Spanish wine is enjoying an unprecedented period of quality and affordability – take advantage now March 2, 2016 It struck me as I was deciding where to invest my modest 2016 wine budget, that Spanish wine is an absolute bargain, at every level. We would all be mad not to take advantage of this phenomenon while it lasts. My brainwave was hardly original; none other than the great wine seer Robert Parker has [...]
Mix it up: Farewell to Dick Bradsell, Britain’s very own cocktail genius March 2, 2016 I never met Dick Bradsell. My brother-in-law worked for him at the now defunct Detroit bar, but I never took the chances I had to speak to the genius of mixology who, sadly, passed away at the weekend. By all accounts, Bradsell revolutionised Britain’s cocktail scene, putting London (alongside New York) at the frontline in [...]
A tale of two grills: Bukowski Charcoal Grill and Boyds Grill & Wine Bar March 1, 2016 BUKOWSKI CHARCOAL GRILL 10-11 D'Arblay Street, W1f 8DT Tel: 020 3857 4756 FOOD ★★☆☆☆ | VALUE ★★★★☆ | ATMOSPHERE ★★☆☆☆ Cost for two with beer and cocktails: £70 – – – – – – – – – – – BOYDS GRILL & WINEBAR 8 Northumberland Ave, WC2N 5BY Tel: 020 7808 3344 FOOD ★★★★☆ | VALUE [...]
The craft behind the costumes at Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House March 1, 2016 Bloodied disembodied arms hang from the walls of an otherwise pristine workroom in Essex, where students – their focused expressions lit up by as many Macbook Pros – largely ignore the gruesome debris in their midst. “Oh, that’s Napoleon Blown-apart,” the teacher says. “It’s a project we were working on where we got the students [...]
Working Lunch review: The Black Penny, Covent Garden, serves gourmet food without the fuss March 1, 2016 The Black Penny 34 Great Queen Street, WC2 WHAT? A trendy coffee house and brunch spot modelled on the “penny universities” of 17th century England, where punters would be able to pay a penny for a beverage and a lecture. Prices may have gone up a pretty penny, but the concept remains the same. The [...]
Five classic meals that are improved by adding beer March 1, 2016 I was making risotto the first time I poured beer into my dinner. The recipe called for a glass of wine; I was drinking a bottle of lager and I figured that I’d use that instead. It was delicious. In the 10 years since, I’ve cooked with every kind of beer there is, using it [...]
Mercedes-AMG C63 review: Can this muscle car disguise itself as a sophisticated saloon? February 29, 2016 Price: £60,060 0-62mph: 4.1secs Top speed: 155mph MPG Combined: 34.5mpg ★★★☆☆ | Design ★★★★★ | Performance ★★★☆☆ | Practicality ★★★☆☆ | Value Elvis Costello famously said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture” – and he had a point. I could tell you the Mercedes-AMG C63’s soundtrack is like a Wagnerian opera, or a [...]
Off The Beaten Track: Explore the secret(ish) Mayan ruins of Tulum, Mexico’s hidden gem February 29, 2016 Where? Cancun is as close to tourist hell as I can imagine – like if Portugal’s Algarve had sex with Las Vegas and put a sombrero on the child – but if you drive two hours south, you will find the pristine beaches, jungles and hidden Mayan ruins of Tulum – and not a spring [...]
All aboard the Royal Scotsman: An epic four day train journey through the Scottish Highlands February 29, 2016 An oil baron from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where typical party wear is a stetson and cowboy boots, stands on the platform at Dundee dressed like Bonnie Prince Charlie. “I can feel my inner Braveheart surfacing,” he says, adjusting his sporran and sliding a kirk into his tartan socks. He hasn’t an ounce of Scottish blood in [...]
