Lifestyle

  • Why City folk are finally taking charge of their teeth
    Tuesday, 9th February 2010
    Better care, and the importance of a good smile, means orthodontists are busy
    Zoe Strimpel
    AS a 16-year-old, braces seemed preposterous enough. If I didn’t have shame about my smile before, I certainly did when sporting train-tracks of metal, elastics flashing with every word I spoke. As for adult braces – well, it was commonly accepted that only youth could carry off the indignity of the oral railroad. The few adults one saw with braces were pitied. Times have changed since 1998, when I last had metal in my mouth. Celebrities who have donned train-tracks recently include Prince William, Emma Watson and, most famously, Tom Cruise. Neil Counahan, a New York-trained orthodonist at... [Read more]

  • WANDSWORTH GETS A TASTE OF MOROCCO
    Tuesday, 9th February 2010
    A local restaurant recognised by Gordon Ramsay offers a refined version of North African cooking
    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]
  • FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
    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]
  • THREE OTHER MOROCCAN RESTAURANTS IN LONDON
    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]
  • Slope back to the mountains one last time
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    There’s a chance for another ski trip this season, so make it good, writes Jenny Forsyth
    ­­­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]
  • BANG GOES THE BONUS
    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]
  • OFF PISTE AND PARTY
    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]
  • THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
    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]
  • ALL IN THE FAMILY
    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]
  • SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND
    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]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    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]
  • Grey suits dominate the City – but not grey hair
    Monday, 8th February 2010
    Kate Moss has made silver locks fashionable, but the catwalk’s not the office, says Zoe Strimpel
    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]
  • Mandela blitzed by Hollywood hokum
    Friday, 5th February 2010
    Morgan Freeman is brilliant, but blind optimism about the rainbow nation is sadly misplaced
    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]
  • ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND
    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]
  • The A-Team meets James Bond in this gung-ho mercenary adventure
    Thursday, 4th February 2010
    Overgrown boys will love a tale about old soldiers in Africa in which real men carry Kalashnikovs
    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]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    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]
  • Stylish Valentine’s wining and dining
    Thursday, 4th February 2010
    On 14 Feb, nothing beats a meal in one of London’s most romantic restaurants
    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]
  • Marcus Wareing’s top five European romantic tables
    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]
  • Valentine’s escapes for every taste
    Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
    Whisk your beloved off to a country retreat or a plush urban hideaway,
    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]
  • How do I stop inappropriate email banter?
    Wednesday, 3rd February 2010
    Life Coach
    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]
  • Out of Office
    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]
  • The Volvo gets cool
    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]
  • WHERE ACROBATS ARE SERVED WITH STEAK
    Tuesday, 2nd February 2010
    A super-glamorous American restaurant dazzles as much with its entertainment as with its gutsy food
    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]
  • THREE OTHER SUPPERCLUB-STYLE RESTAURANTS
    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]
  • FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
    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]
  • Antigua has a touch of Caribbean class
    Monday, 1st February 2010
    The newly opened Jumby Bay resort is a James Bond-style winter sun paradise
    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]
  • A resort that leaves you feeling brand new
    Monday, 1st February 2010
    Esther Shaw swaps cocktails for yoga, meditation and healthy eating. Well, some of the time anyway eating and ditches holiday cocktails. Well, nearly
    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]
  • TRAVEL NOTES
    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]
  • Mel is back in his gritty comfort zone
    Friday, 29th January 2010
    Gibson does what he does best in a manly cop thriller
    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]
  • ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND
    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]
  • Suits with the kecks factor
    Friday, 29th January 2010
    When it comes to women’s work wear, the trouser suit gets a bad press, but if you get it right it can be fabulous
    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]
  • GET MOISTURE IN THAT SKIN
    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]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    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]
  • Apps that can keep you connected when you’re travelling for business
    Thursday, 28th January 2010
    Whether you need to track your flight or get the best seat, there’s an app to help
    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]
  • BUSINESS TRAVEL TIPS | HOW TO GET AN UPGRADE
    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]
  • BUSINESS TRAVEL TREND | PREMIUM ECONOMY
    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]
  • When you liberate your employees, productivity and profit will follow
    Thursday, 28th January 2010
    Letting workers get on with their jobs and listening to what they say is the way to help them flourish
    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]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    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]
  • How London fell for American cuisine
    Thursday, 28th January 2010
    We can’t get enough of its big, bold flavours and generous pieces of meat. No wonder
    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]
  • A salt of the earth therapy for congested Londoners
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    Sodium is not just for food seasoning or gritting roads – it can help you breathe
    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]
  • LIFE COACH
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    Help me to become a better orator
    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]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    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]
  • Warm up this winter with a chic hip flask
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    They’ve reached the catwalk, so it’s time you to get one of your own
    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]
  • A rose by any other name... can be better
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    A star florist tells us that Valentine’s Day is just the time to branch out
    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]
  • French go back to the future
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    A revamp of a classic car is a winner, in town and country
    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]
  • The right brew can help you beat the winter blues
    Tuesday, 26th January 2010
    Green tea has been shown to combat depression. Other tea can help you too
    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]
  • Can I discuss my personal issues at work?
    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]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    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]
  • The raw and the cooked rock at Roka
    Tuesday, 26th January 2010
    The new branch of this sleek Japanese operation is a paradise for those with expense accounts to spend
    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]
  • THREE OTHER SLEEK CANARY WHARF RESTAURANTS
    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]
  • FOOD & BOOZE NEWS
    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]
  • From Russia with love – and money
    Monday, 25th January 2010
    A rags-to-riches tale of a woman and her love for a Russian oligarch is a great winter evening read
    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]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    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]
  • A hotel that’s fit for a king
    Monday, 25th January 2010
    When it comes to romance, you just can’t beat the George V,
    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]
  • We’ll always have Paris
    Monday, 25th January 2010
    Lucie Greene hunts out the boutiques, restaurants and hotels that make the world’s most romantic city buzz
    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]
  • TRAVEL NOTES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
    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]
  • Clive Owen proves that he’s the daddy
    Friday, 22nd January 2010
    A strong central turn and nuanced script help stave off the schmaltz in this true story
    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]
  • ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND
    Friday, 22nd January 2010
    PREVIEWS
    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]
  • It’s not Burns’ night without the right dram
    Thursday, 21st January 2010
    Get the most out of Monday’s dinner with the right whisky for each course
    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]
  • Ten places to toast the Bard on Monday
    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]
  • Harmony for face and mind
    Wednesday, 20th January 2010
    2010 will be the year of the mood-boosting beauty product
    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]