12 things you need to know about this year’s Frieze Art Fair October 5, 2016 Frieze officially begins tomorrow, with 160 art global galleries exhibiting works by more than 1,000 artists, all inside a giant tent in Regent's Park. Here’s a list of everything you need to know – and what you need to see – as Frieze turns 25 years old. 1. The 1990s are in: To celebrate a quarter [...]
The 7 best places to drink champagne in London October 5, 2016 1. Osteria Barbican Centre, City of London A neon sign illuminating the herringbone parquet flooring of the Osteria bar boldly reads “Amore Bibo” or Latin for “Drink with love”, a knowing nod to the adjoining restaurant’s bold Italian cuisine. This week, it’s inviting guests for a themed tasting menu inspired the champagne house behind the [...]
Queenies are a blast from the past for Mark Hix, who recommends baking them in herbs October 5, 2016 When I was at primary school my mate Mark Hawker’s dad had a fishing boat, and from it I would watch the local ships come in piled high with sacks of queen scallops fished from the reefs. Sadly, over-trawling put an end to all that, and you rarely see them fished in Lyme bay any [...]
Working Lunch: Cabotte review – a restaurant made by wine lovers for wine lovers in the heart of the City October 4, 2016 Cabotte 42 Gresham Street, EC2 WHAT? Winos of the world unite – a new restaurant has opened in the city curated by wine lovers for wine lovers. Two master sommeliers, Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney, opened Cabotte a couple of weeks ago to marry the cuisine and vineyards of Burgundy. All senior staff are former [...]
Malbec in Bordeaux and in Burgundy bottles to boot: The new label extraordinaire going against the grain October 4, 2016 France has always been a nation of revolutionaries, whether they are political ones like Robespierre and Danton, scientists such as Marie Curie, or philosophers like Descartes or Jean Paul Sartre. So I suppose I should not be surprised to find a genuine wine revolutionary living next door to my new home in Gascony, who is [...]
The new topless Range Rover Evoque is a glorious blown-up Barbie car and we kind of love it October 4, 2016 As controversial as the EU referendum, the world’s foremost luxury 4×4 maker has lopped the top off its compact model in a bid to create a new lifestyle niche; the Cabrio SUV. To some, this is the best of all words. To others, it is a motorised selfie stick. Soft-top off-roaders aren’t a new concept. [...]
Audi Q2 review: specs, handling, engine, comparisons – the lowdown on the new mini Q7 October 3, 2016 You probably know about the Audi Q7, maybe you even drive one. Designed to offer Americans a cultured way to get around in a four-wheel-drive SUV, the big Audi ticks all the boxes, including the one that still defines an enduring attitude to cars in America: biggest is best. Of course, the Q7 is totally [...]
This extract from the print version of Atlas Obscura highlights five of the world’s oddest tourist attractions October 3, 2016 "When we launched the Atlas Obscura website in 2009, our goal was to create a catalogue of all the places, people and things that inspire our sense of wonder,” says co-founder Dylan Thomas. “We wanted a way of finding curious, out-of-the-way places that don’t often make it into traditional guidebooks – the kinds of destinations [...]
Will Superman and Batman meet their match in this new series by former Alexander McQueen artist Jacky Tsai? October 3, 2016 You might have wondered who would win between Superman and Batman (Superman, obviously), or Captain America and Iron Man (#TeamCap), but what about your favourite comic heroes against figures from Chinese mythology? Well, in Jacky Tsai’s striking lacquer carvings, Superman and Captain America seem to have met their match… “Welcome Refugees” depicts the Man of [...]
Sapphires, rubies and Paraiba tourmalines have made their way on to watch dials – but there are times only a diamond will do October 3, 2016 I’m not going to quote Carol Channing or Marilyn Monroe (or Nicole Kidman, depending on your age) because we are all well aware of a woman’s relationship with her diamonds. There really isn’t a stone out there that has allegedly captured the female imagination so much as this metastable allotrope of carbon. However, as desirous [...]