UK skies are crystal clear for light planes April 19, 2010 WHILE the cloud of Icelandic ash has kept most of Europe’s airliners firmly on the ground, anyone with an interest in flying smaller aircraft will have noticed the volcanic activity has not interrupted all sections of aviation. Many light aircraft even took advantage of the empty skies over the weekend to fly through controlled airspace [...]
Blanc goes bland in the Square Mile April 19, 2010 Brasserie Blanc 60 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8HP Tel: 020 7710 9441 Cost per person without wine: £26 IT has the name Raymond Blanc attached, but don’t be thinking Brasserie Blanc has anything to do with the French celebrity chef’s haute cuisine flagship, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire. Brasserie Blanc is a chain of [...]
THREE OTHER FRENCH RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY April 19, 2010 RELAIS DE VENISE L’ENTRECOTE This beloved Parisian chain of steak houses doesn’t do much but what it does it does well. Well enough to have Parisians queuing outside (in Paris) for a seat. Here, we can’t get enough of the salad, steak in special green sauce, chips (several plates-full)?and simple but delicious desserts of profiteroles [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS April 19, 2010 ENOCLUB NIGHTS at POLPO Polpo, the Venetian bacaro that took?Soho by storm when it opened last year, is launching a series of events dedicated to educating the wining, dining public about northern Italian wine. Each evening will focus on a different Northern Italian region highlighting the variety of quality wines each area has to offer. [...]
For babymooners, Brown’s is best April 18, 2010 WHEN I told people that my wife was expecting our first child, a lot of the men who already have kids did this laugh, a sort of bark that seemed to be at once ironic, sardonic and to suggest “you poor, poor fool, you don’t know what you are letting yourself into. No, really, you [...]
Trolley bags for a summer getaway April 18, 2010 1. Townhouse Buckley trunk with wheels by Tumi, £2,895, www.tumi.com 2. Hovercraft garment bag by Eagle Creek, £215, www.eaglecreekluggage.co.uk 3. Quadrant suitcases by Antler, from £159, www.houseoffraser.co.uk 4. Red Termo suitcases by Samsonite, from £139, www.houseoffraser.co.uk 5. Pininfarina wheeled trolley by Bric’s, £295, www.harrods.com 6. Aston Martin racing trolley bag by Hackett, www.hackett.com 7. Medium [...]
TRAVEL NOTES April 18, 2010 A Marathon treat in Mayfair As you pelt towards the finish line of the Marathon on 24 April, it might spur you on if you know your next 24 hours will be spent in the lap of luxury at Dukes, the nearest hotel to the finish line. The hotel is offering a high-carb dinner and [...]
Buy a fraction of St Lucia paradise April 15, 2010 THE Caribbean can be a paradise for second homes: but you have to choose wisely. You don’t want to end up in a tourist trap or an area that has been overdeveloped. And if buying into a new development, you want to be sure it’s managed well and properly financed. The new residences and villas [...]
Find beauty on the Welsh coast April 15, 2010 SECOND home hunters with a bit of cash have tended to gravitate towards destinations such as the Cotswolds and Cornwall. Great minds think alike and because of this, those areas have become over-crowded and pricey to boot. So perhaps it’s time to think outside the box, and there are few places better – or more [...]
FOCUS ON: WESTERHAM, KENT April 15, 2010 ROSE ARCH, BUCKHURST ROAD, WESTERHAM Price: £729,000 A detached bungalow, this property is set in approximately two acres of grounds. It has three bedrooms, a lounge, separate dining room, a kitchen/breakfast room and two bathrooms. It also has an attached triple garage which has potential, subject to planning permission. There is also a double garage. [...]