Food & Booze News September 3, 2012 London Restaurant Festival tickets on sale Bookings opened this week for the 4th annual London Restaurant Festival. More than 800 restaurants have put together special festival menus available for as little as £10, to celebrate the thriving London culinary scene. Log onto londonrestaurantfestival.com for more information. Keep hold of your Union Jacks A new restaurant [...]
On the trail of the black rhino… September 2, 2012 THE LAST TIME I came eye to eye with the endangered black rhino was in Nepal. We had woken at dawn to paddle low-slung boats that barely crested the surface of the croc-infested river. And as we trekked through the dewy grass, the guide gave us the low-down on rhino-watching etiquette. “If the rhino hears [...]
Live like a king in this fairytale retreat August 30, 2012 The Pavilion, Hampton Court, Surrey Guide Price: £8.95m This is one spectacular property. Located on the historic barge walk, between The River Thames and Hampton Court Palace, the Pavilion sits in a truly regal setting. The house and grounds, adjacent to the Palace park, were built in 1702, by Christopher Wren’s talented pupil William Talman. [...]
Focus on: Wimbledon August 30, 2012 Wimbledon has become one the most popular places to live in London, with Wimbledon Village being near the top of the tree. Easy transport links make it ideal for those who want quick access to the city, whilst reaping the benefits of a quieter suburban life. On the fast train, you can expect to be [...]
London Barometer August 30, 2012 DIRECTOR OF DOUGLAS & GORDON JULY seems to show, rather surprisingly given the Olympics, Jubilee and summer holidays, that it’s pretty much business as usual for the London market. Applicants are up 20 per cent year on year and stock levels remain stubbornly low. While sentiment in the UK generally seems to be negative, London’s [...]
Tamsin Grieg is stellar in Jumpy August 30, 2012 THEATRE JUMPY Duke of York Theatre | By Cathy Adams **** A whitewashed, bare room, a half-drunk glass of Chardonnay and a skylight. Welcome to peripheral Walthamstow, home to put-upon mother Hilary, stolid husband Mark and precocious teen Tilly. Tamsin Grieg, better known for her acerbic roles in Black Books and Green Wing, gives a [...]
Where to drink August 30, 2012 CONTINUING FROM last week’s column on updated, re-invigorated and re-imagined private members’ clubs, one of the most illustrious in recent years is the exclusive Home House in Marylebone. After introducing The Vaults at House 21 earlier this year, it will completely update House 19, a destination for entertaining, drinking and dining. Dovetailing seamlessly with the [...]
Smashing Windows Phones August 29, 2012 AS THE dust settles following the explosive legal case between Apple and Samsung, in which the Korean firm was ordered to pay a minimum of $1bn for patent infringement, an unlikely third party is emerging as one of the potential winners. Microsoft has invested billions in its Windows Phone software, to some critical acclaim, but [...]
Need to know August 29, 2012 Samsung last night released the hotly anticipated successor to its genre defining “phablet” the Galaxy Note, catchily dubbed the Galaxy Note II. The Korean firm is still reeling from the ruling that could yet halt sales of some of its most popular smartphones. The Note, though, is not on Apple’s hit-list – and that makes [...]
The FF is a supermodel on steroids August 28, 2012 Ferrari doesn’t tend to do things by halves. When it launched its FF model – the first four-wheel-drive in its history – it did so by having its two F1 racing drivers drive it at the top of Plan De Corones in the Dolomites at 2,350 metres. It’s fair to say, then, that Ferrari is [...]