How Boisdale owner fell hard for Jamaica October 5, 2011 I HAD never been particularly desperate to visit Jamaica despite its proximity to Cuba – to which I am a frequent and enthusiastic visitor. In truth I imagined it to be overrun with tourists and relatively hostile. What I encountered, though, was completely different to what I had imagined. I certainly cannot claim to be [...]
Land Sec gets planning for St Paul’s build October 4, 2011 LAND Securities, the UK’s biggest commercial landlord, has secured planning consent for a new mixed office and retail development near St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London. The 250,000 square foot scheme will replace three existing buildings on the corner of Shoe Lane and Little New Street with cafes, restaurants and premium office space [...]
Chrysler’s Ypsilon does premium October 4, 2011 While scrolling through the radio, inside the new Chrysler Ypsilon I’m driving, I find one of the station presets tuned to Radio Italia. It’s an unusual choice and a reminder of this car’s roots. It’s possible you haven’t heard of the Ypsilon. It has never been sold in the UK, and elsewhere it wears a [...]
CAR TALK October 4, 2011 SKODA CITIGO Škoda has unveiled its new small, four-seater Citigo city car. Powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with a choice of two power outputs – 60PS – (62.8mpg, 105g CO2/km) and 77PS (60.1mpg, 108g CO2/km), it comes with three or five doors. Sales begin in the UK next year. LIMITED EDITION MINIS Mini [...]
Stellar Keller: French Laundry gives a taste of US’s very best October 4, 2011 AS someone whose job description includes reviewing restaurants, I admit it: I’m spoiled. Sure, it’s not all perfect foie gras and caviar washed down with Dom Perignon. But over time, you clock up a lot of great food because inevitably, the job includes eating at the very best as well as the not-so-good. I tell [...]
GOING OUT October 4, 2011 AUTUMNAL launches have continued apace and you can now go one better than Patrick Bateman by dining at Dorsia, inspired by its unbookable namesake from Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho. Brainchild of ex-Boujis boys Fraser Carruthers and Nick Andreen, this impressive new South Ken members club is spread over three floors of the (ex-Firehouse) Georgian [...]
Surviving British Military Fitness October 3, 2011 W E’VE had our hottest October ever (well, since 1985), and – with more sun forecast before winter sets in – there’s just no excuse to avoid that park. And so it was with this in mind this weekend that I decide my occasional determination to dip into a trim trail should be put to [...]
FIT IN THE CITY October 3, 2011 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT Australian researchers recently found that watching an hour of TV can shorten your life by 22 minutes. This got me thinking. What are the best ways are to counteract lazy habits (especially if you’re time-poor and highly stressed)? Here’s what I came up with… TRY A DIFFERENT SANDWICH BAR: Going to [...]
Regent Street Japanese with style and substance October 3, 2011 Senkai 65 Regent Street, W1B 4EA 020 7494 7600 FOOD **** SERVICE *** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £60 STEERING clear of food with “style” is a culinary hobby. I can’t help the suspicion that “Chinese-style” chicken, for example, has less than a token resemblance to Chinese culture. At most, there’s a sprinkling [...]
QUAFFER’S CORNER October 3, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT ICOOKED a curry on the weekend, which made me think about choosing wine to accompany spicy food. It’s easy to fall back on the old standby of beer, and I often do (Franziskaner Weissbier from Bavaria, usually) but there are some easy guidelines that will help make your [...]