Archive For April 2013
St James’s Hotel is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful hotels in London, a city that has some of the most beautiful hotels in the world. It’s a boutique hotel set in a Victorian townhouse but its red brick and ornate stonework make this a jewel in an already glittering city crown. St…
In the 15th century some city-states on the Malay Peninsula paid taxes to China and Siam, now Thailand. There is a legend that the Emperor of China sent a princess, Hang Li Po, to the Sultan of Malacca as a token of appreciation for his tribute. The 500 nobles and their servants who accompanied the…
A roasting jack was a machine popular in Tudor times. It was a mechanism for rotating meat on a skewer or spit. Often it was a kitchen menial who had the sweaty job of slowly turning the meat in front of a roaring fire, and sometimes it was even a dog on a treadmill that…
London! What do we think of? Historic continuity, elegance, refinement – and tea. So much of what visitors seek in this capital city includes one or several of these qualities, and there are a few places that will enable tourist and local alike to enjoy all of them. Fortnum & Mason is just such an…
[This venue is now closed] One could easily miss Naga and that would be a shame. It’s tucked down a side road off Kensington High Street and its entrance doesn’t give much of a clue to the style of restaurant within; but it’s a bijou revelation. The bar is at the front and at street…
Singapore is blessed with hotels of every comfort hue. There are a few cheap and cheerful (if you are lucky) small hotels and a wealth of high-end spots to lay one’s travel-weary head. But as with property of any kind, it’s location, location, location that adds the word ‘memorable’ to ‘comfort’. Park Regis Singapore is…
Putney has been a bit of a culinary wasteland, with a couple of exceptions – Ma Goa for Indian, for instance. But now it has a restaurant and speakeasy for late-night revellers, as well as those looking for lunch outside the office or for a break from shopping. Here we find the House of Roxy!…