Instagram: @modinerlondon
Itâs 2015 and Mourad Mazouz â the Algerian-born restaurateur and author of ventures as varied as the Basque bistro Au Bascou in Paris, the high-kicking Moroccan extravaganza Momo and sensual, multilayered Sketch in London â reads a piece in
The New York Times about the gradual disappearance of the American diner.
A few years later, Mazouz decides to breathe new life into the countertop-and-booth-seating aesthetic seen in almost every American high-school movie by launching Mo Diner. The narrow site beside his recently refurbished and reinvigorated Momo restaurant, in Heddon Street (where 1990s It girls used to play with Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise and Madonna), is the perfect location: a deep, narrow railroad car of a space. I visit just before restaurants close â and in the bleak weeks afterwards feel lucky to have gone.
There’s really no place on Earth quite like quirky the cluster of restaurants known as sketch, created by Algerian restauranteur Mourad Mazouz in collaboration with French chef Pierre Gagnaire. All complied in an 18th century townhouse in Mayfair London, our favourite room is the Gallery. With pink plush sofas, eye-catching artwork and an unforgettable afternoon tea, the concept is instantly recognisable and not too dissimilar from Gagnaire’s Dubai bar Pierre’s. Step next door into the Lecture Room & Library for a meal worthy of two Michelin stars and a completely different aesthetic. The deep red and gold theme feels more like an Arabian palace than an aristocratic mansion, while the Glade room has a hand-painted floral theme complete with fluffy carpet. The toilets also deserve a special mention, as the unique space includes a dozen white egg-shaped cubicles under a rainbow LED light panel installed in the ceiling.