The English half of me has always had an inherent need for tea, but since moving to England, this has turned into a fully-fledged obsession. Whenever I have a spare afternoon, the mean reds (in the words of Holly Golightly), want to catch up with a girlfriend or just need a moment of peaceful decadence, I am usually to be found having afternoon tea all over London. I don’t know what it is, but a proper cup of tea and some pretty little cakes seem to me like pure luxury when served on floral china in a chintzy, gilded room. And after two years of hunting down the best establishments in all of London, Sketch is one of my firm favourites.
Though it’s incognito from the outside – you’ll be able to spot it from the big headless dog statue perched above the entrance – once you step inside the Parlour, it feels like Alice’s mad tea party meets a Victorian English eccentric’s over-stuffed sitting room meets Mayfair aristocrat (kind of a perfect mash-up, in my opinion). I love either perching right beside the window (for Conduit Street people watching) or, on a rainy day, happily hiding as far in the back as possible, settling in with a newspaper and a pot of tea beneath the big, illuminated stag heads.
The tea selection is extensive (I love the Jing Chai), but it’s the little cakes and pastries where they really excel – each one is like a little work of patisserie art, gorgeous enough to make Marie Antoinette herself squeel with glee. I’m enamoured with the Cardinal – a beautifully constructed oversized blackberry macaron with violet creme, crystalised violet petals and blackcurrant jelly.
Also, and I do not make this statement lightly, their macarons are some of the best I have ever had. For quality, they are certainly up there with Laduree and Pierre Herme, but their flavours (though they only ever have a few at a time) are wonderfully original – last time I had early grey tea and lemongrass (my tastebuds were simultaneously shocked and dancing with excitement).
Finally, you simply cannot leave the establishment without a trip to the toilets. Though this may seem a strange dictate to make, I’m quite certain that Sketch boasts the best toilets in all of London. To find them, head down the hallway, through the heavy doors (with golden ladies’ legs for doorknobs), and through the art gallery (which may be completely dark, but for a moving art installation on one wall). There, you’ll come to a ghostly white staircase where, at the top, sits a forest of giant glowing pods (each one is a toilet) watched by uniformed French maids. If ever going to loo could be a cultural experience, then this is surely it.
Do you have a favourite place for afternoon tea? And would you like to see this turn into a regular feature?
Love, Miss B xx
The Parlour at Sketch – 9 Conduit St, London W1S 2XG
There nothing like this in Adelaide that’s for sure!! Xx
Great post Miss B! What a gorgeous find!! It’s a little after 11 pm Sunday night here on the Sunshine Coast and pretty much past my bedtime. The alarm is set ridiculously early, ie. 5:30am, however, all I want to do is get out of bed, make tea and eat decandant cake. Sigh. It will alas be a futile effort though as the closest in the cupboard to sweet things would be Milo. Sighs again.
Wow – those pods are crazy. I’ve never seen anything like them.
-J
That they are (but good crazy). Also when you’re inside one, they play the sound of the countryside (think blowing breeze, birds chirping, sheep baaing and church bells)!
B xx
Ooooh this looks lovely! I’ll be sure to try it out next time I’m in London. I love it when bloggers give their favorite addresses so keep it coming! Just one small thing: could you include the address and the website of the place next time? 😉
I’m looking forward to coming back to Europe for the holidays just to enjoy afternoon tea. Here in NY everybody is into coffee and over-sugary sweets, it’s not quite the same. I am on the hunt for a nice tea parlour like this one.
I’ll check with my English friends in NY re: good places for tea if you like? Also thanks for the reminder – will add an address and website now (had meant to before but it slipped my mind).
B xx
No problem! They have an amazing website ; it does seem a little crazy, but in a good way.
I’d really appreciate if you have a moment to ask your friends sometimes, thank you!
Great post, definitely one to try when I’m next in the capital. I’ve only been to Fortnum and Mason for afternoon tea in London so would love to read more reviews. If you’re ever in the North-East, Jesmond Dene House is probably my favourite afternoon tea venue.
I Reaaally Need To Taste Some Macaroons.
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Ok, how in the name of God have I not been here before!?!? Am making a list of things to do next time in London, and this is going on (partly because it is the first thing on the list, as it is the reason for starting the list ;-P)
M
I will definitely check it out next time I am in London, it looks so lovely. I just tasted my first French Macaron in Paris and loved it!
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Hi lovely,
Thank you for the comment- I work in London but live in the country which is great.
Will definitely have to check The Parlour out. I’m loving all the pretty china plates and teacups. Afternoon Tea is such a traditional British thing, isn’t it?
Hannah x
Oh me oh my!!! I am salivating at those macaroons and yes please.. afternoon tea features aplenty! And always happy to help out in the name of research! xxx
Love this! I wish we had great places for afternoon tea in the states. Fortunately, in New Orleans we do have a place that makes incredible macaroons. Almost as good as Laduree. Almost.
i love afternoon tea – this place looks like a must-visit. im definitely going to try and go when im in london in february. I also love the pret-a-portea at the Berkeley, have you ever gone? So fantastic, all the food is based on the ‘it’ clothes of the season. When I went there was a macaron in the shape of an Hermes Kelly bag (!!) and a wonderful YSL le smoking jacket cake that had a raspberry coulis seeping from the middle of a muddy chocolate cake mmmm… i still dream of that glorious tea.
I read a comment wondering about places to have tea in NYC. Roebling is a great place, it’s not pretty pretty, but they specialise in teas (they have over 40 of them, my favourite is the white ginger and peach mmm). I guess it’s technically more of a cafe, but it’s definitely a really nice place to go in NYC. Here’s the website. http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/roebling-tea-room/
X
Thanks so much for the NY tea info lovely, I’ll let Ritournelle know.
I’ve been meaning to go to teh Berkely for tea for so long, but still haven’t! Let’s go together when you’re here!
B x
Oh, I’ve been meaning to go there for quite a while! Isn’t part of Sketch owned by Pierre Gagnaire? I love his Parisian establishments, but I also saw a feature on Sketch on CNN a while ago. Always passed it (and looked at the menu), but never had time to go. Definitely need to make a point to go there for Afternoon Tea once I move to London in a couple of weeks 😉 Everyone seems to think The Wolsely is the only place in London to have tea…
P.S. Thanks for visiting my blog as well 🙂
hehe we are so separated at birth B! And yes I’d love to see this become a regular feature just in case I make it over your way soon! 😀
can you believe i’ve never had a macaron? perhaps i’ll make that my new year’s resolution…that’s one i can stick to!
Elissa, that’s a horrible deprivation! You simply must try one as soon as possible (but make it a good one, not a bad imitation). Let me know what you find
B xx
Oh wow lovely! I’ve never been to Sketch but heard so much about it / looked at the website a million times… I’m debating turning it into a birthday thing!
Please DO make this a regular feature. I am 100% an afternoon tea girl and would love some good recommendations for London visits – or elsewhere!
xxxx
Those cookies look so yummy!
XOXO,
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Oh my goodness, those treats look divine! You should absolutely keep this going!!
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Your afternoon tea looks divine! What amazing cakes and treats! xx
Oh looks lovely. I’ve done afternoon tea at the ritz with champagne at that was lovely I think this might be my next stop. 🙂 nice blog.
You have me crying for London. How very chic!
Stateside, the nicest place I’ve been is the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, MA. My Dear Brother and I enjoyed high tea there after a long day walking the Freedom Trail one July afternoon. Delightful! However, when we were in London in July 2oo6, we didn’t get the chance to enjoy high tea. 🙁
This looks great. This is where I need to finally try afternoon tea in London!
Thanks muchly for sharing.