1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 that has been driven just 81 miles and stored in a Knightsbridge garage since new to be auctioned for 1,000% more than a normal example of its age
A Mercedes-Benz with a difference is to be auctioned on its twenty-first birthday on 12th April. The car to be offered is an SL500 that effectively has covered an average of just 3.9 miles per year during its lifetime and it is presented in “virtually new condition”.
Offered by Coys of Kensington, the Imperial Red with Mushroom leather two-seat roadster was bought from Normand of Mayfair and was only recently recommissioned after spending the vast majority of its life locked in a Knightsbridge garage.
Of the time warp car, Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys of Kensington, remarked:
“This is a car with a fantastic story. Purchased as a birthday present and driven only 81 miles before the [female] owner lost the keys and never drove it again. It even comes with a letter written by the owner’s butler verifying its mileage and its provenance”.
“Had she not lost the keys and used it regularly, we estimate it would now be worth between £5,000 to £7,000 ($6,200 to $8,700, €5,900 to €8,200 or درهم22,800 to درهم31,900), but the fact that it has kept such a low mileage and has not been driven in more than twenty years makes it worth between £45,000 and £55,000 ($56,000 to $68,000, €53,000 to €64,000 or درهم205,000 to درهم251,000)”.
“What happened with the keys remains a mystery but the car comes with new keys for the new owner”.
Former Toto’s site in Lennox Gardens Mews, Knightsbridge to become a “contemporary Japanese” restaurant named Dinings
In April 2014, just off Walton Street in Knightsbridge’s Lennox Gardens Mews, Toto’s prepared to reopen after a £3 million makeover at the behest of a new Indian owner. In spite of serving the most delicious Italian food, its slightly off-piste location proved difficult and it again closed in early 2016. Now, after remaining empty for some time, this former artist’s studio is set to become a “contemporary Japanese restaurant”.
First mentioned by the lifestyle app Urbanologie earlier this week, Dinings, the Japanese tapas and sushi restaurant that has taken the site, already has an outpost in Marylebone and describes its offering as “a new style of Izakaya; Japanese tapas which combines traditional Japanese with modern European cuisine”.
The restaurant is due to open on 16th May and will feature two dining bars and a ten cover sushi counter. Its interior has been designed by David d’Almada of Sagrada – a man whose previous commissions include The Arts Club on Dover Street and Sartoria on Savile Row – and, in spite of many recent closures in the area due to soaring rates and rents, we wish the new operators all the best in their venture.
Image depicts the restaurant and garden as it was in 2014.
Serpentine Galleries summerhouse originally installed in Kensington Gardens for sale – it’ll cost you a bit more than what you might find down at B&Q
Each summer, since the year 2000, the Serpentine Galleries have commissioned what they term a ‘pavilion’ to stand alongside their original gallery in Kensington Gardens. These have varied from the sublime to the ridiculous but whilst most have been thought provoking, in 2016 the project was extended to include four summer houses next to the nearby 18th century Queen Caroline’s Temple.
One of these creations, designed by a Nigerian architect named Kunlé Adeyemi, is now for sale and available for delivery to a new location. It is described as a “one-off piece of art-meets-architecture” by selling agents The Modern House and by its designers as “an inverse replica [and] tribute to [Queen Caroline’s Temple’s] robust form, space and material, recomposed into a new architectural language”.
Constructed from prefabricated building blocks assembled from rough sandstone, Adeyemi’s design was conceived as a tea house that “might have grown out of the ground”. It is all about “eating, resting and playing” but at £95,000 ($116,000, €110,000 or درهم427,000) plus VAT at 20% it is quite the polar opposite of the kind of summer house most people might purchase down at B&Q.
Two studio flats near Harrods for sale for extraordinary sums offer ideal homes for pint-sized people
A typical London Underground carriage provides about 464 square foot of space. In Knightsbridge and just seconds from Harrods, a property offering just over half that area has just come on sale on a short lease for £450,000 ($553,000, €525,000, درهم2.03 million).
The 258 square foot raised ground floor ‘cupboard-like’ property in Jefferson House at 11 Basil Street is offered at a price that equates to £1,765 per square foot ($2,170, €2,050 or درهم7,965 per square foot) consists of a single room decorated with Austin Powers-esque wallpaper, a kitchen with, the selling agents boast, the luxury of “an electric hob” and a shower room. Carter Jonas point out that the lease on the studio is extendable but neglect to detail what that will cost.
For pint-sized people with a larger budget, Beauchamp Estates have also just launched a slightly larger third floor studio to the west of Harrods in Beaufort Gardens, SW3.
Priced at a much more punchy £1.65 million ($2.03 million, €1.92 million or درهم7.45 million) or £3,061 per square foot ($3,760, €3,570 or درهم13,815 per square foot), the 539 square foot flat is within a redeveloped building of nine properties and features an open plan sitting, dining and kitchen area with a corridor to a separate sleeping area. It has a full-sized bathroom and lift access.
Pictures and plans of the Basil Street studio:
Pictures and plans of the Beaufort Gardens studio:
Matthew Steeples reviews Romulo Café in Kensington; it serves the finest Filipino cuisine and is well worth trying
Romulo Café bills itself as providing “a taste of the Philippines in the heart of Kensington” and that it certainly does. Here you’ll find not only authentic cuisine but also a truly warm and welcoming atmosphere and an experience that is genuinely unusual.
One of four restaurants – the other three being in the Philippines – owned by the same family, Romulo Café is inspired by the owner’s late grandfather, Carlos P. Romulo, a Pulitzer Prize winner, president of the United Nations General Assembly and ambassador to the United States of America. Framed portraits of “Mr United Nations”, as he was affectionately known, guide the décor of the building and a neon caricature of him stands proud at the entrance.
Carlos P. Romulo with his Lincoln in WashingtonRowena Romulo
Owned by former Citibank and J. P. Morgan banker turned restaurateur Rowena Romulo, Romulo Café seats 70, is situated close to the newly opened Design Museum and opened in March 2016. It serves food that combines the culinary traditions of Spain, America, Malaysia and China and aside from the pork and rice dishes one links Filipino cuisine to normally, there are such things as Lola Virginia’s chicken relleno (£14) – roasted chicken stuffed with ground pork, raisins, chorizo and peas; Tito Greg’s Kare-Kare – beef (£16) or seafood (£18) stewed in a peanut based sauce with steamed vegetables and artisan shrimp paste. Homemade Filipino ice cream is a must try for dessert and for those looking to sample a selection of starters, be sure to go for ‘The General’s Combo Platter’ (£17.50). It features barbecued pork, chicken inasal, tinapa rolls, camaron rebosado and patotim with atchara.
Aside from a substantial and varied wine list, it is for cocktails that Romulo Café excels. One, ‘Imelda’s High Heels’ pays homage to Imelda Marcos and thus, naturally, comes served in a vessel shaped as a shoe; another, the ‘Batangas Bad Boy’, is accompanied by a cigar. Filipino spirits including Don Papa Rum, made from cane sugar from Negros plantations; Calamancello, homemade limoncello made with Philippine lime, and San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen, the “original Philippine beer” are also available.
Of the restaurant, Rowena Romulo concludes:
“We set up Romulo Café as a way to honour and help continue my grandfather Carlos P. Romulo’s legacy through food, as he and my family have always been so proud of Filipino cuisine and how food forms such a central part of Philippine culture, transcending class or creed. It’s true that every single Filipino loves to eat”.
“Now that we have expanded Romulo Café to London, we hope it will help to raise the profile and appreciation of the Philippines through our cuisine. And maybe it will also help to introduce my grandfather and his amazing work to a new generation”.
Lola Virginia’s chicken rellenoImelda’s High Heels cocktailBatangas Bad Boy cocktailA caricature of Carlos P. Romulo welcomes diners at the restaurant’s entrance
Jaguar E-Type originally owned by Prince Michael of Kent for sale
A 1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-litre FHC originally owned by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent is for sale with an Essex vintage car specialist.
Described as having “matching numbers, in impeccable order throughout and being close to conours”, Prince Michael first tried out the Jaguar at Goodwood with a then eight year old Lord March before taking it to Germany where he was serving in the army. The royal recalls driving the car at 150 miles per hour on autobahns and in the years since, he has been united with the vehicle on several occasions at Goodwood and Kensington Palace.
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent with the Earl of March and Kinrara, Charles Gordon-Lennox in the carLady Gabriella Windsor, Prince Michael’s daughter, with the vehicle
In 1984, Prince Michael wrote about the opalescent dark green with light tan hide interior and Webasto sunroof car in Road & Car Magazine. He stated:
“This was a beautiful motor car, immensely quick, and probably the most enjoyable car I have ever owned. I believe that every man has a special place in his heart for one woman above all others, and also for one car. In my case I think probably my E-Type Jaguar was the most satisfying and exciting car in my life – so far”.
In December 2015, the sixth owner of the E-Type, James Phillips, 67, from Newbury, Berkshire, told The Times:
“I am nearing retirement and it has been our pension fund for many years. We’ve done everything in it and we don’t go out in the rain and snow any more. We just want to pass it on to someone who is going to look after it”.
Vintage & Prestige Classic Cars seek £245,000 ($309,000 or €288,000 or درهم1.1 million) for the car complete with a whole raft of accompanying correspondence and photographs.
New series contrasting the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ begins with Sloane Rangers
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Lady Diana Spencer used to drink at The Admiral Codrington whilst Sloanes named Perdita and Peregrine downed gin like it was water in The Australian in Milner Street.
Loud braces and yellow cords sold like hot cakes and Peter York was king of all he surveyed. Now, in a new era, this socially elite set of characters have had to evolve and though the majority of Kensington and Chelsea is now colonised by wealthy foreigners, Sloane Rangers are still be found braying in Kings Road, SW3.
More pictures from Matthew Steeples and Rowena Romulo’s party at Romulo Café
Today, we share a further selection of images from the party Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times co-hosted with Rowena Romulo at Romulo Café in Kensington High Street.
Guests on the night numbered the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom H.E. Evan P. Garcia and the country’s Commercial Attaché and Director A. M. Kristine Umali as well as Anthony Abrahams, Leke Adebayo, Mark Agate, Stephen Annett, Lucas Bitencourt, Brian Blick, Julian Byzantine, Mark Captain, Michael Clark, Jacina Coyne, Millie Dean, Heimir Helgason, David Hencke, Saint Hill, Iqbal Latif, Mr and Mrs Alan Millinder, Alexandra Naylor, Angelique Neumann, Oliver Newton, Hannah Norman, Simon Ogilvie-Harris, Su-Lin Ong, Alexis Parr, Tarik Remila, Claire Rubinstein, Alyssa Sherman, Alexandra and Mark Sykes, Roger Townsend and Lady Jane Duncombe Townsend, John Wellington, Mr and Mrs Bill Wiggins and Paul Wooley.
An evening of cocktails and fine Filipino food at Romulo Café
On 23rd November in London, Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times co-hosted a party with financier turned restaurateur Rowena Romulo at her recently opened Café Romulo – the fourth outpost of a family owned and managed group of restaurants and the first outside of the Philippines.
Supported by the deliciously smooth Italian gin Sabatini, the party celebrated a taste of the Philippines in Kensington and showcased Romulo Café’s deliciously decadent menu. Guests were served canapés, bowl food and desserts that numbered tuna ceviche, barbecued pork, lamb stew and Filipino rice cakes whilst cocktails, much to the delight of the assembled ladies, included the especially decadent (and served in a shoe) ‘Imelda’s High Heels’.
The Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom H.E. Evan P. Garcia and the country’s Commercial Attaché and Director A. M. Kristine Umali put in an appearance and other distinguished guests included Anthony Abrahams, Leke Adebayo, Mark Agate, Stephen Annett, Lucas Bitencourt, Brian Blick, Julian Byzantine, Mark Captain, Michael Clark, Jacina Coyne, Millie Dean, Heimir Helgason, David Hencke, Saint Hill, Iqbal Latif, Mr and Mrs Alan Millinder, Alexandra Naylor, Angelique Neumann, Oliver Newton, Hannah Norman, Simon Ogilvie-Harris, Su-Lin Ong, Alexis Parr, Tarik Remila, Claire Rubinstein, Alyssa Sherman, Alexandra and Mark Sykes, Roger Townsend and Lady Jane Duncombe Townsend, John Wellington, Mr and Mrs Bill Wiggins and Paul Wooley.
As one happy attendee left, they they told Romulo Café’s delightful marketing director Gina McAdam: “What a wonderful evening. Rowena is a truly remarkable and gracious hostess. We’ll definitely be returning for lunch soon; this is just the kind of new restaurant London truly needs”.
It seems we’ve gotten to the bottom of the reason Will Young pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing.
Though the singer – who is allegedly worth £13.5 million – cited “personal reasons” and The Sun claimed he’d “thrown a massive tantrum”, it seems he’s actually ended up taking on a new job.
Someone named Will Young is, we can now reveal, a detective chief inspector at Kensington Police Station in Earl’s Court Road “working together for a better London”.
