GLAMOUR GALORE AT ASCOT’S LADIES DAY June 18, 2009 IT WAS Ladies’ Day yesterday at Royal Ascot, traditionally the most hotly-anticipated event in the calendar for dressing up to the nines. As usual, the racegoers didn’t let us down – among the extravagant hats on show were a blackbird, a giant ice-cream cone, a creation made out of 800 marshmallows, and even a headdress [...]
Grills allowed: perfecting the art of the BBQ June 17, 2009 THERE are times when it seems a barbecue is less a way of cooking than a ritual in which we give thanks for a sunny afternoon. Men solemnly pull on the uniform of the barbecue high priest – the comedy apron – to indulge a primeval instinct requiring us to do heroic battle with smoke [...]
Gastronauts land on King’s Road with tasty but predictable results June 15, 2009 THE CADOGAN ARMS 298 KING’S ROAD, SW3 5UG Cost per person without wine: £25 UNTIL it was closed for a grand refurbishment a few months ago, the Cadogan Arms, a roomy pub half way along the King’s Road, was defined chiefly by a clientele consisting of teenagers and those on gap years. For years, the [...]
Impeccably sourced City sarnies June 8, 2009 FARM91 COWCROSS STREETEC1M 6BHTEL: 020 7253 2142 Cost per person without wine: £3-£8 IT’S hard to imagine a lunch enterprise that is more on message, on trend, on the pulse and on just about anything else you can think of. The Farm (not to be confused with the good restaurant and bar in Fulham, a [...]
Bang for your buck: what the world’s best business hotels offer June 7, 2009 BUSINESS hotels often promise the world, but they often disappoint. Small things like a slow internet connection, a restaurant that closes early or trouble getting hold of an iron can play havoc with your plans. To work, they have to get so many things right. Let’s face it, you’re only going to remember the one [...]
Spoiled for choice: the skies are full of options for business travellers June 7, 2009 Iberiawww.iberia.comSeating: Ergonomically designed with a double back pillow and additional massage function. Once you get comfortable the seat can be programmed to remember the setting. Adjustable lighting for reading as well as a satellite phone, laptop plug and a 10.4 inch touch screen for sending texts and email. Entertainment: 15 audio channels and 26 video [...]
VETERAN BAR OWNER HANGS UP CITY APRON June 3, 2009 AFTER a lengthy 48-year spell in the City, it’s finally time to say goodbye to ship broker-turned-restaurateur David Hughes, who’s often been described one of the friendliest bar owners in the world. Hughes first came to the City in 1961, aged 15, working as a ship broker at the Baltic Exchange on St Mary Axe, [...]
The long summer break may be making a big comeback June 2, 2009 YESJEREMY HAZLEHURST FIRST, a simple fact: there is more to life than work. Really, that’s all you need to know. It follows that, if you can, you ought to take as long as possible eating pasties, hang-gliding, sunbathing or just drinking, whatever is your preferred non-work activity. It is all too easy to convince yourself [...]
The weird and wonderful meet in a revamped hotel classic June 1, 2009 DORCHESTER GRILL53 PARK LANE, LONDON W1K 1QATEL: 020 7629 8888FOODSERVICEATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: 35 THE Dorchester Grill has got to be one of the most luxuriously Scottish-looking rooms in London. It is a feast of plaid, banquette sofas for one and armchairs in rich hues. Though there aren’t antlers up on the walls, [...]
Preaching to the converted May 26, 2009 INVERNESS. Picture-postcard scenes. Cloudless blue skies and 26 degrees. It’s May. Added to that, there are miles upon miles of clear winding roads, the occasional switchback series of bends and rarely a building in sight. All in all, it’s not a bad draw for a weekday. BMW has also given me the key to a [...]