Red Carnation Hotels

CONCIERGE NEWS

March's Concierge Corner

We are delighted to welcome you to The Egerton House Hotel. Discover your home in Knightsbridge: the discreet and luxurious comforts of a private residence, with uncompromising levels of service that quietly anticipate, even exceed your expectations. Whether you are here on business or pleasure we hope that you will have time to experience the wealth of the Capital’s attractions and award winning restaurants that awaits you.

Or if you have already done all the touristy bits in London and feel like some off-the-beaten-track fun and interesting places to visit in London, this is the section for them! I work very hard to discover those secret places that no-one else would think or know to recommend!


Jacques Conradie – Guest Relations and Services Manager


Let the music play...

If you are a music lover, you are in the right place: March is filled to bursting with all manner of exciting acts. There is Lilly Allen and Dizzee Rascal, The Four Tops and the Temptations, Joss Stone and Peter Gabriel all performing in London over the next 31 pop-tastic days.

By happy coincidence, March is music month throughout the hotel network and we would be happy to help you find the right tickets for the right shows. Elsewhere we bring you news of the latest museum and gallery openings and highlight some of the best new restaurants.

Spring officially arrives in March and the Ideal Home Show is just what you need if you want to give your home a thorough spring clean. The Victoria & Albert Museum has designs for the home too, see their Quilts exhibition for a new insight into this age-old craft.

Retail Therapy at Angelo Galasso

ANGELO GALASSO is a designer and entrepreneur whose career began in an apartment in Rome. As his large collars, special finishes and distinct takes on tradition spread, ANGELO GALASSO and the INTERNO 8 brand became one of the biggest names
in Italian fashion. After teaming up with FLAVIO BRIATORE to create BILLIONAIRE ITALIAN COUTURE, ANGELO GALASSO has returned with his own brand. His new Knightsbridge boutique speaks of true Italian confidence, its features the famous watch cuff and a philosophy of style.


Artistic Licence...

The Victoria &Albert Museum presents the new Renaissance Galleries

Marvel at Becket's ornate caskets, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and sculptures by Donatello as the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) opens its new permanent Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. The Victoria and Albert Museum opens 10 new galleries in December 2009 to showcase its amazing Medieval and Renaissance collections. The collections chronicle how European art and design changed from the fall of the Roman Empire to the end of the Renaissance era.

The Royal Academy presents the Real Van Gogh: the Artist and his Letters

Discover the real Vincent van Gogh through his personal letters and paintings, at London's Royal Academy of Arts. When you think of Vincent van Gogh, what comes to mind? Maybe it is sunflowers, his tragic suicide, or that missing ear. Discover the man behind the legend in this fascinating exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts – the first major Van Gogh exhibition in London for more than40 years.Highlights include 35 rarely exhibited original letters, 30 drawings and 65 paintings, such as:

• Self-portrait as an Artist (1888) 
• The Yellow House (1888) 
• Still-life: Drawing Board with Onions (1889) 
• Vincent's Chair with His Pipe (1888)
• Entrance to the Public Park in Arles (1888)

The National Gallery presents Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey

Admire some of Delaroche's most famous paintings at the National Gallery in London.
Paul Delaroche was one of the most popular French painters of the early 19th century.
This major National Gallery exhibition features some of Delaroche's best-known paintings, including:

• The Execution of Lady Jane Grey (1833 )
• The Princes in the Tower (1830) 
• Young Christian Martyr (1854-5) 
• Stafford on his way to Execution (1835)

Also on show at the exhibition is Delaroche's Charles I Insulted by Cromwell's Soldiers, 1837.The painting was thought to have been destroyed during a bombing raid in the Second World War,but it was recently rediscovered at a house in Scotland,
rolled up and covered in shrapnel marks. (Exhibition end May 2010)

The Tate Britain presents Henry Moore

See more than 150 significant Henry Moore works at this major exhibition at Tate Britain

Henry Moore (1898-1986) was one of Britain's greatest artists. This new exhibition at Tate Britain will demonstrate Moore's position at the forefront of progressive 20th century sculpture, with the most comprehensive selection of his works shown together for a generation. Among the fantastic range and quality of Moore's art, the new Tate show examines three themes: war, women and world culture. (End August 2010)

The Queen’s Gallery presents Victoria and Albert: Art and Love

Fall in love with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's art collection at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace. Victoria & Albert: Art & Love is the first exhibition to focus on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's shared love of art. Featuring more than 400 items from the Royal Collection, the display spans the Royal couple's life together, from their engagement in 1839, to the Prince's death in 1861.Many of the items on show were exchanged as gifts between the Queen and her husband to mark special occasions.

Highlights of the Victoria & Albert: Art & Love exhibition include jewelry, paintings, photography, costumes, sculpture, furniture and a beautifully decorated piano. Don't miss this fascinating insight into the life and love of Victoria and Albert.

The Photography Gallery presents Deutsche Börse Photography Prize

Don't miss the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize exhibition at London's Photographers' Gallery. From quirky, colorful portraits to moody black-and-white landscapes, you'll see work by some of today's top photographers. The Deutsche Börse prize is given to the photographer who's made the most significant contribution to photography in Europe over the past year. This diverse exhibition includes work by four finalists, who all stand a chance of winning the £30,000 award.Anna Fox, Zoe Leonard, Sophie Ristelhueber and Donovan Wylie have been nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at The Photographers' Gallery on 17 March.


Enforced Entertainment...

“Mrs. Warren’s Profession” at the Comedy Theatre - See Felicity Kendal in the title role of Mrs Warren's Profession at the Comedy Theatre in London this spring.

With an all-star cast and previous success outside the West End, tickets to Mrs Warren's Profession are likely to sell fast.Vivie, has enjoyed a comfortable life: a Cambridge education, a generous monthly allowance and this prim young woman now has ambitions to go into the law. But she knows very little about her mother, Mrs Warren. But one idyllic summer evening her mother reappears, in the company of the sinister Sir George Crofts and Vivie is impelled to investigate her own good. Is it conceivable that all Vivie's privilege and respectability has been financed by the proceeds of the world's oldest profession? How will Vivie react when she finds out the awful truth about her mother's ill-gotten gains?
Banned from public performance for many years, Mrs Warren's Profession is a landmark of the English theatre. George Bernard Shaw's provocative play lays bare the rampant hypocrisy and constrained morals of Victorian society.


My Lunchbox this month is …

The Harwood Arms in Fulham - Customers rave about the Harwood’s ‘wonderful food’ & ‘genuine friendliness’. It seems The Ledbury’s Brett Graham & Berkshire pub supremo Mike Robinson have created a gastro haunt of distinction in residential Fulham, so much so that in January 2010 it became the first London gastro pub to receive a Michelin star.

Decked out with stripped wood, sofas & muted colours, the place combines the virtues of local boozer & informal restaurant, but is ‘not too chi-chi for its own britches’. With an ex-Ledbury chef in the kitchen, the menu is rustic & ceaselessly inventive, offering smoked trout with leeks, wild sorrel & salad cream ahead of pheasant Kiev with turnips glazed in mead & rosemary, or roast T-bone of Henley fallow deer with black cabbage & mushroom ketchup. Seasonal desserts could include a bowl of warm Yorkshire rhubarb doughnuts with orange curd, or black treacle tart (‘the real thing’) with clotted cream. Service is attentive, there’s real ale on tap, & the serious wine list provides admirable support.


Din-din at...

Tamarind - There’s something beautifully understated, inviting & exceedingly tasteful about Tamarind’s capacious basement dining room, with its polished floors & shimmering golden hues. It makes the perfect setting for high-class Indian cuisine that’s executed with consummate skill. Here is a kitchen rooted in the traditions of rich Mogul cooking from the north of the subcontinent – especially grilled meats, seafood & even fungi, served smoky hot from the tan door. Try the lamb cutlets marinated with raw papaya, paprika, fennel & vinegar, & don’t miss the perfectly weighted breads.

The menu also showcases a few carefully crafted renditions from the contemporary school of Indian cookery: sea bass fillet with asparagus & raw mango in a sauce of tomatoes & coconut, for example. Tropical fruit sorbets make a refreshing finale.Staff is relaxed, engaging & enthusiastic, but know when to stand back. Serious wines have been chosen to match the food’s spicy vigour.


Cocktail Attraction...

If Antonio’s signature Martinis are not tempting enough, I thoroughly recommend  sleek Japanese restaurant, Zuma, as a great spot for a cocktail. Its stone-walled lounge, with backlit-glass island bar, feels like a location from Sex & the City, complete with high-maintenance Samanthas & off-duty Mirandas quaffing exotic-flavoured martinis such as rhubarb & lemongrass, or poppy & saffron, from a list long on possibilities.


Why I love London...

7th March – Lilly Allen and Dizzy Rascal - Two of the UK's most feted young performers come together for a mouth-watering night of entertainment at The O2 Arena this March. In the red corner, we have grime hip hop rapping heavyweight Dizzee Rascal
, the bad boy from Bow who's just Bonkers; and showing The Fear in the blue corner is Lily Allen, the featherweight singer who's still alright even if she claims the problem is you, not her. It will be interesting to see just how much cross over there is between the two singers in this concert - having both heavy hitters in the ring at the same time will surely provide admirable scope for a great duet or two. And if Allen is to be believed, she may give up all this singing malarkey in a while - so this could be one of your last chances to see the mini diva in action.

11th – 14th March – The Affordable Art Fair - The Affordable Art Fair is a well-loved institution in The Marquee at Battersea Park an event that strips away the pretension of the art world and gives buyers a chance to pick up some really great art at fair prices, ranging from £50 to £3000. Previous years have seen some works sold for hundreds of pounds byartists who nowadays would not get out of bed for that kind of change. It's a fun, family event which is accessible to connoisseurs and the merely curious. There's a free crèche, printmaking workshops and a dedicated section of art by recent graduates, so that you can have fun trying to identify the next Damien Hirst or Paula Rego - and maybe even buy some of their work.

14th March – St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festivities - London’s Irish community have always celebrated St Patrick's Day in the traditional manner, with church services, music, dancing and plenty of Guinness and whisky. In recent years, the capital has also hosted a major weekend celebration - the UK equivalent of parades in New York and Chicago. London's parade has floats from every Irish county, with street theatre along the route - from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via Trafalgar Square. There's also a stage in Trafalgar Square with live performances, and a big ceilidh in Leicester Square where everyone can join in with the arms-by-the-sides dancing. Of course, the best places to celebrate are the pubs and Catholic churches throughout London, with their mix of religion, music and good cheer. Keep an eye on where the real London Irish go after the parade and you could be in for a memorable evening.

17th March – The re-opening of the Jewish Museum - The Jewish Museum in Camden reopens on Wednesday 17th March following a £10 million transformation which brings the collections of the Jewish Museum and the former London Museum of Jewish Life under one roof for the first time. Through important historical artefacts visitors can start to understand what it means to be Jewish in modern, multicultural Britain. Four permanent galleries display the huge variety of objects relating to British Jewish life while new facilities include a gallery for changing exhibitions, a 100-seat auditorium, an education space and a cafe and shop on the ground floor.

20th March – 5th April – The Ideal Home Show - The Ideal Home Show is the place to find the latest in home furnishings as this famous show fills up the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre with everything you need to feather your nest - and a whole lot more besides. Celebrating its 102nd year, the Ideal Home Show is the world's largest event of its kind and never fails to surprise and inspire with home decorating ideas and the latest gadgets for the kitchen. March is traditionally the time for a spring clean - so why not spruce up your home while you're at it? Visit the show after 5pm on Thursday and tickets (available on the door only) are just £5.

27th March – Head of the River Race – The Head of the River Race is one of the classic races on the rowing calendar, a warm up for the Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race that follows the exact same course backwards, from MortLake to Putney along the Thames. There are 420 crews in all, rowing down the 4.25 mile course, testing their willpower and teamwork in this uniquely macho sport. It is also a particularly nice stretch of the river, so even if you are not that excited by rowing, this is a really nice spot to enjoy a walk or a pint, and watch the boats glide past - tides have dictated that this year's race is well timed to go with an early pub lunch, but you'll have to book early if you want a seat that faces
the river.

From the 31st March – Urban Africa at the Design Museum – Architect David Adjaye presents his pictures documenting key cities in Africa in Urban Africa, a temporary exhibition at the Design Museum which shows his personal journey to discover more about urban development on the continent. The architect famous for buildings like the Idea Store Whitechapel, which earned him a Sterling Prize nomination, has recently been commissioned to design the new National Museum of African American
History and Culture in Washington.