Hidden Gems and Secret Bars

Our main event on Sunday was a visit to Dennis Sever's House. Dennis Severs (1948-1999) was an artist who meticulously created a house for an imaginary family of 18th century Huguenot silk weavers named Jervis. There are four levels of rooms, each designed to look as though the family is still living in the house and have just left the room before you enter. The sights as well as the smells and sounds ("Where are they hiding the speakers?" I wanted to know) made for a highly curated, immersive experience. The tour through the house is done completely silently, and it is only lit by candlelight (and firelight in one basement room). The attention to detail in each room is very impressive; the entire arrangement must have taken a massive amount of preparation and care. There are letters, items of clothing, photographs, documents, various personal possessions, and even half-eaten meals.

There are of course no photographs allowed, absolutely no touching of anything, and all your bags have to be worn around your front so that you don't accidentally bump anything. We wondered why the folks leaving the house were all wearing their backpacks on their front, and thought it must be some weird tourist thing.

Photos of the House's Exterior:

You queue outside the house, then they let small groups in every ten minutes or so.

It's an interesting experience, if not a bit pretentious (the House's motto is proudly, "You either see it, or you don't"). The guidebook of the House (more of a leaflet, and you don't get one until you're leaving) scoffs at those who include it in the categories of heritage, local history, antiques, lifestyle, or museum--it is a "still life drama," thank you very much. The guidebook also asserts "A visit requires the same style of concentration as does an exhibition of Old Masters."

Throughout the rooms there are also placards reminding you that you're supposed to be using your imagination to craft the stories of the Jervis family, and they sometimes smugly imply that there's more to the arrangement than you have been able to figure out. Dennis Severs seemed to be the type of artist who, in addition of being very sure of his own genius, insisted that there was a correct way to experience his art, and you better be doing it right to really get it. I'm of the (correct) opinion that art is always open to interpretation; once you create something and put it out into the world, it doesn't fully belong to you anymore. People are going to experience art in different ways based on a number of different factors. It's one thing to share your original intent as an artist; it's going too far to prescribe one way that everyone should experience your art.

I hope my description isn't painting too negative a light, because aside from the slightly pretentious text accompanying the House, I do think it's a worthwhile thing to do. It's a nice slowly paced, off-the-beaten-path type of attraction, and an especially nice thing to do if you've had a busy couple of days.

After exploring the world of the Jervis family, we got brunch at The Breakfast Club. I got spicy chicken and waffles, which included peanut butter and sour cream. I was skeptical of the sour cream/peanut butter combination but was willing to try it. I didn't care for it, but Jon did. The waffle was also in four quarters and stacked, with the chicken just chilling next to it. Usually chicken and waffles means the chicken is sitting directly on the waffle. I think the dish happened because someone heard of a bunch of things Americans liked but didn't really want to do the research on the best way to make it happen.

Jon's obsession with Pokemon Go came in handy, as he learned that the restaurant was also home to a secret speakeasy called The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town. You have to ask an employee, "Can I see the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town?" and then they open up a refrigerator door and lead you downstairs to the bar.

You cannot exit through the fridge door, however. There's a separate exit that brings you to the bathroom, and then you're supposed to leave the bathroom as if you've just used it to help with the secrecy.
Photo from http://www.thecocktaillovers.com/

The bar had that old English pub feel with a tasty cocktail menu. There are rules for dining with The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town:

Click to enlarge

And according to a sign by the bathroom, there's this additional rule:

We sat under this charming painting:

And across from this ironic portrait:

Grandmaster Flash is a rapper. There was a thing on Facebook a while ago where a bunch of grandmothers were signing their posts to their grandchildren "Love, Grandma" and it would autocomplete to "Love, Grandmaster Flash."

 Also the security cameras are very friendly! And mustachioed:

 The drinks were good as well, but most of the charm came from the cheeky cat theme.

That night, to continue with our theme of hidden gems and underground bars, we returned to the Top Secret Comedy Club. While we had many hearty chuckles, we preferred Thursday's lineup. Our favorite performer was actually the MC, Nico Yearwood.

For a late night dinner we went to a hotel restaurant called Hubbard and Bell. The food was mainly Italian; we had some meatballs, steak tartare, and gnocchi. It was a good meal, but the vibe of the place was a bit too club-like.

Right now we're about to go to afternoon tea at the Ritz Hotel (we get to be all dressed up!), and tonight we're going to see Half a Sixpence, a comedy that a TKTS employee recommended to us. Then one day I will sift through my V&A photos and tell you all about that.

xo
Hannah