Car review: Why BMW’s Alpina XD3, the fastest 4×4 ever made, is the smart choice June 1, 2015 It’s funny how meanings change. In the early 1990s, diesel was a dirty word. But then diesel got clean, went green, became the low-CO2 champion to save the planet – and the Congestion Charge. Then scientists started noticing how London’s nitrogen oxide levels were spiking. Indeed, Oxford Street is one of the dirtiest roads on [...]
The Cayman Islands: The least taxing holiday you will ever have May 31, 2015 Robert moved to the Cayman Islands after three years of working as an accountant in London. It was the best decision he ever made: “What’s there to miss? The freezing British winter? Commuting from Platform 10 of Clapham Junction? Here it’s tax-free so I get to keep my income.” Favourable tax laws aren’t the [...]
48 hours in… Ljubljana, Slovenia May 31, 2015 WHAT TO SEE Ljubljana cathedral is a stunning baroque building whose distinctive green dome dominates the city centre. Features include beautifully painted ceilings and important statues. After soaking in the culture, walk to the nearby market square for some street food. lj-stolnica.rkc.si WHERE TO EAT Gostilna na Gradu is a superb restaurant serving local cuisine [...]
Theatre review: Temple tells the Occupy protest story for the Netflix generation May 29, 2015 Donmar Warehouse | ★★★★★ Temple, Simon Russell Beale’s new Protestants vs protesters play about the decision to evict the Occupy squatters from St Paul’s is nuanced and satisfying theatre for the Netflix generation. At its peak, in October and November of 2011, the anti-capitalist protest camp surrounding St Paul’s dominated the news, leading [...]
Bold Tendencies: Richard Wentworth May 29, 2015 Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park | ★★★★☆ Sure, the days are getting longer and the weather is hotting up, but nothing signals the beginning of summer in south London like the opening of Frank’s Cafe in Peckham multi-storey car park. While most come for the booze and the views, influential young curator Hannah Barry has turned [...]
Film review: San Andreas May 29, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★☆☆☆ KABOOM. Was that the sound of tectonic plates ripping, or was it a giant penny dropping in the mind of a Hollywood producer: destroy some buildings, throw Dwayne Johnson into the wreckage and voila, no need to shell out for a screenwriter. Who needs a script, seems to be [...]
Film review: In Danny Collins Al Pacino learns how to grow old gracefully May 29, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ Watching Al Pacino and Robert De Niro slog it out in 2008’s Righteous Kill, you’d be forgiven for thinking Pacino was finished. Gone. Destined to live out his days impotently raging at the dying of the light, playing wrinkled, rattly-boned versions of the live-wires he once infused with febrile intensity. [...]
Theatre review: Merry hijinks lacking passion in The Beaux’ Stratagem May 28, 2015 Olivier Theatre | ★★★☆☆ George Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem is not quite your typical Restoration comedy. While his contemporary William Congreve took the genre to a new level of metropolitan licentiousness, Farquhar headed to the provinces. Though still based around amorous adventures, his later works check their horseplay with a tragicomic seriousness. The Beaux’ Stratagem [...]
Something for the weekend May 28, 2015 DANCE! BENJI B Internationally renowned DJ Benji B continues his residency at XOYO. If you’ve ever tuned in to his Radio 1 show – and if you haven’t, you should – you’ll recognise the eclectic mix of the best electronic sounds. Saturday, £13.50, visit xoyo.co.uk. SHOP! CLERKENWELL VINTAGE FAIR Need to revamp your wardrobe in [...]
Why there’s some rot you don’t want to stop May 26, 2015 Rarely is the term “rot” a good thing when it comes to food. Cheese is the obvious exception, while dry-aged beef and fermented foods such as miso and sauerkraut also prove that mould can be tasty. Similarly, rotten grapes are typically discarded in the vineyard or removed on a sorting table rather than given the [...]