OUT OF OFFICE April 20, 2010 THE REAL THING BY STOPPARD Toby Stephens, Fenella Woolgar and Hattie Morahan are starring in Tom Stoppard’s razor sharp comedy, which opens tonight at the Old Vic. Full of Stoppard’s usual verbal pyrotechnics, the play examines the complex nature of love, creativity and reality. It tells the story of Henry, a successful playwright who finds [...]
Beauty and the Beast April 20, 2010 IN TODAY’S list of the “world’s most popular goals” by goal-setting website 43 things, 19,131 people said that their goal was to “go on a road trip with no predetermined destination”. The pure pleasure of driving minus a defined objective came in first, before losing weight, falling in love and ceasing to procrastinate. It’s imperfect [...]
Smell delicious this summer with a sensual new perfume April 19, 2010 PERFUME houses have leapt upon the new season like never before, releasing dozens of spring/summer scents for 2010. To help guide your choices next time you’re in Duty Free (assuming the ash cloud clears), we spoke to the poetic-voiced James Craven, perfume consultant and archivist of London’s top perfumery, Les Senteurs. “This spring/summer is all [...]
The key to the marathon is chunking April 19, 2010 JEREMY ADAMS SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST WITH just a few days before the London Marathon, the mental states of the people who are running it will be varied. Some will be excited, some scared, some are confused and not sure what to expect, and others just feel underprepared. The bad news is that it is going to [...]
UK skies are crystal clear for light planes April 19, 2010 WHILE the cloud of Icelandic ash has kept most of Europe’s airliners firmly on the ground, anyone with an interest in flying smaller aircraft will have noticed the volcanic activity has not interrupted all sections of aviation. Many light aircraft even took advantage of the empty skies over the weekend to fly through controlled airspace [...]
Blanc goes bland in the Square Mile April 19, 2010 Brasserie Blanc 60 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8HP Tel: 020 7710 9441 Cost per person without wine: £26 IT has the name Raymond Blanc attached, but don’t be thinking Brasserie Blanc has anything to do with the French celebrity chef’s haute cuisine flagship, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire. Brasserie Blanc is a chain of [...]
THREE OTHER FRENCH RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY April 19, 2010 RELAIS DE VENISE L’ENTRECOTE This beloved Parisian chain of steak houses doesn’t do much but what it does it does well. Well enough to have Parisians queuing outside (in Paris) for a seat. Here, we can’t get enough of the salad, steak in special green sauce, chips (several plates-full)?and simple but delicious desserts of profiteroles [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS April 19, 2010 ENOCLUB NIGHTS at POLPO Polpo, the Venetian bacaro that took?Soho by storm when it opened last year, is launching a series of events dedicated to educating the wining, dining public about northern Italian wine. Each evening will focus on a different Northern Italian region highlighting the variety of quality wines each area has to offer. [...]
For babymooners, Brown’s is best April 18, 2010 WHEN I told people that my wife was expecting our first child, a lot of the men who already have kids did this laugh, a sort of bark that seemed to be at once ironic, sardonic and to suggest “you poor, poor fool, you don’t know what you are letting yourself into. No, really, you [...]
Trolley bags for a summer getaway April 18, 2010 1. Townhouse Buckley trunk with wheels by Tumi, £2,895, www.tumi.com 2. Hovercraft garment bag by Eagle Creek, £215, www.eaglecreekluggage.co.uk 3. Quadrant suitcases by Antler, from £159, www.houseoffraser.co.uk 4. Red Termo suitcases by Samsonite, from £139, www.houseoffraser.co.uk 5. Pininfarina wheeled trolley by Bric’s, £295, www.harrods.com 6. Aston Martin racing trolley bag by Hackett, www.hackett.com 7. Medium [...]