Live and let drive… Bond-style May 5, 2010 FIRST: a confession. I probably should have told the good people at Lotus that I have a slightly unlucky history with James Bond. The first 007 film I ever saw was Moonraker. Dressed up smartly in my white broderie anglaise blouse, I sat with my family in a rather grand former theatre in Auckland, New [...]
Don Draper’s old fashioned drink of choice May 5, 2010 IT’S probably a little too easy for us to be dismissive of bourbon in this country. After all, with all the world-beating malt whisky painstakingly produced up in the most northern parts of our little island, what do we need with the harsh, corn-based yankee equivalent? We’ll gulp it down in the odd cocktail – [...]
OUT OF OFFICE May 5, 2010 WHERE TO WATCH ELECTION NIGHT Soho’s den of fine dining and decadence, Quo Vadis, (www.quovadissoho.co.uk) is hosting an election night party in its naughtily-named Petting Room, with coverage broadcast live and drinks flowing. Alternatively, head for the refined gentility of the American Bar at the Stafford Hotel in St James’s (www.thestaffordhotel.co.uk) or Mayfair’s home of [...]
Korea Progression May 4, 2010 IF any car proves Korean manufacturer Kia’s star is in the ascendant then it must be its compact car, the Venga. It’s something of an illusion because it’s clear from the moment that you get in it that this is not really a compact car at all, in fact it’s what is known in the [...]
OUT OF OFFICE May 4, 2010 MACBETH AT THE GLOBE The theme for this year’s season at Shakespeare’s Globe is “kings and rogues”, with various monarchs and their rogueish retinues appearing at the outdoor theatre. First up is the most famous and most villainous of the Bard’s kings, Macbeth, with Elliot Cowan getting blood on his hands in the title role [...]
Revitalise for spring May 3, 2010 1.HEAD TO THE PARK ONE of London’s best features is its multitude of open green spaces – and while they’re fabulous places for a jog, they can also be used for more organised training. Fitness company One Element runs group training sessions in spaces including Battersea Park, Wandsworth Common, Richmond Park and Parsons Green, with [...]
OUT OF OFFICE May 3, 2010 STOPPARD’S THE REAL THING Playing now at the Old Vic, Tom Stoppard’s 1982 play mixes the playwright’s customary linguistic fireworks with emotional warmth, and is anchored by a masterful – and very funny – performance from Toby Stephens. He plays Henry, a successful playwright who leaves his wife for an actress (Hattie Morahan) and discovers he [...]
An El Bulli in Bethnal Green May 3, 2010 Viajante Patriot Square E2 9NF, tel: 020 7871 0461 www.viajante.co.uk FOOD ***** SERVICE ***** ATMOSPHERE **** Cost per person without wine: £25-£85 IT was love. As I bit off some buttered mini spelt-dusted baguette, lovingly served by Viajante’s chef and ex-El Bulli ingénu Nuno Mendes himself, I froze. My eyes began to roll back in [...]
Vinegar with your martini? When in Italy… May 3, 2010 SOMETIMES you choose something off the menu because it sounds so awful that it will either be completely horrible or totally brilliant, but either way, it will make for a good story. Faced with the cocktail menu at the Four Seasons Florence, a former Medici palace and papal residence that has been lovingly restored into [...]
THREE OTHER EAST LONDON FAVOURITES May 3, 2010 GREEN & RED Buzzy and critically acclaimed Mexican restaurant and bar that’s full of hipsters guzzling the likes of octopus ceviche, cumin-roasted chicken wings and watermelon salad in the cantina. In the bar, they’re sipping from the 200-strong tequila menu. Great non-alcoholic drinks include hibiscus and tamarind juice. 51 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA, tel: [...]