Industrial cool and botanical garden chic March 30, 2011 Going Out HOT on the heels of his downstairs bar at Polpo, Russell Norman’s new site Spuntino on Rupert Street gives a Lower East Side flavour to their rustic Italian style. The look is nineteenth century industrial Brooklyn, with wire caged filament bulbs, a pewter-topped bar, mosaic tiles and exposed brickwork. Don’t expect to see [...]
OUT OF OFFICE March 30, 2011 DALI COMES TO THE CITY Dali lovers rejoice: London is to be graced with an outdoor installation of Dali’s Alice in Wonderland monument, previously unseen in the UK. Nearly five metres high, the bronze piece was conceived in 1977 and has travelled the world since 2010. Its appearance coincides with an indoor exhibition in Norman [...]
Stylish and discreet, but the food isn’t perfect yet March 29, 2011 5 Pollen Street 5 Pollen St, W1S 1ND Tel: 020 7629 1555 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £45-£50 WITH Jason Atherton’s much-hyped Pollen Street Social to open next month, this miniscule back-alley behind Hanover Square has been getting more attention than one might expect of such a street. And now – pipping [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS March 29, 2011 CELEBRATE THE ROYAL WEDDING WITH AN ENORMOUS HESTON TRIFLE In case you were worried about what to feed your guests at your royal wedding party (and who isn’t? Honestly) – Waitrose has swept to the rescue with a cake, “created” by Heston Blumenthal and big enough to feed 10 people. The Royal Trifle (pictured below) [...]
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 [...]