-
Tuesday, 9th February 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
OCCUPYING a useful spot on the central drag of villagey little Wandsworth Town, Moroccan restaurant Doukan might be one more local joint in an area packed with pretty cafes and no end of buggy-...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 9th February 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
KOCHHAR LAUNCHES NEW COLONY
Busy times for Atul Kochhar, the celebrated chef in charge of the Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Benares. Having just re-opened that venue following a fire and...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 9th February 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
KENZA
Head down a tunnel off Devonshire Square and find your way into this Middle Eastern netherworld, full of sequined cushions, incense, magnificent carpets and – of course – belly dancers. The...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
IT is around this time of year that the travel negotiations begin in earnest. At Christmas time, in our house anyway, the trading begins with: “I’ll see your night out with the boys, and raise you...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
Even with those pesky bonus caps, surely there’s room for a little celebration. And if you’re looking for luxury, you could do worse than visiting the banker’s paradise of Zermatt in Switzerland. As...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
There’s no doubt package holidays are easier to arrange – book it and it’s all organised for you. But for flexibility on dates and sometimes (though not always) price, it makes sense to head off the...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
For the real high flyers, a day (or two) heliskiing offers the ultimate adrenaline rush. And of course there’s no problem finding virginal top-of-the-mountain snow for the very best of late season...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
Unless you have pre-school aged children (or an accommodating school) you’re bound to go skiing the weeks of half term (February 13 departures) or Easter (roughly the first two weeks of April)....
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
Too many hours in the office… not enough time on the slopes. Luckily Ski Weekends has the answer for time-poor City workers. If you’re looking to cram as much ski and après-ski as possible into three...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
ZOE STRIMPEL
Top Diver at Amanyara
Turks and Caicos’s sexiest resort will be adding sessions with the world’s best diver, Tanya Streeter, to its attractions. Streeter holds several world records and is considered...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 8th February 2010
WHEN Kate Moss appeared with grey locks last week, all hell – rather predictably – broke loose in fashion circles. Is the eternally gamine Moss ageing at last? But no, wily old Kate, who is...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 5th February 2010
Jeremy Hazlehurst
FILM
Invictus
Cert: 12A
***
MORGAN Freeman has played the President of the United States, God and now at last he has graduated to
Nelson Mandela. He is by far the best thing in this film, and plays...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 5th February 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
FILM
ASTRO BOY The long-running Japanese comics character gets an animated outing.
MALICE IN WONDERLAND The fairytale gets transposed to the UK underworld, with Danny Dyer.
OIL CITY CONFIDENTIAL...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 4th February 2010
FIRE FORCE
BY MATT LYNN
Headline, £12.99
by Jeremy Hazlehurst
YOU’VE got to hand it to Matt Lynn, he can certainly write a first line. “Until you’ve sat down to a game of poker inside Africa’s most...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 4th February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
THE POWER OF YES AT THE NATIONAL
It’s been somewhat overshadowed by Enron, Lucy Prebble’s story of Enron’s collapse. But Hare’s breaking news-style drama is a brilliant, intense and eminently...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 4th February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
THE GREENHOUSE
Chic but inviting, with a rustic touch and no expense spared on either the food or the opulent interior, and there’s an impressive wine selection – the owner has been collecting since...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 4th February 2010
TO me a great restaurant must encompass location, ambience, as well as great food, wines and service. Top fine dining restaurants must have the element of romance in order to achieve the ambience to...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
Valentine’s Ball and Massage Lesson at Culloden Estate, Belfast
First, an opulent Valentine’s Ball on Saturday, with drinks and dinner. Make a night of it and stay over – then, on Sunday, after a...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
A colleague is starting to be uncomfortably
flirtatious over email and pressuring me to engage in a similar tone. How do I stop this interaction before it goes any further? I’d rather avoid any...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
Shining City, at Camden’s Theatro Technis, premiered at the Royal Court in 2004.
SHINING CITY TO OPEN IN CAMDEN
John, a newly-bereaved businessman, is being haunted by the ghost of his wife. In a...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
Victoria Macmillan Bell
Kaprun, Austria, and it’s 10 degrees at village level. We, however, are considerably higher than the village. At 3,700 metres, at the very top of the cable car lifts, to be precise. To climb higher...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 2nd February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
OVER the past two years, there’s been much talk from restaurateurs of “adding value” in order to entice cash-stripped punters. Great meal deals, the chance to eat at Michelin-starred restaurants...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 2nd February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
PROUD CABARET
Modelled on a 1920s Hollywood supperclub, this City venture offers well-sourced British food from a set menu, a heapin’ helpin’ of atmosphere (think velvet curtains, gilded booths and...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 2nd February 2010
Zoe Strimpel
FILM NIGHT AT CINNAMON CLUB
Westminster’s favourite Indian restaurant will be hosting cinema nights on Mondays, with a touch more class than a regular night at the movies. Trade popcorn for spiced...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 1st February 2010
Lucie Greene
GREY London Februaries can be hard to bear, which is why Antigua’s sun, sea, sandy beaches – and direct flights – make it a regular haunt for Brits in search of winter sun. This year there is a real...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 1st February 2010
NESTLING in warm Caribbean waters, sun-kissed Antigua washes over you, covers you in sunshine, and leaves you feeling as laid-back as the locals. The island is a prime wedding and honeymoon...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 1st February 2010
Jeremy Hazlehurst
Venice for Valentine’s
Still looking for a romantic getaway this Valentine’s Day? Kirker Holidays is offering four nights for the price of three at the four-star superior Liassidi Palace in Venice, a...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 29th January 2010
Timothy Barber
Film
EDGE OF DARKNESS
Cert: 15
FOR those old enough to remember, Edge of Darkness was originally a critically acclaimed BBC thriller broadcast in the mid-80s. Its director, Martin Campbell, went on...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 29th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
FILM
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG Disney makes a return to hand-drawn animation and fairy tales.
ADORATION Director Atom Egoyan’s drama stars Devon Bostick as a troubled teenager.
BREATHLESS South...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 29th January 2010
Zoe Strimpel
FOR all its strengths, the trouser suit does not have the glamorous reputation of its older but sexier sister, the skirt suit. But if you’re the sort of woman who prefers to have her legs warmly...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 29th January 2010
Sara Hollamby
Sara Hollamby
Style Counsel
I’M so pleased the snow is finally on its way out, not because of the commuting chaos it caused, or because I’m bored with my “really warm” clothes. No, it’s because the...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 29th January 2010
ZOE STRIMPEL
MOHI MATAL’S SPICE MASTERCLASS
Learn to know your cumin from your garam masala at Holborn restaurant Moti Mahal’s spice-blending masterclasses, where you will be taught by head chef Anirudh Arora how...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 28th January 2010
Timothy Barber
THEY may not be able to check your luggage in for you, but there’s a growing number of apps designed to help take the stress out of travel. One of the most comprehensive is Flight Update (£2.99),...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 28th January 2010
Jeremy Hazlehurst
WHEN you’ve been on the road for a while, the worst thing in the world is clambering on to an aeroplane where you will sit breathing in recycled air and getting kicked in the back for five hours by...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 28th January 2010
Jeremy Hazlehurst
THIS week, Air New Zealand announced that it is to beef up the premium economy seating in its forthcoming fleet of B777-300ERs, by adding a “lie-flat” bed that will means passengers will not have to...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 28th January 2010
FREEDOM INC
BY BRIAN M CARNEY AND ISAAC GETZ
Crown Business Publishing, New York, £18.99
****
WE LIVE in a society in which we’re always watched – not just by the state, but in the workplace, too....
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 28th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
TURNER AT TATE BRITAIN
There are just a few more days to catch Tate Britain’s superb exhibition Turner & the Masters, examining the influence Turner’s artistic forebears played on his career, and...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 28th January 2010
Zoe Strimpel
FIVE years ago, McDonalds was the best-known export of US cuisine in London. Yes, there have been other venues dedicated to that fine nation’s culinary tradition, such as Joe Allen and the Chicago...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 27th January 2010
Timothy Barber
ENTERING the treatment room at South London’s Salt Cave clinic is a bit like stepping into Narnia. You may be going via an anteroom in a converted Earlsfield community centre rather than through the...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 27th January 2010
ZOE STRIMPEL
I’m a nervous public speaker and I suffer from confidence problems. What can I do to feel, appear and act less nervous and also deliver a good speech? John, 41, lawyer
Confident public speaking...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 27th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
ROPE AT THE ALMEIDA
Based on a real murder case, and later turned into a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock, Patrick Hamilton’s darkly effective 1929 play is about undergraduates who murdered a...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 27th January 2010
Zoe Strimpel
MAYBE it’s because of the rough year and a half we’ve just been through, or maybe it’s because fashion designers have a sixth sense and predicted this would be a particularly icy winter. Whatever it...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 27th January 2010
Zoe Strimpel
WHEN you hand your lady flowers on Valentine’s Day this year, she’ll be swooningly happy. But if you have been insufficiently creative, a little part of her will roll her eyes – roses are nice, but...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 27th January 2010
VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
REMEMBER the Citroen DS, the futuristic sensation born in 1955 and used endlessly in films of car chases in Paris in the 70s? It was all long and pointy, with a Pope mobile–like cabin, such was the...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 26th January 2010
Zoe Strimpel
GREEN tea has been trendy in the West for a while now, along with black-skinned fruits and yoga. But in this case, trendiness does not indicate mere faddishness. There is ever-mounting evidence that...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 26th January 2010
DEAR VEXED: I’m going through a divorce and I can’t help crying at my desk sometimes. I don’t want to be inappropriate, but keeping it all from my colleagues and boss feels bizarre. Should I confide...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 26th January 2010
ZOE STRIMPEL
CHRIS OFILI OPENS AT TATE BRITAIN
Famous for his works decorated with elephant dung, Turner Prize winning Chris Ofili shows here that he’s an artist of great sophistication for his relatively few...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 26th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
Roka
1st Floor, 4 Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Square, E14 5FW
FOOD *****
SERVICE ****
ATMOSPHERE ****
Cost per person without wine: £55
HAVE you ever been to Roka before?” asked our waiter, poised to...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 26th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
PARLOUR
Canada Square’s Park Pavillion is a new building that’s transforming Canary Wharf’s culinary scene by hosting four new restaurants. Parlour is one of them, a design-heavy cocktail bar and...
[Read more]
-
Tuesday, 26th January 2010
ZOE STRIMPEL
MASTER OF MACAROONS COMES TO LONDON
Parisian pâtissière to the stars Pierre Hermé is to come to London. Naturally he’ll have a Knightsbridge boutique – but that’s scheduled for summer. In the...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 25th January 2010
THE OLIGARCH'S WIFE
By ANNA BLUNDY
Preface, £12.99
Anna Blundy, an impossibly glamorous-looking journalist and daughter of the late foreign correspondent Peter Blundy, knows her subject well. A...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 25th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
Van gogh comes to the r.a.
Incredibly, this is the first major Van Gogh exhibition in London for over 40 years, and it will shed extra light on the impulses and inspirations of the troubled Dutch...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 25th January 2010
Christian Sylt
ON walking into the lobby of Paris’ George V you can tell it’s a grande dame, but it has a twist which makes it immediately memorable.
There’s the immaculately designed wrought-iron door frame, 17th...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 25th January 2010
NOBODY does romance better than the French. Paris might no longer be the centre of world when it comes to business or culture, but in terms of places to spend Valentine’s Day nothing comes close.
The...
[Read more]
-
Monday, 25th January 2010
TIMOTHY BARBER
Fall in love in New York
You and your partner can enjoy some top quality pampering and fabulous food, along with the best of the Big Apple, at New York's famous slice of Upper East Side luxury, The...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 22nd January 2010
Film
THE BOYS ARE BACK
Cert: 12A
NOTHING to do with Thin Lizzy (sadly), this adaptation of Simon Carr’s memoir stars Clive Owen as Joe, a macho Brit sports journalist living in happy isolation on the...
[Read more]
-
Friday, 22nd January 2010
FILM
BROTHERS Powerful post-Afghanistan drama with Toby Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhal.
A PROPHET Stunning French film about an Arab man who becomes a kingpin in a French prison....
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 21st January 2010
Timothy Barber
MONDAY night will see Scots everywhere donning kilts, eating offal and downing an awful lot of whisky for Burns’ Night Supper, the annual celebration of the Bard of Ayreshire, Robert Burns. Haggis –...
[Read more]
-
Thursday, 21st January 2010
GALVIN AT WINDOWS
Basking in the glory of its newly-awarded Michelin star, the Galvin brothers’ stunning restaurant at the top of the Park Lane Hilton is offering a special Burns’ Night cocktail, the...
[Read more]
-
Wednesday, 20th January 2010
Zoe Strimpel
THIS, according to beauty analysts, is the year that “mood beauty” will take off – that is, makeup and skincare that actually makes you happier. And with this week deemed the most depressing of the...
[Read more]