Oxo Tower Restaurant has great food but the lighting left us a little blue February 10, 2015 The Oxo Tower Restaurant has been chugging along forever, minding its own business. Harvey Nicks has run the eighth-floor dining room for 19 years. Its head chef Jeremy Bloor has been there for 12, while the restaurant manager is a relative rookie, with only nine years under his belt. Located on the South Bank, in [...]
King Digital investor and Index Ventures partner Ben Holmes is hunting for tech unicorns February 8, 2015 Ben Holmes first heard about King Digital Entertainment, the company behind three of the global top-grossing iPhone apps, including Candy Crush Saga, over a decade ago. At that time in 2004 Holmes, a partner at the new London offices of Index Ventures, represented one of the few venture capital firms still investing in consumer-facing internet [...]
From banking to barista: Meet Notes director Edward Halfon February 8, 2015 Mass-produced coffee is out: new, hip speciality cafes are in. Former financier Edward Halfon tells Annabel Denham how the founders of food and wine “destination” Notes plan to indulge our ever-evolving taste buds. Recent research from the small business website Startups.co.uk found that “cult cafes” will become the hottest business opportunity over the next 12 [...]
A weekend of gourmet indulgence with Heston Blumenthal on the Mont Blanc slopes February 5, 2015 You know a Heston Blumenthal meal is going to be something special. The same, it turns out, goes for a Heston Blumenthal holiday. The concept is a foodie’s wet dream: four days of crisp slopes, fine Italian wine and haute cuisine cooked by some of the world’s top chefs. Here’s how it came about: “Heston [...]
Penta-graphene: Scientists simulate what could be the strongest super-material yet February 4, 2015 It is incredibly strong, mechanically stable and capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures. Penta-graphene is the latest super-material to be simulated by scientists, and it could prove to be even more useful than graphene – the carbon-based super-conductor whose strength and flexibility have caused a stir ever since it was discovered in 2004. [...]
Alternative Valentine’s Day 2015: Left-field options to woo your loved one on February 14th February 3, 2015 Stand out from the crowd with these left-field options to woo your loved one come February 14th – or just find someone new altogether. ALL LOVED UP AFTERNOON TEA Throughout Feb: Skylounge Use the view at this rooftop bar to seduce your Valentine over a selection of aphrodisiac sandwiches. Designed to get the heart [...]
The world in 2030: Bill Gates’s prediction for global change over the next 15 years February 2, 2015 It's impossible to predict exactly how innovations will have changed the world by 2030, but there are few people better equipped to hazard a guess than Bill Gates. The philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft told The Verge he believes four key changes will take place globally over the next 15 years, in terms of how we [...]
TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque talks dog food and London’s penchant for gardening February 1, 2015 While most of us spent good chunks of our childhood playing shops or doctors, Leah Busque was busy heading up Pollution Solutions. “Really, it was just an excuse to boss around my little sister and cousins,” laughs Busque, who is the founder of TaskRabbit, one of the first sharing economy platforms. Pollution Solutions was Busque’s [...]
McDonald’s Big Cheese: UK makeover chief Steve Easterbrook now has the whole world on his plate January 29, 2015 Steve Easterbrook, who used to play cricket at Durham University alongside ex-England captain Nasser Hussain, has long been viewed as one of McDonald’s star players – obtaining a captaincy of his own yesterday at the world’s biggest fast food chain. McDonald’s new Watford-born chief executive will take on the challenging task of reviving the group’s [...]
Fan’s view: Lampard ready to run gauntlet on Blues return January 29, 2015 Assuming he’s playing, what I’d like to see is Lampard applauded before the game, ignored during it and maybe applauded afterwards. That seems appropriate. He’s playing against Chelsea, cheering him during the game would be absurd in my view. I can’t see that he’s going to get many boos or jeers. As I say, I’d [...]