Japanese food goes global at this buzzy, brash new lounge in Soho November 2, 2009 Aqua KyotoFifth floor, 240 Regent Street, W1B 3BR020 7478 0540, www.aqua.com.hkCost per person without wine: £42 AQUA KYOTO is a Japanese restaurant opened by a Chinese company, sharing its space with a Spanish restaurant – and it feels like something from brash and showy Los Angeles. Tucked up on the top floor of a building [...]
THREE OTHER JAPANESE RESTAURANTS November 2, 2009 ROKARoka is rightly Soho’s favourite, buzziest Japanese and one of the area’s best restaurants. The sushi, sashimi and goodies from the Robata grill are all divine and choosing one dish over another is an eternal struggle. The airy, colourful interior lifts the whole experience further. Go for the tasting menu if you have time. 37 [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS November 2, 2009 WINTER COCKTAILS AT PEARLCosy up with Pearl Bar’s four new wintry cocktails – two hot, two cold. Winter Snug is a blend of Tia Maria, Meukow liqueur, double cream, jivara chocolate and hot milk, while the wine is jazzed up with zinfandel, berry, ginger and lemongrass cordial, cinnamon syrup, amaretto, chestnut liqueur and cloves. If [...]
Sun, sea and Arabian Delights November 1, 2009 THERE are many parts of the world about which I am pessimistic but Dubai, despite its recent economic woes, is not one of them. Nobody else in the Middle East has pulled off what Dubai has achieved: a peaceful, capitalist, multi-ethnic state based on commerce, property, finance, entertainment and tourism. While it has been engulfed [...]
An oasis in between all the skyscrapers November 1, 2009 Like the Atlantis, Dubai’s One & Only Royal Mirage, one of the emirate’s more established luxury resorts, is owned by Sol Kerzner, writes Allister Heath. But its setting and layout provides a very different, more European experience. This is a place for those seeking tranquility and classy relaxation, albeit within a short cab ride of [...]
TRAVEL NOTES November 1, 2009 De Niro opens Locanda Verde in NYCRobert De Niro has opened a new Italian in Tribeca, located within his hotel, The Greenwich. The idea is a “family style” taverna, with a starry twist, thanks to head chef Andrew Carmelli, protégé of celebrity cook Daniel Boulud. Carmellini is known for his pasta, which includes dishes such [...]
A Sentimental education Sixties-style October 29, 2009 FilmAN EDUCATIONCert: 12A AN Education began life as a short story and memoir by journalist Lynn Barber, which appeared in the literary journal Granta. Small but pithy, it was about Barber’s first boyfriend, back in 1961. Yet it was so acutely observed, and captured not only a girl’s coming of age, but of post-war Britain [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND October 29, 2009 FILM9 Dark animation set in a dystopian world, about a ragdoll given life after humanity destroys itself. DEAD MAN RUNNING 50 Cent makes an unlikely appearance in this Brit gangster thriller. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON Re-release for John Landis’s classic horror satire. DVDPUBLIC ENEMIES Johnny Depp stars as famous bank-robber John Dillinger. LAST CHANCE [...]
Far more than just a pretty face October 29, 2009 BAUME & MERCIERHampton Square Magnum Chrono, £5,395Swiss watchmaker Baume & Mercier specialises in elegant modern timepieces, though this square watch is a step into something a bit more jazzy – a punchy, innovative stainless steel number that you can also get in rose gold.www.baume-et-mercier.com IWCAquatimer Chronograph Galapagos edition, £4,250All-black is a definite trend in the [...]
KEEP YOUR OUTFITS FOR WORK AND FOR HOME SEPARATE October 29, 2009 Sara HollambyStyle Counsel THERE’S nothing quite like that Friday night feeling. Coming home from a hard week’s work, changing out of your suit into your jeans and an old cardi and pouring yourself a refreshing G&T is what makes work worthwhile. But what if you didn’t have to wear a suit to work? It wouldn’t [...]