Are you ready to rumble? February 22, 2011 IT’S not often I get woken up to the deep rumbling sound of a flat-six engine firing up but it certainly makes a change from my 16 month-old daughter singing and it’s almost as delightful in its way, even before coffee at 7.30am. It’s the sound of a Carrera GTS, the latest in the 911 [...]
CAR TALK February 22, 2011 Running on bio, fast Finland’s four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen has set a new world ice speed record by driving an all-wheel drive, 6-litre, 12-cylinder Bentley Continental Supersports convertible on the frozen Baltic Sea, off the coast of Finland. The Finn reached 205.48mph in the car, which was running on biofuel. One hundred examples [...]
Another one bites the… pub February 21, 2011 The Fox & Grapes 9 Camp Road, Wimbledon Common, SW19 4UN. Tel: 020 8619 1300 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £28 GORDON Ramsay did it, Heston’s done it, Marco Pierre White did it first, the chaps at the Ledbury have done it and won an extra Michelin star in the process. These [...]
FOUR PLAY: the mercury rises too high February 21, 2011 ROOM 400. I smile. I have to admire Sandy’s fastidiousness. He wants this deal brought in at 400 basis points over Libor. My room reservation is his idea of a gentle reminder. 450 would have been a threat and anything on the fifth floor and I’d be on the phone to a decent headhunter. I [...]
Brewing up a storm February 21, 2011 LIKE so many people, I take my food and wine seriously. I won’t drink unnaturally pink California zinfandels and I turn my nose up at Jacob’s Creek. Wine-tasting courses and many meals in good restaurants have left their imprint. I care about quality – I’m a snob, and I’m not afraid to show it. Why [...]
Cocktails in the capital get still better February 21, 2011 THE bar scene in London has been on the up of late and two very different new offerings are continuing the trend. The London Cocktail Club had decamped and moved to Goodge Street (and it has indeed travelled well). This modern take on an old fashioned gin palace is tucked away down an iron staircase [...]
OUT OF OFFICE: GAUCHO POLO February 21, 2011 IF the prospect of the finest horses and horsemen going head to head in a series of exciting polo matches sounds like a scorching way to spend an evning, look no further than the?Gaucho Polo at the 02 Centre this Thursday. Matches will include EFG’s England v Camino Real’s Argentina for the ultimate grudge match [...]
2011 is the year that London becomes the world’s best place to stay February 20, 2011 JUST when it seemed as though London couldn’t fit another slice of luxury into its five star-crammed hotel scene, along comes… well, everything. This has been a huge year for the capital. The completion of the spectacular £200m refurb of the Savoy sparked the buzz of excitement. Since then, Park Lane has seen the rebirth [...]
THINK ROOMS… with LateRooms.com February 20, 2011 The Savoy 5* The Strand | London | WC2R 0EU Following the most ambitious hotel restoration in British history, The Savoy re-opened last year to reclaim its legendary status amongst the world’s top hotels. Blending the Edwardian, the Art Deco and the contemporary, its timeless elegance shines through once more. The entrance is as iconic [...]
Hollywood Hotspots: How to do LA like a star in 24 hours February 20, 2011 AS celebrities flock to Los Angeles for the Oscars, we found the hotspots that they’ll be eating, drinking, and (not) sleeping in before the big night. We first checked into the Hollywood Roosevelt, which oozes old school glamour. Live like Marilyn Monroe in suite 229 where she resided for two years, or head to the [...]