OUT OF OFFICE February 16, 2010 FLAMENCO FESTIVAL AT SADLER’S WELLS The crПme de la crПme of Spain’s flamenco talent should not be missed during this two-week festival. The maestros of the dance form, including the world-renowned company Nuevo Ballet EspaЦol, will be in situ alongside the famous Eva Yerbabuena performing her latest show, Lluvia (Rain) – inspired by the poetry [...]
The best way to get around town February 16, 2010 THE Italians have known it for decades, and there was a moment in the Sixties when the British youth cottoned on too – when it comes to motorised transport, there is nothing cooler than a scooter. It took the Japanese to turn this convenient, two-wheeled style statement into something sleek, modern and ultra-dynamic – the [...]
How City high achievers are tapping into fresh energy February 15, 2010 I’M lying in a citrus-scented room near Spitalfields market, a moist herbal mask over my face and eyes. Tinkling oriental music is playing, and a woman in a white, clinical uniform is seated in front of a big orange screen at the front of the room, with a microphone affixed to her head, encouraging us [...]
INNER PEACE LEADS TO PRODUCTIVITY | OTHER RESOURCES IN LONDON February 15, 2010 The Art of Meditation at the Bishopsgate Institute Modern living is crying out for meditation, a tool that can help you develop a relaxed, alert and focused state of mind and bring about a gentle transformation of emotional experience. This course will introduce the practice of meditation and explore ways of integrating its benefits into [...]
Missing the mark in museum land February 15, 2010 AUBREY, the restaurant of The Kensington Hotel, is named after Aubrey de Vere, who I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you was a middle-ranking medieval baron and chum of William the Conqueror. He netted himself the estate of Kensington after the Norman Conquest, according to the Domesday book. Back then, the estate was [...]
THREE OTHER KENSINGTON RESTAURANTS February 15, 2010 BABYLON Sitting seven floors up atop the Kensington Roof Gardens, Babylon has some pretty splendid views out over West London – and indeed over the gardens’ flamingo pond – to distract you from its stonkingly expensive menu. There’s jazz on Thursday evenings. The Roof Gardens, 99 Kensington High Street, W8 5ED. www.roofgardens.virgin.com. CASA BRINDISA There’s [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS February 15, 2010 RAMSAY REOPENS PETRUS Petrus, the Knightsbridge restaurant that under Marcus Wareing became the most prestigious venue in Gordon Ramsay’s empire after his own Hospital Road flagship, will re-open on 29 March. After Wareing and Ramsay’s public falling out last year, Wareing remained at the Berkeley hotel with his own eponymous restaurant, while Ramsay has moved [...]
TRAVEL NOTES February 14, 2010 Celebrate Caravaggio at Hotel Russie, Rome Art, luxury and culture come together with a package that revolves around Caravaggio’s 400th anniversary show at the Scuderie del Quirinale gallery. You’ll stay at the opulent Roman Hotel Russie and be provided with tickets to the show, a copy of the catalogue, and a daily buffet breakfast. Package [...]
HOTEL REVIEW: TEN MANCHESTER STREET February 14, 2010 THE HOTEL: If you are staying in the West End, you can’t beat Marylebone. Manchester Street is a quiet Georgian number where the houses bear the discrete silver plaques of osteopaths and accountants. The hotel is in a reassuringly traditional building through a lovely doorway. Inside, reception is dinky, but a big smile and a [...]
THE WILD ONE: OTHER CANADIAN ADVENTURES February 14, 2010 Husky Adventure in the Yukon Learn the basics of mushing, and each day the trails through some of the most spectacular wilderness in Canada’s Yukon advance in difficulty. Relax in the evenings with a sauna and in a lodge by a wood stove. Dog sledding is integral to the local culture throughout Yukon and most [...]