Cross the arid Namibian desert on a self-driven safari April 22, 2016 It’s hard to imagine a landscape more dramatic than that of the largely uninhabited southern African desert nation Namibia. Dot its picturesque lands with a hefty assortment of big game and wildlife and you’ve got the right conditions for an epic holiday setting. A network of well-maintained (though often unpaved) roads means a visit to the [...]
Funny Girl review: Sheridan Smith is show-stoppingly hilarious in this hit comedy musical April 21, 2016 If there were any lingering concerns about Sheridan Smith’s ability to fill the Streisand-sized boots of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, they’re almost immediately dashed the moment she takes to the stage. They’re dashed and then dashed again, and then any remaining shreds of undashed concern are swept up in a little basket and hurled [...]
Vico review: The fast-food Cambridge Circus trattoria is reborn as a grown up, sit down, complete dining experience April 19, 2016 Dominating an entire corner of Cambridge Circus, Vico was once a grand yet informal arancini outpost serving superfast Italian street food to exiting theatre audiences. But since relaunching in December the pace has mellowed, a giant indoor fountain has appeared, comfortable tables and chairs invite you to stick around and the expanded menu has evolved [...]
Tackle the hottest event in skiing: The Inferno is the longest, oldest (and poshest) ski race in the world April 15, 2016 Mürren is arguably the birthplace of modern ski racing and yet paradoxically is the sleepiest of ski villages. With no cars and perched on a rock ledge with little room for expansion, the feel in the 1920s must have been similar to today. For one weekend each year at the end of January the quiet [...]
She Said review: Dancer Tamara Rojo presents three powerful and engrossing ballets rolled into one stunning performance April 14, 2016 Sadler's Wells | ★★★★★ Tamara Rojo, lead principal dancer and artistic director of the English National Ballet, says in over 20 years of dancing she’s never been in a ballet made by a woman. Here, she sets about redressing the balance, presenting three roughly hour-long, self-contained ballets, all choreographed by women. Thankfully, all three are [...]
The Jungle Book review: An all-star revival of a family classic with a monkey so unfathomably large it will blow your mind April 14, 2016 Dir. Jon Favreau | ★★★★☆ Think about the biggest monkey you’ve ever seen. Now double it. Now make it seven feet taller. Now triple it. Hold on, slow down, are you mad? That monkey’s much too big. But dial it down just a notch or two and you’ll be picturing an ape on par with [...]
Chronographs are no longer just for men: The watch industry is finally putting this complication into its ladies ranges April 13, 2016 Chronographs have the dubious honour of being the complication that you’re least likely to use while being one of the most complex to make. Whereas something like a tourbillon, also useless in a wristwatch, has, by sheer virtue of its appearance, a “wow” factor, a chronograph is the Plain Jane of complications. Which is why [...]
Panerai’s new 3D printed, high-end and ultra-lightweight titanium wristwatch is a stunning piece of design April 13, 2016 Panerai isn’t well known for ultra-complicated wristwatches, but this one stopped us in our tracks when it was announced in January – not least for the fact that, for possibly the first time in blue chip high-end watchmaking, its ultra-lightweight titanium case was created through “direct metal laser sintering” – a form of 3D printing. [...]
Dickie Fitz review: The new restaurant opening brings platefuls of Australasian flair to Fitzrovia April 12, 2016 Dickie Fitz 48 Newman St, W1T 1QQ WHAT? A modern Australasian diner serving lunch and dinner to passing Fitzrovians. It’s a beautiful spot, light and airy with bright yellow seating and fresh white walls bringing to mind the cozy feeling of climbing into a big egg. WHERE? “On the corner of Newman and Goodge,” as [...]
NASA’s stunning series of free space tourism posters offers a glimpse at the imagined future of interstellar travel April 12, 2016 NASA’s Voyager mission left Earth in 1977, taking advantage of a once-every-175-year alignment of the planets to take a grand tour of the solar system. Using a manoeuvre called a gravitational assist, the tiny probe swung itself around Jupiter like a slingshot, zipping past Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, picking up speed each time until it was [...]
