Four years since my last trip to London, and Sketch was the first name on the restaurant reservation list.

In my memory, this is a restaurant that stands apart within London’s Michelin scene — almost like an art museum. Last time it was still two stars; since then it’s been promoted to three.

The restaurant’s entrance is unassuming, but pulling open the door feels like stepping into an entirely different world — dopamine maxed out instantly.

The moment we sat down, a champagne cart was wheeled over, along with a thick wine list. Sketch arguably has the most lavish, bold wine selection in all of London — nearly a hundred by-the-glass options, spanning every wine region in the world.

Worth noting: a genuinely delightful surprise on Sketch’s wine list — a bottle from Ningxia, Silver Heights’ Emma’s Reserva 2017, from the first Demeter-certified winery in Asia.

Eight amuse-bouches in total, each a tiny single bite — from a cauliflower-and-smoked-salmon macaron, to a mini lettuce-and-crab roll, to a mustard mussel and a chestnut soup paired with whisky. Rich across the senses, though this season’s flavors leaned sweeter overall.

Before the meal, small square rolls arrive — pull one apart and the crust has a bit of crispness, the inside soft yet substantial. Butter comes in three varieties: plain, caramel, and citrus.

At the window seat, when the sunlight came through, we were surprised by a rainbow.

Last time at Sketch, I had what I still consider the best langoustine of my life — one langoustine served four ways as a starter. So this time, scanning the menu, the first course I locked onto was the langoustine again. Except the accompaniments seemed to have changed completely.

-· 01

The langoustine starter comes split into four small courses in total.

On the main plate is the charcoal-grilled langoustine tail, its shell fragrant to the point of obsession, the texture gently springy, paired with smoked whisky adding another layer to the aroma. The plate is finished with spinach crisp and a touch of purple artichoke — striking and genuinely interesting, pulling out a hint of peat right alongside the drink.

The accompanying dishes were: a rich broth made from the shrimp heads, paired with native British greens — genuinely good enough to wipe the plate clean with bread; langoustine-filled dim sum; and a tomato jelly paired with fennel flower, meant to cleanse the palate.

Every single part of one langoustine was perfectly broken down and worked into this dish, each part’s individual character on full display — nothing wasted.

As for the order, the chef believes a meal can also become a process where the guest creates their own piece of work. So all four dishes arrive together, and it’s up to the guest to decide how and in what order to eat them. The same dish ends up giving every guest their own, entirely personal dining memory.

-· 02

At Sketch, a dish isn’t just a work by the chef alone — it’s more like an open-ended question left for the restaurant and the guest to work through together. As Sketch itself puts it on their website: ‘inviting every friend who walks in to play a game.’

This time, for the seafood main, we chose the turbot; for the land-based main, veal. We’d had the veal before too, though prepared in a completely different way this time.

The turbot came with a chicken-stock base — the fish itself kept its springy texture and lean-yet-not-dry quality, while the broth added a delicate texture and a rich, concentrated aroma.

The side elements leaned on chicken breast, paired with refreshing radish, and a champagne-based sauce added some acidity. A bed of green wheat underneath added yet another layer of texture.

There was also a lemon sorbet — don’t let the diced cucumber fool you, it genuinely cleanses the palate well.

-· 03

For the red meat course, we went with veal — the restaurant uses milk-fed veal rib, cooked over a base of parsnip and vegetable stock. The meat kept exactly the tenderness it should, but the lentils underneath were assertive, coating the tongue in a rich, beany aroma, with the finish carrying a faint, lingering spiciness.

The two accompanying dishes were: pressed ox head with a sweet-and-sour sauce, richly fatty yet keeping a refreshing quality; and sweetbread shaped like an Indian dumpling (?), paired with a traditional French citrus sauce — a richness that hits you straight in the head, but surprisingly without much murkiness to it.

Comparing the two mains, one was bright and clean, the other rich and intense — two completely unexpected extremes.

Strong recommendation here: finish your own full set of mains before trying your dining partner’s. Every one of Sketch’s mains genuinely paints a different world, each with its own distinct personality.

-· 04

The cheese course was probably the low point of this meal. On my last visit, Sketch used a lavish cheese trolley — it felt like falling straight into a jar of candy. This time, though, it was just a simple pre-cut cheese platter, and a few of the cheeses were even slightly oxidized. Thankfully, an aged vintage Port we chose helped save the moment a little.

The restaurant said they’ll be switching back to the cheese trolley presentation soon — asked us to hang tight.

-· 05

The Grand Dessert comes as seven courses, built mainly around seasonal fruit — apple, chestnut, corn — but with hints of classic desserts woven in too, like black sesame and tiramisu.

But the real showstopper was the chocolate soufflé.

A soufflé built on fruit-forward Taïnori as its base, with a caramel-toned Caramélia worked into chocolate shards, layered with Guanaja ice cream, and finished with an accent of Manjari and whisky.

A dessert built from four different Valrhona chocolates — whether single-origin or blended, each sourced from the world’s top-tier growing regions, each carrying a clear, concentrated character.

The chocolate itself is rich, layered with a light, finely textured quality. Sketch’s chocolate soufflé genuinely peaks the moment it hits your mouth — the satisfaction rushing straight to the heart makes you completely stop caring about the calories. The aftertaste lingers on and on; before you know it, the whole plate is clean, and you’re still left wanting more.

Genuinely, in one bite, it became the single best chocolate dessert I’ve ever had.

So, to sum it all up:

What makes this restaurant so compelling

is that it has its own,

utterly unique way of speaking with its guests.

It knows how to lay every small narrative detail in place ahead of time,

so that however you choose to combine things,

you’re left with the best possible experience.

Even for a longtime regular, it keeps adjusting,

giving you something new to experience on every visit.

And — to anyone who loves wine,

you absolutely cannot skip this place.

I’m already looking forward to coming back,

to step once more into Sketch’s world,

and play a game with the food.