Just a Lidl bit: How the discount supermarket conquered the wine world October 14, 2015 Don’t tell anyone, but the other day I paid a visit to my local Lidl. I must be the first person to go there and spend more than I expected. There’s been a lot of hype about Lidl’s recently launched Wine Cellar collection. Still, I was sceptical, expecting to find wines that were cheap but [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]
Jamaican restaurant Rudie’s doesn’t fail: Dalston’s Caribbean food rivals the best of West London October 13, 2015 RUDIE'S 50 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XB FOOD ★★★★☆ VALUE ★★★★☆ ATMOSPHERE ★★★★☆ Cost for two with wine: £100 Is Dalston over? Have the new-media types migrated to farther-flung locales to write their articles for Vice about taking ketamine at Center Parcs? I have no idea. I’m well into my 30s and no longer hip enough to gauge [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]
World’s Best Bar Awards 2015 winner: London’s Artesian at The Langham Hotel is officially the best bar in the world October 13, 2015 The best bar in the world is London's Artesian. At least, it is according to the authoritative annual World's Best Bar Awards. (Or, more precisely, the drink industry supremos that make up the award's academy.) But I look on bars as a parent looks upon their offspring, so I can't pick favourites. So here are [...]
Working Lunch: Brasserie Blanc, EC2 October 13, 2015 Melissa York on the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? Raymond Blanc’s first City brasserie re-opened last month after a complete refurbishment. Gone are the fussy white tablecloths and pristine cutlery, in favour of rustic oak tables, thick ceramics, pendant light fixtures and vintage French mirrors. [...]
Why the Vuhl 05 is the most thrilling car you’ll drive this year October 12, 2015 You’ve finally got the dream job, with the dream financial package to match. Obviously you’re going to spend a chunk of it on a stand-out motorcar. But which one? What says, look at me, I’ve made it? Not an Audi or a BMW – you’d be better off with a Ford Mondeo around the City [...]
Cultures collide on the Jersey shore: The enduring UK weekend getaway October 9, 2015 I got into a taxi in Jersey and asked the driver to take me to The Horizon hotel. “You what?” he said. The Horizon hotel? “Don’t you mean l’oreezon, love?” he replied, breaking into a French patois, mid-sentence. It was then I realised I wasn’t in Blighty anymore. Things are different here; you can’t just [...]
Sebastian Faulks on life’s absurdities and what frightens people about fiction October 9, 2015 “I had the strong impression from your book,” says a character in Sebastian Faulks’ new novel, “that you think the twentieth century has been a catastrophe.” “Undoubtedly,” comes the reply, and what follows is a conversation about humanity’s flaws, the significance of individual life, and the normalisation of genocide that feels well-rehearsed. And [...]
Art review: Frank Auerbach, Tate Britain October 8, 2015 Walking through Frank Auerbach’s retrospective at Tate Britain is rather like flicking through a family photo album. It’s full of personal subjects that change incrementally over decades, of self-portraits, friends, his wife Julia and Mornington Crescent, where his studio has been since 1954. There’s also another reason to get up close and personal with [...]