English wine comes of age June 2, 2009 KETTNER’S in Soho is one of the best-known wine bars in London, with a champagne list of over 100. So it was intriguing to hear that, for one week only, it was having an English Wine Festival. It was a small affair, with four wines on the list, but I was curious. If even Kettner’s [...]
Small car, big noise June 2, 2009 WHEN I covered the Geneva Motor Show back in early March, I said I wasn’t a fan of the shape of the new Polo. Now in its fifth generation, it looks like a new Golf from the front but with the Lupo attached to the rear. I just don’t get it. I want to get [...]
Make the most of summer learn how to turn the park into a gym June 1, 2009 I AM standing in Green Park, puffing and panting, my lungs burning. My arms hurt. My legs are heavy. A line of schoolchildren walks past. If I were them, I would probably be pointing and laughing, but it appears that they are better brought-up than me. I then run towards a bench and start doing [...]
The weird and wonderful meet in a revamped hotel classic June 1, 2009 DORCHESTER GRILL53 PARK LANE, LONDON W1K 1QATEL: 020 7629 8888FOODSERVICEATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: 35 THE Dorchester Grill has got to be one of the most luxuriously Scottish-looking rooms in London. It is a feast of plaid, banquette sofas for one and armchairs in rich hues. Though there aren’t antlers up on the walls, [...]
OTHER RELAUNCHED GRAND HOTEL RESTAURANTS June 1, 2009 THE LANDAU AT THE LANGHAMOnce the ballroom of the newly reopened former grand hotel, the Landau offers posh and interesting European haute-cuisine with plenty of fish, and it’s quickly becoming a hot spot for afternoon tea. 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, GB W1B 1JA, tel: 020 7636 1000 HELEN DARROZE AT THE CONNAUGHTThe hotel – [...]
The world’s best beach May 31, 2009 THERE is a beach in the Seychelles that has long been a hidden secret. The bay of La Petite Anse has been known only to 18th century pirates and more recent intrepid backpackers. The latest Lonely Planet guide suggests that this beach, on a once inaccessible corner of the island of Mahe, might just be [...]
Top summer looks for the little people May 31, 2009 WHETHER you are holidaying in Blackpool or the Bahamas this summer, your little ones should look effortlessly cool and comfortable as they run riot on the beach. With this season’s fabulously colourful children’s collections offering everything from kaftans to khakis, there is no reason why your little darlings shouldn’t look as stylish as the grown-ups. [...]
Life’s too short not to bare leg May 28, 2009 AH, men and shorts. The subject never fails to raise a smile and/or a heated debate. Should they wear them? If so, when? Well, thanks to a new age of slick man-shorts, male legs can run free – even at work – without breaking every fashion rule in the book. That is because the new [...]
SUMMER SCENTS May 28, 2009 JUST had a weekend away in Rome. As usual I dived into the duty free for a try of all the new perfumes – of which there are countless for both men and women. All very confusing, and once you have both arms covered, your sense of smell is shot to bits and you can’t [...]
The Hex Files May 28, 2009 DRAG ME TO HELLCert: 15 BACK in the mists of time – or the early Eighties – Sam Raimi invigorated the schlock horror genre with the first Evil Dead movies, before moving on to hit pay-dirt with Spiderman. At the moment, fifteenth-rate horror films are 10-a-penny, the genre disappearing up its own, highly ironic backside. [...]