What to read this Christmas December 16, 2009 Thrillers THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST BY STIEG LARSSON Maclehose, £18.99 The third and final novel in the late Swedish crime writer’s hugely popular Millennium Trilogy – all three books have been published posthumously. Computer hacker and investigator Lisbeth Salander’s third outing is no less electrifying than the previous two, as she tries [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 15, 2009 THE HABIT OF ART Alan Bennett’s new play for the National Theatre may not have the universal appeal of The History Boys, but it’s a hilarious, searingly clever piece nevertheless. Richard Griffiths is on terrifically droll form as actor Fitz, playing the poet WH Auden meeting in old age with the composer Benjamin Britten in the [...]
Up the hatch December 15, 2009 WE’VE tested some super-hot hatches on these pages, most recently Honda’s Civic Type R Mugen and earlier in the year Ford’s Focus RS, both of which are stunning performers. Here we have another. The preceding version of this car, the Renault Clio 197 Cup, had brilliant agility and grip and was a riot of fun, [...]
OTHER FUN & HEALTHY THINGS December 14, 2009 SEX According to a study published in the journal Biological Psychology, those who have regular penetrative sex deal better with stress than those who abstain or who engage in other sexual activity. Scientists at Wilkes University in America also found that those who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of immunoglobulin [...]
Why fizz is good for you December 14, 2009 JOHN Mortimer, the author who created the scuzzy lawyer Rumpole of the Bailey, used to say that champagne was the secret to a long life. Mortimer drank a glass of fizz every morning, before settling down to work on his plays and novels. He lived to a sprightly and active 85, and was publishing books [...]
Three other chinese restaurants December 14, 2009 HAKKASAN Still one of the most glamorous and fashionable of London’s restaurants, Hakkasan is also one of the best places to eat Oriental food anywhere. Taking Cantonese food as its inspiration, it spins this into the kind of wondrous cuisine that gets you Michelin stars and gourmet adulation. Hakkasan, 8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD. www.hakkasan.com. [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS December 14, 2009 DEAN STREET TOWNHOUSE OPENS There’s a new place to go to in Soho, from the people behind Soho House. Dean Street Townhouse is a chic little boutique hotel with a restaurant overseen by The Ivy’s former senior sous chef, Stephen Tonkin. There’s an old school British sensibility with oysters, fish and chips and mince with [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 14, 2009 V&A’S MEDIEVAL GALLERIES The Victoria & Albert museum’s newly-opened rooms of exhibits from the era of 300-1600 are a magnificent triumph, perhaps the finest museum space in London now. Discover why the Dark Ages were anything but, with extraordinary tapestries, clothes, sculptures, paintings, wedding chests, manuscripts, reliquaries and an awful lot more besides. Entry free, [...]
TRAVEL NOTES December 14, 2009 A winter wonderland break in Prague Try a visit to central Europe’s most beautiful city for New Year’s, where fairytale gothic spires, golden rooftops and plenty of beer are sure to delight when the clock strikes 12. Stay at the four-star Casa Marcello in the Josefov district for £696 per person for three nights over [...]
Sun, sea and Hinduism all come together in Mauritius December 14, 2009 THE first thing that you notice about Mauritius is that it is a real place. By that I mean that it is a contrast to its holiday competitors in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles and Maldives. They are made up of dozens of tiny islands which are often owned by resorts and have been turned into [...]
