Perfecting the art of seduction with bespoke interiors March 28, 2014 Melissa York talks to Julia Reynolds, the saleswoman who makes every viewing a singular experience THE next time you walk into a show home, take a good sniff. It’s likely that a lot of thought has gone into what permeates your nostrils. The days of sales teams brewing coffee or arranging flowers at strategic intervals [...]
The Winter Soldier is Captain fantastic March 27, 2014 FILM CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Cert 12a | By Melissa york Four Stars CAPTAIN America is no one’s favourite Avenger. He’s a white bread, vanilla, all-American goody-two shoes. Born of a genetic experiment to create the perfect soldier during WWII, he doesn’t even have any real super powers other than being able to beat [...]
Family drama is a surefire future classic March 27, 2014 FILM THE PAST Cert 12a | By Alex Dymoke Five Stars NAMING a film after a big, weighty abstract noun like “the past” demands something serious and monumental – The Past is just that. It’s a slow-burning, intelligent and unexpectedly gripping family drama about the power exerted by the past over the present, and the [...]
Line, colour and an encyclopedia for modern life March 27, 2014 ART OBJECTS OF OUR TIME Alan Cristea Gallery | By Alex Dymoke Four Stars IN THE 1970s and 80s, Michael Craig-Martin’s output earned him a reputation as the most hated man in British art. His brazen conceptualism infuriated the critics. One particularly memorable piece was “Oak Tree” – a glass of water on a plinth [...]
Alfresco v Aldesco March 25, 2014 With the sun out, it’s time to eat alfresco, says Alex Dymoke – but for those poor souls stuck to your desks, we have some special take away options as well… THE CITY (NORTH)The Water Poet9-11 Folgate Street, E1 6BX The Water Poet pub is located at the very northern tip of the Square Mile. [...]
Mix it up: Can a cocktail be subject to copyright? March 25, 2014 @philip_salter WHAT’S in a name? I’m with Juliet on this one: a Rose Petal Martini by any other name would taste as sweet. A few years ago, US bartender Eben Freeman put his head above the parapet and suggested cocktails should be protected by intellectual copyright. He may now wish he hadn’t – the idea [...]
Great culinary feats can still be achieved, even if you only have a microwave in your office kitchen March 25, 2014 FOREVER associated with the processed, the prepackaged and the unsophisticated, the microwave gets a bad rep within foodie circles. The microwave meal has come to symbolise everything that’s wrong with today’s food culture. They make our cooking easy and unhealthy, fast and fatty, and facilitate our tendency to prioritise convenience over care, The way that [...]
Melissa York on London’s top ten set menu lunches March 25, 2014 Aqua Shard, SouthwarkTwo courses for £24 or three for £28 A trip up London’s highest landmark doesn’t come cheap but this set menu at lunch time keeps the cost neatly under £30 with three or four options per course. And, of course, you get the added bonus of a spectacular aerial view over London. Not [...]
A fast, fun and fiery Italian stallion March 24, 2014 The brand new Maserati Ghibli brings something strikingly different to the executive saloon market REVIEWING cars can be a glamorous business, what with all the exotic launch locations, fast motors and gorgeous engineering personnel (OK, maybe not that last one). Sometimes, though, you find yourself freezing cold while being rained on in Surrey. But at [...]
Not convinced? March 24, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… BMW 550i M SPORT SALOON 8-SPEED AUTO PRICE: £57,895 0-62MPH: 4.6 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited) CO2 G/KM: 199g/km MPG COMBINED: 32.8mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Two Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars AUDI S6 SALOON 7-SPEED AUTO PRICE: £54,505 0-62MPH: 4.8 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited) CO2 G/KM: [...]