AFTERNOON TEA AT SKETCH, LONDON

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello VictoriaBefore moving to London, I started following a couple bloggers, to see where the good places to eat, shop, and visit were. One of those bloggers is Rosie at The Londoner, and she’s pretty much a go-to resource for places to eat around London, as well as other cities around the world (she travels A LOT!) A place she’s mentioned a few times, and that I have been dying to visit, is Sketch in Mayfair, and especially their afternoon tea in the gallery.

I’m definitely not a girly, girl… but there’s something quite awesome about this room. Almost every surface is pale pink, including the plush velvet booths, and even the barware (in rose gold). It’s pretty much like Instagram heaven for the social media generation, no? I like the dichotomy of the decor – it’s all pale pink and girly, but then has these strange mordant sketches lining the walls, with matching ceramic serving ware.

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

the drawings on the wall are unusual, to say the least – we found a few that made us laugh while we enjoyed our tea

So this past Easter weekend, we finally managed to book a table (thanks Richard!!!), and it was definitely worth it! I mean, afternoon tea is quite pricey no matter where you go (and I mean priceeey), but it’s an experience – and we made sure to milk it. And I mean that literally, as we’re both huge fans of the ol’ ‘builder’s tea’, with plenty of milk and sugar…

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

The afternoon tea we picked started with an introduction by one of their staff, as to how the afternoon would unfold. It began with someone explaining all the teas to us (four pages of options) and we would each pick a pot of tea. As the stuff is unlimited we tried to make a dent in all the options. I think by the end of our time there we had tried a combined 7-8 teas, but we could definitely have tried more. If only our bellies could have handled more of the hot liquid…

After the tea arrived, we were served our little “eggy soldiers”, which weren’t actually eggs at all! Well, they had 68° egg yolks, but the ‘whites’ were actually a sort of cheese fondue! I only wish they had given us more bread to dip in it…

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

Shortly after the eggs arrived, we were greeted by the caviar man! I kind of wish I had taken a photo of him, as he’s the dapper waiter I ever seen. The pale pink suit, Panama hat, and all. His job is basically to come around and give everyone a small spoon of caviar! No joke.

I’ll be honest, I don’t understand the appeal of caviar, and doubt I ever will. So many other things I would rather eat for less money…

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

I ordered a pink tea made of hibiscus because it seemed appropriate! (apparently, this is what ghosts look like?)

After our caviar and eggs were removed, it was time for our wee tower of treats! And not just a tower of treats, but one where we could ask for more of anything we desired. Which, of course, we did! The coronation chicken sandwiches were delightful, as were the little rhubarb cheesecake pots. However, my favorite item of both myself and Richard had to be the little pistachio choux! Most pistachio flavoring out there contains a hefty dose of almond flavor, and can taste quite artificial… but not these! Oh no, these were almost savory, like peanut butter, in how true the pistachio taste was.

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

We definitely ordered a second batch of those!

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

And then, after you’ve had a few rounds of desserts from the tower, there are the scones. Complete, of course, with clotted cream and jam! I still need to get a fail-safe scone recipe, so that I can greet Richard with them as he arrives home. Or I can just take inspiration from the little tea cups and buy them instead…

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

Finally, when you are fit to burst with tea, they offer you a selection of desserts from the cart, this day including Victoria’s sponge cake, and banana loaf. As though you need any more to eat… or drink for that matter! All that tea meant that I found myself often needing to use the washroom… but maybe that was just because of how unusual it was?

Now, you might be thinking that the gallery at Sketch is probably the coolest room there (with all that pink, on pink, on pink), but it’s not! Weirdly enough, the best room in the house is the toilet!

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

Up those curving stairs, you will find the most unique little cubicle toilets you ever seen. Ask anyone who’s been to Sketch, and they will agree, the toilets are awesome. Each room at Sketch is conceived by a different designer, so no two really go together.

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

Today these little egg spaceship toilets were decorated with living nests of daffodils and hyacinths for Easter! And just in case you ever visit for afternoon tea, the left side of the room is for the gents, and the right is for the ladies. Not well labeled, but the lights up the stairs on either side are blue or pink. I got told off for trying to enter a man’s egg…

How was I supposed to know? It’s a crazy unisex futuristic bathroom!

Afternoon tea at Sketch London | Hello Victoria

All in all, it was a lovely three-ish hour of afternoon tea, spent trying to see how much delicious cake and treats I could fit in my belly. And let me tell you, it’s quite a lot!

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