Review: Beosound Level by Bang & Olufsen

It’s almost universally accepted that Bang & Olufsen makes some of the best audio products in the world. The Danish brand has managed to create a little place for itself in sonic history, thanks to its characteristic designs, its top-of-the-tree audio technology and the fact that its name sounds like a particularly promising Scandi-noir mini-series.

Its products are also built to last. When people say this, it usually means you’ll get a good five years out of a speaker, maybe 10. But we know people who still own B&O products from the Seventies that sound as clear now as they did when moustaches were much more widely accepted. The burgeoning trend towards sustainability, therefore, hasn’t been lost on B&O, which already has a strong legacy in sustainable tech. After all, if it doesn’t break, it doesn’t need replacing.

However, technology is developing at a pace faster than ever before. It sometimes feels like a piece of streaming tech, or a new way of compressing sound, comes along and is obsolete days after you splash out on it. The case for more modular systems, with interchangeable and easily replaceable parts, is gaining a strong following, pushed forward by brands like Transparent and now Bang & Olufsen. 

Futureproof technology is central to the level, with the brand guaranteeing that this approach will continue in all of its home speakers. In 2019, the world generated 53.6 million tonnes of electrical waste. A modular approach – easily changeable batteries, or streaming units, or even woofers – is the quickest and best way to make a substantial dent in this mountain of rubbish.

It’s a laudable aim, but does the level deliver when it comes to what makes a speaker great? We tried our level best to find out.

Design

This is a speaker unlike any we’ve tested before. Designed to look as good stood up, on its back, or mounted on the wall via the £99 wall bracket, the level currently comes in a natural finish, with an attractive, sophisticated dark grey fabric covering, or gold, with a matte gold aluminium frame and attention-catching natural oak veneer, manufactured to still show the grain of the wood.

Designed by longtime B&O partner Torsten Valeur, the level doesn’t put a foot wrong. Every angle is considered, with each line perfectly drifting into a corner. Sharp edges complement more curved aspects of the pearl-blasted aluminium, and the various textures add to the distinguished feel.

We tested the gold version: its size means that you ideally need a long desk or kitchen top, but, surprisingly, the speaker slotted in most spots nicely as a statement piece. It’s like a quality bit of Scandinavian furniture that just so happens to produce quality sound. It’s also IP54 dust- and water-resistant, meaning you can take your new piece of furniture into the garden. Just don’t go too crazy – this is a beautiful speaker that has a delicate aspect to it, and it might not stay looking its best after a heavy shower.

The controls, integrated into the frame, light up when they sense a hand close by, and a slight tap is all that’s needed for playing, track skipping, volume control or a quick jump to your favourite radio stations. One minor grievance is that our clumsy fingers tended to graze the super-sensitive controls whenever we went to carry the speaker by the adjacent integrated handle. But it’s a small price to pay for such an appealing silhouette.

Besides the obvious elegance of the speaker, the most interesting aspect of the level’s design is the modular approach to its interior workings. A replaceable battery module, along with all the streaming paraphernalia put together in a similarly compartmentalised set-up, means that tech obsolescence is much less of an issue, and you don’t need to fork out for a new speaker when the battery conks out, as is so often the way in the modern tech age (we’re looking at no-one in particular…).

The level is easy to take apart, so you don’t need to worry about getting someone in to change the battery for you, while for fiddlier fixes, experts have easy access via the front grille. Other parts of the level have been given less future-proofing attention, but it’s a good start to a new range of more sustainable speakers from B&O. With the promise of available parts 10 years after the last unit’s been sold, you have plenty of time for quick replacements – not that you’re likely to need any.

Sound

This is comfortably the best sound from a speaker in its class. Admittedly, at £1299 it’s much more expensive, but what you get for that is another listening experience entirely. The 105 watts of music power, via a five-driver speaker set-up (two 4in woofers, one 2in full-range driver, two 0.8in tweeters) and low distortion amplifiers, bring incredible clarity in the upper register and deep, full bass, while the 96dB mid-range is more than enough to handle its lower and higher neighbours.

The sound difference when the level is stood up or on its back is stark. Upright, audio is directed wherever the level is facing. However, lie it on its back and the full 360-degree effect comes into play – a fantastically rich and warm sound that fills any room with consistent clarity. The process of the speaker automatically adapting its sound is great to hear, made possible by the level sensing its position in relation to the space around it. This helps, too, when the active room compensation kicks into gear, ensuring that audio is at its optimum.

For any unabashed tweaking enthusiasts, the easy-to-use B&O app has a few various presets, but it’s difficult to veer from the aptly named “optimal”. There’s also a pleasing little wheel that you can twiddle to alter the sound profile, switching between and mixing bright, energetic, warm and relaxed modes.

Battery life is up to 16 hours, depending on volume and power consumption. The level also has a handy gadget here to help save energy, analysing and continuously adjusting power and tuning. The microphone does a good enough job of hearing and processing commands, if that’s your sort of thing, with Google assistant ready to help answer any burning questions you might have about getting some more Scandinavian furniture to go alongside your new speaker.

Verdict

The beosound level is expensive – the sort of price that you’d expect a wired speaker to command – and the extra £99 for the wall mount seems like a bit of a low blow. However, what you receive for your money is almost a century of audio expertise, a design from someone at the height of their creative powers and a speaker that’s central to the future of sustainable electronics.

This is a stunner of a speaker, with a better sound than many wired options, and it should last you decades. The design is unique in a saturated market of cylinder- and pill-shaped products, and feels like a hyper-modern homage to old-school audio tech. It might just become a bit of a classic itself.

If you have the money for the level, you should absolutely buy it. It’ll never fail to impress, and you most likely have the space to find a suitable spot for this piece of sonic furniture. To be honest, if you’re buying a speaker for this price, we don’t think you’ll mind splurging on the wall mount, either. A phenomenal speaker.

Bit of Bolly - Bollinger launches La Grande Année 2012

Originally appeared on Wallpaper*

The champagne house’s hotly-anticipated 2012 vintage delivers on its promise 

There aren’t many champagne houses with the legacy and prestige of Bollinger, and its most recent release will only enhance this reputation.

Those of us who enjoy a ‘bit of Bolly’ will rejoice at Bollinger’s latest UK release, the absolutely fabulous 2012 vintage of the Maison’s famed La Grande Année and its corresponding Rosé. The 2012 vintage is the premium vintage of the 21st century for Pinot Noir grapes, with a small but outstanding crop due to an almost perfect August and September. La Grande Année contains 65 per cent Pinot Noir, making for a depth and texture rarely seen, and its medium dosage contributes to a simultaneously creamy and delicately bitter champagne - an ideal partner for any budding gastronome.

Fitting, then, that La Grande Année 2012 and Rosé 2012 were launched at St. John Restaurant in Smithfield, with a bespoke pairing menu by Head Chef Steve Darou and founders Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver. Fergus and Trevor were delighted at the opportunity to showcase the wines: ‘The 2012 vintage of La Grande Année and La Grande Année Rosé was an exceptional year and it has been an honour to create the dishes to pair with these great wines.

‘We have chosen the respective ingredients for each pairing after much careful consideration, with the aim of fully expressing the flavours of the dishes and the wines to their full potential.’

The event was the first stop on Bollinger’s ‘Le Grand Tour’, which will see chefs create menus celebrating single hero ingredients, expertly prepared to pair with each wine. At St. John, fresh poached langoustines from Dorset were served alongside La Grande Année 2012, the sharper elements of the champagne perfect for seafood. 

The main, a Guinea Fowl pie, was paired with La Grande Année Rosé 2012. The Rosé has been enhanced by the addition of Bollinger’s exceptional red wine from La Côte aux Enfants in Aÿ, reserved for only the greatest vintages. The region originally became famous for its red wine, and Bollinger’s special, tiny plot still employs a highly skilled Burgundy winemaking method, almost non-existent in the Champagne region. The hearty, technically challenging pie, a rich, indulgent main, was an apt accompaniment to the deeper Rosé.

After the successful launch at St. John, the second ever Grand Tour will now travel the world, giving top chefs the chance to celebrate these two cuvées alongside the very best in global cuisine. Not bad for a humble grape.

Smooth operator: Midleton releases the ‘rarest whiskey in the world’

Originally appeared on Wallpaper*

Old Midleton Distillery’s doors have been opened for one last collection, never to be seen – or tasted – again

There’s something very special coming out of Ireland. The doors of Old Midleton Distillery, closed in 1975, have been reopened by Master Distiller Brian Nation to celebrate the work of his predecessors in the now silent distillery, and to reflect on Irish whiskey’s deserved place at the industry’s top table.

The Midleton Very Rare Silent Collection will consist of six whiskeys aged between 45 and 50 years, forming Irish whiskey’s oldest collection, with a new release annually until 2025, Old Midleton Distillery’s 200th birthday. The Silent Collection is a reference to Old Midleton’s status as a silent distillery: one that has closed its doors, ceasing production. As time passes, the liquid left inside the walls of a silent distillery becomes highly sought after for its taste, prestige and rarity, with such spirits known as unicorn whiskeys. While other silent distilleries rise from the ashes and restart production, Old Midleton has been fully decommissioned. Its stills will lie empty: the Collection marks the last drops of the distillery’s finest innovations. 

The first in the Collection, released this month, is a rare beast indeed: a 45-year old peated Irish single malt. At the time, this was almost unheard of in the Irish whiskey world, and is still very much a rarity in the industry. Laid down in 1974, the spirit was the culmination of a series of trials by Master Distiller Emeritus Max Crockett, with his experimentation in peated spirits between 1964 and 1974 finally coming to light.

The whiskey is a family endeavour, with Max’s son, master distiller emeritus Barry Crockett, sourcing the peat for the 45-year-old expression while learning the trade off his father – who also happened to be the forefather of modern-day Irish whiskey. Now, current master distiller Brian Nation has had the privilege of caring for, sampling and bottling a spirit that has been waiting to be shared for five decades.

‘One of the most wondrous parts of my job is that I’m often responsible for safekeeping the legacy of another,’ Brian explains at a dinner to celebrate the release. ‘For many years now, my colleagues and I have been caring for the work of Max and Barry Crockett, to determine the optimum time to share it with the world.

‘Having monitored and sampled the liquid over the years, we’ve found that it’s the ultimate tribute to the dedication, precision and craftsmanship at Old Midleton Distillery. It’s among the very last remaining whiskey distilled through the largest pot still in the world. This makes it one of the world’s rarest whiskeys by its very nature. With notes of ripe honeydew melon, red berries and sweet spices of toasted oak, it would be a shame not to share this expression with the world.’

Barry Crockett, too, is pleased with the results: ‘It’s remarkable that 45 years on we could even be speaking about a whiskey which was distilled in the very final period of the Old Midleton Distillery. It is the ultimate heirloom and memento of the dedication to precise malt preparation, brewing and distillation skills of generations of distillers at Midleton.’

There are only 48 bottles of the expression, with 44 for sale, making this the rarest whiskey in the collection. It’s only fair, then, that the spirit gets the very best treatment, with Midleton staying true to Irish heritage and craftsmanship: the decanter has been designed by Waterford Crystal, each example a hand-blown, etched, unique work of art, and comes displayed in a wooden cabinet handcrafted by Irish designer John Galvin, using wood from reclaimed whiskey vats up to 200 years old. 

87 per cent of the cask’s contents have disappeared, taken as the angel’s share over the years. Tasting the whiskey, you can’t help but be jealous of those angels having all the fun. The nose is full of richness, an oak base layered by deep, dark spices and the comforting scent of fresh peat. Having lay dormant in third-fill sherry casks for 45 years, a punch of red berries comes through, along with a touch of honeydew melon. When you finally get to the taste, you’re enveloped by pepper and spice that softens as the malted barley brings forward barley sugar and honey notes, built on that foundation of toasted oak. The finish lingers, the pepper and sweetness combining to coat the mouth long after you’ve finished the dram.

Stood before his lucky guests and the Waterford Crystal decanter, Brian put it best: ‘The glass in front of you contains 25ml of the rarest Irish whiskey in existence. To be able to release this when Irish whiskey is in such a buoyant state is truly an honour and a privilege. It is the pinnacle of Irish whiskey.’ Having had three legends of Irish whiskey working on it for more than five decades, it’s hard to argue.

The Whisky Master of Seville

Originally appeared on Spear’s

What does Seville have to do with Scotch? David Taylor heads to southern Spain to find out 

A month or so ago, an email pinged into my inbox with an invitation to a whisky launch in Seville. Usually there would be no hesitation, but I hovered over the reply button. What did Seville, spiritual home of Spanish exploration, tapas and oranges, have to do with a dram that was dreamed up over 60 years ago in the drizzle of Aberdeen and matured at Speyside’s Strathisla distillery?

Quite a lot, as it turns out. It all comes down to sherry.

Again, you might think that sherry and whisky have very little in common, but finishing whisky in sherry casks is a practice with a long tradition. Sherry’s sweetness can add a depth of flavour the original liquid would otherwise lack.

The sherry casks used by Royal Salute Whisky come from Pedro Ximénez grapes. Combine them with the dark caramel notes of a Scotch, and you have a match made in heaven. Where are the best Pedro Ximénez casks said to come from? Just outside of Seville.

And so I found myself watching a private Flamenco performance within Seville’s UNESCO World Heritage Royal Alcázar palace complex while trying Royal Salute’s 29 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask Finish Edition. The whisky’s Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop, was there, too, and waxed lyrical both about his new creation and the casks he’d had the fortune of using: “We have a good working relationship with the cask providers and that was important for the development of this special blend. We didn’t want to just buy empty casks, but wanted to control the process from start to finish.

‘We were able to create Pedro Ximénez casks that were fabricated for us from Spanish oak, fully conditioned with sherry and shipped to us in Scotland during the winter months to avoid any issues with transit in containers in the warmer months. This process took several years, but was worth the wait.’

Waiting is something in which Royal Salute has become particularly versed. Launched in 1953 by Chivas Brothers in tribute to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the whisky is named after the traditional 21-gun salute. It follows, therefore, that all whisky used in the blend has been aged for a minimum of 21 years, demanding a significant amount of forward planning, to the extent that Sandy is now planning whiskies he’ll likely never taste. This hasn’t dampened his drive: ‘We started talking about this expression years ago, and as we’re always turned towards innovation, we felt this was a great opportunity to create a “first” for Royal Salute, as we’ve never fully finished our whisky in first fill Pedro Ximénez sherry casks before.

‘Whisky is such a versatile and complex spirit that we felt enhancing the flavour of the liquid by finishing every single drop of it in the sherry casks would add another dimension to the blend. The sherry butt finish brings an amplification of the rich velvety character of the whisky but also brings a gentle spicy nuance too.’

Thanks to its Sevillian influence, the whisky has orange notes on the nose, along with a tell-tale hint of sultana, courtesy of its Spanish sherry partner. The sweet taste is full of plum and treacle, and the finish is long and sweet with that spicy kick, a product of the whisky’s long maturation and full sherry finish. A Scottish spirit informed by an Andalusian fire: the journey from Speyside to Seville and back again might sound like an unexpected package holiday, but it’s done the trick for Royal Salute. A bit of Spanish sun never did anyone any harm, after all.


Experience Hamburg like a local: Nat Geo Traveller

Originally appeared in Nat Geo Traveller

For a snapshot of both classic and cool Germany, look no further than its second city. Whether you’re seeking high-brow concerts or bargain cast-offs, here’s where to head for the best of both worlds

Big-hitters

It would be remiss not to start with the Elbphilharmonie, affectionately called ‘Elphi’ by the Hamburgers. After 10 years of delays, fundraising and building, the city’s stunning concert hall opened in 2017 and is now a firm fixture on the cultural scene. Concerts take place throughout the year, covering everything from chamber music to modern jazz, with visiting orchestras such as the London Philharmonic often appearing on the calendar. For a quick meal before a concert, or a post-music pick-me-up, Kinfelts Kitchen & Wine serves the Elphi-Menü, a five-course dinner split into two acts: three courses before the concert, then a main and dessert served afterwards.

Wilhelmsburg, an island suburb between the northern and southern branches of the River Elbe, has gone from industrial corner to creative hub in the south of Hamburg-Mitte. Check out Atelierhaus23, a community project run by local artists showcasing their own and others’ works, with guest exhibitions running regularly.

As one of Europe’s largest ports, Hamburg is indelibly linked with the water — and there’s no better place to learn about its trading past and present than in the wide boulevards and mazy backstreets of the historic Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 2008, the district has made up part of Hamburg’s newest quarter, HafenCity; currently Europe’s largest inner-city urban redevelopment project, HafenCity (‘HarbourCity’) has seen the port area revitalised with a wealth of new waterfront hotels, shops and offices. Don’t miss Discovery Dock, in the shadow of the Elbphilharmonie, which offers an overview of the inner workings of the port and features interactive exhibitions that let visitors search for smuggled contraband and load shipping containers via VR headsets.

If there’s a poster boy of the area’s regeneration, the 137ft-tall Energiebunker, rising from Wilhemlsburg’s 19th-century Reiherstieg quarter, is surely it. Built as a flak tower in 1943, it was designed to defend the city against aerial bomb attacks. These days, the solar panel-adorned building serves as a renewable energy plant and giant heat storage facility. Make your way to the top floor, where you’ll find Café Vju, a 360-degree panoramic terrace and bar offering the finest views of Hamburg’s urban sprawl.

Alternative scene

Seen by many as the city’s counter-cultural centre, Schanzenviertel is where those in the know go to when the Reeperbahn — the city’s main nightlife drag — becomes too crowded. Its main street, Schulterblatt, is home to the area’s best cafes, bars and pubs, as well as a wide array of restaurants focused on plant-based cuisine. Mamalicious is known as Hamburg’s favourite veggie breakfast joint, and its all-day offerings are top-quality and nearly all vegan. For a quick sweet treat, stop by Herr Max for vegan chocolate-blueberry cupcakes and dairy-free ice cream.

Despite gentrification bringing renovation and higher rents to the area, Rote Flora — a former theatre that now houses Germany’s oldest squat — stands as a symbol of Hamburg’s strong alternative scene and is known for its status as a political and cultural hub.

Another highlight is the Flohschanze flea market, a hot, noisy haggler’s paradise offering a heap of treasures, from rare LPs to designer labels. If the action at Flohschanze gets a bit much, nearby Portuguese coffeehouse Café Estrela serves a proper galão — a Portuguese upgrade on your usual latte and the perfect accompaniment to a spot of people-watching.

The narrow streets of the Karolinenviertel neighbourhood are a hotspot for the best independent shops and clubs Hamburg has to offer. Hot Dogs is the place to go for footwear, and designer grotto Goldig offers pieces by a range of Scandinavian, English and Spanish brands. After an afternoon’s retail therapy, take five with a coffee in the rustic, cosy ambience of Café Panter or try Gretchens Villa for some fin de siecle-style decadence.

The area is also home to a booming music scene, with a huge number of record stores alongside bars such as Das Neue Dschungel and Kleines Phi. Live music venue Knust, inside an old abattoir, hosts both international and underground artists.

The new world of watchmaking at SIHH 2019

Originally appeared on Living by Euronews

High-end watchmaking is an industry steeped in tradition and proud heritage, which can prove to be a problem when the modern world comes knocking. However, at this year's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, tradition met tech in a much-needed boost to the industry.

The 29th edition brought together the best watchmakers in the world for four days to show off their latest creations.

SIHH kicked off on Sunday night at the inauguration party, with all 35 brand CEOs gathering for the annual photo to talk shop and let their hair down for the evening. The show continued in kind, with evening cocktail parties at various stands and Champagne as a well-deserved treat for industry professionals - and writers - at the end of each day.

For the second year running, SIHH was also open to everyone on the final day, giving the public a chance to be among the first to see the latest in the enigmatic world of luxury timepieces. Here are the highlights from Geneva’s world of superwatches.

Call of the sea

A major new partnership was unveiled by Panerai, straight out of the traps on day one. In support of its homeland, the Italian brand has become the official sponsor of Luna Rossa, the Italian yacht and crew looking to compete in the 36th America’s Cup. Panerai joins Prada and Pirelli to create a trinity of P’s for the Italian team, and skipper Max Sirena doesn’t underestimate how important the new partnership could turn out to be: “This is the period where we are taking strategic and important decisions, which is going to give us a result in a few years’ time.”

In tribute to the agreement, Panerai has released the Submersible Luna Rossa 47mm. The case, like the boat’s hull, is made of carbon fibre, and sailcloth has been applied to the dials, adding the finishing touches to a professional diving watch water-resistant up to 300 metres.

L’heure de la lune

Hermès made an impression with its brooding entrance design. Conceived by London-based Hideki Yoshimoto, the imposing sphere was inspired by Hermès’ latest release, the Arceau L’heure de la Lune. The new watch displays the moon’s phases in both northern and southern hemispheres simultaneously, leading Yoshimoto to create his own interpretation of the double moon concept: “There aren’t two moons, but two moon faces.

“It’s about sharing. We have billions of viewpoints of the Earth in the history of humankind. We were all born here, all of us have spent our lives here, and everyone has looked at the same moon. That’s the beauty of the double moon concept. What we wanted to feature is not the moon but the Earth.”

Another in the new collection is also a contestant for best name at SIHH 2019 - the watch with a wolf howling at a crescent moon is aptly titled the Arceau Awooooo. Yes, that’s five o’s.

Tech with tradition

While haute horology doesn’t have the strongest record accepting the fast-paced world of technology, this year’s SIHH had a decidedly futuristic addition. The SIHH LAB, an ongoing research and development incubator, included innovations from the worlds of craft, augmented reality - and cocktail making - to showcase the tech at the forefront of watchmaking.

Fabienne Lupo, Managing Director of the Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie, sees the LAB as an important new development for the show: “We are a really innovative, contemporary, modern and dynamic industry. We wanted to show that, and also attract new talent.”

A highlight of the LAB (alongside the unarguably attractive cocktail-making installation) included Leap Motion gesture recognition. Simply place a special strap around your wrist, and through your phone not only see how any watch looks on you, but also interact with the timepiece.

Hey Lambo…

Lambo Italiano. Roger Dubuis has a reputation for the dramatic, which came as no surprise to anyone who took a look at the Lamborghini installed at the front of the Maison’s installation. Roger Dubuis’ creative team has designed a unique timepiece, the Excalibur One-Off, inspired by the recently unveiled Lamborghini SC18 Alston supercar. Like the watch, the SC18 Alston is Lamborghini’s first ever one-off hypercar.

Collaborating with the car manufacturer - and tyre godfather Pirelli for the strap - Roger Dubuis has packed as many technical novelties into the Excalibur as seems to be humanly possible, including a completely unnecessary but very fun function selector. Like a supercar mode selector, choose between ‘W' for watch winding and ’S’ for setting the time. Ridiculous and brilliant.

Cartier Privé

Cartier had a huge presence at this year’s SIHH. One particularly special part, however, was the Cartier Privé collection, the latest in a line of capsules celebrating the evolution of watches throughout history’s fashions and technological developments. At SIHH, Cartier chose to release updated versions of the 1906 Tonneau. The original had an unusual shape, a mix between rectangle and oval. This was to fit better on the wrist and was a precursor to a more modern shape.

Cartier has released two new versions of this seminal timepiece. The hours and minutes model sticks close to the original, with slight contemporary changes. The second piece, a skeleton dual time zone model, has incorporated what was originally two separate mechanisms - one for each time zone - into one movement, retaining the Tonneau’s original aesthetic.

Lange-versary

It’s an important year for A. Lange & Söhne. The manufacture has developed 63 calibres since founder Walter Lange and his partner Günter Blümlein presented four new wristwatches on October 24th 1994, marking a renaissance for the company. A quarter of a century later, the most famous of these remains the LANGE 1.

As you’ve probably guessed, the manufacture is celebrating the milestone by releasing an update of the original LANGE 1. The white gold version is limited to 250 pieces and features a deep blue printed argenté dial and a hinged cuvette (the back of the watch) with an engraving of Lange’s headquarters in the town of Glashütte, the birthplace of German watchmaking.

Candy Land

Richard Mille has tried to sweeten the deal for its customers by releasing the Bonbon collection, a range of confectionary-related timepieces. Cécile Guenat, artistic director of the collection, based the ten pieces on three existing models, revisiting them with a palette of 60 colours. The attention to detail even comes down to the crowns of some pieces being shaped like cupcakes and ice cream. The RM 07-03 Marshmallow is incredibly realistic thanks to modern enamelwork, while 3,000 miniature sculptures are integrated into the three pieces in the Fruit line, which includes the see-it-from-across-the-room bright lemon and strawberry (RM 16-01 Citron et Fraise).

Naughty Nardin

There’s always one. Ulysse Nardin, known for its maritime watches, has teamed up with Italian erotic comic book artist Milo Manara to create a series of ten watches that stretch from mildly titillating to downright graphic. Illustrating a love story between ‘Ulyssa' the mermaid and ‘Nadia’ the human, Manara’s work takes us on a journey into what the brand calls “a timeless, nautical reverie”.

Manara’s collection of ten images has been transferred onto the watch face through a technique known as micropainting, meaning the reproduction is as intricate as the original. Ten pieces per drawing will be made, both in stainless steel and rose gold, limiting the series to 200. Manara says of the collection “I am sure that mermaids do exist”. If they’re anything like this, I’m going sailing more often.

Le Carré des Horlogers

Just off the show’s main thoroughfare is the Carré des Horlogers, a selection of 17 smaller brands dedicated to craftsmanship and bespoke projects. Armin Strom, for instance, specialises in skeletonisation - where the intricate inner workings of the timepiece are visible - while futurist brand Urwerk takes its name from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, where our entire system of measuring time originated.

It’s here that many horological advances find their home. Belgian brand Ressence recently released the Type 2, the first watch to have a smart crown. The light-powered e-Crown digitally registers the manually-set time and automatically checks and readjusts. Even after three months of inactivity, once the owner taps the crown, it will set the watch to the right time.

Also in the Carré des Horlogers was the Time Æon Foundation, which safeguards traditional watchmaking knowledge and skills while encouraging technological developments. Supporters include Greubel Forsey, Urwerk and Ferdinand Berthoud, modern brands that all have a reverence for tradition.

Finding culinary balance in Vietnam

Originally appeared in The Paper by Carrier

From the capital of Hanoi, with its stunning architecture, to the heady delights of Ho Chi Minh City, take in the all-encompassing metropolis, people, and food of such a diverse country. As well as staying in the best luxury retreats, such as Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, explore the most enchanting culinary scene. 

Due to Chinese control of Vietnam from 111BC to 938AD, local dishes showcase a strong focus on traditional Chinese medicine: philosophically balanced, it takes the best of the region and perfects it, creating a distinct and unforgettable flavour profile. Finding a balance of bitter, spicy, sour, sweet and salty flavours, Vietnamese food corresponds to the five elements of fire, metal, wood, earth and water through each fragrance, colour and taste. Take the use of the fermented fish sauce nuoc mam, the juice of the kalamansi citrus fruit, or sweet/spicy tamarind and chilli peppers: it’s a gastronomic treat for the five senses.

It’s also seen as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, due to its fresh ingredients, negligible use of dairy and oil, and focus on vegetables, spices and herbs. The principle of Yin and Yang is central to the kitchen: after all, a balanced meal means a balanced body. Push your exploration beyond its normal limits by delving into the vibrant and fresh flavours of lemongrass, ginger and mint, while indulging in dishes unique to each part of this fertile and lush country.

Hanoi

On the bank of the Red River is Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. Wide, tree-lined boulevards and luxury villas mix with ancient streets, making this a lively and vibrant city. There’s certainly plenty to enjoy in Hanoi with its traditional entertainment, fascinating history and, of course, its mouth-watering street food, whose vendors provide Hanoi’s almost 8 million stomachs with perfect treats day and night. Many of Vietnam’s most famous dishes are said to have their beginnings in Hanoi, including Phở, the country’s world-famous rice noodle soup.

There’s a place for tradition and a place for innovation, and it’s here that food bloggers like Van Cong Tu are an invaluable source of local knowledge. A street food tour with him will reveal the area’s best culinary spots. Try stir-fried noodles with beef at his favourite spot, or grab bún chả, a charcoal-roasted pork in a sweet/salty soup with rice noodles and lettuce – it’s a local favourite.

Halong Bay

As balance is all-important, time spent in the big city should be paired with something a little more serene. Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for its thousands of limestone islets dotting the sea and tropical, evergreen setting. The best way to see this unique part of the world is by ‘junk’, a type of ancient Chinese sailing boat. Hop aboard Violet, a traditional deluxe vessel, for an overnight cruise to discover the otherworldly Tien Ong cave, a natural and ancient grotto with stalactites shaped like peacocks and crocodiles and stone artefacts from the Hoa Binh, a mystical community that lived as long ago as 10,000 BC.

Experience the beauty and serenity of Cua Van, Halong’s largest floating fishing village, with its fishermen always ready to educate tourists about their traditional culture and customs. Watching nets be made and the fishing itself is an experience not to be missed, and reinforces the importance of learning how best to live life sustainably from those who call the area home. For a few more life lessons, a cooking class on the Violet with its chef is a good way to perfect your seafood dishes, as Halong Bay is home to a healthy number of cuttlefish, oysters, prawns and lobsters. Wash your hard-earned food down with a few drams of sticky rice wine or try a Moscow Mule, made – of course – with Hanoi Vodka.

Ho Chi Minh City

With a population of 8.6 million, it’s impossible to remain disconnected from the sights and smells of the bustling Ho Chi Minh City. This is Vietnam at its most high-energy, a heady, disorienting destination, where local vitality and pace of life carry you away to the very essence of what it means to be Vietnamese.

Exploring the back streets and eateries of what was once known as Saigon is a thrilling enough experience on foot, but here, Carrier goes the extra mile. Hop on the back of a Vespa with an expert guide leading the way through street food stalls, to restaurants run by Michelin-starred chefs, to the oncein- a-lifetime experience of Ben Thanh Market. Expect to be welcomed by stall owners selling everything you love – and things you’ve never even considered. Wind your way through the labyrinthine aisles to the wet market at the back of the complex to find a dizzying array of local produce and ingredients laid out for Saigon’s hungry throngs. As dusk falls, the surrounding restaurants open their doors, drifting the scents of their wok-fried noodles and barbecued fish until the early hours – much needed after an afternoon of giddy sightseeing.

 Ho Chi Minh City isn’t necessarily all action – an escape from the city is possible by spending time with local farmers and their families among the rice paddies and fruit farms of the fertile Mekong Delta. This tranquil setting is the perfect retreat – spend time among its floating markets and Khmer pagodas, dotted along the many canals and waterways that crisscross the landscape of the ‘Rice Bowl of Vietnam’. The hectic and the calm; the loud and the quiet; you’ll leave Vietnam with your body and mind in perfect harmony.

12 hours in Frankfurt - Atlas City Guide

Originally appeared on Atlas by Etihad

Germany’s financial centre is about more than big banks and shiny suits. Lose yourself for the day in the best of Frankfurt’s restaurants, gardens and museums

10:00 Frankfurt Botanical Garden

Frankfurt has the image of a bustling financial hub, but you can start your day in greener surroundings at the Botanischer Garten Frankfurt am Main – seven hectares of botanical garden in the central Westend-Süd district, only a 20-minute taxi ride from the airport. A fixture in the city since the 18th century, it originally served as a medicinal garden for the adjacent public hospital, and all three of its gardens are open to the public daily throughout summer. Directly next door is the Palmengarten, 22 more hectares of free-air and acclimatised greenhouses full of tropical and sub-tropical plants.
Siesmayerstraße 61, 60323; +49 69 2123 6689

11:30 Main Tower

The best view of the city comes from the 56th-floor observation deck of Main Tower in the financial district. It’s Frankfurt’s (and Germany’s) fourth tallest building, and the only skyscraper in the city with a viewing platform. Take in the stellar view of the Old Town and the banks of the River Main, surrounded by the superstructures of the financial district.
Neue Mainzer Straße 52-58, 60311; +49 69 3650 4878

12:45 Oosten

A leisurely half-hour wander down the river from Main Tower, Oosten is an industrial-style restaurant in a glass, steel and wood building at the base of a massive crane by the waterside. You get a 270-degree view of the Frankfurt skyline, and delicious local soul food along with vegan and gluten-free options. Oosten is good at any time of day (though the terrace is a must at sunset), but lunchtime gives you an insight into local life in Frankfurt in the coolest part of the city.
Mayfarthstraße 4, 60314; +49 69 949 425 6814

14:30 Museumsufer

Why have one museum when you can have 16? Frankfurt’s museum embankment flanks both sides of the river and houses some of Germany’s most important artworks and artefacts. Central to this is the Städel Museum, which holds one of the country’s most precious art collections: 2,700 paintings, 600 sculptures, 100,000 drawings and prints, and 100,000 books. Paintings from masters such as van Eyck, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Degas and Vermeer adorn the walls. Besides the Städel, the Museumsufer covers themes such as film, architecture, communication and Frankfurt’s Jewish community.
Schaumainkai 63, 60596; +49 69 2123 6325

17:30 Old Town

While Frankfurt’s Old Town was mainly destroyed in the Second World War, plans to rebuild it according to its original design were put in place in the 1980s, and have recently been completed. The historic centre, Römerberg, is a beautiful square showcasing the traditional half-timbered architectural style of medieval Europe. The centrepiece Römer building has been Frankfurt’s city hall for more than 600 years, and was also painstakingly restored by the city. Take a seat and enjoy a sweet coffee with cream at nearby Bitter & Zart, a chocolaterie specialising in all things cocoa.
Braubachstraße 14, 60311; +49 69 9494 2846

19:30 Restaurant Klosterhof

A trip to Frankfurt wouldn’t be complete without a taste of its grüne soße, or green sauce. This “grie soss” (as the Frankfurters pronounce it) is a mixture of seven fresh herbs and a combination of creams, oils and any other delicious ingredients you could think of that would work in a sauce. Usually served cold with boiled potatoes, boiled eggs or roast beef brisket, the best way to experience it is with the Frankfurter schnitzel – accompanied by local apfelwein (cider). Restaurant Klosterhof serves a praiseworthy schnitzel – as does Austrian eatery Salzkammer – but insist on the green sauce.
Weißfrauenstraße 3, 60311 (Klosterhof), Weißadlergasse 15, 60311 (Salzkammer)

22:00 Robert Johnson

Despite it being named after a famed blues musician, the Robert Johnson club is all about techno and electronic music. It’s said that the sound system is the best in Europe, and whether true or not, international and local DJs flock to play this small club in the Offenbach district. Like most German clubs, it has a strict, no-nonsense door policy, but with a main room holding fewer than 100 people, it’s worth the hassle for an intimate musical experience.
Nordring 131, 63067; +49 69 9202 0990

Sheffield: Why It's Time To Reconsider The Steel City

Originally appeared on Esquire UK

Sheffield doesn’t seem to get much national coverage. It’s that city in South Yorkshire, isn’t it? Used to make steel, two decent football teams, pretty hilly. Not much to see here.

For most Sheffielders, that’s fine with them. Sheffield is comfortable being itself, cheerfully under-hyped. From sport - it’s the home of modern football (the original rules were written here in 1858) and hosts snooker’s World Championship - to music (Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and The Human League, anyone?), Sheffield has plenty to brag about, yet gets on with life, letting other local cities vie for the limelight.

It still has parochial elements, but Britain’s biggest village isn’t all greasy chip butties and old men supping a warm ale with their whippets (although we’ll hear nothing against that). The Steel City has another side that it would be remiss not to experience, a creative, independent and dynamic underbelly that locals and privileged outsiders know all about. For a weekend away, Sheffield should be near the top of the list. Just don’t tell too many people.

To stay: Brocco on the Park

This beautiful Edwardian boutique hotel overlooking Endcliffe Park is perfectly placed for wherever your mood takes you. From here it’s a ten minute walk into the city centre (and probably about twenty back, courtesy of one of Sheffield’s hills / that last Old Fashioned you had “for the road”). For a day surrounded by nature, grab one of Brocco’s Big Five super smoothies and head only ten minutes by car into the Peak District. You might think this is an exaggeration, but the city is deeply connected to the countryside, and has the most trees per person in Europe - it’s come some way since its industrial days.

Breakfast: Marmadukes

This independent café in the heart of Sheffield has been serving a greedy city from three floors of an old Georgian townhouse since 2012, its eccentric, winding layout lending it a conspiratorial atmosphere. Almost everything is made in-house each morning, the artisan bread coming from nearby Worksop and the milk from Our Cow Molly, only three miles away. If you’re feeling ambitious, go for the gut-busting Duke’s Breakfast. If this is too much for your morning sensitivities, don’t worry - their avocado toast is just as good.

Coffee: Take your pick

The people of Sheffield love coffee. Maybe it’s all the walking everyone seems to do, or maybe the nightlife is too tempting, but a morning pick-me-up is vital to the vast majority. Luckily, the city has its fair share of quality coffeehouses, especially around busy West Street.

Tamper Coffee is run by Kiwis and brings the best of New Zealand coffee culture to the city, while Steam Yard is in a great little courtyard that feels miles away from the centre. A few minutes down the road is Sheffield’s most design-led coffeeshop - Ink & Water serves premium coffee and local treats, but is also a graphic design and animation studio, with a real Bauhaus vibe throughout.

Dinner: Jöro

Shipping container restaurants are definitely a thing, at least at Krynkl, a collection of containers housing start-ups, a rooftop bar and Jöro, a restaurant offering “a meal built of many small plates”. It was awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide 2019, and head chef Luke French cooks his “New Nordic” dishes with hyper-seasonal and sustainable ingredients. The barbecued Moss Valley pork belly with Hoisin is a highlight. As are the other seven dishes you’ll invariably have.

Cocktails: Public

Public was recently awarded the best place to drink in the country by Observer Food Monthly, which is a far cry from the underground building’s original use as a public toilet. Underneath the Town Hall, the owners weren’t even allowed to install card machines at first due to the building’s protected status. Somehow they’ve sweet-talked the council, so no need to walk across the road to the cash machines.

The brass-and-leather-soaked bar serves cocktails from a menu split into four sections: Public Awareness (sustainable), Public Footpath (locally sourced), Public Liability (extra strength), and Public Health (alcohol free). Many focus on sustainability and locality, with regular forage sessions in the nearby Peak District and agreements with coffeeshops to take in their used grounds. Public also collaborates with other local businesses, such as vinyl store Bear Street Records and potter Grey Suit Clay. It’s small, it’s cool and it serves (probably) the best hedgerow negroni in the world.

Pub: Kelham Island Quarter

If you like beer, you might never leave. Sheffield has a huge range of pubs, but nowhere is the ale-to-person ratio more skewed to the amber liquid than Kelham Island. Formerly the industrial heartland of the city, the Quarter is regularly voted one of the coolest areas to live in the UK, and with good reason: plenty of start-ups have moved into the attractive Edwardian-era buildings, thirsty for emerging business and a good pint. There’s also the monthly Peddler Night Market, an open-plan food truck paradise with live music and a pop-up gin bar.

Art: Millennium Gallery

A visit to the central gallery offers an intriguing insight into Sheffield’s industrial and artistic pasts, and art, craft and design installations share the modernist space with permanent exhibitions detailing the city’s past - and current - expertise in steel. The gallery shares a wall with the Winter Garden, a huge temperate glasshouse and botanical garden open to the public that also serves as the BBC studio during the snooker World Championship.

Theatre: The Crucible

The Crucible is much more than the home of snooker, putting on world class theatre, music and ballet year-round. Sir Ian McKellen has regularly performed there through the years, and recently said “I shall always be proud that, with Edward Petherbridge, I was in the first play ever at the Crucible in 1971. Chekov’s Swansong was part of the concert which opened the now iconic open stage.” He’s back this year with a solo show. If it’s good enough for Gandalf, it’s good enough for you.



Hockney - Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature

Originally on Living it

Art is a risky business at the best of times; curating an exhibition of a living artist can be difficult, making sure both the artist and the public are happy with the finished show. Imagine adding to the mix one of history’s most popular painters and linking the two through a common theme in their works. That’s exactly what Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum has done in its latest exhibition, Hockney — Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature. The ‘Dave and Vince Show’, as Hockney has been calling it the past few months, unites two artistic superstars through their common love of the natural world.

It’s obvious that Hockney has been deeply inspired by Van Gogh, taking the Dutch master’s swirling canvasses and adding ethereal colour to the natural setting. The exhibition focuses on a series of Van Gogh’s paintings from 1887-89, a productive time during which he travelled Provence, painting the countryside while struggling with his health. While Van Gogh’s paintings of nature could be seen as an escape from himself, Hockney’s are a reclaiming of a past self, a nostalgia for a homeland, once thought disappeared but remaining.

A carefully-selected collection of Hockney’s paintings from 1997 - when he first began returning to Yorkshire to paint - to the present day, adorns a huge expanse of the Van Gogh Museum, covering two floors and multiple rooms. For Hockney, it’s a return to simpler themes. His landscape paintings - in particular the magnificent The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - show a clear link to many of Van Gogh’s landscapes, such as Field with Irises near Arles (1888) and The Garden of Saint Paul’s Hospital (‘Leaf-Fall’) (1889).

One major difference is Hockney’s use of colour. Van Gogh’s paintings are full of movement and vibrancy, but it’s Hockney’s combining of unexpected colours that transport us to the East Yorkshire countryside. Many of Hockney’s more recent works have centred around Woldgate, a Roman road on the way to the town of Bridlington. “I asked somebody once, ‘what colour is the road?’” says Hockney. “He looked for a moment and said ‘it’s not just grey, is it?’ I said, ‘no it’s not, if you really look.’ But you have to really look.

“With photography you’re not really looking, but when you’re drawing one blade of grass, you’re looking and then you see the other blades of grass, and you’re always seeing more. Well, that’s exciting to me, and it was exciting to Van Gogh. He saw very, very clearly.

“He was kind of a miserable man in a way, but when he was painting, he wasn’t.”

The similarities and contrasts are uncovered with intelligent placement of the artists’ works: a wall of Hockney here, a single Van Gogh on an adjacent pillar there, the lighting casting different perspectives as you move around the room, pillars blocking and revealing works simultaneously.

Interestingly, despite Hockney’s comments on photography, a highlight of the exhibition is his moving image piece The Four Seasons: Woldgate Woods. Shot over - you’ve guessed it - four seasons in his favourite spot, the collection of film is overlaid, spliced, and shot from almost imperceptibly different angles, so that the eye never rests. After all, when was the last time you looked straight ahead while walking in the countryside? Like with Van Gogh, movement is key.

As Van Gogh moved art from the 19th to 20th Century, so Hockney contributes to the evolution of art from 20th to 21st. Both artists escaped home for sunnier climes (Hockney still spends much of his time in California); both painted nature as they saw it. Whereas Van Gogh used nature as a cleansing sanctuary from himself and those around him, Hockney uses the gentle fields and woods of his native land as a reconnect to both the land and its people.

In Hockney’s own words: “The world is colourful. It is beautiful, I think. Nature is great. Van Gogh worshipped nature… He might have been miserable, but that doesn’t show in his work. There are always things that will try to pull you down. But we should be joyful in looking at the world”.

Hockney — Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature runs until May 26, vangoghmuseum.nl

Survive in style: luxury Doomsday shelters

Originally in issue 50 of Oracle time at online

Ben Rickert, in Adam McKay’s 2015 financial semi-biopic The Big Short, is a bit of an unorthodox character. He’s based on real-life banker Ben Hockett, who teamed up with his neighbours to bet against the American housing market and was rewarded handsomely.

Played by Brad Pitt, we meet Rickert mid-film and are greeted with his first claim about the future: “seeds will be the new currency”. Rickert is a survivalist, a man who believes modern society will collapse, leaving us to feed and protect ourselves against the elements – and each other.

The Big Short is based on a book of the same name, covering the build-up and climax of the housing crisis and financial crash of 2008. Nobody seemed to learn from that blip/catastrophe, and some believe it’s only a matter of time before something similar happens again. To that end, there’s a select group of individuals that have taken it upon themselves to prepare for the worst, be it a financial crash, a nuclear holocaust, or Piers Morgan being given more of a platform.

According to Brad Pitt, Hockert lives in a Californian home inaccessible by car, far from human settlement. In the film, he has multiple phone lines, and grows his own vegetables. This is 101 prepping for most enthusiasts, who number more than you’d think. For luxury survivalists, however, this is small-fry. Welcome to the big leagues.

New Zealand has been of particular interest to the super-rich looking to escape armageddon, with its isolation, lack of population and lush farming the perfect mix for a survivalist wanting the good life. A group of Silicon Valley executives have recently buried bunkers in the country, only to be found by GPS. The Investor Plus Visa also allows the rich to effectively buy property – and nationality – by investing a minimum of $10 million (approximately £5.2 million) within three years.

Rising S Company

The bunkers have been built and installed by American company Rising S Co, whose business motto is: “We don’t sell fear. We sell preparedness.” You too can get your own slice of preparedness from the reasonable price of £30,000, “specifically designed for the blue collar American family.” If you’re thinking there’s a touch of Fallout about it all, you’re not far off.

Included in the starter package bunker (8×12 sq.ft) is a range of mod-cons, such as a basic air filtration system, water pressure pump and 12 volt TV/DVD combination machine. The bunker prices steadily rise, but for those wanting something extra special to hole up in during hell on Earth, the company offer a £6.5 million luxury bomb shelter called The Aristocrat. The Aristocrat holds court over a bunker complex big enough for 50 people to sleep comfortably, with a full kitchen, sauna, swimming pool, bowling alley and a greenhouse with LED grow lights, among other perks that make you almost wish for a viral pandemic to occur.

Oppidum Bunker in Czech Republic

Survivalists have been just as busy in Europe, with companies making big money from the end of the world. The friendly-sounding mega-structure, The Oppidum, is in the Czech Republic and was conceived in 1984 at the height of the Cold War. Because powerful thumbs across the world were poised over various red buttons, the governments of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union pumped money into a huge apocalypse-proof complex capable of sustaining a community for 10 years. The Oppidum is the result, and they don’t make ’em like they used to.

Along with the staggering above-ground 30,000 sq.m (323,000 sq.ft) plot, the below-ground, super-safe section has a total space of 7,200 sq.m (77,500 sq.ft), with ceiling heights of four metres. This is split up in to one 630 sq.m and six 160 sq.m apartments, an underground garden with simulated natural light, a swimming pool, library, cinema and spa; offices and a conference room (for all those meetings you’ll have after the breakdown of modern civilisation); and medical and surgical facilities. There’s also a wine cellar, which was probably the first room installed.

The Vivos Group

The Vivos Group has already sold out an 80-man Cold War shelter in Indiana, USA, and is in the process of reworking a Soviet base bore into a 400ft mountain near Rothenstein, Germany. The Soviets knew how to build big bunkers: the complex is 2,300 sq.m (250,000 sq.ft), and will apparently house up to 1,000 people, with over three miles of tunnel chambers, bespoke living quarters, a zoo, space for culturally significant items and a gene bank to protect the existence of plant and animal life. Vivos Group have thought of everything; hot water, exercise equipment and even kennels are installed and ready to go.

The price? A semi-private suite costs around £31,000. An apartment – £1.8 million. Compared to central London, that’s not bad at all – and peace of mind is priceless, right? I’ll start stocking up on seeds.

Madeira: the Old World charms of a New World destination

Originally appeared on Living It

When I took on a brief to cover Madeira and its wine festival, I wasn’t expecting to be standing up in the back of an open-top jeep plucking passionfruit flowers off their stalks to drink the nectar inside. Nor was I expecting to still be standing in the back of said jeep while we weaved our way through mountains, villages and plantations, either like some sort of militia or the Man from Del Monte.

We were being driven across the island by the hospitable and mischievous Vald (short for Valdemar, he insisted we shorten his name “as every English person starts calling me Voldemort”). Vald is a Madeiran, and driver for Green Devil Safari, a fleet of 4x4 vehicles perfectly tuned to traverse whatever the steep, exotic mountains of the island have to throw at them. Potholes as deep as a bath, fern leaves larger than a car boot, turns in the road sharper than a u-bend? No problem for Vald and the group of whooping tourists under his care.

While it’s not quite The Lost World, Madeira arguably was, until 1418, an undiscovered one. The earliest potential mention of the Madeiran archipelago is by Greek-Roman biographer Plutarch in AD75, who recounts conversations with Atlantic sailors about the legendary ‘Isles of the Blest’. There’s also archaeological evidence that the Vikings stopped on the islands sometime between 900 and 1030, undoubtedly taking a quick break from exploration and pillaging.

The final claim for discovery of the islands comes from a semi-historical English source (as per usual). As the story goes, in 1346, trader Robert Machim fell in love with Anne d’Arfet, a woman of higher social standing than poor Robert. They eloped, and fled England for France. This went drastically wrong, as their ship was driven away from the coast of France, and 13 days later, arrived on the coast of Madeira. Having escaped England, and found a place to spend their lives together, the star-crossed lovers promptly died of exhaustion. The story has been forever commemorated by the inhabitants of Madeira, who actually named the island’s third biggest settlement, Machico, after the romantic pair.

While it’s certain that the islands had at least been noted before the Portuguese arrived, there’s no indigenous population on the archipelago, a pretty small batch of rocks more than 1,000 kilometres from Portugal, and on a latitude with Casablanca. There wasn’t a huge amount of life generally until the 15th Century reign of Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator. Two captains under his command, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, were driven off their usual course, and miraculously stumbled upon Porto Santo (Holy Harbour, named in gratitude to the divine intervention needed to save them from shipwreck). After catching their breath, they realised they were on to a winner, and brought an official expedition in 1419 to settle on Porto Santo and the larger island they had found: this would eventually become Madeira.

Madeira’s volcanic base has created fertile ground for plant life, and the island’s 24 (or 20, or 7, depending on who I asked) microclimates cater for what seems to be any nation’s landscape. In the space of four hours, our jeep had topographically travelled across most of the world; one particularly odd moment was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it transition from the fresh, pine-filled air and landscape of the Scottish Highlands to the hot, yellowed plains of the Sierra Nevada. Pack a wardrobe, if you can.

For a more manicured look at Madeira, a stay at Quinta Jardins do Lago is a fascinating look at how locals have tamed the wild side of their home. Describing itself as a botanical garden hotel, the grounds of this 18th Century Quinta, or villa, overlook Madeira’s capital, Funchal, and pack in as many aspects of the island’s natural abundance as possible. Capability Brown would be in awe.

The quinta was also the home of Britain’s General Beresford during the Napoleonic wars, and the era’s architecture has been retained, giving the hotel an air of plantation opulence seen here and there across the island. The absolute star of the show, however, is Colombo the giant tortoise, who has just celebrated his 60th birthday. Named after Christopher Columbus, who visited Madeira during his time as a sugar trader, wily old Colombo is given free rein of the grounds, but understandably chooses to stay within relative proximity to his plush home in the centre of the hotel’s gardens.

Alongside the verdant landscapes, Madeira has produced a few famous faces. Vasco da Gama was possibly the most famous, until Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kicks and over-enthusiastic celebrations meant he muscled his way to the top. Thinking it was perhaps a misspent youth treading grapes for the local vineyards that made his feet so supple, I decided to become acquainted more intimately with the Vedelho grape by jumping into a massive vat of the stuff and squelching to my heart’s content. Luckily, this wasn’t frowned upon, as treading the grapes is part of the island’s annual wine festival. An excitable group of young journalists, Madeirans dressed in traditional clothing, and septuagenarian cruise-goers all got stuck in, my shorts were ruined, and I was delighted. I even tried a shot of the resulting juice, and it didn’t taste like feet, which was much more than could’ve been hoped.

Madeira is, of course, renowned for Madeira wine. The yearly wine festival takes place in September, centred on Funchal’s main thoroughfare, with stalls showcasing the very best wine and food pairings available. Blandy’s, an established Madeira wine producer since 1811, invites guests into its wine lodge to sample its wares, and organises wine pressings, tastings and parties to celebrate the island’s most famous produce. The lodge is open year-round for visitors to get a more detailed look at Madeira wine’s production process - and have an excuse for a midday tipple.

Even without the energy of the wine festival, Funchal is a charming and vibrant capital city, feeling much bigger than its 112,000 population would suggest. Its small, winding streets, still cobbled, are easy to escape into - and even easier to become lost in. The most beautiful of these alleys is Rua de Santa Maria, lined with inviting restaurants and benefitting from the sea breeze. This is the old town, so it’s already charming enough, but Santa Maria’s main attraction is the multitude of decorated, coloured doors each side of the street. Around 200 doors were ‘given’ to artists to reinvigorate, and the doors vary between traditional depictions of Madeiran life, to political statements, to Impressionistic homages.

While wandering the streets of Funchal, it would have been remiss of me not to make the two kilometre trip to Reid’s Palace, Madeira’s answer to Europe’s fin de siècle magnificence. Teetering on a rocky outcrop over the crashing Atlantic, Reid’s Palace was built by Scotsman William Reid in 1891, a few years after he arrived on the island as a sick 14 year old boy without a penny to his name. It immediately attracted the European set, brought to the hotel by its lavish interiors, dramatic views and impeccable, confident service. Generations of the great and the good have stepped foot under the Murano chandeliers of Reid’s, with Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw becoming such loyal guests that there are suites named after both. I was given a tour of Churchill’s suite, a bright, airy complex with a blue-tiled bathroom and expansive verandah overlooking the sea. It was classic British design with a Madeiran influence. I took a mint.

Before Belmond took over in 1996 and revitalised the hotel, Reid’s had garnered a reputation as being for ‘the newly wed and the nearly dead’, a moniker unfairly given sometimes to the island as a whole. Madeira has had a bit of an image problem - simply put, it’s been a victim of its own success. The agreeable year-round weather, staggering scenery and location of the islands has made it a hotspot for cruise liners, bringing with them more than a fair share of ‘grey tourism’. However, times are changing, with an upturn in younger generations discovering the old-world charms of a new-world destination. It might’ve been the wine talking, but I promised at least a dozen locals that I’d be back within the year. It’s hard to stay away.

The Millionaire Flatshare: The Hideaways Club

Originally on Living It

It's a common predicament: what is a high net worth individual to do if they want a second home abroad, but don’t feel like they can commit to one place?

Until 2007, the poor souls would have had to bravely put up with their one villa in the Maldives. However, help is at hand, courtesy of The Hideaways Club. The Club is an international investment fund of shared ownership properties, through which members can jet off to myriad destinations across the world and enjoy a second home/flat/chalet/villa/castle without the onerous tasks usually associated with it, such as maintenance and energy costs. To sweeten the deal, there’s a 24/7 concierge at your beck on call, and the properties are smack bang in the middle of each destination. Suffice to say, members are usually happy with what they get.

One such member is Wimbledon stalwart and former British number one tennis player, Tim Henman. When his playing career came to a close, there was a decision to make: “When I stopped competing, my wife and I thought about buying a place overseas. I was never allowed to ski when I was playing tennis, because of the injury risk, so we thought about buying a chalet, but then we like France and Italy for the hot weather.

“Then we came across The Hideaways Club. It’s very much a lifestyle choice and you can have a second home for every season of the year. Having travelled so much of my life and had just one or two weeks of holiday a year, suddenly I wanted to take advantage of my extra free time. I’d much rather spend my time in a villa than a hotel - I spent most of my career living in hotels - and we love to get away from it all during our holidays, so it’s very much about the space and privacy.

“Most of the villas sleep around 10-12 people so it’s great too for inviting friends and family along.”

To say Mr Henman is an enthusiast would be an understatement, with the sportsman recently becoming an official ambassador for the Club. He’s certainly used the service to its full extent, visiting 15 of the Club’s properties in places as varied as France, Italy, Sri Lanka, Spain, Switzerland, and Ko Samui in Thailand.

“One we really enjoyed was Ko Samui for New Year’s a few years ago,” said Henman. “It’s an amazing beachfront villa and we had incredible staff looking after us. There were 10 of us, we went with another family who are great friends of ours. I lived in hotels from the ages of 16 to 33 for probably 35 weeks a year, so I enjoy the space and the privacy that goes with the Club.”

For reasons still unknown to myself, I was invited to stay at the Club’s Paris property, an apartment just off the Champs Élysées. The apartment is part of the City Collection, a newer range of properties in cities such as Berlin, London and New York.

As promised, my local concierge was waiting for me, a jovially acerbic American man who’d lived in Paris for more than twenty years. A quick tour around the apartment - a chic two-bedroom with open-plan living and dining areas set in a perfectly-Parisian townhouse complex - and some tips for the best places to eat in the area, and I was left to my own devices.

This included accidentally pulling down a curtain rail in the master bedroom, but one phone call with my American fairy godfather and the problem was sorted while I was out at one of his recommended bistros catching up with an old friend and becoming acquainted with a bottle of red wine. I’d say I tore the curtain down deliberately, as some kind of journalistic test, but nobody would believe me.

This service is also vital for Henman: “The first-class Concierge team takes care of everything, from restaurant bookings, airport transfers, arranging curated tours, babysitting, and more. You’ll be very hard-pressed to find a team who knows more about our destinations.

“When our children were small the Concierge would organise things like cots, car seats and they even stocked our fridge with our favourite foods. You can be pretty demanding!”

Luckily, I had no children with me to add to the destruction, especially when taking the record-breakingly small French lift up to the apartment after one too many absinthes. However, this is all part of the experience.

“It’s all about the lifestyle,” says Henman, “and enjoying our second homes without the usual hassles of owning property from afar, leaving us to enjoy every minute of our holiday time with friends and family wherever we go.

“I’d love to go South Africa next for some winter sun. There’s virtually no time difference with the UK which is a bonus and there’s lots to see and do, with some excellent wines to try too.”

See you there, Tim.

Restaurant review: Temper City, London

Originally appeared in The City Magazine

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Neil Rankin knows his meat. Starting out in fine dining under chefs such as two-michelin-starred Michael Wignall and executive chef at Chiltern Firehouse, Nuno Mendes, Rankin moved to work at Barbecoa with Jamie Oliver, where his charcoal-cooking passion began. Fast-forward through a stint as head chef at Pitt Cue, and founding Smokehouse restaurants, and the carnivorous cook launched the lauded Temper Soho, and now, Temper City.

Whereas the original Soho branch focuses on South American BBQ ingredients and flavours - think gauchos, tacos and mezcal - its younger brother in Angel Court turns east for its influences. Tandoor roast meats and homemade roti are the specialities in the sleek interiors of Temper City. Try to bag a seat at the kitchen counter: the signature Temper open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant means that flames lick away in full view of diners.  

If you’re ready for a feast, go for one of the thali, a round platter full to the rafters with spiced fried potatoes, a heady ‘temper mix’ of nuts, crackers and other treats, paratha (flatbread), turmeric pickles, peshwari dust and fresh herbs. All this, however, is merely a sideshow for the main event. Choose from a list of seven curries, including crispy egg with katsu, tomato and charred aubergine, or spiced pork belly. I was recommended the dash chip shop chicken, a curry of smoked chicken and dashi sauce, a Japanese fish stock. Rich and fragrant, it was certainly a divergence from my usual chippy choice, but one I would gladly see on the blackboard of my local.

If you feel yourself filling up, do yourself a favour and save space for dessert. The very helpful (and beautifully-named) restaurant manager David Taylor suggested the chocolate and turmeric torte with pistachio ice cream. I’m not a follower of the pistachio ice cream cult, but it worked like a treat alongside the warm, dense cake and aromatic influence of the turmeric. 

The menu is ambitious, and sometimes wavers on its identity: are we in a smoky, fiery, charcoal restaurant? Is it a curry house? No matter. It’s no big deal when the flavours, atmosphere and portions are this big. 

Hotel Review: Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona

Originally appeared in The City Magazine

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Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona

A jewel in the crown of the Passeig de Gràcia

Passeig de Gràcia is Barcelona’s most luxury-laden boulevard. Brioni sits near Swarovski; Chanel vies for your attention with next-door Dior; the street, less than a mile long, is bookended by Emporio Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna. It also boasts some of the city’s most architecturally important buildings by, among others, Barcelona’s favourite son, Antoni Gaudí. As one of the most exclusive streets in Barcelona – and Spain in general – it’s no surprise that the Mandarin Oriental sits at its centre.

The MO Barcelona faces Casa Batlló, one Gaudí’s most revered buildings, and is itself an architectural beauty. On walking up the expansive, floating ramp to reception, however, the design changes. It becomes a more modern, brighter hotel, with walls reaching up to a glass ceiling seven floors above.

You’re provided with a concierge, whose personal mission is to make your stay as comfortable and easy as possible, and is available at any time for any whim. The rooms reflect the contemporary image of the rest of the hotel, with free-standing baths, monsoon showers, and minimalist, comfortable balconies overlooking a discreet courtyard. The courtyard is actually comprised of the back of a number of buildings, and the calm of a sleepy Barcelona adds a surprising degree of normality and quiet to one of the city’s busiest areas.

The roof terrace offers an almost unrivalled view of the Eixample district and beyond, with vantage shots of many major Modernista (Catalan modernist) constructions, including Casa Milà, Casa Amatller, and the aforementioned Casa Batlló. A look to the left shows the Gothic Quarter, and further on to sea, while turning round shows you Sagrada Família.

Taking the lift all the way down to the base of the hotel lands you in the spa. As is expected, the complex is a sea of calm, with eight treatment rooms including two couples’ suites, a 12-metre
lap pool, oriental steam room and a Pedi:Mani:Cure studio by podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez.

Both restaurants in the hotel are headed up by superstar chef Carme Ruscalleda, who comes with seven Michelin stars to her name. The food on offer at Moments and Blanc reflects Catalonia’s food history, and the staff continue the hotel’s approach of calm and care, with thoughtful suggestions and unobtrusive service. Head to the Banker’s Bar for a good time after dinner, the bar hinting to the building’s former use as a bank. Opt for the Banker’s Martini while looking at a ceiling fashioned from original security boxes for a good end to the night – or, if embracing the Spanish way of life, the start.

mandarinoriental.com/barcelona

Restaurant review: Fenchurch Restaurant, London

Appeared in The City Magazine

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‘Dinner with a view’ doesn’t do this restaurant in the sky justice

There aren’t many restaurants where you’re scanned for dangerous materials at the door. Then again, there aren’t many on the 37th floor of one of London’s tallest skyscrapers. Sitting atop 20 Fenchurch – or the Walkie Talkie, to most people – and above the building’s ‘Sky Garden’ panoramic bar-cum-viewing platform, Fenchurch Restaurant would have almost unparalleled views of the City were it not for the girders and palm trees blocking the way for half of the venue. Luckily, my guest and I landed a great vantage point (when booking, ask for a view of St Paul’s).

In comparison to other sky- high restaurants, Fenchurch is a smaller affair, which actually serves to enhance the personal experience. While it would be easy to rest on your lofty laurels and provide service as an afterthought, here the staff are eager to connect with diners, asking them about their favourite meals and then making suggestions. I started with scallops and orange chutney; my guest had the smoked eel.

While the scallops themselves were delicious, the orange chutney was a little on the strange side. The eel was an unexpected hit, setting up the mains nicely.

We went meaty for our next course, with veal and beef shin respectively. Both were masterfully prepared, and cooked exactly to order – although I could have done with a little more of the veal.

The dessert was the highlight of the evening. I chose the bahibé 45 per cent milk chocolate bar with salted popcorn ice cream. No worries about portion size here: chocolate mousse atop a chocolate sponge atop a crumbling chocolate biscuit base, all smothered in – you guessed it – chocolate, was almost too much even for my typically Scottish sweet tooth. I also, somewhat indulgently, went for the recommended dessert wine, a 2014 Bertani Recioto della Valpolicella, an Italian wine where the grapes are dried for 150 days on traditional cane mats before fermentation. It was worth the wait: the cherry-chocolate wine paired beautifully with the cocoa behemoth I’d ordered.

As many wallets will attest, it’s a pretty expensive night spent at the top of the Walkie Talkie.
Of course, you’re paying for the experience as much as anything else, and the atmosphere and quality of cooking are high-end. I’d make a joke about being on cloud nine after the meal, but that would be overdoing it, right?