Film review: Ted 2 is a barrel of silly laughs July 9, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★☆☆ It hasn’t been a great year for adult comedy. Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart collaboration Get Hard underwhelmed, while films such as Unfinished Business and Hot Tub Time Machine 2 had critics seething and audiences shrugging. Next up, Ted 2, Seth MacFarlane’s sequel to his $500m 2012 hit about immature Bostonian John (Mark [...]
Theatre review: To Kill A Mockingbird July 9, 2015 Barbican | ★★★★☆ When great books are adapted for the stage, a great deal can be lost in translation: a couple told me during the interval, for instance, that after seeing a stage version of To Kill A Mockingbird, their son spent a fruitless afternoon in the library looking for “Tequila Mockingbird”. There’s little chance [...]
Theatre review: A Number July 9, 2015 Young Vic | ★★★½ This revival of Caryl Churchill’s 2002 play takes place in a sealed glass box, the audience gazing voyeuristically in like scientists observing participants in an experiment. A man and his son (played by real life father and son John and Lex Shrapnel) are in a state of distress – they have [...]
Perfect Saturday July 9, 2015 BREAKFAST RIVINGTON GREENWICH The Greenwich-based sister restaurant to Shoreditch’s Rivington Grill is the perfect place for some hair of the dog TLC before the weekend really starts. The Bloody Marys are legendary, as is the lengthy house cocktail list. The best breakfast in south east London. Visit rivingtongreenwich.co.uk WAY OUT EAST HYPER JAPAN As you’re [...]
Chance to see David Hockney’s iPad doodles: The octogenarian artist fearlessly embraces tech to create fresh artworks July 8, 2015 David Hockney lived in California for most of his life, but moved back to Bridlington in east Yorkshire – where he grew up – in 2005. Returning home proved beneficial for his state of mind and artistic output. Having built a glittering career on the back of sunny, semi-abstract paintings of salubrious LA living, the Briton [...]
Restaurant review: Les Gourmets des Ternes, the Frenchest place on earth, is now located in Knightsbridge July 7, 2015 I started reviewing restaurants for this newspaper back in 2011, a relative blink of an eye but enough time to see some pretty seismic changes in the London food scene. Back then the shadow of the Great Recession still loomed large over London and only the brave or foolish dared to open new restaurants. It [...]
Mix it up: Forget tradition, try these surreal cocktails from The Langham’s Artesian bar July 7, 2015 The Langham's celebrated Artesian bar has launched its new cocktail list. This time round, supremo bartenders Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale have chosen the theme of Surrealism. True to form, the cocktails are out of this world. In truth, Surrealism leaves me cold. Salvador Dalí and others' attempts to stimulate the subconscious are wasted [...]
Working lunch in the City: Street Kitchen, Broadgate Circle July 7, 2015 Our guide to the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? After a run of successful pop-ups, it was only a matter of time before the Street Kitchen guys set up shop permanently. Serving gourmet sandwiches by the inch, the experienced chefs are looking to revolutionise fast [...]
Heading abroad? Immerse yourself in the wine culture July 7, 2015 Where will your holiday plans take you this summer? If to the hills of Tuscany or the beaches of France, chances are you will have no qualms about ordering Italian or French wines on your travels. Likewise if you plan to visit California, Australia, or South Africa. If, however, your destination is somewhere more exotic, [...]
Car review: Mercedes-AMG puts the OMG into the GLE Coupé July 6, 2015 Shy and retiring types need not apply. The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupé is not a car for those who put discretion and subtlety high on their list of priorities when looking for a new car. Almost everything about this SUV coupé reeks of vulgarity and excess. At first glance the SUV coupé looks [...]