternoon tea; “homemade and served sketch-style”.
We started with tea; we both asked for plain ol’ English breakfast tea. Then, the “1st course” was caviar from Bordeaux, cheesy toast and egg gougère.
Next entrée was the spread of sandwiches; it really was the most delicious spread of sandwiches. Coronation chicken, cucumber & asparagus, salmon & ricotta, and truffle brioche bun. The best thing about this selection was that we could order over and over for as long as our time permitted. My favourite was the coronation chicken and we ordered this 2 more times. The petits gateaux were a mélange of sweet treats including a purple marshmallow!
Afterwards, it was scone time! We had the choice of plain or sultana scones and we both went for plain. It was warm, just as I like my scones and we had some clotted cream and jam for spreads.
Just as we thought that was the end, the biggest slice of Victoria sponge cake arrived. Even though I was full by then, I had to make space for the beauty of a cake I had sighted from afar. It was just as I had thought, GLORIOUS. Cakes should be moist. I really don’t care what sort of cake it is; it has one job, to be moist. And that was what this cake was giving me. Mel took hers to go and I wished I had asked for extra.
Service
We had the loveliest waiter and she was just so sweet. As soon as she realised Mel was pregnant, she made sure to explain that the eggs were British Lion eggs. Apparently, pregnant women are advised to stick to only British Lion eggs. You learn something new everyday. She offered a vegan version of caviar (something to do with cauliflower, I think). The waiter also explained how much caffeine was in the tea and generally catered to us based on Mel’s situation. I found it quite sweet, intentional and impressive.
Value For Money
It cost £60 per person and honestly, it might be the best value for money afternoon tea we have ever had. I will be honest that I never expect much from afternoon teas. Afternoon teas to me are just fun dates, which I hardly ever go to on an empty stomach. Most times, they aren’t so filling and frankly, not worth the exorbitant prices. However, Afternoon tea at Sketch London is a totally different experience. The fact that we could reorder sandwiches for the entire time we were there was amazing.
Other than the basic afternoon tea, which we had, there are so many others to choose from. The British sparkling afternoon tea is quite a popular one; I noted that was what most people were having. However, the champagne afternoon tea caught my eye but Mel is pregnant so we decided to stick to tea only. There is also a sparkling grape juice afternoon tea, which is an alcohol free option. So, as you can tell, so many options to choose from.
In Conclusion...
Afternoon Tea at Sketch London was fabulous. It was fancy, fun and fantastic. I’m really bringing out all the Fs for this post lol but that’s really how we felt. For a location I gave little chance to, believing it was just another Instagram location, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Since I tend to rate my brunch and afternoon tea experiences, I will give this a 4.5 out of 5. I’m saving the .5 just because I don’t ever give a full 5 stars lol but tbh, nothing was amiss with this one. It was worth the money and everything else.
What else to look out for? The toilets! How bizarre that I’m telling you to check the toilets out but trust me, you need to see it. I had seen so many photos but was not prepared for the real thing. It is EPIC! I’ll end my post here *drops mic or perhaps, pen*
Until I find another Afternoon Tea spot worth writing about….
Bisous, ‘Bugo x
