Brown is back, with silly plots, codes and terrible prose back September 16, 2009 THE LOST SYMBOLBY DAN BROWNBantam Press, £18.99 WITH AN initial print run of a million copies in the UK alone, and 6.5m worldwide, there is no doubt that Dan Brown’s latest – the follow-up, as you will know, to the Da Vinci Code – will be a publishing phenomenon. Robert Langdon, professor of symbology at [...]
OUT OF OFFICE September 16, 2009 BOOK NOW: AN INSPECTOR CALLSStephen Daldry’s award-winning production of JB Priestly’s The Inspector Calls is back in the West End of a limited eight-week run. The parable, which takes the form of a police investigation into the death of a young girl, explores the conflict between selfish individualism and social responsibility, is riveting and a [...]
Enjoy the beautiful game this autumn September 16, 2009 NOW that we’re a month into the season, things really start to get exciting for those who love their meat to be hearty, hunted wild and peppered with the odd shotgun pellet. For the first month it’s all about grouse, hunted from 12 August onwards, but as the weeks go by, other animals creep onto [...]
A QUEST FOR FINE WINES September 16, 2009 JEFF GALVINWe follow the Galvin brothers as they count down to the opening of their new City restaurant SOME parts of opening a restaurant are arduous, but others are pure fun. One of the most important things about our new restaurant La Chapelle will be the wine. Our quest for the best wine we can [...]
Even a saloon can be sexy when it’s made by Porsche September 15, 2009 IT was with surprise that we learnt that Porsche was going to build a four-door car. Porsche has always made two-door sportscars, why would it want to sink its teeth into the saloon market? But the same question was asked when they went into 4×4 territory with the Cayenne. There are enough manufacturers out there [...]
Keep it stylish to keep dry September 14, 2009 WITH autumnal showers looming, a natty raincoat is an essential part of every self-respecting gent’s wardrobe – and it’s an item as British as a Savile Row suit. Burberry first managed the leap from functional to stylish with its WWI invention of the trench coat – a piece of military-wear so snazzy it remains a [...]
A SUIT IT’S OKAY TO SPLIT September 14, 2009 MY female clients continually ask me advice on how to look smart and professional enough for important meetings, which they have to attend almost daily, yet casual enough to fit in with a hard working week in a “business casual” environment. I like the idea of a separate jacket with co-ordinating trousers or skirt in [...]
OUT OF OFFICE September 14, 2009 KURT & SIDWhat would have happened if Kurt Cobain and Sid Vicious had ever met? Probably the mother of all hard drugs blow-outs, but writer Roy Smiles looks for something more meaningful in this look at fame, addiction and rock music. On the cusp of his famous shotgun suicide at his home in Seattle, Nirvana-frontman [...]
In Paris, foie gras has been replaced by spelt September 14, 2009 Coeur de JardinPlaza Athenee25 Avenue Montaigne75008Tel: (33) 15367 6665FOOD SERVICEATMOSPHERECost per person without wine: €95 FRENCH food is all about fat: fatty saucisson, foie gras, Roquefort and creme brulee. At least that’s what I thought, until I had lunch at Coeur de Jardin, the outdoor restaurant at the opulent Plaza Athenee hotel, located in the [...]
THREE OTHER HEALTHY RESTAURANTS September 14, 2009 SAF152-154 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3AT. Tel: 020 7613 0007London’s chicest vegan restaurant (it calls itself a “botanical” for crying out loud) is for hipsters, not hippies. A rainbow of juices, cocktails and organic and biodynamic wine accompany food like courgette pad thai, nut cheeses, mushroom stews, parsnip sushi and beetroot ravioli. Cleansing options include kale [...]