Afternoon delight

I think one very quintessential thing on everyone's London's list is to have fancy afternoon tea at a key location.

I really wanted to go to The Ritz however the price was not so appealing so I started considering other options. I had been to the Wolseley for a work breakfast so I discounted that (although the breakfast is incredible and I’ve heard its one of the best in London- believe the hype!) and it seemed like every other hotel we considered (Dorchester, Park Lane) had similar prices, around £30, which seems like a lot for a few scones or sandwiches.

One of my dear friends suggested we go to Sketch bar. I have wanted to go to Sketch for a while as I had heard a lot of amazing reviews about the quirky decor and the great cocktails, it is one of the 'it' places to go in London so I was up for it.

The inside is just lush, velvet red walls and carpet, the place is separated into many different rooms which makes it cosy and intriguing. Despite the fact it was 3pm in the afternoon the whole place had a very funky ‘cool’ vibe.

The room we were sat in was part bar, part library and it had crazy chandeliers, birdcages and amazing wallpaper.

The food was phenomenal and the afternoon tea menu seemed to offer a different selection of treats than some of the other places we had considered.

To start with there was the assorted finger sandwiches and fruit scones which just oozed taste and decadence. The smoked salmon sandwiches were a stand out for me however the remaining selection was just as good- egg, ham etc.

The highlight of the meal for me were the four pastries- probably because I have a very sweet tooth! Firstly there was a raspberry macaroon that was filled with a creamy paste and had a pop of a jam like substance in the middle which was heaven in my mouth.

The berry tart was my next favourite, I’m not normally a fan of pastry/tart like desserts but this was damn tasty and the fruit was to die for. The friand was delightful and there was an interesting biscuit with a creamy savory top which the other girls didn't love but I liked the contrast in taste it bought compared to the other treats on the table.

We washed all this tasty food down with a tea of our choice- mine was an Asian Green tea and it was earthy and tasted delightful.

The whole experience wouldn't have been complete if we didn't visit the infamous toilets. I have no hesitation in saying it was like being transported into a Star Trek episode. The rooms were completely white and they were unisex. The toilets themselves were pods hanging from the ceiling and if that wasn't trippy enough once you get inside the pod there is a loudspeaker which plays sounds like you are in a spaceship about to takeoff- completely out there!!!

As there were 3 of us we all had to take turns using the restrooms and we were to discover an alternate set of toilets to the pods which were normal booths set up to be plush and posh. They matched the red décor of the rest of the hotel and they even had a mannequin covered in swarovski crystals sat outside the entrance. I have never seen anything like it.

I had such an fantastic time, probably also due to my lovely company, but if you want to have afternoon tea with a twist I would definitely recommend checking out Sketch- less stuffy and just damn fun.

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