The
Glade at Sketch, London W1
Experience
creative gastronomy in Mayfair!
Pierre Gagnaire,
whose restaurant at 6, Rue Balzac
is one of the most famous in
the Paris constellation, opened what
could be described as a gastronomic
institution here in London. It's
called Sketch because it's always
subject to change and development,
the latest of which is the restaurant
within a restaurant that's called
the Glade. Gagnaire's partner
in this venture is the style guru Mourad
Mazouz, who has been responsible
for recreating this fine Mayfair
town house into a multi-faceted style
encounter. Much has been written,
even about the loos, and in
terms of decorative art, "no
surface has been left unconsidered".
The
food at Sketch's main restaurant has
provoked both plaudits and outrage.
Plaudits from those who appreciate
the skill and imagination applied
to both seasonal and exotic ingredients,
outrage that starters can cost as
much as £52, and that dishes can
be bewilderingly complicated. Much
of Gagnaire's style is based on the
marriage of contrasting ways of preparing
the central ingredient of the dish,
so we have Lobster 'addressed in
three ways', or langoustines
and scallops in four ways - a tartare
of langoustine, a mousselline of
scallops infused with lemongrass,
then roasted with spices and finally,
poached with seaweed mayonnaise.
As you can imagine, such dishes are
also visually stunning.
The Glade operates as a private club
in the evening, but ordinary punters
like us can go there for lunch, at
The Glade. Chef Anthony Garlando
offers an interesting
and varied menu at lunchtime with more modest prices, ranging from starters
from £6 to main dishes in the mid to late teens. In fact, there is no distinction
made between starters and main courses,. Instead, the list is divided into
sections based on the principal ingredients of eggs, fish, vegetables, chicken,
beef, cheese and dessert. Certain items are starred to indicate their suitability
as starters.
We
began with "sirloin of beef
poached in butter then roasted with
cloves and coriander, white beans,
shisho salad and caramelised beans".
This is a starter. It comes served
cold, as a layered millefeuille with
slices of beef alternating with mooli
and cucumber pickled in a mild sweet
vinegar. Alongside were two little
'cakes', one made with caramelised
sardines, the other a puree of white
beans coated in variegated seeds.
It was a kaleidoscope of flavours
in which the beef was really the
junior partner. Really triumphant
was the more coherent but no less
complicated cuttle fish and Welsh
mussels, whose flavour remained central,
but enhanced by a delicious hake
cream cut by the brisker flavours
of fresh apple and beetroot.
For
her main course my guest chose "Hommage
a M.L.Ambadassadeur, 33 Faubourg
St Honore". I believe this was
a dish made possibly by Carème (the
father of modern French gastronomy)
in honour of a former ambassador.
The British Embassy is at number
35, and number 33 was owned by one
of the Rothschilds, it's now the
headquarters of the Cercle de l'Union
Interalliée. The dish is basically
a rice pilaff in which you discover
many different hits of flavour -
from crunchy salmon roe to peas,
various nuts and the lush yolk of
a fried duck egg that you break into
with greedy relish.
I
had the pan fried skate, nicely caramelised,
with garnishes that included capers,
green papaya butter, almonds and
liquorice. We also tried the onion
tartlet, whose deeply caramelised
shallots and crispy pastry made a
very substantial side dish, but would
be a nice lunch dish in its own right.
For
our pudding we shared le dessert
des petits gateaux, a snip at £3.50,
beautifully presented, with variations
on a chocolate theme. Wines are available
by the glass, and bottles start from
only £12.00.
If
you want a smart lunch, be waited
on by very charming staff, and not
break your wallet, then the Glade
is well worth a try. Click
here for our guide to all the
different bars and restaurants within
Sketch.
Clifford
Mould, November 2005
The
Glade, Sketch 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair
W1
T 0870 777 4488 W www.sketch.uk.com
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