DISAPPOINTING Visit to a 3 Michelin Star Restaurant - Sketch

The

sketch

opened so brilliantly that I was immediately amazed. But at the end of the meal, I had one question: What the hell just happened? On this channel, I take you to some of the most exclusive 3 Michelin

star

restaurant

s in the world. My name is Alexander, I am co-owner of a

restaurant

with ONE Michelin

star

and my mission is to find inspiration in gastronomy. Welcome to Alexander the Guest. Today we are heading to London, England. People don't consider it a culinary capital, but they really should. Apart from Paris, no European city has more Michelin-starred restaurants than London.

We are going to an elegant district of Mayfair in the West End. Home to Savile Row, the Royal Academy of Arts and a crazy three-storey townhouse with 4 restaurants known as Sketch. For 20 years, this iconic venue has been a favorite among London's who's who. The owner is Mourad Mazouz. An Algerian-born businessman, his vision was to create a place where music, art, food, design and entertainment created a unique experience for the five senses of the new wave of French cuisine. The man behind the menu is superchef Pierre Gagnaire, a two-time three-star Michelin superchef. Which has more than a dozen restaurants spread across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

So we have the visionary and the super chef surely, these two can do something great, right? Before I continue, I must tell you that I have been here. In 2019, just before the pandemic. That's when Sketch earned its 3 Michelin stars. I tried it and I have to say… I was not impressed. I'm curious to see what has changed in the last three years. The

sketch

is unique, I'll give it to you. There are 4 restaurants in this building, each with its own activity. Today we have a reservation at the elegant restaurant called Lecture Room and Library. We enter the building.

The lobby is quite dark and a bit mysterious. The host finds our name on the list and takes us upstairs. Standing there is a beautiful woman dressed as a French maid. She doesn't say anything. She is art. Then the host dramatically opens the curtains and wow! This is another world. It's as if we were suddenly thrust onto the stage of the musical Moulin Rouge. Immediate sensory overload. It was the most impressive welcome I have ever seen, anywhere. The sommelier arrives and maintains the theatrical atmosphere. He is Italian and is very friendly. His champagne options are extraordinary.

Most restaurants don't have this mentality. We chose from the many high-end options, including Krug and Jacques Selosse by the glass. It's not often that you can just “have a glass” of champagne from such prestigious bottles. Generally, if you want to try it, you have to buy the bottle. Not here. The lady welcomed us to our table, she was very rigid and formal. It would fit perfectly into a standard, formal restaurant, but it didn't really fit the bohemian theater vibe here. They offer 2 types of tasting menu. A classic and vegetarian. and there is also the a la carte menu.

The amuse bouche arrives and I drink it with an English sparkling wine. I'm still a champagne lover, but that was something extraordinary. Then, the first course. Lobster. Prepared in 3 parts and served on 3 plates. First the oxtail with fresh turmeric root and wild mushrooms. The claws are served cold with Yuzu on a lettuce leaf and a traditional soup. For me the sophistication was missing. A sharp knife was also missing. I'm not sure if it was the knife or the lobster, but cutting it was mission impossible. Second course Scottish Trout Fillet. It was very good. The flavors and textures really came together very well.

But then… nothing. For more than half an hour. Waiting for the next course. Maybe there was an intermission, they didn't tell us anything about I don't know. So naturally we got bored and started looking around. We're starting to notice small errors now that we're up close. For example: it is normal for the table to be cleaned of crumbs or pieces of the tablecloth throughout the meal. During our

visit

, they missed it. The fabric is discolored and a little threadbare. One thing that many people comment on is the bathrooms. They may be the most Instagrammed bathrooms in London.

When you walk in, you know why. What happened next was confusing. So we opted for wine pairing. Generally the pairing is great because you can try different grapes, methods and styles. But here, the sommelier was waiting for the food so he could serve the wine at the right temperature. So he comes out and shows me the bottle, then leaves without filling it. “I came here to eat and drink!  Please don't take the bottle! Half an hour without food or wine. It was clear that there was some confusion behind the scenes. I had never seen this before and what I experienced is something you will probably never see in a 3 Michelin star restaurant.

It usually flows, like an opera, with everything in the right place at the right time.   That may be the case here at Sketch, but it wasn't the night I went. After the long wait, the next dish arrives. The main course finally arrives! After 2 hours and 20 minutes, two small slices of lamb and roasted vegetables arrive. The flavor was nice, but not next level. The same goes for the presentation: one would expect some creativity in a 3 Michelin star restaurant, but I didn't find it here. The problem at the end was that they brought out too many plates with different types of desserts at the same time, which caused imperfections.

The ice cream began to melt, the hot desserts began to cool, and the coffee foam collapsed. I saw the potential in them, they just couldn't fully show it. and my final thoughts on the conference room and library. Sketch makes an amazing first impression and has a stellar wine list. The viewing experience is like no other. It's simply impressive. From a service standpoint, the sommelier was fantastic. These things gave me high hopes for the entire show. Unfortunately, the experience was not up to their standards. The actors were great, but the production seemed to be having a bad night.

My recomendation? Check it out. Come draw. See the incredible job the designers did in transforming this space into another world. Have a beautiful cocktail or glass of champagne. But if you decide to eat in the conference room and library, don't expect something spectacular. I personally am not going to

visit

them again. And that's it for this episode. Thanks for joining me. If you like this video, hit the subscribe button. Until next time.