THE LONDON BAROMETER October 13, 2011 DIRECTOR OF DOUGLAS & GORDON FAR fewer people are opting to move house since the cost of moving has become prohibitive for many homeowners. With current economic uncertainty we were expecting lower applicant numbers in September, but we were surprised by how they held up. We could be at a pivotal point in the market [...]
Next hotspots for price growth October 13, 2011 EVERYONE has read the headlines about the soaring prices of core prime central London properties – that’s homes in Chelsea, Mayfair and Belgravia. Foreign investment in the market has brought a price boom that the average well-to-do Brit just can’t keep pace with. Understandable, when the “square footage” – the price per square foot – [...]
A Bajan palace with Bali twist October 13, 2011 A BAJAN dream house – complete with home cinema, gym and several pavilions – would really be something to show your friends. Well – providing you have the dough ($27m) – your showstopper has arrived, in the form of Alang Alang Bay on the beachfront of St James (45 minutes from the airport), for sale [...]
The ethereal Sleeping Beauty will haunt you when you sleep at night October 13, 2011 Film SLEEPING BEAUTY Cert: 18 SLEEPING Beauty is far from the fairytale the title hints at. With an airy darkness at its core that moves in and out of focus, this strange Australian film by novelist-turned-director Rachel Leigh perverts any notion of princesses, chastity and happy endings. Set in an anonymous Australian city, the film [...]
ARTS ROUNDUP October 13, 2011 UGLY BETTY TAKES MAIN ROLE IN CHICAGO Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera will inherit the mantle worn by Renee Zellweger, Denise Van Outen and Ashlee Simpson when she plays Chicago’s Roxie Hart. Garrick Theatre, from 7 November POWER OF MAKING, V&A If you’ve not made it over to the exhibition, a collaboration between the V&A and [...]
The crema de la crema of coffee making machines October 12, 2011 BEING particular about how your coffee is made is no bad thing. Discernment is a means to an end – and when you want to make yourself a coffee on a glorious Sunday afternoon, just because you can, you want to have one that’s rightly made. It’s a confusing world of coffee machines out there, [...]
INTERVIEW | THE DIGITAL ENTREPRENEUR October 12, 2011 CHIEF EXECUTIVE THEBROWSER.COM Henry Lane Fox, brother of Martha (the UK’s official Digital Champion), is a digital expert and the chief executive of the Browser website. He began his career at lastminute.com before founding manufacturing network Maxipos.com and Amuse Bouche champagne bars. The Browser was founded by Economist journalist Robert Cottrell, and investor Al Breach, [...]
The sherry bar that’s rocking South London’s food scene October 12, 2011 TONIGHT, José Pizarro is a rock star in his own restaurant. He’s shaking everyone’s hand, or rather, everyone’s shaking his hand. Hardeep Singh Kohli, the Scottish Sikh presenter, and his chums are settling in round a pillar to order and are giving him the pats on the back. It could be because today the Bermondsey [...]
3 OTHER | SHERRY BARS October 12, 2011 CAPOTE Y TOROS, 157 OLD BROMPTON ROAD, SW5 A ham, tapas and sherry bar in South Ken that draws inspiration from Cadiz. FINO, 33 CHARLOTTE STREET, W1 Named after the sherry, this lovely restaurant is more formal. Great roast suckling pig. PEPITO, 3 VARNISHERS YARD, N1 Trendy bar near King’s Cross, which offers cold cuts [...]
Keeping those reds under the beds for later October 12, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT BY the time you read this, my first child should have been born. As one does I have been contemplating what sort of wine to lay down for his 18th birthday. It’s a little early to judge the 2011 vintage; the grapes have either just been picked or [...]