The A-Team meets James Bond in this gung-ho mercenary adventure February 3, 2010 FIRE FORCE BY MATT LYNN Headline, £12.99 by Jeremy Hazlehurst YOU’VE got to hand it to Matt Lynn, he can certainly write a first line. “Until you’ve sat down to a game of poker inside Africa’s most brutal jail, you don’t really know what it’s like to sweat,” begins his second novel. No man, surely, [...]
OUT OF OFFICE February 3, 2010 THE POWER OF YES AT THE NATIONAL It’s been somewhat overshadowed by Enron, Lucy Prebble’s story of Enron’s collapse. But Hare’s breaking news-style drama is a brilliant, intense and eminently watchable explanation of the credit crunch’s origins. There’s a Hare character as narrator trying to make sense of things, with the help of a young [...]
Stylish Valentine’s wining and dining February 3, 2010 THE GREENHOUSE Chic but inviting, with a rustic touch and no expense spared on either the food or the opulent interior, and there’s an impressive wine selection – the owner has been collecting since he was a teenager. An ideal destination for the hardest-to-impress lover, and the Valentine’s menu cannot fail to thrill, either. Canapes [...]
Marcus Wareing’s top five European romantic tables February 3, 2010 TO me a great restaurant must encompass location, ambience, as well as great food, wines and service. Top fine dining restaurants must have the element of romance in order to achieve the ambience to match everything else.” BRAS, LAGUIOLE, FRANCE “A stunning restaurant set high in the mountains of Laguiole in the southern Auvergne. The [...]
Valentine’s escapes for every taste February 2, 2010 Valentine’s Ball and Massage Lesson at Culloden Estate, Belfast First, an opulent Valentine’s Ball on Saturday, with drinks and dinner. Make a night of it and stay over – then, on Sunday, after a deluxe breakfast, learn the art of massage a deux. A personal masseuse will explain how it’s done, introduce you to a [...]
How do I stop inappropriate email banter? February 2, 2010 A colleague is starting to be uncomfortably flirtatious over email and pressuring me to engage in a similar tone. How do I stop this interaction before it goes any further? I’d rather avoid any unpleasant scenes, drama or awkwardness. Joanna, 29, solicitor THERE are two ways to deal with this kind of issue. One is [...]
Out of Office February 2, 2010 Shining City, at Camden’s Theatro Technis, premiered at the Royal Court in 2004. SHINING CITY TO OPEN IN CAMDEN John, a newly-bereaved businessman, is being haunted by the ghost of his wife. In a series of intriguing sessions with newly-qualified therapist, Ian, he explores the hidden guilt behind this strange phenomenon. Ian, however, has problems of [...]
The Volvo gets cool February 2, 2010 Kaprun, Austria, and it’s 10 degrees at village level. We, however, are considerably higher than the village. At 3,700 metres, at the very top of the cable car lifts, to be precise. To climb higher involves skidoos, for which we are waiting. It seems odd being here, standing with bags and laptops, looking incongruous against [...]
WHERE ACROBATS ARE SERVED WITH STEAK February 1, 2010 OVER the past two years, there’s been much talk from restaurateurs of “adding value” in order to entice cash-stripped punters. Great meal deals, the chance to eat at Michelin-starred restaurants without breaking the bank, free choccies at the end – that sort of thing. But recently, the value added concept has been geared up a [...]
THREE OTHER SUPPERCLUB-STYLE RESTAURANTS February 1, 2010 PROUD CABARET Modelled on a 1920s Hollywood supperclub, this City venture offers well-sourced British food from a set menu, a heapin’ helpin’ of atmosphere (think velvet curtains, gilded booths and girls in flapper dresses) and burlesque, jazz or cabaret as you eat your slow roast pork belly and Neal’s Yard cheese and sip fine wine. [...]