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 [...]
Sore arms and seals in Canada’s beautiful waters February 14, 2010 IT is a bright, warm and dazzling spring day and we are paddling our solo sea kayaks straight into the wind and sun. White diamond rays of sunlight bounce off the ocean; it looks like a carpet of sequins. With the wind roaring in my ears, I set my core muscles to firm, get my [...]
RED DRESSES IN FOR SPRING February 14, 2010 LAST Friday was “wear red day” in the States, in support of the American Heart Association. Here in London, although red is a huge colour for spring, there appears to be some trepidation amongst City professionals about sporting it in the office. In the States, red has somewhat aggressive connotations if worn in interviews; here [...]
The return of the plain white shirt February 14, 2010 THE white shirt is to men what the little black dress is to women – it goes with anything, can be extremely formal or stylishly casual, and everyone has one. In fact, every chap should have several, since it’s back in fashion, particularly in the City. Eighteen months ago, when expressing brash confidence rather than [...]
Get into the foreign property game at a fraction of the cost February 11, 2010 FOR many people, owning a foreign property would be the ultimate luxury. However, dealing with local authorities, maintaining the place, or renting it out can turn a luxury into a time-consuming, costly hassle. And that assumes you can really afford the place of your dreams, rather than a flat in a high-rise overlooking a crowded [...]