Chakra Spices up Kensington It’s ten years ago that I last reviewed Chakra in Kensington. A lot of water has flowed under many bridges since then but both prizewinning Indian restaurant Chakra and I are still standing. In the present climate for what is a small local restaurant, that’s a real sign of success. Chakra […]
The Barber of Seville – Glyndebourne Autumn Season
A Razor-sharp Barber of Seville at Glyndebourne Tonight saw the fourth revival of Annabel Arden’s 2016 production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at Glyndebourne. I saw last summer’s revival and the cast and band sang and played their socks off. Would this Autumn Season’s iteration be able to match those heights? Director Arden co-founded […]
The Marriage of Figaro – Glyndebourne Autumn Season
Glyndebourne’s The Marriage of Figaro Delivers and Delights Last night saw the opening of Glyndebourne’s Autumn Season with the delightful first revival of director Mariame Clément’s Festival 2025 production of The Marriage of Figaro, an opera that has been a central plank of the opera house’s programming since the very first Glyndebourne Festival in 1934. […]
Le Café LPM at The Lanesborough
The Riviera Comes to The Lanesborough at Le Café LPM Those of you familiar with London’s restaurant scene will know of La Petite Maison, the classic Mayfair fixture that opened in 2007 with a menu inspired by the French Riviera. Since it opened, there have been many other copycat restaurants in London, but La Petite […]
Bocconcino Mayfair
Mayfair Italian Bocconcino is the Real Deal The Bocconcino group of three restaurants across London’s West End are a small but perfectly formed prizewinning restaurant group with their flagship restaurant in Mayfair and other outposts in Soho and the Strand. We visited the Mayfair site which on a Monday night was buzzing with the sound […]
Fulham Sky Deck
Footie and Fizz at Sky Deck! On a sunny late summer’s day, the matchday walk down by the river to Fulham FC’s ground at Craven Cottage is as pretty as it is exciting. I was off to see the Fulham – Manchester United match and to review Sky Deck, Fulham FC’s ultra-premium match day hospitality offer. […]
Beethoven/Bruckner: Salonen/Andsnes/Philharmonia
An Engrossing Beethoven/Bruckner Concert from Salonen and the Philharmonia This was my first time at the Philharmonia’s occasional Sunday at 3 pm concerts, in this case at the Royal Festival Hall for a Beethoven/Bruckner programme conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. It won’t be my last. The timing is ideal for those who don’t want to be […]
Nakimushi
Nakimushi Brings Downtown Tokyo to Notting Hill Nakimushi is a new “three-storey Japanese townhouse restaurant” just around the corner from Notting Hill tube. It’s the latest opening from the group behind trendy Michelin-starred Dorian, EEL Sushi, Supermarket of Dreams, and the Notting Hill Fish+Meat Shop. Nakimushi brings together two popular residencies, Urchin (by Chef Yuji Shimokawa Kelly) […]
Provence – Arles and the Camargue
Van Gogh, Pink Flamingos and Bullfights Our second article exploring Provence looks at Arles, the city of Van Gogh, and the neighbouring Camargue region home to the famous white horses, pink flamingos, black bulls and cowboys. Arles Situated on the banks of the mighty River Rhône, Arles is one of many towns and cities in […]
Evgeny Titov’s Parsifal
A Bloody Dystopian Parsifal A new Wagner production is always big news at the Royal Opera House. This season has two, with last night’s opening of director Evgeny Titov’s Parsifal to be followed in January by Götterdämmerung, the final instalment of Barrie Kosky’s Ring cycle. Parsifal is Wagner’s his final opera, a “Bühnenweihfestspiel” (“stage-consecrating festival […]