It’s time to hunker down in a cosy pub January 13, 2010 THE JERUSALEM TAVERN, CLERKENWELL Yes it’s a classic and an obvious choice, but there’s still no finer place to hunker down and enjoy a few pints of beer. And what beer it is. This Farringdon pub serves the full range of the very fine St Peter’s beers, including their Organic bitter, blackberry, nettle and gooseberry [...]
Four by phwoar January 12, 2010 I’VE just returned from a stint on the East Coast of the USA where I thought we had done quite well with snow. The thing is, it’s no surprise when it arrives over there. “Snow days” tend to close schools, but people are out shovelling immediately, protecting themselves from any litigious opportunists. Snowploughs are put [...]
OUT OF OFFICE January 12, 2010 BARBERSHOPERA II A popular highlight at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Rob Castell’s sequel to his award-winning Barbershopera! is returning for a brief West End run. It’s a distinctly silly musical telling the story of a Catalan matador who inherits his father’s Norfolk barbershop. Find out how he fares impressing the locals with his continental [...]
Get fit to hit the slopes January 11, 2010 SNO CAMP AT VIRGIN ACTIVE The snow motif doesn’t stop with the name of this course: each week’s session will be based on a new theme such as Snow Plough (the beginner’s technique – draining on the inner thigh) and Mont Blanc (referrs to more advanced techniques working glutes and calves). You’ll also be taught [...]
Essentials for glowing skin on and off piste January 11, 2010 1 Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Mask, £30. Uses groomwell and Sichuan peppercorn to clarify, hydrate and soothe; perfect after a day in the elements. www.jurlique.com 2 Clinique Comfort on Call Allergy Tested Relief Cream, £35. Made with the rare Japanese citrus jabara fruit extract, this super-luxe cream is geared to calm irritated, wind-battered skin. At all [...]
Old school cool in the heart of Soho January 11, 2010 Dean Street Townhouse 69-71 Dean Street, W1D 3SE Tel: 020 7434 1775 Cost per person without wine: £33 EVERY really good restaurant shares one essential ingredient – a sense of effortlessness. A place that falls over itself to dazzle with complicated flourishes and fuss is more likely to irritate – simplicity, in restaurants, is a [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS January 11, 2010 THE CIRCUS COMES TO COVENT GARDEN In the midst of all this frozen gloom, Covent Garden’s newest restaurant and bar – opening tonight – might be just the thing to inject some warmth and colour. Circus, on Endell Street just by Seven Dials, is a Surrealism-inspired slice of funky showmanship from renowned designer Tom Dixon [...]
THREE OTHER ‘BEST OF BRITISH’ RESTAURANTS January 11, 2010 ALBERMARLE Formerly the venerable Grill at Brown’s, the restaurant of this august Mayfair hotel was revitalised in 2008 with a smart makeover and a menu based around the best UK produce from head chef Lee Streeton. I particularly recommend the delicious fish soup, decanted from saucepan to bowl at your table. Brown’s Hotel, 33 Albemarle [...]
Cooking up an idyllic holiday January 10, 2010 THERE’S no getting away from the fact that it takes a long time to get to the Cook Islands. Located between Samoa, Fiji and Tahiti, they are as remote as it gets. The flight from London is over 20 hours. However, they are a perfect stop-over to stretch your legs on the way to Australasia [...]
Stars and spas in California’s flashy south January 10, 2010 THE Southern California sunshine danced on the ocean off Newport Beach as we stepped aboard the boat where we would be eating our lunch. We opened the champagne, tucked into the picnic, and took it in turns at the helm to guide the boat, silent as a whisper around the bay. This was a brilliant [...]