THREE RESTAURANTS WITH SPIN-OFF VERSIONS August 1, 2011 POLPO Soho’s popular “Venetian tapas” destination Polpo has so far produced three offspring in remarkably short time: Polpetto and Spuntino, both also in Soho, and Da Polpo in Covent Garden. They reproduce Polpo’s winning formula of delicious small plate food, perfect cocktails and cosy, shabby-chic interiors, while each maintains its individual appeal too. www.polpo.co.uk PIZZA [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS August 1, 2011 WINE DINNERS AT PALM Palm Restaurant, the smart American steakhouse in Belgravia that’s built up quite a following since it opened on Pont Street two years ago, is holding a series of wine tasting dinners over the next year. Things kick off next month with a dinner celebrating Taittinger champagne on 16 September, with four [...]
Rivers, Buddhas and temples: SE Asia minus the beaches July 31, 2011 SOUTH East Asia is intimidatingly rich in temptations, fascinations and possibilities. As someone who had never been, and had ten days for the inaugural journey, I had to make some tough decisions. The first one was to steer clear of the beaches and focus on culture and rivers. This may sound a bit unsexy. But [...]
House prices down on a year earlier after sharpest drop for 20 months July 28, 2011 HOUSE prices have dropped at their sharpest rate since October 2009, the Land Registry announced yesterday. Compared to a year earlier, June’s prices were down 2.5 per cent, it said. However, house prices across England and Wales were flat month-on-month in June. There is some disparity across the regions, the Land Registry said, with Wales [...]
EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX July 28, 2011 KING EDWARDS PARADE Price: £550,000 This three-bedroom seventh floor apartment sits on Eastbourne’s famous seafront and promenade. The apartment has an entrance hall, lounge, dining room, bathroom, shower room and a private balcony. The rooms and balcony have stunning views over the sea and downlands. Contact: Freeman Forman Eastbourne on 01323 453049 or go to [...]
PROPERTY NEWS July 28, 2011 FAIRY TALE CASTLE FOR SALE Castello di Scerpena, a five-bedroom mediaeval castle in Tuscany, is now on the market for €16.5m. There are two villas, a guardian cottage, a deer park and 190 hectares of land with 7,000 olive trees attached to the property’s sale. Contact Savills International on 0207 016 3754 or go to [...]
RENTING July 28, 2011 DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL LONDON LETTINGS FIRM DRAKER LETTINGS Q. I have a one-bedroom flat to let that has been on the market for six weeks now. The asking price is £350 per week and I have turned down an offer of £325 per week because I really want to achieve the asking price. I am [...]
Take a property trip back in time and live in 1950s glamour July 28, 2011 EXCITEMENT about The Hour, hailed as the British Mad Men, has been building for months. With the first episodes of the series about BBC executives in 1956, having been aired, Londoners now have their very own answer to the Madison Avenue of Don Draper and co. But unlike the skyscrapers of mid-town Manhattan or the [...]
NEED TO KNOW | AREA INSIGHT July 28, 2011 Commuting: While Crouch End is notionally in zone three, there is no tube station and buses are the only means of transport into the centre. To get to the City you can jump aboard the W7 that runs from Crouch End Broadway to Finsbury Park tube station. From there, you can use the Piccadilly line [...]
Alpine ownership with cash back July 28, 2011 IF you’re not ready to throw down the cash to secure full access to your very own chalet in one of Europe’s finest resorts, you may want to consider one of the rising numbers of rental pool, or “leaseback” arrangements on offer. VIP Ski (vip-chalets.com), the luxury chalet operators with chalets in Switzerland and France, [...]
