Come for the Design Museum and Stay for the Restaurant

The Design Museum moved last year from a 1940’s banana warehouse in the Shad Thames to the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington. Quite frankly, the best bit now is the restaurant. If you decide to meet friends there then take note of the location on High Street Kensington. Some phone maps (i.e. mine) will direct you to the former location and the physical maps on the pavement have not yet registered the new arrival.

The Building

The Commonwealth Institute is a 1960’s Grade II listed concrete building that was redeveloped for £80 million after the Institute closed in 2002 and left the building empty for a decade. It takes the “Apple Store” approach of a vast, cavernous shell that doesn’t really do anything (but unlike Apple’s sites it doesn’t have a phone signal). The whole room is a work of empty space, stairs and a strange roof. The handrails contain lights that flood the area below and make the metal warm to touch.

The Collection

There is a wealth of objects but they are presented in a crowded and confusing way. The collection is tucked away at the back with little organisation by theme or chronology. This is a bold attempt to capture the pure concept of “design” rather than the “history of” or similar curatorial categories. The effect is of a broadsheet newspaper filling your gaze so you don’t know where to look. On these diverse walls you can read about designs such as the London Underground map and follow the shift in cigarette advertising from 1950’s promotional artwork to modern health-based shock advertising.

Some exciting arrangements of design icons and a 3D printer that runs continuously are all rather fun. But the overall impression, to use some technical terminology from my History of Art degree, is “meh”. This is a museum for the smartphone age where information need not be organised or comprehensive. Instead, this collection of boards and assorted objects without much context seems to be intended merely to spark the interest of the viewer’s diminished attention span. Most items are quite interesting but they are rarely canonical.

The Parabola Bar and Restaurant

Now this is the highlight of the Design Museum. Set towards the top of the building, the room has a distinct penthouse feel with large windows bathing the tables with light. Your seating choice consists of booths by the window or chairs with short armrests and a comfortable yet upright back.

I feared that overpriced nouvelle cuisine would be the price for this free museum but was pleased to find that the lunch menu was reasonably priced and well portioned, offering drinks of either a Bloody Mary or the enigmatic “Green Juice”. The Eggs Benedict appeared to be radioactive with bold red yolks as if the chickens themselves have been specially designed. (For the record, we are sure the Design Museum maintains high standards of animal welfare for both designer and natural chickens). The creamed woodland mushrooms on toasted sourdough (below-left) were very impressive for £9.50 and the chips were satisfying railway sleepers for £4.

How does the museum stack up? When you factor in the restaurant the Design Museum is an excellent, unusual place for a sociable time. On a day out with friends you don’t want to be perusing cabinets before battling for space in the V&A restaurant or facing the creche-style canteen of the Natural History Museum. Instead the Design Museum offers much to look at and talk about for an hour before a very enjoyable meal.

 

– Stewart Vickers @VickHellfire

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