Chilango, burrito bonds, and London – the boss of the Mexican food chain talks about the virtues of crowdfunding April 8, 2019 After interviewing Eric Partaker, the co-founder of burrito chain Chilango, he says I should try the food at his elaborately decorated restaurant on Cannon Street. I ask what he recommends, and instead of picking from the regular menu, he suggests I sample the “Noah’s Ark” – a lunch box containing all the meat options. A [...]
Notting Hill: The West London enclave defying London’s house price slump April 7, 2019 With its annual carnival, famous market and edgy-cum-glamorous feel, Notting Hill has never been a place to conform to the norms of other Central London neighbourhoods. And it is in keeping with such independence that while many of the capital’s prime residential hotspots are currently undergoing a slump, the West London enclave’s property market has [...]
Interiors: From lock ups to lock ins, we find out how London’s prisons, courtrooms and police station are turning into bars and hotels April 5, 2019 Thankfully London regeneration isn’t all about new-build skyscrapers. Some of our historic civic buildings have been given new leases of life as wonderfully atmospheric bars, hotels and restaurants. The best of these celebrate great design, seamlessly combining the old and the new. The Dixon hotel, bar and restaurant, just opened on the south bank of [...]
Gaucho’s merger with M Restaurant brings boss Martin Williams ‘full circle’ April 4, 2019 The founder of M Restaurants said today he has come “full circle” by merging his chain with steakhouse Gaucho, which he led for years before founding M. Martin Williams, who is taking over as chief executive of the new parent company, always hoped to merge the two after helping to take Gaucho out of administration with Investec [...]
Holiday Homes: New homes in a Renaissance palace set out to convert luxury second home buyers to the charms of Mallorca April 1, 2019 It would be too easy to dismiss Mallorca as simply a package holiday destination crowded with ex-pats and fake-tanned Love Island wannabes. But Palma, the Balearic Island’s elegant and historic capital, has now firmly shaken off its package-holiday past. Once the gateway to Mallorca, Palma is now a high-end destination with two Michelin-starred restaurants, designer [...]
Focus On Camden: Camden Market turns 45 tomorrow, but how much have house prices changed in this cultural hotspot? March 29, 2019 Today, a London institution reaches proper middle-age. Camden Market – once home to punks and mods, now home to an awful lot of tourists looking for the punks and mods – turns 45 on 30 March 2019. It could be home to you, too, if you can afford it. The average second hand sales price, [...]
Why reports of Soho’s death have been greatly exaggerated March 28, 2019 When Casanova arrived in London in 1763, Soho was his first port of call. It was a place riddled with opium dens and brothels and coffee houses and restaurants, the place you went for cheap rent, good food, great drugs and the best parties. It’s been the go-to place for hedonists and sybarites ever since, [...]
Din Tai Fung Covent Garden review: Precision-engineering these Taiwanese dumplings comes at the cost of soul March 28, 2019 Eight years of writing restaurant reviews has not yet propelled me to culinary stardom. Nobody has asked me to be a judge on Celebrity Bake Off. Masterchef has never called. But I do have one claim to fame: I star in the staff training video for Taiwanese dumpling sensation Din Tai Fung. It happened in [...]
Ex-Uber boss Travis Kalanick’s new venture snaps up UK ‘dark kitchens’ business March 26, 2019 The food delivery company run by Travis Kalanick snapped up London ‘dark kitchens’ firm Foodstars last year, as the former Uber boss looks to expand his new venture in the UK. City Storage Systems, which trades as Cloud Kitchens in the US, quietly bought the startup up last year, according to documents filed to Companies House. [...]
Focus On Bow: Young professionals are changing the landscape of Bow, but upsizing proves costly March 22, 2019 Few areas in London have seen demographic change like east London, but even within the East End, Bow has changed a lot in recent years. “There is a definite shift taking place, highlighted by the arrival of a number of independent coffee shops, wine bars and restaurants over the past 18 months or so,” said [...]