A Dragon with style and substance September 22, 2009 IN Duncan Bannatyne’s smartly understated Covent Garden flat, one item stands out. Between the elegant cream sofas of the living room and the smooth lines of his minimalist kitchen sits a curved, asymmetrical armchair of the most garish, glaring pink. “It reflects my feminine side,” says the entrepreneur, as he settles into the chair to [...]
OUT OF OFFICE September 22, 2009 BOTTOMS UP AT BOB BOB RICARDIf you consider yourself a wine lover, then swanky Soho restaurant and members bar Bob Bob Ricard is the place for you right now, with a pricing policy on its reserve wine list that’s enabling people to get hold of exclusive bottles for a fraction of the normal dining cost. [...]
Space shuttle on wheels September 22, 2009 IF NASA and superyacht designer Wally Power were to design a car together, this would be the result. Staring at the rear end of the GT-R is like looking at the space shuttle. There are four exhaust pipes, each with a similar girth as a prize-winning marrow, and above them are four tail-lights which, when [...]
Bank on Green’s for top-notch nosh September 21, 2009 Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar14 Cornhill, London, EC3V 3NDTel: 020 7220 6300FOODSERVICEATMOSPHERECost per person without wine: £35 THERE are precious few dinings rooms in the City with the “cor blimey” factor, so the news that a new restaurant was opening in the old Lloyds Banking Hall set us nodding like the dog on the Churchill [...]
OTHER TOP OYSTER RESTAURANTS September 21, 2009 WRIGHT BROSBorough Market can be a bit variable, but this venerable (well, seven-year-old) oyster bar is one that you can guarantee to deliver, especially when there’s an R in the month. It’s a good bet if you like a bit of difference with your oysters, too: try the plate of three with wasabi. 11 Stoney [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS September 21, 2009 TASTEITALYATHARVEYNICKSHarvey Nichols is hosting a food market throughout October, featuring the likes of the chicest Puglian tomato paste you’ll ever see, Piedmontese rocket and lemon pesto and a new range of bruschetta toppings including pepperoni, mushrooms and artichoke cream. Look out for olive oil tastings too. 109-125 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJ, tel: 020 7235 5000, www.harveynichols.com.WHISKYBARATTHEATHENAEUMWhisky [...]
Uncommon scents for the autumn September 21, 2009 YOU don’t have to be an absolute expert on knowing your bergamot from your sandalwood or your vetiver from your labdanum, but the modern man cutting a dash about town needs to be able to tell a first-rate cologne when he smells one. As the days get shorter and the temperature cools, you can swap [...]
MEN’S GROOMING AUTUMN TREATMENTS September 21, 2009 Chaps fancying a bit of therapeutic indulgence to ease themselves back into working mode after the summer are well catered-for at the moment. At Gentlemen’s Tonic in Mayfair, the City and Selfridges (www.gentlemenstonic.com) you can enjoy a special Winter Warmer treatment, involving a hot stone body massage to rebalance achey muscles, while your hands and [...]
OUT OF OFFICE September 21, 2009 OUR CLASS AT THE NATIONAL THEATREOpening tomorrow, the National ‘s latest show examines the experience of growing up in Poland in the shadow of World War II. It begins in 1925 with a class of Jewish and Catholic schoolchildren who declare their ambitions in life – film star, pilot, doctor. As they grow up first Soviet, [...]
For a British break with a twist, stay in a historic house September 20, 2009 HAVE you ever slept in a Tudor folly? I have, and very enjoyable it is too. Thanks to the Landmark Trust, the building conservation scheme that uses proceeds from guests to renovate and maintain old buildings, I stayed in one near Ipswich this summer. Organisations like the Landmark Trust and the National Trust, which also [...]