THREE OTHER MAYFAIR ITALIANS March 29, 2011 BABBO One of Mayfair’s few homely restaurants, it’s one of the area’s best Italians, providing rustic elegance instead of gloss and high design. The menu is rich and impressive, with lots of regional favourites. Think beef carpaccio, parmesan cheese, mustard sauce and capers from Pantelleria Island and a great big seabass in salt crust. 39 [...]
French for “bend, turn, curve” March 29, 2011 VIRAGE is French for “bend, turn, curve” and we’ve been testing Aston Martin’s latest GT on the roads of Andalucia, roads so twisty, bendy and curvy that my co-driver has just been sick. Later he will blame my driving, but for now we’re trying to work out how to wash the vomit off of the [...]
Episode seven: telling Noel about the twins March 28, 2011 WE sit opposite Noel. I can see his skinny, bruised legs dangling, swinging beneath the table. He looks about, avoiding our eyes. The restaurant is empty. It’s barely midday. I realise Noel is anxious. He knows that something is afoot. I take a deep breath. We’ve done our reading, discussed our strategy and sketched out [...]
Scents to make your spring March 28, 2011 1 St Clement’s by James Heeley. Named after the 1740s rhyme Oranges and Lemons, it has wonderful citrus notes. For men. £98, lessenteurs.com 2 212 Pop! by Carolina Herrera. Limited Pop Art-inspired edition for spring, full of bergamot and grapefruit, £36, debenhams.com 3 Huitieme Art Ciel D’Airain, “Smell of a great electric storm breaking over [...]
Refresh, revive and get fit at a Swiss mountain retreat March 27, 2011 WHETHER it’s the ski season or the summer holidays, the Swiss Alps are crawling with tourists. If people aren’t whizzing down a snow-covered hillside in the winter, come summer they’re resolutely trudging up a well-marked, well-trodden path. But head to these same Alpine villages only a week or two out of season and you’ll have [...]
Spa and waffles at a Cork golf retreat March 27, 2011 A FRIEND of mine from Cork, who has lived in London, Cambridge and Stockholm, decided to reconnect with her roots for her wedding. Very considerately, she chose to have it at a proper resort, with golf course, ballroom and, of course, a fully-fledged hotel. So deciding to take a room there was a no-brainer; if you [...]
THINK ROOMS… March 27, 2011 WALDHOTEL NATIONAL 4* Tomelistrasse | Arosa | 7050 Surrounded by mountains and majestic firs, Waldhotel National is an impressive hotel to match its impressive location. The lovely pine rooms manage to create a stylish and modern feel without ever losing that welcome touch of traditional cosiness. And the spa here, complete with outdoor sauna, is [...]
TRAVEL NOTES March 27, 2011 EQUESTRIAN CLINICS AT LUCKNAM PARK Country house hotels and horses go beautifully together. Now you have a chance to hone your equestrian skills at the supremely lovely Lucknam Park, the sort of place that Mr Darcy would have considered a reasonable abode. With an all-weather arena, shiny new show jumps and a cross country course [...]
Men ditch high street for fashion on the web March 27, 2011 MENSWEAR online has always been seen as second fiddle to women’s wear,” says Jeremy Langmead, newly anointed editor-in-chief at Mr. Porter, Net-a-Porter’s new online men’s fashion mecca. “You always had to find menswear by scrabbling around for the button hidden away at the top left or right hand corner of a women’s wear website. There [...]
FASHION NEWS March 27, 2011 GQ FASHION MAG LAUNCHES GQ Magazine has launched a new swanky fashion-focussed partner, a hip bi-annual accompaniment to its monthly edition – coffee table candy for boys, basically. The magazine is being headed by ex-I-D Magazine editor Ben Reardon and features Oscar nominee James Franco on the cover, along with shoots styled by Louis Vuitton’s men’s wear [...]