Lovers of Chinese-Malaysian food have had few places to satisfy their desires in London. For a while, I developed the expensive habit of buying my beef rendang and totally delicious Malaysian chicken curry from the food counter at Selfridges. As good as it tasted, I'd end up paying more there than in a half-decent restaurant. So I can't quite believe my luck that probably the best Chinese-Malaysian restaurants has now opened about en minutes' walk from my front door: Sedap.
I passed by Sedap on Old Street a few times before thinking it was worth a visit. It doesn't ... more »
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Sunday, August 8
Tuesday, August 3
View from Le Gray over Beirut
by
GB
on Tue 03 Aug 2010 21:51 BST
 This is the view from the poolside at the fabulous Le Gray Hotel in fabulous Beirut. We spent the Easter holidays there, one of my best-ever weekend breaks. I have just posted a full report on my travel site, here.
Viajante
by
GB
on Tue 03 Aug 2010 21:41 BST
I have something really special to share with the world. Last Sunday, four of us went to dine at Viajante, the new-ish restaurant at the 'Town Hall Hotel' in Bethnal Green. Londoners will know that this part of the East End is rapidly becoming cutting-edge trendy, especially the bit which stretches from Shoreditch House along to Bethnal Green Road.
The Town Hall Hotel is a bit further along than that, and is a truly fantastic redevelopment of the old civic centre in Bethnal Green. They have done a much better job than Shoreditch Town Hall, which consists of a ... more » Monday, July 12
German Icon
by
GB
on Mon 12 Jul 2010 23:03 BST
 We had a marvellous trip to Seoul at the start of the year on Lufthansa. I have just posted a full report and pics on my travel site. Hope you enjoy it. more » Sunday, July 11
Tuesday, February 9
Roka
by
GB
on Tue 09 Feb 2010 22:30 GMT
I'm in danger of becoming an election bore. With less than three months to go before Great Britain and Northern Ireland go to the polls, I am completely absorbed in what is the first real contest since 1992.
At the end of last year, it looked to be all over bar the proverbial shouting. After a few drinks at a Christmas Party, I quizzed a refugee from Tory HQ about the mood at party headquarters. He said they expected a pretty decisive victory - and who could blame them as every poll showed an increasing lead against a Prime Minister ... more »
Budapest Street Art
by
GB
on Tue 09 Feb 2010 22:26 GMT
 From our recent Christmas trip. A full account coming soon. Monday, February 8
Sunday, February 7
Monday, November 16
Possibly the most beautiful hotel in the world...
by
GB
on Mon 16 Nov 2009 23:39 GMT
 Midnight at the Huka Lodge in New Zealand. We stayed here in April and will be posting a full report later this week. More amazing pictures to follow!
Night falls over Bora Bora
by
GB
on Mon 16 Nov 2009 23:34 GMT
 The sun disappears as storm clouds gather over the Intercontinental Resort and Thalasso Spa in Bora Bora. I've posted a full report with lots more pictures here on the Silver Lining Travelogue. more » Saturday, September 19
African Journeys
by
GB
on Sat 19 Sep 2009 22:40 BST
I mentioned in another post that the ATR is one of my least favourite small planes: too small to offer any kind of high quality flying experience, but too big to provide the same kind of fun you have have in a tiny Otter, for example. Imagine my delight, therefore, to discover that Air Botswana was running these French twin tubs to Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. This was a journey of TWO HOURS. more »
Sunday, July 26
Saturday, May 2
Queenstown, New Zealand
by
GB
on Sat 02 May 2009 22:41 BST
 A view from the terrace of our room at the Azur Lodge on the edge of Queenstown. I'll be posting a full report on this incredible location in the next few days. Wednesday, April 29
Tuesday, April 28
Sunday, April 26
Palmyra, Syria
by
GB
on Sun 26 Apr 2009 18:05 BST
 The ruins of the Temple of Bel, the pagan god of the ancient city of Palmrya, Syria. This is one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, and new discoveries are being made all the time. Of particular note is the work being done on excavating the elaborate tombs of the wealthy citizens of Palmyra. Our guide reckons there will be more unveiled in the next two years. For a full report of our visit to Syria, click here. more »
Tuesday, December 30
Pic of the week - inside the Emirates A380 First Class
by
GB
on Tue 30 Dec 2008 20:04 GMT
 Read here for an account of the fabulous flying experience in the First Class cabin of the Emirates A380.
Review of Emirates A380 First Class, EK001, Dubai – London Heathrow
by
GB
on Tue 30 Dec 2008 19:57 GMT
I know it’s becoming a little bit of a cliché to talk about how quiet the plane is. There is so little ‘roar’ from the engines on take off that you wonder how this giant hulk of an aircraft is going to build up enough speed to get off the ground. Not sure if it was the quietness of the aircraft or the noise reduction headsets, but I was particularly impressed by the sound quality of the ICE entertainment system on this flight. The large TV screens (23 inches?) in the First Suites help too. more »
Saturday, September 27
Review of Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal, Mosconi Restaurant
by
GB
on Sat 27 Sep 2008 22:43 BST
 FOR most Europeans, I would guess, Luxembourg features very little in our thoughts. It sits oddly, permanently in the background of our lives, a minor detail on the map of Europe as we scan for more glamorous locations in Italy, Switzerland or France. For some reason, we had a rising curiosity about the Grand Duchy in 2008, partly inspired by the search for well-regarded Michelin-starred restaurants on the continent. It turned out that Luxembourg was home to Mosconi, a two-star Italian restaurant - the only one with such status outside of Italy itself. So we packed a party of six ... more »
Friday, August 8
Review of Beijing Olympics - Opening Ceremony
by
GB
on Fri 08 Aug 2008 20:20 BST
 THERE are very few occasions when the eyes of the world turn, almost as one, to a single location. That’s what makes attending any Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games one of the world’s great travel experiences. To be there when billions are tuning in to watch; when you are standing in an astonishing new structure that has stretched the limits of architectural and engineering possibilities; when you can look across and see the President of Russia sitting a few feet away from the Presidents of the USA, China, France and almost every world leader you can think of; when ... more »
Thursday, July 10
Review of The Capital, Knightsbridge, London
by
GB
on Thu 10 Jul 2008 23:58 BST
With the economy collapsing all around us, the obvious response is to splash out at one of London's top restaurants. The Capital is tucked away discreetly inside a small hotel just around the corner from Harrods, and has two Michelin stars. I first went there for a birthday dinner two years ago, and have been dying to go back ever since. Recovering from a horrendous overnight flight from JFK, I wasn't in the best of moods when we set off on the Piccadilly Line, but The Capital soon worked its magic and restored my spirits.
The dining hall is very ... more » Tuesday, July 8
Review of Savoy restaurant, Prince Street, New York
by
GB
on Tue 08 Jul 2008 22:46 BST
I always struggle to know where to eat in New York, so it was great to discover the Savoy restaurant, tucked away on a little corner of Prince Street, Soho, this intimate, warm venue is an excellent place for dinner a deux, or with a small group of friends. As it happens, I found myself here on business when it was my birthday, so six colleagues took me out to the Savoy for a slap-up dinner. The downstairs dining room at the Savoy is all honeyed wood and gentle lighting. It is tiny, and I was a little worried they ... more »
Sunday, June 1
Review of Air New Zealand, Business Class, London to Los Angeles
by
GB
on Sun 01 Jun 2008 23:00 BST
How much is a national airline brand tied up with our perceptions of the country it represents? Think Finnair - generous quantities of booze on board, straightforward but efficient service, and the grit and indefatigability to take off and land in conditions which would utterly defeat the big softies at Heathrow. How more Finnish could it be?
In some cases, those airlines help to define what we think about a nation. How much goodwill has Singapore Airlines generated for the city state over the years? A fair amount, I would imagine. more »
Friday, May 30
Review of La Reserve, Lake Geneva
by
GB
on Fri 30 May 2008 11:17 BST
Getting to La Reserve is super easy from London, as long as you use the Swiss service from City Airport to Geneva. Thank Heavens for London City Airport on a Bank Holiday weekend - no Heathrow, no desperate lines at security, no long queue to get on the plane. Once you land and get through passport control (with typical Swiss efficiency), it’s only a ten minute taxi ride before you are pulling into the gates of La Reserve. As you can see from the picture above, the building isn’t going to win any architectural awards, but once you get inside, this is one luxurious resort. more »
Friday, February 22
Review of Balconies Restaurant (Searcys), Royal Opera House, London
by
GB
on Fri 22 Feb 2008 13:46 GMT
There are few experiences finer in this world than spending an evening at London's Royal Opera House. For last month's production of 'Die Zauberflote', we decided to go the whole hog and have dinner at Searcy, the restaurant inside the ROH. more »
Friday, February 15
Tuesday, February 12
Review of Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu
by
GB
on Tue 12 Feb 2008 23:43 GMT
The defining feature of Machu Picchu is mystery. Even though the buildings are bare and decaying, there is still the sense that the place has just been abandoned with great haste. You half-expect to come across a dinner plate with half-eaten Alpaca bones in one of the tiny houses below. But who was here and why did they leave? more »
Saturday, February 9
Review of Monasterio, Cusco and Sol y Luna, Peru
by
GB
on Sat 09 Feb 2008 22:14 GMT
After serving as a monastery for hundreds of years, the palace is now Monasterio, without question the finest hotel in Cusco. And the ‘Best Hotel in South America’, as voted by Conde Naste Traveller in 2007. Monasterio, part of the Orient Express group, is certainly a fine place to stay, in a unique setting. The staff are first class, and there are two excellent restaurants which serve Peruvian cuisine (think Alpaca, think Guinea Pig) with a contemporary twist. more »
Sunday, February 3
Review of Explora en Atacama, Chile
by
GB
on Sun 03 Feb 2008 23:49 GMT
Trekking through the Atacama desert is the closest that I will ever come to being on another world. The resemblance to satellite pictures of the the surface of Mars is not so far-fetched. In 2003, a team of scientists from NASA found ‘Mars-like soils’ in the Atacama. In other words, the samples they analysed produced very similar results to those of NASA’s Viking mission to Mars in the 1970s: no sign of life and virtually undetectable organic material. This strange result gave the researchers hope that life on Mars may be found one day.
more »
Saturday, January 26
Review of La Tremoille & Le Pre Catelan, Paris
by
GB
on Sat 26 Jan 2008 23:55 GMT
There are five of us here for a special occasion - KB’s birthday - and I can’t imagine a better place to stay than Hotel Tremoille. It has been undergoing an extensive renovation itself, 16 months of upgrading which has turned Tremoille into a very fine mid-sized hotel in the heart of Paris’ ‘Golden Triangle’, just a few minutes’ walk from George V Avenue and the Champs-Elysees. more »
Monday, December 10
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