Review: Out of the Furnace February 7, 2014 One star Christian Bale may be the king of actorly metamorphoses, but his character in Out of the Furnace is just how I imagine he is in real life: dour, depressing and humourless. All of which are adjectives that apply to the film as a whole. Two hours of muscle-flexing, fighting and staring into the [...]
What’s ticking? watch news February 6, 2014 An exponential expansion for Patek Philippe on Bond Street Bremont and William & Son may be making Mount Street the watch district to watch, but venerable heavyweight Patek Philippe is proving that Mayfair’s Bond Street is still the place to be, and to be seen. Having secured an agreement with Watches of Switzerland’s Aurum Holdings, [...]
The City’s got a brand new leather bag February 5, 2014 Satchels are back in business, showing off great British craftsmanship at its finest ORIGINALLY made in the 17th century to help Oxbridge students lug their books around, the humble satchel has nevertheless made an unexpected comeback in 21st century London. The buckled bags hav always been a distinctly British success story, made with hardy leather [...]
Leaner, meaner but still not sexy February 3, 2014 Nissan’s new Qashqai ticks lots of boxes – especially for families – but leaves me feeling something is missing OVER the past three weeks, we’ve looked at some exotic cars – the Peugeot RCZ R, Audi A3 Cabriolet and Ferrari F12 Berlinetta – that do one thing very badly: storage. And, let’s face it, even [...]
Not convinced? February 3, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FORD KUGA 2.0TDCi ZETEC PRICE: £22,395 0-62MPH: 10.6 secs TOP SPEED: 118mph CO2 G/KM: 139g/km MPG COMBINED: 53.3mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Two Stars KIA SPORTAGE 1.7 CDRI ‘3’ PRICE: £23,095 0-62MPH: 11.9 secs TOP SPEED: 107mph CO2 G/KM: 143g/km MPG COMBINED: 54.3mpg THE VERDICT: [...]
Discover the craft behind Istanbul’s booming trade February 2, 2014 Turkey has a wealth of experiences on offer for travellers and holiday-makers IN THE ancient city of Istanbul, which straddles Europe and Asia across the mighty Bosphorus Strait, all eyes have been on the completion of the Marmaray sea tunnel, the first rail tunnel to link two continents. For the first time last month, passengers [...]
Restaurant review: Wright Brothers January 28, 2014 RESTAURANT 8-9 Lamb Street, Spitalfields, E1 6EA Tel: 0207 377 8706 FOOD Four Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with nice wine: £180 A FEW years ago I came up with an idea for a new law: the meat licence. To get a meat licence – a legal document allowing you [...]
Mix it up: Pisco sour is a classic cocktail to celebrate, wherever it’s from January 28, 2014 @Philip_Salter Most of us manage to get through a night on the tiles without having a fight over who owns the drinks. But what is true of individuals isn’t necessarily true of nations. Disputes rage the world over about who first invented a particular beverage, where and how it should be made, and what it [...]
Take a tour of Swaziland for a small taste of Africa January 26, 2014 An eye-opening voyage around the continent’s best-kept secret, by Sean Sheehan COME on, admit it, you don’t really know where Swaziland is. Perhaps it could be vaguely pointed to on a small map of the world but what about on a larger one of Africa? Squashed in between South Africa and Mozambique, it’s easy not [...]
Get away from it all in style January 26, 2014 From pristine African beaches to chic European winter bolt-holes, 10 luxury island retreats that are guaranteed to get you far from the madding crowd 1. Naka Yai Island, Phuket, Thailandluxurycollection.com/nakaLocated on the southern part of Naka Yai island, just off the eastern coast of Phuket, the Luxury Collection resort has 67 villas, all with private [...]