Get the low-down from the original style-seekers' latest good-time hunting expeditions, find destination inspiration and insider tips from around the world. Welcome to the official Smith blog: we hope you enjoy your stay
Last week, to much long-time-coming fanfare, the capital’s ultimate retail behemoth opened its doors and invited shopaholics to prise open their hearts (and wallets) for the all-singing (Leona Lewis) all-dancing (Sugababes) opening of Westfield. Europe’s largest shopping centre comprises a 43-acre patch of West London north of Shepherd’s Bush, in White City and has all [...]
Alain Ducasse - a longtime leading light on the culinary scene – hardly needs an introduction. Here, we talk to the mighty Michelin-starred chef behind projects as varied as Le Louis XV in Monaco and, recently, a quartet of French country inns, including Smith stays Domaine des Andéols in Provence and L’Andana in Tuscany. Alain [...]
Paradise by way of Kensal Green: it’s hard to resist the temptation to say that this pub and restaurant truly is a pocket of paradise via W10 – so now that’s out of the way, let’s talk game. Just wait until you sample the meat and fowl concoctions they’ve cunningly matched with inspired reds to [...]
After Anthony’s post (Best steak in London?) about the so-good-we-drooled T-bones Team Smith had at the Hawksmoor steakhouse, we thought you might like to meet Will Beckett, the well-travelled man behind the meat, as it were. [Thinking to self: goodness, must rein in those cheesy puns.] A kindred soul of Smith’s, he’s not averse to [...]
Game season is now officially here, so we’ve managed to persuade someone considerably better at cooking than us – chef Michael Caines – to devise a seasonal recipe for you: Roast Partridge with braised chicory, quince puree, toasted walnuts, wild mushrooms and a Gewürztraminer wine sauce. Ok, so it’s a bit involved, but trust us, [...]
As we’ve learned from the eating and drinking articles we’ve posted on this blog, everyone has an opinion when it comes to gastronomy. Now it’s time to get yours across – nominations have opened for the Observer Food Monthly Awards, the annual distribution of laurels to all the greats of the gastro world. Categories include [...]
Though stylish places to stay are our forté, we at Mr & Mrs Smith like to think we know a little bit about food, too. The destination guides that accompany all of the hotels on our website always include tips on where to head for great meals, and all of us at Smith HQ are [...]
Chef Michael Caines – not to be confused with the chirpy, one-dimensional cockney actor – has long been a Mr & Mrs Smith favourite. After learning his trade in the kitchens of such greats as Raymond Blanc, Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon, Michael became head chef at Gidleigh Park in Devon, where he garnered two [...]
There can be few things more irksome than being left out while an entire roomful of smug people simultaneously rave about something you’ve never tried (like a super-exclusive wine) or somewhere you’ve never been (like a favourite hotel) - and believe me, at Mr & Mrs Smith, it’s a regular occurrence. It’s like being back [...]
Five or so years ago, cider drinkers were generally treated with the kind of uneasy suspicion normally afforded to plague carriers, teenage hoodies and over-friendly cousins. Thanks to the marketing efforts of Magners, Bulmers and their ilk, however, cider is acceptable again, even bordering on a discerning option for bar-hopping urbanites. Strongbow on tap? Sooo [...]
