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 [...]
How to be British: Stephen Fry and Heathrow team up in a three-minute video guide to British etiquette January 6, 2016 Anyone need a guide to being British? In an unlikely alliance, Stephen Fry and Heathrow Airport have stepped up to the plate with the essential UK tips summed up in a three-minute video. Fry has become an unofficial ambassador for all things British in the airport’s latest advert, to be shown to passengers arriving to [...]
From The Shard to Heathrow Airport to the price of a pint: How has London changed in the past fifty years? December 15, 2015 The world is a very different place to what it was in 1965 and London, of course, is no exception. Back in the Swinging Sixties a week’s worth of Tube rides would set you back just 77p. Even adjusting for inflation that’s only half of the sums we’re throwing at Transport for London for a [...]
Investors toast new pub boss sending Punch shares higher March 3, 2015 PUB OPERATOR Punch Taverns announced the appointment of its new chief executive yesterday, giving Duncan Garrood the top job. Investors seemingly approved the selection, with shares closing up 5.73 per cent to 92.25p. The news of the appointment comes as the indebted company has undergone two years of restructuring, which saw share prices fall 73 [...]
The Long Weekend review: Thyme, Gloucestershire December 14, 2015 THE WEEKEND: Nestled deep in the Cotswolds countryside, former surgeon Caryn Hibbert has spent the last 12 years gradually buying up the 14th Southrop Manor and surrounding farm buildings to create an idyllic home away from home – first for her family and then for us, the lucky public. The result is Thyme hotel with [...]
Earning a crust: With Centrica, Rolls Royce, BHP Billiton and others cutting their dividend, where should investors look for income? March 31, 2016 As central banks have pushed down interest rates, income has become ever harder to find. While returns on cash savings have remained low, dividend-yielding stocks have looked like a source of stability. But now, trouble in the global economy is forcing reliable dividend payers such as Centrica and Rolls Royce to slash their payouts. Companies [...]
Ignore celebrities who moan about corporations January 25, 2016 The American writer Paul Theroux once observed that “there are probably more annoying things than being hectored about African development by a wealthy Irish rock star in an American cowboy hat, but I can’t think of one at the moment". It was 2005, and he was expressing a no-doubt commonly held frustration with Bono’s incessant posturing. [...]
Homes go on sale at former North London Post Office building in Islington January 8, 2016 As the historic North London Post Office, this 50,000sqft site in Islington delivered birthday cards, love letters and lists for Father Christmas. But next year, joint property developers Sagar Group and Cain Hoy hope they’ll be equally as successful at delivering a new housing, shopping and commercial district in the heart of one of London’s [...]
Black cabs and Uber can co-exist in London – and can even help each other get more custom February 10, 2016 Famous the world over, London’s black cabs are an iconic part of our city’s transport infrastructure. That’s why the impact of apps like Uber on traditional taxis has generated such a heated debate in the capital. Of course competition has affected the taxi trade. But surely the answer to the pressures faced by black cabs [...]
Blockchain just had two major firsts with new social payment app Circle, Barclays and Britain’s financial regulator April 6, 2016 London may be the centre of fintech innovation, but there’s one huge trend we’ve failed to jump on board with yet – social payment apps. Messaging your mate with that fiver you owe for last night’s round at the pub and a big smiley face emoji is pretty common in the US and China, especially [...]