“London’s rudest landlord” enjoyed causing offence more than anything else. Following on from his father’s purchase of the lease of Soho’s The Coach & Horses pub in 1943 Norman “You’re Barred” Balon worked there and then later, as landlord, presided over “prostitutes, gays, lesbians and a bit of the theatre community”. When a visiting rugby player asked for a Snakebite, his response was: “We don’t do cocktails here. Get out!” A Sikh customer was asked: “You’re not a fackin’ Muslim are you?” When he answered no, the bombastic landlord answered: “All right, you can stay then”. Balon states he chose to retire in 2006 “because all my customers are my age and one by one they’re dropping off their bar stools” before concluding that he hoped more of them would die abroad as then he’d be able to avoid “the cheap shit they serve at wakes”. The hospitality industry (sadly) doesn’t allow for the existence of characters like this anymore.
Five ways to please someone special on Valentine’s Day
With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, we offer five suggestions for gifts for ladies, gents and to enjoy together. Naturally, there’s something for all budgets.
For her:
Bougie Macaron
Girls love macarons and they love Bougie’s creations more than any other. These delicate, slightly chewy biscuits incite passionate enthusiasm and any gent who delivers his date some of these this Valentine’s Day will be on to a sure fire winner. Prices start at £30 for 16 macarons.
If you live in Beverly Hills, you can almost certainly afford to purchase a little blue box from Tiffany & Co. for the lady of your dreams, so why not buy her a matching Bentley to go with it? For $224,215 O’Gara Coach, who specialise in customizing luxury vehicles, have two Continental GTC V8’s on offer complete with Linen Beluga interiors.
For him:
The Gentlemen’s Tonic
This impressive Mayfair barbershop is far from the norm. It is, in fact, the perfect place to send any playboy – they even offer Bloody Mary’s. Starting at £250, they can give your man an image makeover or at £160 they offer “The Valentino” package. It includes “a hand and foot treatment, rejuvenation facial and a revitalising and refreshing eye treatment.”
A tour of the Sipsmith distillery
Any gent who loves gin or vodka would love to meet Prudence and have a tour of the first distillery to be opened in London in 200 years. For just £12 per person, tours run every Wednesday from 6.30pm until 8pm and visitors are “greeted with a drink, which of course can be topped up throughout the evening”.
For two:
The Acorn Inn
Thomas Hardy mentioned this delightful 16th Dorset coaching inn in Tess of the d’Urbervilles and it has also been named as one of Tom Chessyre’s Top 6 British Inns. Treat your loved one to an overnight stay at this well kept secret with a package that includes a three course dinner for two, full English breakfast for between £179 upto £229 for a suite. There’s even an original skittle alley and a romantic walk on the county’s Jurassic Coast is a must.
A professional beggar who was well known in Soho and Pimlico. She lived in a £7 a night hostel but preferred to be found in The French House. She liked Gap jeans and was a gambling addict but surprisingly was a teetotaler. The thought of crossing Oxford Street is said to have worried her greatly.
The Sunday Times describe him as a “secretive US financier” but Hersman, who is a sometime resident of London’s Bulgari Hotel is also said to have brokered the $1.6 billion buyout of Formula One over lunch on the French Riviera in the spring of 2005. Hersman was a contributor to the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008 and his company, Churchill Capital, is based in Mayfair.
Matthew Steeples suggests Westminster City Council have no place meddling with how the humble burger is cooked
In the last week both the Evening Standard and BigHospitality.co.uk revealed that Westminster City Council had served notice on a restaurant named Davy’s for “undercooking” burgers. Current Food Standards Agency guidelines state that burger meat should be cooked at 70°C for two minutes and it is suggested that Davy’s have failed to adhere to this.
A rare burger: the pleasure of millions and something that the bureaucrats should leave be
A spokesman for Davy’s told the Evening Standard:
“[Our] burgers are produced from high quality ingredients and Davy’s contends that it has safe measures in place to serve rare or medium-rare burgers.”
John Cadieux of Burger & Lobster went further in his comment:
“If you follow the guidelines to the letter then you’re going to destroy the burger industry. Not only that but you’re opening a Pandora’s box, because where do you finish? Steak tartare, runny eggs … the list is endless.”
If this ruling is maintained, a precedent will be set and those who enjoy rare and medium-rare burgers will find that their pleasure will be taken away. The busybodies of Westminster Council and their passion for cremating meat must be stopped.
I wish the Davy’s burger crusaders all the very best when they appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in May 2013.
Of Italian-Jewish descent, Caring is of the “supermarket-sweep” school of empire building. This billionaire started out in the rag trade but now controls the majority of the top restaurants and clubs in Central London. He survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and viewed that to be a wakeup call. Since then he’s donated millions to charity and focused on his two passions: golf and shooting. This buccaneering businessman generally passes on breakfast and lunch and lives between a converted stable block set in 500 acres near Dulverton and a mansion on The Bishops Avenue. What will he buy next?
This affable German’s address book spans continents and cultures. A graduate of the Cass Business School and the University of Madrid, Weber’s projects have variously included The Cuckoo Club, Salon Club and Wanted Gallery. Here’s a gent who knows how to combining partying and business and one whose invites are most definitely like gold dust.
The Steeple Times asks the financier turned fashion designer Jax Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
Love.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit.”
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?
Reality TV personalities are unacceptable in any year (but to be clear Kerry Katona is still unacceptable).
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
Sleep.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
High quality education for all children.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank.” What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Bankers who created complex financial instruments should not receive the brunt of the blame. Let us not forget the inept regulators who permitted these activities to flourish, causing the crisis to become much worse than it might have been.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“Reaching out.”
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” Plato. I anonymously support several charitable causes related to: education, medical research, the arts and women’s and children’s issues.
The judge in “Law Abiding Citizen” states: “I can pretty do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. But, I have no interest in listening to other people’s loud conversations on their mobiles.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Oscar de La Renta, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mao Tse Tung, Madonna and Ronald McDonald.
Fashion designer Jax Martin
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
I LOVE to eat; I would have a very large meal comprised of chateaubriand with shallot sauce, Cajun chicken and fries from Le Bilboquet and a bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions from Corner Bistro. All of the aforementioned would be served with a bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin. For dessert, I would have a slice of mille-feuille with fresh cut strawberries on the side. If I were allowed to dine outside of death row, I would have the meal served in either Trancoso in Bahia, Brazil or José Ignacio in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
This question makes the assumption that somehow one has stopped partying from the previous evening.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A martini.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
It doesn’t matter who throws the party, it’s the company you carry that makes the party.
Who is the most positive person you know?
Lucy.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Can’t say.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A phoenix.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Koenigsegg Agera R.
Cilla Black presented “Surprise, Surprise.” Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
While I was in engineering school, I was also a professional dancer.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
An antique Buddha, candles and a couple of black and white family photographs.
British designer Jax Martin is a former financier and professional dancer. A graduate of Columbia University, Martin also has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and began her career in the hedge fund business. She now creates “chic clothing for today’s woman” and states: “I live to make women feel great and look fabulous”.
