Act now to snap up remaining French bargains May 27, 2010 AFTER a weekend of Mediterranean weather evaporated this week, sun-hungry holidaymakers could be forgiven for looking to France. And with sellers dusting down wine cellars for the high season, there is no better time to fly south for villa-viewing. The Lehman collapse saw demand take flight even from prime locations, but top-end buyers returned during [...]
Shaftesbury sees West End rents rise May 26, 2010 PROPERTY group Shaftesbury yesterday said tourists travelling to London had not been put off by the economic woes of the Eurozone, as it announced a 14.3 per cent jump in net asset value for the first half of the year. “Although the outlook for the UK and European economies remains uncertain, London’s West End is [...]
Wines to match your gourmet veggie dinner May 26, 2010 JOE MCCANTA SOMMELIER, SAF RESTAURANTS; FOUNDER, PURSIP DRINKS CONSULTANCY WORKING with primarily vegetarian (and even vegan) foods, I’m constantly having to look at innovative ways of matching food to wine. It seems that even in some of the top restaurants most sommeliers are terrified by the concept of not resorting to their good old stand-by [...]
Room with a brilliant view May 24, 2010 Paramount Centre Point, 101-103 New Oxford Street WC1A 1DD. Tel: 020 7420 2900, www.paramount.uk.net Cost per person without wine: £45 IN the food’n’drinkosphere, the days of exclusivity seem to be numbered – just last week, private casino Les Ambassadeurs opened its restaurant, The Milroy, for the hoi polloi’s lunchtime pleasure. Bureau, another swanky bar/lounge that [...]
A champion of British grub May 20, 2010 FOUNDING a restaurant would test the nerves of even the most hardened entrepreneur. Ensuring the food and décor are both delicious and attractive is one thing, but in London a new restaurant can sink or swim based on a review. Iqbal Wahhab, founder of Borough Market’s Roast, which opened in October 2005, swam, but not [...]
Modern living in reborn Wembley May 20, 2010 WITH three weeks to go until the World Cup, the red and white flags and bunting have started appearing in the shops this week, which must mean it’s okay now to be getting excited. Notwithstanding the unfortunate comments of Lord Triesman last weekend, there’s still the hope that in eight years time we’ll have the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 20, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES GOOGLE DEBATES OVER FACE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY Google executives are wrestling over whether to launch controversial facial recognition technology after a barrage of criticism over its privacy policies. Eric Schmidt, chief executive, said a series of public disputes over privacy issues had caused the management team to review its procedures and the launch of [...]
Carluccio’s on expansion trail May 17, 2010 ITALIAN restaurant and deli chain Carluccio’s yesterday said it had expanded into sites left empty by recession-hit rivals as it posted a profit rise. The restaurant saw its profits jump by eight per cent in the first-half to £2.7m. Director Simon Kossoff said: “Over the last 18 months a lot of our competition backed off [...]
Mozzarella in Mayfair goes glam May 17, 2010 Cielo/Luxx 3 New Burlington Street W1S 2JF 020 7297 2893 www.cielorestaurant.co.uk, www.luxx-london.com FOOD *** SERVICE **** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £50 THESE days, being a restaurant plain and simple just isn’t good enough. Since the credit crunch bit, we have entered a new realm of added value, and if you like to [...]
Discount website snapped up May 16, 2010 Buyout vehicle Groupon has acquired money-saving website MyCityDeal for an undisclosed sum. Groupon recently raised $135m through a fundraiser and has been speculatively valued at about $1.35bn. MyCityDeal offers discounts on restaurants and cinema tickets in 16 European countries and employs over 600 people. In the UK, the company offers daily deals in 17 cities.