Tastes of the garden in St James’s June 28, 2010 The Avenue 7-9 St James’s Street, SW1A 1EE www.danddlondon.com HUGE place, The Avenue. It has sat near the bottom of St James’s Street since the Nineties when its spacious minimalism was quite the thing, if hardly what you’d expect to find just off fusty old Pall Mall. Earlier this year it was given a paint [...]
TASTING NOTES June 28, 2010 1) PREPARATION is everything when throwing a summer party. Since cold dishes are the order of the day, definitely have food ready in the fridge that can be pulled out as your guests arrive. Dishes such as frittatas and salads will fit the bill perfectly. You should enjoy the evening as much as your guests [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS June 28, 2010 ANTUNES SETS UP SHOP ON SOUTH BANK French chef Joel Antunes built a laudable reputation for himself back in the Eighties and Nineties working around France, Asia and the UK before launching Les Saveurs in Mayfair, where he picked up a Michelin star. After that he went to the States, but his latest venture is [...]
The king of scent and his powers of perfume picking June 28, 2010 WHEN we meet, Roja Dove is wearing a billowing turquoise silk shirt tucked into trousers held up by a diamante belt with a skull clasp, and has skin so dewy it could be that of a 20 year-old boy. Such remarkable self-presentation, not to mention his mellifluous voice, is immediately suggestive of the fact that [...]
Fishy feet may be the best June 28, 2010 THE hot weather will be a mixed blessing for anyone for whom sandal wearing means feet resembling parched deserts cracked with jagged canyons. There are all the usual ways of dealing with this – creams, sanding down with pumice, going for a full-on pedicure – but sticking your tootsies in a tank full of flesh-eating [...]
FIT IN THE CITY June 28, 2010 GET PEDDLING: Gridlocked traffic, the rising cost of fuel and temperatures on the underground reaching 40 degrees this summer should make this one a no-brainer (better still, invest in some good running shoes and pound the pavements Forrest Gump-style). BACK AWAY FROM THE REMOTE: With the rising cost of energy, there’s never been a better [...]
Where safari meets heavenly white beaches June 27, 2010 TANZANIA combines the thrill of safari through the vast plains of the Serengeti with relaxation on the tropical beaches of the exotic Spice island of Zanzibar. Serengeti We draw the curtains of our room in Kempinski’s Bilila Lodge to find a welcome committee of seven elephants, obligingly gathered at a watering hole just steps away [...]
TRAVEL NOTES: BUDGET-FRIENDLY STAYCATIONS June 27, 2010 Mid Week Food Lovers Boutique hotel Fishmore Hall, on the edge of the foodie hotspot of Ludlow, is ideal for a foodie staycation. Go midweek (Sunday to Thursday) and you’ll receive a 50 per cent discount on room rates, plus dinner for two from the a la carte menu. When you’re not eating all the [...]
Let the travelling by boat take the stress out of commuting June 24, 2010 IN warm weather those living near the river in London have a big advantage. It’s not just the views or access to riverside beer gardens – it’s the fact that they don’t have to jam themselves into sweat-drenched Tube carriages and buses when they can drift merrily to work by boat instead. When commuting comes [...]
Q&A CURRENCY June 24, 2010 CAMILLA DELL MANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK Q.Dear Camilla, I am a London property developer and in light of this week’s Budget, what will the week’s announcements mean for the capital’s housing market? A.Well, the rise in capital gains tax (CGT) was far, far less than everybody expected, which is a great relief for those [...]