A Cut Above?

It’s ten years since Ollie Dabbous arrived in London, in a flurry of gushing reviews and rapidly won Michelin stars, and four years since he opened the impressive Hide. Julian de Féral finds out how things are holding up – possibly literally – at Above at Hide. Although having witnessed the delights and deft touch…
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The Lusso Christmas Drinks Round-Up.

Bottles of delicious alcoholic product sent to the Lusso office. What could possibly go wrong? Well, perhaps “wrong” is the, er, wrong word? Should we just go with “inevitable”? I mean, we had ALL the good intentions of giving you a lovely, detailed list of great things you could be drinking this Christmas. Seriously, it…
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AWD Winner

In which Neil Davey takes Toyota’s RAV4 Dynamic AWD for several spins around the countryside Blimey. They’ve only gone and let me review another vehicle. Even after the last time and my full admission on my lack of knowledge, they’ve let me have the keys to another vehicle. And no, I still don’t know what…
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Island Life

It’s had its ups and (considerable) downs but, as Judith Baker discovers, Sri Lanka is sensational again…  Sri Lanka’s fortunes may have taken a dip over recent years with the  combination of political unrest and COVID, so it is a pleasant surprise to discover that this lovely and resilient country is bustling with a new…
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It’s All Downhill From Here

Seven bedrooms. Your own spa. There’s skiing and then there’s Chalet Brevières skiing It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not THAT one. The one where you get past that and start planning ski season. If you’re looking for a selection of venues, then AMA Selections would appear to be aptly named. And,…
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Wat’s On?

Takuya Watanabe swaps Paris for London with the launch of Taku London’s Japanese offering has soared considerably this year and, well, it’s happening again. This month (November 2022) sees the opening of Taku, an omakase restaurant headed up by Chef Takuya Watanabe, formerly of Jin, the first sushi omakase in Paris to receive a Michelin…
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Lac of Interest

There are few places more suited to a winter break than Zurich’s Baur au Lac hotel Maybe it’s an age thing. Maybe we’re all just grumpy. Maybe the inner Scrooge thing is just something that happens to everyone eventually. Whatever the reason, it’s getting harder and harder to feel festive. They probably don’t have that…
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Game For Sunday Lunch?

Well, yes. In the case of Marlow’s The Oarsman, that’s literally the case. Marlow is one of those British towns that punches way above its weight in culinary terms. Tom Kerridge has his Michelin-starred pub The Hand and Flowers there, not to mention his other Michelin-starred pub The Coach. And then, just over there, at…
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Sommero Love

Oslo’s Sommero is, Judith Baker discovers, an opulent neighbourhood gem of a hotel Norway’s cool coastal capital has seen a wave of new openings this year with new museums, ambitious architecture and cultural initiatives. And it has also lifted the curtain on the fabulous Sommerro in the elegant Frogner district. The stunning building was formerly…
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Katz. Pyjamas.

See the former. Pack the latter. There are many reasons to visit New York and, at last count, at least two of them are called Katz. For gargantuan sandwiches, recreations of famous scenes from When Harry Met Sally, or the sending of salami to your boy in the army, you want the deli. For a…
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