Sketch

Many is the time we've set out intending to find a new spot for
tea, only to be drawn inexorably back to this funky
lounge-cum-bar just off Regent Street. For as long as we can
remember, Sketch has been serving up some of the best tea in
one of the coolest settings in London, and has never once let us
down.

The atmosphere is informal, although you do pay dearly for the
quirky mismatched crockery and shabby chic furniture. We like
the effortlessness of the decor, and the fact that no two visits -
indeed no two tables - are the same. Certainly Sketch isn't
cheap but still it makes the pricier hotels like Claridges or The
Goring look pretty poor value, and - dare we say it - rather drab
by comparison.

In contrast to the carefully studied familiarity of the surroundings,
nothing is left to chance with the tea, cakes and scones, which
are well conceived and beautifully executed. We are always
impressed by the consistency with which Sketch brings off such
a home-made feel with such remarkable precision.

If that wasn't enough there is a space-age (ok slightly Mork and
Mindy...) bar upstairs which, when you're done with tea, is a very
cool place to lose yourself for the evening, although again be
wary who's got the check book.

Not often do we find ourselves making excuses on behalf of the
tearooms we review, but in this instance we feel we should
mention the Sketch website which at time of writing is (and
there's no other word for it) dreadful. Just as well, perhaps,
because the longer we can keep this place under wraps the
better.