Bunga Bunga everyone: Italy comes to Battersea August 3, 2011 Q: Charlie: You first showed your interest in nightlife and parties aged 13 when you arranged a party at Crazy Larrys. Duncan, you weren’t far on his heels. What was it about that world that drew you so powerfully? A (Charlie): I realised it was something I could do at the same time as studying [...]
Capital Shopping Centres spree helps boost profits August 2, 2011 CAPITAL Shopping Centres (CSC), the UK’s biggest shopping mall owner, said its half-year profits rose by 53 per cent, buoyed by the £1.6bn acquisition of Manchester’s Trafford Centre in January. Footfall across its 14 shopping centres increased by three per cent while net rental income rose by six per cent year-on-year, thanks to an increase [...]
Beauty’s in the i of the beholder August 2, 2011 LAST week BMW flew hundreds of journalists from around the world into Frankfurt to show them the future of motoring, as illustrated by its new sub-brand ‘i’. And the future looks pretty impressive if the near-production cars BMW revealed are anything to go by. The German manufacturer showed the first two of its ‘i’ branded [...]
CAR TALK August 2, 2011 TOYOTA GETS GREEN PLAUDITS Toyota has been named the “world’s greenest brand”, according to a survey from Interbrand. The “Best Global Green Brands” survey takes into account environmental performance coupled with public perception of eco sustainability. Data was collected from the world’s leading markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Brazil and India [...]
Europe’s rich flood London’s house market August 1, 2011 THE price of luxury homes in central London has jumped by almost 10 per cent in the past year, driven by demand from wealthy Europeans looking to invest outside of the troubled Eurozone economies. Prime London property prices have risen 9.6 per cent since July 2010, and are more than 28 per cent higher than [...]
Where the nail buffs go pre-hols August 1, 2011 PAYOT: “PRECIOUS FEET RITUAL” The French skincare brand is just the one to turn to if you want nourished, hydrated skin as well as pretty nails. The Precious Feet Ritual starts with the eyes – a firming mask rehydrates bags and plumps the brow area while the therapist goes to work on your feet. First, [...]
FIT IN THE CITY August 1, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT RUN FREE Parkour or free running is the art of leaping around town – the idea is to get between two points as efficiently as possible, which usually involves lots of leaping and jumping, preferably with a bit of street furniture thrown in for good measure. Visit www.parkouruk.org for more info [...]
From hotels to hearty, classy bistros August 1, 2011 Bistro du Vin 40 St John Street, EC1M 4DL www.bistroduvinandbar.com FOOD *** SERVICE *** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £35 IT’S hard to get excited about the name. If I didn’t know better, I’d bracket “Bistro du Vin” along with generic, naff, budget chains like Bella Pasta and Café Rouge, particularly upon learning [...]
THREE RESTAURANTS WITH SPIN-OFF VERSIONS August 1, 2011 POLPO Soho’s popular “Venetian tapas” destination Polpo has so far produced three offspring in remarkably short time: Polpetto and Spuntino, both also in Soho, and Da Polpo in Covent Garden. They reproduce Polpo’s winning formula of delicious small plate food, perfect cocktails and cosy, shabby-chic interiors, while each maintains its individual appeal too. www.polpo.co.uk PIZZA [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS August 1, 2011 WINE DINNERS AT PALM Palm Restaurant, the smart American steakhouse in Belgravia that’s built up quite a following since it opened on Pont Street two years ago, is holding a series of wine tasting dinners over the next year. Things kick off next month with a dinner celebrating Taittinger champagne on 16 September, with four [...]