An exclusive way to sample the simplest, best Gallic food May 25, 2011 AS dinner parties go, this one’s a bit different. Over to my left sits double Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi of Hibiscus, on the right is Joel Antunes of South Bank’s acclaimed Brasserie Joel and opposite him is Russell Norman, the rising star of London’s restaurant scene with his hugely popular “Venetian tapas” joints Polpo, Spuntino [...]
Bunny-tails to be shaking once again May 25, 2011 Finishing touches are being applied to Mayfair’s prettiest new face, where Hugh Hefner plans to evoke the golden age of his empire – the Playboy Club London on Old Park Lane soft launches tonight. Would-be Don Drapers will absolutely adore this extravagant and exclusive establishment, where gentlemanly desires such as dining, drinking and gambling will [...]
Learning from mistakes for success May 25, 2011 ADAPT BY TIM HARFORD Little Brown, £20 by Philip Salter THE “undercover economist”, Tim Harford has a new book out: Adapt. Its central theme is the examination of failure and success, reasoning that a bit of the former is vital to achieve the latter; and even when you are successful, in order to keep it, [...]
Fancy yourself as a top chef? Sign up to The Big City Cook May 25, 2011 WE’VE all been there – Sat in front of the television watching “Masterchef” frustrated, as yet another builder/housewife/Z-list celebrity turns out a deflated soufflé. Suddenly the thought pops in to our heads: “I could do better than that.” Well soon, the suffering could be over. September sees the launch of The Big City Cook, a [...]
The new Sharan: big AND clever May 24, 2011 BACK in the early 90s it felt like MPVs were everywhere. Created to solve the challenge of how to move big families about, they were sold as useful and trendy until the public caught on to the fact that the reality was rather different. Though big, these lumbering beasts often proved impractical, with minimal luggage [...]
CAR TALK May 24, 2011 ASTON MARTIN TEAMS WITH ZAGATO To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, Aston Martin has created an elegant, new V12 Zagato concept with the Italian design house Zagato. The car has a handcrafted aluminium body and features the iconic Zagato double bubble roof. The car premiered at the Villa D’Este Concours, Lake [...]
Fake tans: the golden rules May 23, 2011 IT’S that time of year again. With the prospect of unveiling bare legs and arms for the summer weather, many of us are heading straight to the self-tanning counter. (Not least the cast of ITV2’s “The Only Way is Essex”, whose collective mahogany glow hit new levels at Sunday’s TV BAFTA awards.) But self-tan doesn’t [...]
Episode 13: Jermyn Street May 23, 2011 “Hello David.” I turn to face Caroline Davison. “Hello…” I begin. “I’m surprised you’re buying your shirts here. Thought you’d be getting them handmade now. I heard you’d been elevated to the peerage.” “Not quite the peerage Caroline.” “No but I’m sorry I didn’t drop a line to congratulate you.” “No. Not at all.” “So, [...]
French fare with added va va voom May 23, 2011 CHABROT BISTROT D’AMIS 9 Knightsbridge Green, SW1X7Q1, 020 7225 2238, www.chabrot.co.uk FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £45 ON a wall inside the entrance to Chabrot Bistrot d’Amis hangs a large black and white photograph of a grizzled paysan emitting a gummy grin as he pours red wine from a magnum bottle into [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS May 23, 2011 HAWKSMOOR TO OPEN IN EC2 Big news for the City, this. Late last year Hawksmoor, the celebrated East End restaurant and bar that serves up some of the finest steak in London, opened a second branch to great acclaim in Covent Garden. Well, Hawksmoor number three, Hawksmoor Guildhall, will be opening in the City, on [...]