Yesterday, I finally got my postponed meeting with two of my ex-coworkers (one suddenly couldn't make it, he was dog-sitting) - and after my glowing reports of Bill's on Clink Street, we headed there! Optional drinks beforehand, I suggested The Old Thameside Inn. No word from Ivan by the morning as to when he wanted to meet, I had to chase him.
Well, first off he said he couldn't make it before 4, and would ping me at 2. And when he did, a bit after 2, it was to apologise and say he couldn't make it at all before the meal, and would see me at the restaurant! Just as well I didn't spend the afternoon there, cooling my heels - I stayed home and got other stuff done. Headed down in good time, and in glorious sunshine - dodging crowds of party-goers, one of whom had a full Union Jack suit. I was first to arrive at the restaurant, and killed some time in the gift shop across the street. Where I finally picked up a new Oyster card holder - something I've needed for years!
I went in when it was time - the others had been delayed, and Ivan only left home seven minutes before our agreed meeting time. Got shown to my table, told the others where it was. The third of our party got there shortly afterwards, and we decided to order drinks - she said, if Ivan hadn't arrived within another half hour, we should go ahead and order food. Anyway, he pinged us while we were waiting, and gave us an ETA, so we waited. I had one glass of wine downed by the time he arrived..
For starters, I had calamari again, the others had burrata and soup, respectively. And I think we were all happy with those - although the calamari was maybe a bit salty. For mains, I'd had steak before, but didn't fancy it this time, and chose the "chicken 2 ways" instead. The others each ordered salad, but as she's vegan, she asked whether vegan cheese could be substituted for the regular cheese on the menu - and was told that would be fine.
And that's where the trouble started. When the mains arrived, it was obvious which mine was - but the salads essentially looked the same, and the waiter obviously had no idea that there was supposed to be a difference. Now, for a restaurant that's supposed to take allergens seriously, and has a QR code on the menu that you can scan for more information, this was bad.. she was adamant that it was essential that they get them the right way around, as she's highly allergic to regular cheese. Back he had to go to the kitchen, where the chef stuck a flag in the vegan one - and must have got it right, because nothing untoward happened.
Things really went downhill from there - I wonder whether our waiter took exception to us after this? (Not the guy that brought the mains, but a different lady whom we had the trouble of dealing with for the rest of the night). For love nor money, we could not get her to bring us anything - even if we managed to grab her as she was passing, she'd nod and disappear, and we'd have to ask one or two more people before the thing was done. As to the food - the salads got eaten, but my chicken was quite disappointing; the breaded chicken was lovely, as was the accompanying truffle sauce, but the grilled chicken that completed the dish was tough, and I couldn't finish it.
Meantime, stuff was piling up on the table, because for all the times a waiter came to us, no-one ever thought to remove anything, even though much of it was obviously finished with!
Our third group member had to leave early - had promised to be home at a certain time to do stuff before they headed away for the rest of the weekend. So she made her excuses, paid her part of the bill (less the service charge), and left. Ivan and I stayed until closing - and it was terrific to see them both! Had we been able to find a pub, we'd have carried on for longer - but they were closed by now, too. (And the Old Thameside Inn had been really busy, so perhaps it was just as well that we didn't head there in the afternoon.) Anyway, looking forward to the next time - although the one who left early wasn't at all impressed at Ivan's tardiness, and I don't think they'll be hanging out again. And, of course, none of us will darken the doors of this establishment, ever again!
I came home and pretty much went straight to bed - just crashed, leaving the light on and all. Today - taking advantage of the bank holiday, I booked something that's been heavily advertised. At £60, it wasn't cheap, but I really fancied it, so I headed to The Gunpowder Plot, an immersive, combined VR and real-life experience at the Tower. You can get a themed lunch with that, but I passed. Earliest date now available is the 8th, at a minimum price of £50 (last few available) - the price increases as you get closer to the date. And ironic how these two events are closer to my old place.. So I stayed there until tonight.
They ask you to come half an hour early, at least - and I had to put the postcode into Google Maps to find the place! Obvious once you come across it..
So, you check in and they check you off the list, and give you a coloured wristband according to your time slot. They then direct you to the bank of screens that show the waiver you have to sign - so, as you come in, the people reading this are facing the entrance; don't make the mistake of thinking they're the ones who check you in! My though, the waiver is terrifying - a big long thing, it describes how you'll have to crawl, or climb over things as directed, although if you want, you can be shown alternative paths. Experience not suitable for those who experience motion sickness, or have a fear of heights - the floor will move. Heavens, I damn near chickened out! But I said, well surely they won't put us through too much..
Downstairs then, and a cheery lady explains to everyone coming down that they should wait in the bar, where circles on the wall have coloured lights behind them, which change to the colour of the wristbands corresponding to the next group, when it's their time to assemble at the entrance. Lockers are provided, and a keycard is given to you at checkin - you choose your own locker. NO instructions are provided - the lady beside me had trouble getting her locker open, and had to ask for assistance, and the same guy checked my locker after I'd finished with it, and chased after me to alert me that I hadn't locked my locker properly, so I had to go back and he helped me.
You can take in small bags, but not rucksacks - I kept my bag with me, which turned out to be just as well, because in the middle, there's a 15-minute interval in a themed bar, and I needed my cash. I did leave my coat though - so needed my bag, because without my coat, I had no pockets to put the keycard in! With nearly half an hour to kill, I headed to the bar at reception.
Table service only, so I sat at one. And waited, and waited.. jeez, what is it about this weekend that leads to such terrible service? I was wondering whether I needed to use the QR code on the table, but after about 10 minutes someone came and asked whether I'd like anything. I was thirsty, so ordered, and paid for, a lemonade. And waited, and waited.. After another 10 minutes, and with just 10 minutes to go to showtime, I stormed up to the bar and complained to the waiter who had taken my order, and was now standing there! When I explained that I was short on time, she put a hurry on the barman, who stopped whatever order he was preparing, and finally performed the complicated task of filling a glass with ice and squirting lemonade into it. Jesus wept. I was not impressed - but at least I got it drunk in time.
Now, the lady at the entrance hadn't been too specific about where exactly we were to wait, when our time came - so when I saw some folk heading into a side corridor, I followed them. Should have gone there earlier - there are things to look at, like example espionage notes, a lantern of the sort that would have been carried, a mask.. the lady scuttled in at one point to check that we all had the right colour wristbands. I think we should maybe have been waiting in the reception area proper, rather than going straight through to here - but then, maybe she should have paid us some attention, rather than ignoring us?
And so to the intro - sorry, no photography allowed inside the show. I have to say, it started most impressively, with a professional introductory talk and visual display, and a map of the area in 1605 on a table. And instructions on what to do with the headsets, and not to touch the actors. The waiver had said they might touch us, which was unnerving - but they never actually did, apart from brushing past us in narrow corridors. In point of fact, you can almost ignore that waiver - there is one bit where the surface under you moves, but you're sitting down for it, and all the other scary stuff happens in VR, so you can always close your eyes if you're not comfortable. Or take off the headset. And there's always someone to tell you where to go. There is one smoke effect, but again you're sitting down, not groping in the dark - and despite what the waiver says, there is no period of complete darkness.
The live acting, I have to say, is excellent - and they're terrific with the kids. One smallie in our group was scared to start with, what with the loud, scary noises and the dark - but they had a clever way of dealing with it; they just told the kids they were the bosses, and she was the chief boss, and had to keep us all in line! Soon into the experience, we were taken to a room where they had cloaks for us to wear - tricky to figure them out in the dark, and quickly, but they were a good idea, because without my coat I was feeling a bit chilly - it is quite cool in the experience. And they do get you in the mood - she, in particular, loved hers, and was jumping up and down, flapping it!
There actually isn't much VR - three episodes, as I recall. And damnit, only one of them worked properly - and that was jumpy! For the second, one of the staff was asking us why we were all taking off our headsets - well, because the message to remove them had flashed up! After that, many of the headsets' video displays wouldn't work, including mine - I should have tried another, but it seemed like a hassle. They kept apologising, and saying we could see it afterwards - well, that's not much use, now is it? For the final VR, would you believe, a couple of headsets weren't working again - but I switched this time, and got to see the end of the story. Which had Guy Fawkes travelling though time to see how he was to be remembered in the future - a bit naff, I thought.
Perhaps the worst technological malfunction of the event, however, was when we were locked in a not-very-large room for about 15-20 minutes, our progress obviously delayed by something that had gone wrong, and they were trying to fix. Unfortunately, one of the kids was claustrophobic, and it was quite dark, and as the minutes passed, he got more and more scared, culminating in a panic attack. After much banging on the door we were to go through, someone opened it and asked us to be patient - happily, it wasn't long after that until we were on the move again.
A repetitive display at the exit was largely ignored - and exit, of course, is through the gift shop, where almost everything is themed for the show. Oh, and when I was leaving, the box to drop the locker keycard in had a pile of keycards beside it - the lady had to tell me to use the box, instead of adding to the pile. Again, no instructions. Now, for what they're charging for this - I'd have to say, it really isn't worth it. Never mind that most of the VR didn't work right, or didn't work at all! (The earpieces were also hard to adjust.) And obviously wouldn't have been fixed in time for the next group, as they were coming through constantly. Had it all been live action, it would actually have been more enjoyable. Currently booking until the 4th of September. There are much better things to do in London, though.
Coming out, I was hungry - hadn't seen that themed restaurant they're supposed to have, so had a look at what was around, and headed over to St. Katharine's Docks, where it turns out there are lots of eateries. Saw a branch of Ping Pong and thought, well, I haven't had Chinese in London for years! so I went over and got a table. And the kindly maitre d' explained the menu to me - it's multiple choice, you could say, you just select the dishes you want!
Well, that was to be the best service I got there. For heavens' sake, it feels like they're out to get me this weekend! I was literally drumming my fingers when a waiter finally caught sight of me, made her way over, and asked, rather surprisedly I thought, whether I'd like to order! Gee, yes please.. so I had prawn crackers (six, I think they gave me for about £3, with a very nice spicy mango dip), and a chicken katsu rice bowl with curry sauce in a little bowl - nice and light. And a nice glass of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. And when I was done, she asked whether I'd like anything else, so I ordered a couple of scoops of chocolate ice cream.
Service was on the slow side of acceptable. But the final straw for this atrocious couple of days of customer service came when I was waiting for ages to catch someone's eye for the bill. I asked him for the bill, he said "of course" - and promptly disappeared. And so, after waiting for another while, I'd had enough. I got up, slowly put on my coat, and strolled to the exit. Past the serving stations, past the waiters stood there chatting, through the door, and out through the seating area. No-one noticed, no-one followed me. I call that karma. Makes the service so much more palatable if you get the food for free.. Needless to say, I'm never going back there anyway.
Tomorrow, I'm booked with Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts again for A Nosey Around Soho. In association with London Guided Walks as usual, a £3 discount for using the code MEETUP3, which at least covers the booking fee. Looks like Hazel herself is running this one - if so, it'll be the first time I'll have seen her in years. Assuming I'm not a couple of minutes late, and miss her. Well, if I do get to go, I hope she doesn't spam me, like she still is after the last one, with constant ads for her podcast and requests for reviews! Of course, if you go on her site, there seems to be no way to leave a review.. AND I see she advertises these on TAC now, with a £3 cash charge on the day to the guide - still, this would be the cheaper option. (and ACLUB also gets you a £3 discount on the full price..)
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