The Silver Lining Blog

Review of Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal, Mosconi Restaurant

GB — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:43:48 +0100

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 ...

Review of The Capital, Knightsbridge, London

GB — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:58:49 +0100

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 ...

Review of Savoy restaurant, Prince Street, New York

GB — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:46:35 +0100

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 ...

Review of La Reserve, Lake Geneva

GB — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:17:29 +0100

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.

Review of Balconies Restaurant (Searcys), Royal Opera House, London

GB — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:46:22 +0000

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.

Sunset at the Miraflores Park Hotel, Lima

GB — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:09:35 +0000

Miraflores is one of the wealthiest parts of Lima, and home to most of its best hotels. It sits on the cliffs high above the coast, and has very pretty gardens which run along the front.

Review of Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu

GB — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:43:00 +0000

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?

Review of La Tremoille & Le Pre Catelan, Paris

GB — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:55:49 +0000

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.

Review of Sumahan on the Water, Istanbul

GB — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:59:48 +0000

Sumahan was created from the shell of a 19th century Ottoman distillery. It has been renovated with a great deal of care, and sits in perfect harmony with the quiet little village next door.

Review of Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten and Tantris restaurant, Munich

GB — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:28:03 +0000

With its bulbous yellow lamps and multi-coloured pillars, Tantris is more like a Tate Modern installation than a restaurant.

Restaurant Review : Zuma

GB — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:34:03 +0100

I have a strange addiction to Japanese restaurants. It's strange, because I have a severe allergy to most fish and seafood. Therefore, seventy or eight per cent of the menu is off limits to me. However, I persist for two reasons: KB is with me and he loves sushi; and I can content myself with a superb bottle of Sake and a real treat: Wagyu beef.

Where better to sample these delights than Zuma? Tucked away in a Knightsbridge side street across the road from Harrods and Harvey Nichols, this place is one of the best Asian restaurants in London, ...

Restaurant Review : Smiths of Smithfield, Top Floor

GB — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:33:10 +0100

It's been a tough week, and I'm feeling as old as Sir Menzies Campbell. The embattled, geriatric Liberal leader looks like he needs cheering up, and so do I. We head for Smiths of Smithfield, very much a local for KB as he lives round the corner, and one of our old favourites. This is about familiarity and comfort food.

Restaurant Review : The Rivington Grill Shoreditch, London

KB — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:08:01 +0100

Returned to the Rivington with a friend for Sunday lunch today. The Rivington had been an old favourite for Sunday lunch in Shoreditch until it became annoyingly busy. The good news is that the Roast Goosnargh Chicken for two is back!

Restaurant Review : Le Gavroche London

KB — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 10:27:21 +0100

This two-Michelin star restaurant is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and remains as good as ever.