City’s hidden Japanese gem February 7, 2011 Soseki 20 Bury Street, EC3A 5AX www.soseki.co.uk Tel:020 7621 9211 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £40-£100 ZUMA, Roka, Aqua Kyoto, Sumosan, Umu. Expensive, famous, globally branded restaurants dominate London’s Japanese food scene. I say “scene” – think rich Russians, Sloanes in celebratory mood, wealthy Asian tourists. The interiors are minimalist and violet-lit, [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS February 7, 2011 AN EVENING WITH NOBU HIMSELF Nobu Matsuhisa will be hosting three intimate dinners where guests will hear him describe the tradition, design, and creation of his famous cuisine. Guests will not only experience his famous umami dishes with a selection of sake to bring out the subtleties of each dish, but over dinner Nobu will [...]
Sanofi $20bn Genzyme bid nears finale February 6, 2011 EXECUTIVES at Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme were last closing in on a takeover deal worth nearly $20bn (£12.4bn), ending months of speculation surrounding a potential agreement. Under the slated agreement, Sanofi is expected to pay around $74 per share for the US biotech company, valuing it at $19.2bn. The figure is a five-cent-per-share increase on the [...]
Egypt regime starts talks with opposition February 6, 2011 PROTESTS in Egypt began to cool off for the first time in almost two weeks yesterday. Talks between embattled incumbent President Hosni Mubarak and the officially banned opposition finally commenced, sparking hopes that markets in the region will recover. However, the Muslim Brotherhood rejected initial concessions offered by Mubarak as “insufficient”. The Egyptian stock market [...]
Super-rich visas relaxed February 6, 2011 IMMIGRATION laws for the richest foreigners will be relaxed as part of plans to encourage more investment in the UK. New rules would effectively fast-track the biggest spenders to permanent residency, with anyone spending more than £10m qualifying in just two years, compared to the minimum of five years it would currently take. Investors ploughing [...]
Yes, Minister: when reality is like TV February 6, 2011 SOMETIMES, fiction is the best guide to reality. I have been rewatching Sir Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn’s brilliant Yes, Minister, one of Britain’s best-ever and much-loved sitcoms. It depicts the warped relationship between a wannabe reforming politician and his civil servants, who spend all their time thwarting him and gradually turn him into a pathetic [...]
Big council earners named February 6, 2011 UP to 15,000 council workers earning more than £58,000 a year are set to be named under government plans to cut out spending waste. Local government secretary Eric Pickles is set to order councils to publish lists of their highest paid staff and what they do. The move is aimed at forcing authorities to justify [...]
What the other papers say this morning February 6, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES GOLDMAN CASH STAGNATES AS ASSET PRICES RISE Goldman Sachs’ attempt to spend some of its $170bn (£106bn) excess capital on loans, real estate and other distressed assets is being hampered by a prolonged rebound in risk appetite that has lifted prices on many would-be bargains. Goldman’s “excess liquidity”, or cash deposits and securities [...]
Nikkei opens at nine-month high February 6, 2011 Japan’s Nikkei opened up 0.9 per cent to a nine-month high this morning, on confidence over the improving jobs picture in the US, a weaker yen against the dollar and corporate earnings beating estimates. The benchmark pierced this year’s intraday high of 10,620.57 and traders said the psychologically important 11,000 barrier was now in focus.
Britain in bid to win top EU jobs February 6, 2011 The Foreign Office will today launch a new scheme designed to encourage the UK’s top graduates to apply for jobs in the EU civil service, over fears that Britain has little influence in Europe. Minister for Europe David Lidington said: “This campaign aims to increase the number of UK graduates applying for the next round of [...]
