Martin Creed has redesigned sketch's gallery restaurant. Ten years after its opening, John O' Ceallaigh finds that this is still one of the most visually enticing restaurants in London.
The Telegraph’s December 2002 review of sketch restaurant describes the premises as “the most controversial restaurant to open in the capital this year.” In the intervening decade restaurants have had to work harder to earn that distinction: opened some time after, Dans le Noir? in Clerkenwell invites diners to eat a mystery meal in pitch black surroundings, served by blind waiters; more generally in London the tedious no-booking phenomenon means it’s now sadly common for diners to queue, sometimes for hours, to spend their money in certain fashionable premises; trying their best to make a name for themselves, a number of establishments have introduced unusual new dining concepts – Bubbledogs in Fitrovia, for example, serves hot dogs and champagne.
So, ten years on, some things have changed but others hold true. When it opened sketch was proclaimed one of the country’s most decadent and beautifully designed dining spaces. In my opinion that’s still the case.
Just off Regent Street, the building that houses sketch was once the headquarters of the Institute of Architects and it has now been divided into a number of different dining spaces. The most opulent is the two Michelin-starred Lecture Room & Library. It’s perhaps best kept for a very special occasion – starters cost up to £46; one of the criticisms raised in that original review was the venue’s exceptional prices.
I was visiting sketch to celebrate a friend’s birthday but we see each other all the time so we had a bit of a heart-to-heart about how much we value each other and instead decided on a more casual get-together at the gallery. Described as a ‘gastro-brasserie’, this huge room is the more informal dining space and its current look has been conceived by Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed.
We were told by our waiter that he had been commissioned to spruce the space up to celebrate ten years of business – other notable artists will take on the role after him – and his concept for the interior was that no two objects would be the same. It sounds like a good gig for the artist – he came up with the idea and other people executed it. Diners will see that each plate, piece of cutlery, glass, table and seat is different but it was assistants who sourced the components after Creed presented his concept. Creed’s most notable recent project was his commission to mark the beginning of the Olympic Games, when people across the country were encouraged to ring a bell for three minutes from 8.12am on July 27.
At sketch, he was more directly involved in the installation of Work No. 1347, the gallery’s marble floor which is composed of 96 different types of marble and which is similar to his Scotsman Steps commission in Edinburgh. It looks beautiful, as do the myriad accoutrements that have combined to decorate the space. We reclined on pleasantly worn, fabric-covered seats while other diners sat into plump armchairs or plastic patio-style furniture; cocktails soon arrived in chunky goblets, coloured flutes or engraved tumblers. That element of agreeable, safe surprise was a nice addition to the evening, as were the drinks we were served. Friendly, competent waiters were able to guide us through the drinks list and cocktails were rustled up to suit our taste when we enquired about ordering off menu.
Deciding what to eat here is relatively straightforward, though. Starters, averaging £15, are technically complex but unpretentious. My companion had a fluffy haddock soufflé with crunchy salad, I went for a sprightly crab meat and cauliflower velouté with Serrano ham. Mains, such as roasted scallops with parmesan and parsley crumble, and pan-fried chicken with lemon, polenta and dried fruits cost about £30 and are listed under ‘fish’ and ‘meat’ sections, with a ‘pasta, risotto, etc.’ introducing the three simple dishes catering to vegetarians.
We enjoyed our mains, both of which were competently cooked and beautifully presented, if not overly memorable afterwards, but as time progressed it was the sense of being immersed in theatre that became the focus of our evening. Lasers would sporadically ripple across the painted undulations that marked the walls, hypnotising us both; each new drink or dish ordered presented a fresh opportunity to critique glassware or crockery; a trip to the toilets introduced us to a lair with individual cubicles sequestered within huge, egg-shaped pods. This place has a flair for quirky, good-humoured design that’s unexpected and really rather delightful.
For dessert, we ordered a substantial and satisfying mille-feuille and an uncompelling Malabar – a vanilla-infused milk with strawberry mousse, synthetic-tasting bubble gum ice cream and marshmallow. A dud note to finish on, perhaps, but the food at sketch really provides just one component of a broader sensory experience. Ten years after its opening, this is still one of the freshest and most visually enticing dining spaces in the country. The brand’s plans to have different high-profile artists reinterpret the huge gallery dining room space means the address should remain a draw for many years to come.
Originally posted at telegraph.co.uk
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