Q&A: BUYING July 9, 2009 Camilla DellMANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK Q. Dear Camilla, I’m trying to buy a property in London but every time I find something that I like I keep getting gazumped. What can I do?A. Your problem is not an uncommon one. In the UK, until you’ve exchanged contracts, another buyer can come in and offer [...]
A banker’s bash at philosophy is short on logic July 8, 2009 GOOD VALUEBy Stephen GreenALLEN LANE, £20 SAMUEL JOHNSON famously opined about watching a dog walk on its hind legs: it is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all. Something of the same reaction seems to be behind the excitement generated by this book. It is laudable that Green, the [...]
OUT OF OFFICE BY ZOE STRIMPEL July 8, 2009 ARCADIA AT DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRETom Stoppard’s unforgettable 1993 drama wittily looks at life, mathematics and, well, everything. Set in a country house in both 1809-11 and 1989, it consistently and wittily catches at two ends of the same stick, be it Fermat’s Theorem or a paperweight. David Leveaux’s production is right on the money [...]
It’s summer time and the boozing is easy … and delicious July 8, 2009 WHEN was the last time you really felt you were drinking a perfect drink? The right glass, the right temperature, the right mixture, composition, a veritable wash of refreshment and taste? Chances are, most of the time you knock back whatever is on offer – be it in the pub, or from your fridge at [...]
The hard-core soft-top July 7, 2009 IF this road test ends abruptly, it is because I’ve been skewered by a BAE Hawk T1A aircraft flown by one of the Red Arrows display team, which as I am writing are rehearsing for the first day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Or the even more earsplitting Eurofighter Typhoon, which is now overhead [...]
How a 30-minute workout can help you beat the jet lag blues July 6, 2009 HUMANS were not built to cross multiple time zones in metal tubes flying at 600 mph. Then again, we weren’t built for a lot of the things we do and enjoy – were foie gras and chocolate fondant on God’s mind when He created our digestive systems? I doubt it. Jet lag is particularly disruptive, [...]
LONDON Where to revive July 6, 2009 Mandarin OrientalGo for the Ginger Ritual. This jet-lag busting treatment uses a finger pressure technique, whereby the therapist applies pressure to the body’s shiatsu points to stimulate the flow of energy. Ginger-infused hot towels over the kidneys and a deep massage boosts lymphatic flow and helps relieve the pain of cramped joints. 1 hour and [...]
OUT OF OFFICE July 6, 2009 SMIRNOFF BLACK SCREENINGSAnyone who fancies a cocktail with their classic film should head along to the Smirnoff Black Screenings at Chelsea’s Bluebird, which returns after a sell-out 1950s Hollywood series last year. The series offers 9pm big-screen showings of classic films – including Alfie and Casino Royale – in celebration of the silver screen’s most [...]
It’s vulgar and brash but perfect for a big old all-American blowout July 6, 2009 PLANET HOLLYWOOD60HAYMARKET, SW1Y 4QXTel: 020 7437 7639www.planethollywoodlondon.com FOODSERVICEATMOSPHERECost per person without wine: £20 WHEN I think of Planet Hollywood, I think of family-themed nights – sticky floors, screaming babies, hassled staff. But London’s new PH, a revamped affair just down the road from the old one, is trying to go for a different demographic. “Our [...]
OTHER AMERICAN RESTAURANTS July 6, 2009 HARD ROCK CAFEBelieve it or not, this is the original Hard Rock Cafe, and has now spawned over 140 others all over the globe. The recipe is pretty much the same wherever you go – American food, guitars on the wall and rock (not always of the hard variety) pumping out of the speakers. 150 [...]