OH, FOR THE DAYS BEFORE PURITANS WIELDED THE BUDGET BRIEFCASE… March 22, 2010 BUDGET Days, under New Labour, have become a decidedly austere affair in recent years – and not just because the public finances are spiralling out of control. Alongside bringing a battered red briefcase to the House of Commons, the incumbent chancellor is traditionally allowed to drink from a glass of his favourite tipple while presenting [...]
Caribbean is back on investors’ hot list March 18, 2010 IF you’re considering a spot in the Caribbean that will be both beautiful and a savvy place for your cash, the island of St Lucia is as good as it gets. Its natural beauty is considered by many to be the most intense in the Caribbean – and it also has a strong local culture [...]
Hedge funds investing in big-time divorce March 16, 2010 AMONG all the people who lost money in the downturn, one of the most colourful cases was that of Scot Young, businessman friend of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky and owner of the Ivy restaurant, Richard Caring. When his wife filed for divorce last year it emerged that Young’s £400m fortune had apparently vanished, with Young [...]
THREE OTHER FINE FRENCH BISTROTS March 15, 2010 TERROIRS Charing Cross suddenly hit the foodie map with this proper French wine bar and restaurant full of charcuterie, terrines, cheeses, rich mains and clever little dishes such as Lincolnshire smoked eel and boudin noir with fried eggs. Wine is a magnificent selection of European winners with a French angle; much is biodynamic, too. 5 [...]
Make the most of your World Cup holiday March 14, 2010 SO, we know now where England will be based for this summer’s World Cup in June and July. Fabio Capello’s guys will set up their training camp in the small town of Rustenburg, 70 miles from Johannesburg and 60 miles from Pretoria. Aside from being a football haven come June with four World Cup stadiums [...]
Lions and luxury in SA’s top resort March 14, 2010 IF the job of a hotel is to make guests feel at home, then you can’t really beat the Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa. When the French football team arrive there this summer they will be greeted with a barrage of “bonjours” from the staff, who are all taking French lessons, just to ensure that [...]
Riverside views and posh Euro nosh March 8, 2010 Battery 34 Westferry Circus E14 8RR Tel: 020 8305 3089 Cost per person without wine: £55 YOU have to really want to go to Battery to make it inside. In the Phillipe Starck-designed space formerly occupied by the now-defunct restaurant Ubon, it’s at the top of a building within the cloistered Four Seasons complex in [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS March 8, 2010 TURKISH WINES AT TIKE A hit among the upwardly mobile of Istanbul, Tike opened last year to the delight of City folk who like a good bit of meat with fresh warm hummous.?Now a wine list has been added, which features Turkish grapes as well as a selection of more traditional varieties. A unique opportunity [...]
Restaurant Group serves up profit rise March 3, 2010 RESTAURANT Group – which owns the Garfunkel’s and Chiquitos chains – saw a slim rise in profit last year. Revenues were up five per cent to £436m while pre-tax profits rose two per cent to a higher-than-expected £50m, the company said yesterday. The company has weathered the recession without the massive discounting seen by some [...]
The comeback cad trying his luck in the Med March 2, 2010 JAMES Hewitt – former lover of Princess Diana, ex-solider, comeback cad – throws his head back and laughs at what I have just said. “Yes, I suppose this is like Rick’s in Casablanca,” he says when he recovers. “And everyone comes to Rick’s.” We are having dinner in a corner of Polo House, his bar [...]