Croatian wine: surprise gem of Europe’s crop September 19, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT AUTUMN’S a busy time for the wine trade and the last couple of weeks have been hectic with several tastings a day. The less glamorous side of the business is tasting interminable numbers of similar wines in order to fill a certain slot on the wine-list, the sub [...]
THREE OTHERS September 19, 2011 HIGH TIMBER, 8 HIGH TIMBER STREET, EC4V 3PA City A.M. favourite High Timber has several things to recommend it. One: its Thames-side views. Two: its wonderful South African wine collection, presided over by the exuberant Neleen Strauss. Three: its steak. These are juicy, chargrilled slabs, served with terrific sauces on wooden boards with sides of [...]
Housing shortage sends London’s prices rocketing September 18, 2011 ASKING prices have barely moved in the country as a whole, but a lack of new sellers in London pushed prices up this month, according to today’s Rightmove house price index. Prices are up 2.4 per cent month-on-month in the capital, and 7.2 per cent compared with last September. That translates to a cash increase [...]
House prices 60pc lower in suburbia September 18, 2011 LONDON workers save an average of 60 per cent on house prices by living an hour’s rail journey away from the capital. New research shows the typical £4,400 annual cost of a 60-minute commute to the centre of London is dwarfed by the money saved from lower property costs. The Halifax study showed average house [...]
The millionaire towns in capital commuter belt September 18, 2011 HALF of the houses on the market in commuter town Beaconsfield, Bucks, are valued at over £1m, a survey out today from primelocation.com reveals. At 47 per cent, the town has the highest proportion of seven-figure homes in the country. Indeed, the top fifteen towns with the highest percentage of million pound houses are all [...]
History lives on in the City of Angels September 18, 2011 WELCOME to LA. Embrace the pain!” jokes leading man Scoot McNairy in the touching 2007 indie flick In Search Of A Midnight Kiss. McNairy’s character is a failed, lonely screenwriter trying to woo a failed, lonely actress (Sarah Simmonds) on a New Year’s Eve date. His poignant words echo around the famous Orpheum Theatre, a [...]
TRAVEL NOTES September 18, 2011 SHA’s new “absolute rejuvenation programme” Spain’s famous SHA wellness retreat has launched a new 14-day programme that’s one up even on its regular course of wellness enhancement. This one features macrobiotic nutrition to purify and rebalance the body and mind while scientific and holistic spa treatments try to physically iron out any kinks. It’s fairly [...]
Time to plan your golden getaway September 18, 2011 Deserted beaches, colourful fiestas, shopping meccas, or that perfect sunset – every destination opens up a world of golden opportunities. If exploring new places is your passion, the Preferred Rewards Gold Card from American Express can make your getaway even more rewarding. With the value of gold at an all time high, the Card now [...]
London’s soaring rents boost landlords’ returns September 16, 2011 MONTHLY rents have grown for the seventh month in a row, according to figures out today from LSL Property Services’ buy-to-let index. London’s rents increased by 1.5 per cent on average last month compared with July, hitting new highs of £1,025 per month. That compares with prices of £713 across England and Wales, which went [...]
Award-winning city penthouse September 15, 2011 FOR sale by the building’s architects, the couple Patrick Theis and Soraya Kahn, the penthouse in this extraordinarily elegant, intelligent development in Shoreditch is a prime and prestigious choice for anyone working in the City. The building – designed to be both for working and living – has won several awards and was short-listed for [...]