The Jewish Chronicle
Tailor-made party
Savile Row, where young men were once fitted for their first bespoke suits as a rite of passage, was where Miles Schechter celebrated his own ascent into manhood.
November 1, 2011 15:49
Savile Row, where young men were once fitted for their first bespoke suits as a rite of passage, was where Miles Schechter celebrated his own ascent into manhood.
November 1, 2011 15:49Savile Row, where young gentlemen were once taken to be fitted for their first bespoke suits as a rite of passage, was the spot where Miles Schechter celebrated his own ascent into manhood this summer.
His parents chose the Sartoria restaurant, known for its fine Italian food, over several hotels in town when they decided on a West End venue.
"We loved the room so much," says Miles's mother Michelle. "It is classic and elegant and has two private dining rooms, which can be opened up to integrate with the main restaurant.
"Those rooms are perfect for events with quite a lot of children. They can be seated in what feels like their own private area, but because the rooms are at the back, you don't have to worry about them running out of the venue."
The ability of Sartoria, part of the D&D group of London restaurants, to cater for several different special dietary needs, was also a factor: "Miles has a severe peanut allergy, there was another child who is a coeliac and we had several guests for whom we needed to provide kosher meals," explains Michelle.
Where gentlemen were once taken to be fitted for their first suit as a rite of passage, Miles celebrated his own
After tasting recommended menus, the Schechters decided on a salad of rocket, fennel, grilled asparagus and pecorino cheese, followed by baked sea bass with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and straw potatoes. Dessert was a mille feuille of strawberries and mascarpone cream.
The children had their own menu: pizzettas - individual mini-pizzas - followed by fish goujons with chips and chocolate brownies with ice-cream,
Before they sat down, Miles, his younger brothers, sister and friends enjoyed mocktails, while the adults sipped Prosecco and lychee Martinis with their canapés.
"The restaurant has a separate large bar area, which accommodated nearly 150 of us for drinks before we went through to dinner," says Michelle.
The Schechters decided to switch the restaurant's classic white linen for black, "to make it feel more like a party", and welcomed the fact that Sartoria's dedicated events manager, Alexis Watts, took every detail off their hands.
The family did, however, book their own entertainment, The Events Factory. "We had Israeli dancing to get the party started and a singer to serenade guests while they were eating," says Michelle. "It all went beautifully, and despite what people might think, there was no problem parking in the middle of the West End on a Sunday evening."