It’s the season of the most celebrated ingredient of all October 20, 2010 ALL this talk of tightening belts is enough to make one want to do precisely the opposite. Thankfully, when it comes to big, indulgent blowouts of the kind where the only important cut is that of the expensive meat on your plate, the most indulgent ingredient of them all is in season. The “Alba Madonna” [...]
GOING OUT October 20, 2010 The most exciting launch on the way this Autumn has to be the brand new Hakkasan Mayfair, opening its doors on Bruton Street mid November. The tucked away Hanway Place original has been an amazing success since its launch nearly 10 years ago. Along with fine, modern Chinese cuisine it ushered in a new breed [...]
Recipe: Risotto with white truffles October 20, 2010 240g Italian short-grain rice Two shallots 50g of bone marrow (optional) 50 g grated parmesan 10 cl dry white wine 1.5 liters of chicken stock 50g of butter 5 cl whipped cream 10cl of olive oil Salt Espelette pepper White truffles: 5g or more per person There are three essential rules for a perfect risotto: [...]
Let your hair fly back like the Wind October 19, 2010 It’s fair to say that most people, even trainspotters like motoring columnists, don’t get too excited about car roofs. People don’t usually queue to buy a specific car because of its roof but Renault’s new Wind coupé-roadster may be about to change that. Traditionally, sports car design and practicality are at odds with each other. [...]
CAR TALK October 19, 2010 BMW DRIVERS ARE RUDEST BMW drivers are the most likely to be obnoxious on the road according to a survey of 3,000 motorists conducted by gocompare.com. Results from the study found BMW drivers the most likely to tailgate, make rude hand gestures and to speed, and more than half of the survey’s respondents had suffered [...]
The West End’s smart new club for card sharps October 18, 2010 FOR poker enthusiasts who don’t want to play for thousands of pounds, finding a comfortable environment to get stuck into a live game of poker isn’t easy. You can dabble in piddling pub tournaments (maximum buy-in: £5), try your luck in the rather daunting atmospherve of the few lower-stakes casinos offering poker, or in the [...]
The English queen of the felt October 18, 2010 IS LIV Boeree too good to be true? An astrophysics grad and sometime model with the looks of a Bond girl and a penchant for heavy metal – a YouTube video she’s uploaded proves she’s no mean guitarist – she’s also the sixth biggest winner in tournament poker this year, with $1.8m from the last [...]
High-rollers get charitable for sick kids October 18, 2010 WHEN you’re trying to win chips off your opponents at the poker table, charity’s the last thing on your mind. That would particularly be the case if you were slinging chips around in the cardroom of Les Ambassadeurs casino in Mayfair, which hosts the biggest (by which I mean highest stakes) poker games in Europe. [...]
Spanish favourite hits mark again October 18, 2010 Camino 28 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, E14 8RR. www.camino.uk.com/canarywharf Tel: 020 7239 9077 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £35 IT must be tricky designing a Spanish restaurant. One route is to go rustic, with wine barrels, crates, bull-fighting memorabilia and castanets everywhere, and instructions to staff to wipe their hands on their [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS October 18, 2010 IN CONVERSATION WITH FERRAN ADRIA If you’re one of the many foodies that is fascinated by El Bulli chef Ferran Adria, then don’t miss this chance to hear him in conversation with acclaimed food author Colman Andrews at the Royal Geographical Society. The event is in celebration of the chef’s first biography, published by Phaidon [...]