AFTERNOON TEA AT SKETCH
For my birthday last year, my best friend Aoife treated me to afternoon tea at sketch. Anyone vaguely familiar with sketch will know it is the Mecca of Instagram, the social-media-influencer's millennial pink field of dreams. And it's easy to see why, the aesthetics are really dreamy. The setup is classic, yet edgy, with art by David Shrigley's lining the walls. And let's no forgot the dome ceiling and those geometric floor tiles *drools*.
I went with the vegan option and was pleasantly surprised with how everything tasted. Not that I expected it to be bad, but you just never know when people create vegan versions of things (I usually prefer to stick with things that were made to be vegan from the beginning). You start with caviar (or cauliflower "caviar" if you're veggie), brought by the Caviar Man. Yes, that is how he introduced himself to us and my understanding is his sole job is to bring people caviar. He was wearing a delightful pink suit. Then they bring you sandwiches and cake (you can ask for more sandwiches if you want, which we did, of course). After all that, they bring you a scone with jam. And then some chocolate torte to finish things up. The only thing that wasn't so great was the vegan scone, it was just super dry. But everything else was delicious and I felt they had put thought into the vegan alternatives.
You also get to choose what tea you want. I went with lemon and ginger and it so good. I also LOVED the teapot and cup. Even though the vibe cool, but it is a definitely a fancy place; I mean, there was even some people playing violins in the corner. And did I mention there is a Caviar Man? There isn't a dress code but I would suggest dressing up a little, nothing over the top, just not something super casual. I will also note that the staff were super nice to us, which I've found isn't always the case in fancy places.
I don't know if it's weird to include a picture of the bathrooms but they are INSANE. The toilets are in these pods and it's all very trippy. The ceiling is stained glass so all this colourful light bounces around the place as you wondering through the pods trying to figure out which ones are empty and how to get into them.
All in all, it was a great experience. I know it's pricy (£59 per person for the classic afternoon tea), but I do think it's worth it if you have the money and love some Instagram interiors. I would love to do it again next time I'm in London!
Jane x
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