Four great experiences for the true aficionado December 8, 2010 l You can’t beat a day of pampering for unwinding after the Christmas rush. Any chap looking to really indulge a lady should look to the spa at the plush Sofitel St James’s Hotel, whose ultimate package includes a crystal necklace from renowned French glassware company Baccarat. For pampering, you get the Zenith Signature treatment, [...]
Interiors December 8, 2010 If hitting the shops doesn’t appeal, you can find a world of exciting goodies online. Portero.com is a luxury auction site for accessories where all items are certified and quality checked – it’s like Ebay with insurance, so you can pick up a Birkin in mint condition. For less designer and more organic, etsy.com has [...]
Gifts for her December 8, 2010 1. Arty bracelet (understatement of the century), Yves Saint Laurent, £435, www.selfridges.co.uk 2. Chrysler bag, Carolina Herrera, £385, CH Carolina Herrera, Mount Street, Mayfair 3. Home rose cushion, Missoni, £185, www.selfridges.co.uk 4. Fur hood hat, £240, Rous Iland, www.rousiland.com 5. Swarovski 1.2L amphora encrusted Bond No 9 bottle with 16,500 hand applied crystals, and hand-filled with [...]
Great gadget gifts December 8, 2010 SENNHEISER PXC HEADPHONES 450 The brilliance of these cans is not just the sound quality (though as you’d expect from Sennheiser, that’s excellent) but the button you flick to cut out exterior ambient noise to an uncanny degree. £349, www.sennheiser.co.uk KINECT FOR XBOX 360 The one thing that could give the iPad a serious run [...]
Tablets are this year’s turn-on for gadget lovers December 8, 2010 TECH TALK The must-have present this year is a tablet. If you can’t afford an iPad an Android is arguably much better value. Are tablets sexy? I suppose they are if you can watch certain movies. But which blue tablets are the best? The Binatone HomeSurf 8 Touch Tablet is an eight incher. The similarities [...]
The games that ruled the roost in 2010 December 8, 2010 RED DEAD REDEMPTION (PS3, X360) £29.99 What was merely potential in gritty Wild West game Red Dead Revolver became reality in this blistering follow up, in which former outlaw John Marston tracks down his former compadres. The technical brilliance of the gunplay is more than matched by the beautiful scenery and oppressively tough, dusty atmosphere. [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 8, 2010 RUDOLPH PIE FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS Covent Garden’s confusingly-named Battersea Pie Station – a paradise for those who like their lunches hot, meaty pastry-topped – is getting in the festive spirit with a very tasty reindeer pie – called The Rudolph, natch – that’s available throughout this month. If those reindeer aren’t actually going to help [...]
Clapham is calling with this pub jewel December 8, 2010 The Bobbin 1-3 Lillieshall Road SW4 0LN Tel: 020 7738 8953, thebobbinclapham.com FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £25 IF you live anywhere near Clapham Common, the Bobbin should be your local by virtue of being very good, rather than proximity. I don’t live anywhere near it, but the trip down south to [...]
Roll up for a host of new hot openings December 8, 2010 THERE have been a number of bar openings dotted around the capital in recent weeks. The iconic Oxo Tower (www.harveynichols.com/restaurants/oxo-tower-london) has seen the launch of its new bar with stunning views across the Thames to St Pauls and beyond. The impressive space mixes classic cruise liner-esque lines with modern touches provided by designer Shaun Clarkson, [...]
TASTING NOTES: BILTONG AND WINE December 8, 2010 WE don’t say we ‘want’ biltong, we say we ‘need’ biltong,” says Neeleen Strauss, co-owner and sommelier of High Timber, the steak and wine restaurant facing Tate Modern. The “we” in this context is South Africans, and biltong, if you don’t know already, is the dried beef the country prides itself on and which can [...]