Five classic meals that are improved by adding beer March 1, 2016 I was making risotto the first time I poured beer into my dinner. The recipe called for a glass of wine; I was drinking a bottle of lager and I figured that I’d use that instead. It was delicious. In the 10 years since, I’ve cooked with every kind of beer there is, using it [...]
Mercedes-AMG C63 review: Can this muscle car disguise itself as a sophisticated saloon? February 29, 2016 Price: £60,060 0-62mph: 4.1secs Top speed: 155mph MPG Combined: 34.5mpg ★★★☆☆ | Design ★★★★★ | Performance ★★★☆☆ | Practicality ★★★☆☆ | Value Elvis Costello famously said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture” – and he had a point. I could tell you the Mercedes-AMG C63’s soundtrack is like a Wagnerian opera, or a [...]
Off The Beaten Track: Explore the secret(ish) Mayan ruins of Tulum, Mexico’s hidden gem February 29, 2016 Where? Cancun is as close to tourist hell as I can imagine – like if Portugal’s Algarve had sex with Las Vegas and put a sombrero on the child – but if you drive two hours south, you will find the pristine beaches, jungles and hidden Mayan ruins of Tulum – and not a spring [...]
All aboard the Royal Scotsman: An epic four day train journey through the Scottish Highlands February 29, 2016 An oil baron from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where typical party wear is a stetson and cowboy boots, stands on the platform at Dundee dressed like Bonnie Prince Charlie. “I can feel my inner Braveheart surfacing,” he says, adjusting his sporran and sliding a kirk into his tartan socks. He hasn’t an ounce of Scottish blood in [...]
Grimsby review, plus the rest of this week’s biggest cinema releases February 26, 2016 Grimsby (15) Dir. Louis Leterrier ★☆☆☆☆ Ten years after shocking the world with Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen returns as Nobby, a slow-witted Grimsbarian who discovers he’s the long lost brother of a secret agent (Mark Strong), and as such must help save the world from a sinister plot. Occasional sparks of humour and some impressive [...]
Cleansed at the National Theatre and A Girl Is a Half Formed Thing at the Young Vic reviewed February 25, 2016 Cleansed Dorfman (National Theatre) | ★★★☆☆ I was going to start this review by saying Sarah Kane’s Cleansed has lost a little of its shock value in the 18 years since it premiered. In this time the phrase “torture porn” has entered the popular vernacular and even your mum has probably seen The Human Centipede. [...]
Is TfL lighting the way with its new interiors for the London Underground? February 25, 2016 While most of us can appreciate the marvel that is the London Underground – especially those who have travelled on the Paris and New York equivalents – few actually enjoy using it on a day-to-day basis. So TfL has hired architectural lighting firm Nulty+ and saddled them with quite a challenge; making your commute more [...]
The Art of Slow: cocktails find their perfect food pairings at the Typing Room’s new supper club February 24, 2016 There are right and wrong times to drink certain cocktails. A negroni with breakfast, an espresso martini before dinner and a mojito after supper might suggest you’ve got a drinking problem. A bloody mary in the morning, a martini before dinner and an old fashioned after dessert on the other hand? Well that’s just common [...]
Little Social review: Pollen Street’s classy and cosy Parisian-themed bistro February 24, 2016 WHAT? The pocket-sized little sister of Jason Atherton’s flagship Pollen Street restaurant, Little Social is a Parisian-themed bistro bedecked in dark wood and red leather banquettes, with homely wallpaper that’s barely visible behind a collection of Gallic tchotchkes and period French tourism posters. It’s all faux and make believe of course: the place opened in [...]