Cool loft living, thanks to the Victorians March 31, 2011 THE grandly impressive school buildings of the Victorian era tend to present wonderfully idiosyncratic conversion opportunities. This month’s property of the month is a case in point. Thackeray School in Battersea was a typical Victorian development – a towering redbrick affair, if rather more elegant than some examples of the genre. Built between 1876 and [...]
Jake gets deja vu March 31, 2011 FILM SOURCE CODE Cert: 12A EVER wondered what it would be like to wake up in someone else’s body and live the last eight minutes of their life over and over again? Probably not, but that’s exactly what happens to Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhal), in this suspenseful action thriller. The “Source Code” of the [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND March 31, 2011 FILM KILLING BONO Entertaining comedy drama set in 1970s Dublin about a fledgling U2’s jealous rivals. HOP Disappointing cartoon about the son of the Easter Bunny, as voiced by Russell Brand. ORANGES AND SUNSHINE Earnest, harrowing drama about the forced migration of kids in care to Australia. DVD TAMARA DREWE Gemma Arterton and Roger Allam [...]
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a luxurious high tea March 30, 2011 LANDMARK LONDON The grand Marylebone hotel is well-known for its splendidly lavish Sunday brunch buffet served in the vast atrium of the Winter Garden, with everything from pastries and salads to roast dishes, and a sweeping array of desserts topped off with a chocolate fountain. As an added treat for Mother’s Day, you can mix [...]
Industrial cool and botanical garden chic March 30, 2011 Going Out HOT on the heels of his downstairs bar at Polpo, Russell Norman’s new site Spuntino on Rupert Street gives a Lower East Side flavour to their rustic Italian style. The look is nineteenth century industrial Brooklyn, with wire caged filament bulbs, a pewter-topped bar, mosaic tiles and exposed brickwork. Don’t expect to see [...]
OUT OF OFFICE March 30, 2011 DALI COMES TO THE CITY Dali lovers rejoice: London is to be graced with an outdoor installation of Dali’s Alice in Wonderland monument, previously unseen in the UK. Nearly five metres high, the bronze piece was conceived in 1977 and has travelled the world since 2010. Its appearance coincides with an indoor exhibition in Norman [...]
Stylish and discreet, but the food isn’t perfect yet March 29, 2011 5 Pollen Street 5 Pollen St, W1S 1ND Tel: 020 7629 1555 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £45-£50 WITH Jason Atherton’s much-hyped Pollen Street Social to open next month, this miniscule back-alley behind Hanover Square has been getting more attention than one might expect of such a street. And now – pipping [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS March 29, 2011 CELEBRATE THE ROYAL WEDDING WITH AN ENORMOUS HESTON TRIFLE In case you were worried about what to feed your guests at your royal wedding party (and who isn’t? Honestly) – Waitrose has swept to the rescue with a cake, “created” by Heston Blumenthal and big enough to feed 10 people. The Royal Trifle (pictured below) [...]
THREE OTHER MAYFAIR ITALIANS March 29, 2011 BABBO One of Mayfair’s few homely restaurants, it’s one of the area’s best Italians, providing rustic elegance instead of gloss and high design. The menu is rich and impressive, with lots of regional favourites. Think beef carpaccio, parmesan cheese, mustard sauce and capers from Pantelleria Island and a great big seabass in salt crust. 39 [...]
French for “bend, turn, curve” March 29, 2011 VIRAGE is French for “bend, turn, curve” and we’ve been testing Aston Martin’s latest GT on the roads of Andalucia, roads so twisty, bendy and curvy that my co-driver has just been sick. Later he will blame my driving, but for now we’re trying to work out how to wash the vomit off of the [...]