Sketch (restaurant)
Encyclopedia
sketch is a well known restaurant on 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair
, London
, England
, which opened in 2003. The restaurant is owned by Morad Mazouz and the Head Chef is Pierre Gagnaire
. The cuisine is described as 'New French', and is a loose adaptation of the cuisine served in Gagnaire's three Michelin-starred
restaurant in Paris
and is executed by Jean-Denis Le Bras and Roel Lintermans.
Mazouz came to public attention through the success of Momo, the North African restaurant and bar he opened in 1997 just off Regent Street, although he was already well known in France for his celebrated restaurants, Au Bascou and 404.
The restaurant covers two floors of a converted 18th century site in Conduit Street, Mayfair.
9 Conduit Street – A History
9 Conduit is a Grade II listed townhouse in Mayfair, designed by Scottish Architect James Wyatt in 1779 as the private residence of James Viner. Following that the building hosted a bizarre variety of societies and institutions that, according to some accounts, included cyclists, balloonists and psychologists, as well as the Suffragette movement in the early 20th century, RIBA and Christian Dior.
When the building was taken over by Sketch the interior was re-designed by Mazouz and Paris-based sculptor Noel Douchafour Lawrence. Several other international designers were commissioned for signature pieces, which are featured throughout sketch.
RIBA at 9 Conduit Street
1887-1909 Conduit Street was converted into the headquarters of Royal Society of
British Architects (RIBA) and still retains its plaque and crest in the entrance hall.
During this time RIBA/AA hosted a competition to re-design the 18th century façade
design and although this was never realized, the RIBA archive at the V&A retains
some of the competition proposal drawings.
Christian Dior at 9 Conduit Street
The townhouse continued its interesting design legacy and history in the mid-20th
century to become Christian Dior’s London atelier, within which Dior housed his
collections.
During this time in the 1970s the listed interior was modified by the seminal mid
century architect and leading Pop interior designer and furniture maker Max
Clendinning (b.1934) who designed cupboards, cubicles and display cases for Dior’s
ready to wear clothes and accessories.
To combine the old and new, everything (including the walls, ceilings and woodwork)
was painted a uniform mid-grey with a grey velvet Wilton carpet and grey uniformed
attendants to “throw the clothes into sharper relief, and seems to conform with the
classical, refined elegance of the House of Dior itself.” This austere style of
monochromatic design was developed from his seminal 1960s signature white on
white designs that marked the peak of British Modernism.
Awards
In 2005 sketch was ranked as the 18th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine
.
In 2008 sketch won the 2007-08 AA Wine Award for England .
sketch is the current owner of 5 rosettes from the AA .
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which opened in 2003. The restaurant is owned by Morad Mazouz and the Head Chef is Pierre Gagnaire
Pierre Gagnaire
Pierre Gagnaire is a well known French chef, and is the Head Chef and owner of the eponymous Pierre Gagnaire restaurant at 6 rue Balzac in Paris . Gagnaire is an iconoclastic chef at the forefront of the fusion cuisine movement. Beginning his career in St...
. The cuisine is described as 'New French', and is a loose adaptation of the cuisine served in Gagnaire's three Michelin-starred
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
restaurant in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and is executed by Jean-Denis Le Bras and Roel Lintermans.
Mazouz came to public attention through the success of Momo, the North African restaurant and bar he opened in 1997 just off Regent Street, although he was already well known in France for his celebrated restaurants, Au Bascou and 404.
The restaurant covers two floors of a converted 18th century site in Conduit Street, Mayfair.
9 Conduit Street – A History
9 Conduit is a Grade II listed townhouse in Mayfair, designed by Scottish Architect James Wyatt in 1779 as the private residence of James Viner. Following that the building hosted a bizarre variety of societies and institutions that, according to some accounts, included cyclists, balloonists and psychologists, as well as the Suffragette movement in the early 20th century, RIBA and Christian Dior.
When the building was taken over by Sketch the interior was re-designed by Mazouz and Paris-based sculptor Noel Douchafour Lawrence. Several other international designers were commissioned for signature pieces, which are featured throughout sketch.
RIBA at 9 Conduit Street
1887-1909 Conduit Street was converted into the headquarters of Royal Society of
British Architects (RIBA) and still retains its plaque and crest in the entrance hall.
During this time RIBA/AA hosted a competition to re-design the 18th century façade
design and although this was never realized, the RIBA archive at the V&A retains
some of the competition proposal drawings.
Christian Dior at 9 Conduit Street
The townhouse continued its interesting design legacy and history in the mid-20th
century to become Christian Dior’s London atelier, within which Dior housed his
collections.
During this time in the 1970s the listed interior was modified by the seminal mid
century architect and leading Pop interior designer and furniture maker Max
Clendinning (b.1934) who designed cupboards, cubicles and display cases for Dior’s
ready to wear clothes and accessories.
To combine the old and new, everything (including the walls, ceilings and woodwork)
was painted a uniform mid-grey with a grey velvet Wilton carpet and grey uniformed
attendants to “throw the clothes into sharper relief, and seems to conform with the
classical, refined elegance of the House of Dior itself.” This austere style of
monochromatic design was developed from his seminal 1960s signature white on
white designs that marked the peak of British Modernism.
Awards
In 2005 sketch was ranked as the 18th best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine
Restaurant (magazine)
Restaurant is a British magazine aimed at chefs, restaurant proprietors and other catering professionals that concentrates on the fine dining end of the industry. It produces an annual list of what it considers to be the best 50 restaurants, based on the votes of 600 "chefs, restaurateurs, critics...
.
In 2008 sketch won the 2007-08 AA Wine Award for England .
sketch is the current owner of 5 rosettes from the AA .