Tag Archives: 3.

3 South Place Bar & Grill Restaurant Review

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First thoughts of the South Place Hotel, where 3 South Place Bar & Grill is located, is how classy it is. And quirky, with dismantled mannequins and sophisticated decor. It is both up-market and relaxing. We come to review the bottomless brunch, where Bloody Marys, Bellinis and Proseccos are endless with the 2 or 3 course brunch at the weekend from noon until 4pm. We approve. It is also great value at £20 for two courses or £25 for three courses plus £15 if you want the bottomless brunch. I was very surprised at the price actually, for three courses plus unlimited alcohol in a five star hotel: brilliant value. The staff are excellent; knowing what you want before you do and very helpful. There is a nice warm atmosphere and excellent, modern decor

 

We start with great warm bread and good soft butter that is easy to cut and a Mimosa (orange juice and prosecco) and a Bellini (peach juice and prosecco)

 

For starters we had.

Welsh Rarebit

Rich, creamy, cheese on soft bread. The crunch on the bottom holds texture well. Comes with a tomato and red onion with balsamic dressing. The perfect accompaniment. Acidity of tomatoes and red onion works beautifully against the rich cheese. Simple but excellent.

English Muffin

Poached Egg, Hollandaise sauce, smoked salmon

Excellent egg muffin with a good poached egg, Hollandaise sauce and smoked salmon. Rich and opulent. The muffin is beautiful, a luxurious starter with wonderful lemony hollandaise

 

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Arnold Bennett omelette

Béchamel Hollandaise sauce, smoked haddock.

It is rich and creamy, the Omelette has a great texture: Perfectly cooked and not overdone; it’s just the right amount of soft. The smoked haddock is fresh and goes amazingly with the lemon.

Bubble & Squeak

poached egg, blythburgh bacon
Perfect eggs with superb presentation. Comes with Crispy, smoky bacon and goes great with the potato and egg.

bubblenadsqueak arnoldbennettomlette

Ice Cream Selection

Rum and Raisin, cookies & cream, blackberry ripple

Amazing ice cream. Really wonderful. Tastes like it is homemade. The cookies and cream has proper cookies, the blackberry ripple is amazing and different and the rum and raisin is very alcoholic and delicious.

Treacle Tart

Clotted cream ice cream

This is amazing. Has a thin and crunchy base, lovely treacle. It is soft and crumbly but holds together well. It is not too sweet
Has an excellent clotted cream ice cream accompaniment.

 

treacletart icecreamselection southplace bellini

Delicious food in a classy venue; it is hard to fault 3 South Place at all, one of the best brunches in London and excellent value to top it all off. We loved it and we will definitely be back.

Address: 3 South Place, London EC2M 2AF
Phone:020 3503 0000
Hotel class: 5 stars

 

Homeland Season Three Preview: Spoilers

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Homeland Season Three, preview, review, spoilers, homelandHomeland is back. we are very excited. Here is the breakdown of the first episode.

Agent Peter Quinn makes a bomb in a basement, topless.

The Brody family have had a tough time, receiving death threats and bricks through their window. The FBI is following them and the media is hounding them. Dana comes home after a suicide attempt. She has a new boyfriend she met in rehab. She seems to be on the mend and sends a semi-nude picture to her new boyfriend. Her grandmother is also there, trying to help out the family. They eat together and have quality family time. Jessica finds it hard to deal with her daughters attempted suicide and has had to get a job as they have no money coming in

Carrie is off her meds and taking the brunt of the anger along with the rest of the CIA. They have not cleared up the bomb sight ‘because they are punishing us’. The CIA need a win badly and Saul, now in charge, already has a mission in place to take out a number of targets. They succeed in their mission, assassinating a number of bad guys. Agent Quinn was at the forefront of the mission and is upset when a child gets killed.

Carrie is in front of a committee, who are particularly harsh. The CIA are being blamed and the committee are digging for dirt and want to make the CIA pay for their mistakes. To compensate for being off her meds Carrie is drinking, picking up men and seems to be her own worst enemy. After a piece is leaked about her to the media- which doesn’t name her so her operatives are not harmed- she has a run in with Saul in a restaurant, causes a scene and tells them all ‘f**k you’. The newspaper piece is about her sexual relationship with Brody.

At a committee Saul talks about their success at their being ‘a little less evil in the world today’. The committee is still not happy and mentions the Carrie article. Saul, after a pause, confirms that, although the information is flawed, the operative in question was erratic and hide her bi-polar disorder from the agency for ten years. He then says that he never knew about the sexual relationship between Carrie and Agent Brody. Carrie watches on TV, devastated and in disbelief.

A decade on since FTSE 100 hit bottom at 3,287

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A decade on since FTSE 100 hit bottom at 3,287

 

–       FTSE 100 returns 93% over 10 years

–       Technology sector is best performing returning 369%

Adrian Lowcock, Senior Investment Manager at Hargreaves Lansdown, looks at how investors have fared over the last 10 years.

 

In the last 10 years the FTSE 100 has risen 3,074 points or 93% since the low of March 2003, although it remains a little way off the high point of 6,732 reached on 15th June 2007.  Whilst the market has risen over the last 10 years there have been some big winners and losers during that time.  The Banking sector has been the worst performer over the last 10 years and the only sector to post a negative capital return with the FTSE All-share/banks returning -20%. The Technology sector posted the best performance with the FTSE All-share/Technology returning 369%, recovering from the lows seen in the years following the Dotcom bubble.

 

 

Performance of FTSE Sectors from 12 March 2003 to 28th February 2013

 

All Share Sector

% Growth
FTSE All-Share/Banks CR

-20.25
FTSE All-Share/Financials CR

22.81
FTSE All-Share/Health Care CR

78.02
FTSE All-Share/Telecommunication CR

100.11
FTSE All-Share/Oil & Gas CR

110.22
FTSE All-Share/Consumer Services CR

112.91
FTSE All-Share/Utilities CR

179.25
FTSE All-Share/Basic Materials CR

280.44
FTSE All-Share/Consumer Goods CR

346.31
FTSE All-Share/Industrials CR

360.45
FTSE All-Share/Technology CR

369.08

 

Adrian Lowcock says;-

 

“The technology sectors strong performance over the last 10 years highlights the contrarian nature of the stock market.  However, it is difficult for any investor to go against the trend and take such risks. Instead investors should focus on their long term investment goals and invest whenever they can afford to do so.”

 

“It is time in the market not timing that counts. Even though the FTSE 100 remains below its all-time high (6,930 on 30th December), if you had been invested all that time, with dividends reinvested, you would have been up 44.73%. In addition picking the right funds can transform your portfolio and make the nominal value of an index meaningless.”

 

Recommendations

 

Schroder UK Alpha Plus – Richard Buxton takes a long term view and is able to spot some opportunities before others – a distinguishing feature of all great investors.  Having the conviction to back them is equally important and Richard holds only 30-40 companies in his fund which means each idea has a significant effect on performance. You will never see his portfolio padded out with mediocre holdings just to make up the numbers. This fund has the potential to deliver superb returns, in a variety of economic conditions.

 

JO Hambro UK Equity Income – The managers believe the UK economy is performing better than most commentators expect. The fund continues to have a bias towards more economically-sensitive companies and has performed well recently as a result.

 

The Best Television Shows On Right Now

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We live in a golden age of television. Film and Television used to be completely separate, but now Martin Scorsese is producing Boardwalk Empire and movie stars frequent TV. The quality just keeps getting higher. Frost did a survey of our readers for the top television shows on right now, and here they are.

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is crack in television form, and aptly so as it is about a chemistry teacher who starts to sell meth after being diagnosed with lung cancer. It is by far one of the best things on television. I have never met someone who had a bad word to say about it.

Homeland

Like most people I was addicted to Homeland and I am already excited about the new series. Homelands big advantage is the chemistry between the characters. Brody, played by Damien Lewis, was supposed to be killed off in the first season but the chemistry between Lewis and Claire Danes’s Carrie was too good and he was kept on.

The Good Wife

One of the finest legal dramas. Julianna Margulies is brilliant as Alicia Florrick. The Good Wife is now in it’s fourth season and still going strong.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is exciting and original. It is also not scared to kill of it’s lead characters. It is brilliant television and I am not just saying that because some of my friends are in it.

Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey during the Prohibition era. It stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson and Kelly MacDonald as Margaret Schroeder. It is produced by Martin Scorsese and you can tell. Every scene is beautiful and the costumes are great. Has a great mixture of real and fake characters.

Dexter

The show about a serial killer who only kills other serial killers is genius. The next season will be the eighth and possibly last. All of the characters are amazing. Michael C Hall as Dexter is brilliant, and real life ex-wife Jennifer Carpenter plays his sister, Debbie. Who is possibly one of my favourite characters on television.


Covert Affair

Season Three of Covert Affairs was my favourite yet. Piper Perabo plays the CIA operative who falls in love easily. Season three had you on the edge of your seat. A show that has come into it’s own.

Revenge

Trashy TV at it’s best. It is like Dallas, but with a grudge.

Whitney

Hilarious comedy from comedian Whitney Cummings. It may not be well known in the United Kingdom but it deserves a wide audience for its cracking scripts that leave you laughing so much it hurts.

The Killing

I have to admit I have not seen this yet but promised to put it in as everyone else I know loves it, and is jealous that I have never seen it and have it to look forward to.

Suits

Brilliant legal drama now in its second season. On the run from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant college-dropout, finds himself a job working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City’s best lawyers. The relationship between Mike and Harvey is brilliant and, like The Good Wife, it has a strong female lead as one of the partners in the law firm.

The Big Bang Theory

The show is now the most watched show. It is funny and smart and the characters of the awkward physicists are likeable, lovable and rich in depth. Endlessly watchable.

How I Met Your Mother

Getting ready for its ninth and final season, where we will finally find out who the mother is. It is both popular and a cult classic. Ted searches for the woman of his dreams in New York City with the help of his four best friends. The cast of Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris are all brilliant.

True Blood

Sexy, naughty, violent. In a world where vampires have “come out of the coffin”, Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress, discovers a new world of different creatures when she meets Bill Compton, a vampire.

Mad Men

A drama about one of New York’s most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm’s most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper. This show is a big hit and the costumes have sparked a thousand fashion trends.

Sherlock

A modern update finds the famous detective and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as Sherlock. The last episode of the last season was endlessly debated.

Downton Abbey

Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, the drama centers on the Crawley family and their servants. This was a runaway success on both sides of the Atlantic, making huge stars of all of the cast.


Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23

Chloe is a New York party girl with the morals of a pirate who bullies and causes trouble for her naive small town roommate June. Krysten Ritter and Dreama Walker are brilliant and James Van Der Beek sends himself up beautifully.


New Girl

After a bad break-up, Jess, an offbeat young woman, moves into an apartment loft with three single men. Zooey Deschanel is deserving of her own show.


Suburgatory

A teenage girl moves from the city to the suburbs. Jane Levy is brilliant and sarcastic, the script is amazing. Witty and brilliant.

Agree or disagree? Comment below.

Collider #3 Webisode

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Here is the third Collider Webisode. Exclusive to Frost Magazine.

MOST POPULAR FASHION SEARCHES OF 2011

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SHOPSTYLE REVEALS MOST POPULAR FASHION SEARCHES OF 2011

Royal Wedding boosts best of British

ShopStyle.co.uk (the fashion site that brings together Britain’s favourite brands and stores under one digital roof)  today reveals the most popular label and item searches of 2012 and shows that when it comes to fashion, we’re very patriotic.  Five of the top ten most searched for designers in 2011 were British. The prominence of Ted Baker, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Paul Smith show that when it comes to fashion, Britain’s style-aware are loyal to our own shores.

 

The penchant for all things British significantly increased across 2011 thanks to Catherine Middleton’s much lauded style choices including Alexander McQueen for her wedding dress. ShopStyle.co.uk saw an enormous 100%*[1] increase in traffic the day of the wedding as women flocked online to find Middleton inspired dresses. And dresses stayed in the Top 10 searches across the year as women were influenced by Catherine Middleton’s elegance and classic style.

 

Alexander McQueen jumped into the top 40 search terms as it was revealed the bride’s wedding dress was designed by the iconic UK fashion house. The only other designer to move into the Top 10 this year was Ralph Lauren leaped fuelled by his TV appearance on Oprah.

 

The maxi dress is still eternally popular topping the list of the most searched for items in 2011, joined at no.1 of most popular labels by Diesel.

 

Shannon Edwards, Managing Director and VP Europe for ShopStyle believes 2011 was the year when fashion took Catherine Middleton to its heart. She says: “From the Royal engagement announcement the fashion world was in love with Catherine’s classic elegance and sophisticated, adoptable style. The Royal Wedding was an incredible event for fashion and began our adoption of all things British, from  designer labels to high street stores. It will continue into 2012 as we look forward to the Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics.”

 

Boasting over one million users each month and over 2000 UK and international fashion brands, ShopStyle.co.uk’s Top Ten of 2011 are as follows:

 

Top 10 Product Searches for 2011

  1. Maxi Dress
  2. Jumpsuit
  3. Red Dress
  4. One shoulder dress
  5. Sequin dress
  6. Playsuit
  7. Lace dress
  8. Nude shoes (Definite Kate Middleton link)
  9. Dress
  10. Bodycon dress

 

Top 10 Label Searches for 2011

  1. Diesel
  2. Marc by Marc Jacobs
  3. Ted Baker
  4. Burberry
  5. Vivienne Westwood
  6. Tommy Hilfiger
  7. Ralph Lauren
  8. Alexander McQueen
  9. Acne
  10. Paul Smith

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt To Quit Acting: “We Had a Good Run”

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Angelina Jolie has revealed that she “doesn’t love” acting as much as she used to.

Jolie was in tears when she was honoured for her controversial war movie, The Land Of Blood And Honey, at the Sarajevo Film Festival. She was praised for her directing debut, which is about a Muslim woman and a Serbian man during the Bosnian war in the 1990s. However, Jolie also said that she and Brad plan to quit acting soon.

“As Brad and I get older, we’re going to do fewer films,” she said. “I’ve been working for a long time, he’s been working for a long time. We’ve had a nice run and don’t want to be doing this our whole lives.”

Jolie added: “I’ve never not been grateful to be an actor. But I think when I was younger, I needed [acting] more. I was trying to question things in life, so you find these characters that help you find things and grow. I’m older and I know who I am, and I’m less interested in the character helping me answer something than in being able to answer it for myself, as a woman, as an adult, with my family.”

Jolie was Forbes highest paid actress in 2009 and 2011, and she and boyfriend Brad Pitt are parents to six children, Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5 and twins Vivienne and Knox, 3.

She said: “Home is wherever we are. I’m very bad at staying in one place. I’m also bad at sitting still. There’s so much to explore in the world, so I love travel. If you can travel I think it’s the best way to raise kids.”