Bankers as trapeze artists, central planners and markets July 30, 2013 THERE are three ways we can organise banking. The first, which I don’t recommend, is to adopt the pre-2008 model; the second is the current approach, which seeks to micro-manage everything and which will also fail; and the third would be to allow genuine market discipline to be reinstated. Under the first approach, there [...]
Restaurant review: Baiwei July 30, 2013 8 Little Newport Street, WC2H 7JJ Tel: 020 7494 3605 FOOD Two stars VALUE Three stars ATMOSPHERE One star Cost per person without wine: £25 I find Chinatown incomprehensible. It’s an ever-shifting tangle of restaurants and takeaways and bars and brothels. It morphs and skews before your eyes. You can sit down in one restaurant, [...]
Mix it up: How I made the best margarita ever on my first attempt July 30, 2013 @philip_salter AMONG popular economists (if such a thing isn’t oxymoronic) there is a debate about how long it takes to learn a new skill. Nobody can agree. Malcolm Gladwell of Outliers fame suggests it will take you 10,000 hours to truly master something, while Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours, thinks you can [...]
Fiat’s 500L gets a rugged makeover July 29, 2013 With its practical appearance and off-road promise, the 500L Trekking is a town car that likes to get dirty The Mini Countryman doesn’t look much like the Mini hatchback, but customers don’t seem to mind. Mini’s SUV crossover is selling very well in the UK, appealing to a family market that wants something practical, with [...]
Not convinced by the Fiat 500l trekking? July 29, 2013 HERE ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES: Mini Countryman Cooper D AII4, £20,570 The entry-level diesel Mini Countryman One D doesn’t have off-road ability so if you’re after four-wheel drive, prepare to stump up £20,570 for the Cooper D All4, a hike of at least £1,000. That aside, the car is refined and has bags of grip on-road. [...]
The year’s most spectacular theatrical extravaganza July 28, 2013 THEATRE THE DROWNED MAN Temple Studios | By Steve Dinneen Five Stars Punchdrunk theatre company has been flying the flag for immersive theatre for over a decade, joining the likes of Shunt and Secret Cinema in dragging the genre from niche installations in trendy basements to marquee productions that charge £50 a ticket. Unlike some [...]
Where to Drink July 28, 2013 TOAST the arrival of the Royal Baby at one of London’s new bars and clubs. Ascend to the rarefied heights of Aqua Shard, where it’s claimed a generous amount of space for its standalone lounge bar. Situated in a three storey atrium with immense windows bathing the room in light, it’s the perfect place to [...]
An SUV with style and substance July 22, 2013 People balked when Porsche released its first luxury SUV – these days its got the best on the market It was a happy coincidence that the weekend I spent with the new Porsche Cayenne S Diesel dovetailed with my cousin’s wedding hoedown on a farm, miles from anywhere, in rural Cornwall. The car was perfect [...]
Not convinced? July 22, 2013 HERE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES Audi SQ5 £44,055 Audi’s SQ5 is one of the best of the fast luxury SUVs. Strictly speaking it’s in a different segment to the Cayenne S Diesel, though it does have similar performance. In fact, the SQ5 is officially the world’s fastest diesel SUV. Powered by a 3.0-litre V6 bi-turbo engine, [...]
South America’s capital of glamour July 21, 2013 With its sprawling sandy beaches, iconic landmarks and buzzing atmosphere, Rio de Janeiro is in a league of its own, says Gabriel O’Rorke WITH the World Cup and the Olympics on the horizon, Brazil is preparing to become the focus of the world’s attention. One city that is used to the limelight is Rio de [...]