The Lady on the Rocks, The Long Way Down, Made in Chelsea and oh, the best roast beef in London.
It is surely one of the most interesting and beautiful exhibitions of the last ten years, covering the 1480s and 1490s (ie pre Mona Lisa) of Da Vinci's career.
Da Vinci believed the artist to be an 'editor rather than merely a recorder', in other words capture nature and beauty rather than depict subjects in simply an illustrative manner.
The two editions of our 'Lady on the Rocks' ( and I'm not again referring to one of Erik Lorincz's cocktails) one now in the Louvre and the other in the National Gallery, London, sit in the same room probably for the first time in their history.....indeed apparently Da Vinci himself never saw them together....
Don't forget to go to the annex of the exhibition which is up two floors and in another part of the Gallery all together....there you will find the story of the Last Supper.
Allow yourself 1.5 hours to do it justice ....it is heavenly and certainly listen to the audio guide....it is a beautiful production.
It is wonderful to see the totally eclectic crowd of visitors all in rapt attention. I have rarely seen such reverence. Other people are always annoying and there is an incessant file past each of the great works but it really isn't too crowded......
I am thrilled that my beautiful niece, Melody Renouf, who I had lunch with today, works at the National Gallery...and we are going to spend some time going around the gallery so I can get to understand it better and I can learn from her about some of the paintings....
I went on Friday and then later to a very good dinner at Bar Boulud at the Manadarin Oriental to meet my old friend Col Ryder.
I would not normally think of going to a 5 star hotel to eat but this place is humming, informal, the food delicious and the service superb. Its fun. And as AA Gill declares, has the best hamburgers in the world....bar none. ( And my, that is a claim).... Renata Ryder, looking beautiful, came and joined us for an after dinner Old Fashioned. A series of cocktails from the American Bar team is a sure guarantee of a classic night out with an old chum. A few of the favourites at the moment are the Sazarak, the Green Park and finally, the Monet.
On Saturday night I was invited to the 1920s themed 21st birthday party of Georgia Gordon at Morden Lodge in Merton. It was lavish and stylish with delicious eats and a mixture of all generations. Simon Gordon talked about his new breakthrough product called Face Watch which the Savoy has signed up to and what a change it makes from running the hugely successful Gordon's Wine Bar. The nephews and nieces that I had partied with in Menorca back in July were also there.
On the way home Charley Boorman told me about his visit to Buckingham Palace the day before.....something to do with a large reception for adventurers and explorers. Ollie, his wife, who was driving us, was very envious as the spouse's had not been to the reception.
Charley told me that apparently Princess pushy ( Princess Michael of Kent) had crossed Africa on a bus as a student, having dyed her hair and got a very deep sun tan to qualify for her place on the bus( something to do with the regulations at the time). She took 2months disguised as a black women, including a stop when she was very I'll. And the bus and passengers waited for three days whilst she recovered in some godforsaken township somewhere.
The Queen said: 'Ah yes, you're the one that goes about on a motorcycle...'. Charley Boorman's latest series is currently on Monday evenings and called Extreme Frontiers ( not sure which channel).
The security police were thrilled that he was the only person in their careers to arrive at Buckingham Palace on a motorbike and had opened a book as to whether he would or not. He said they were jokey and charming.
The next day was Sunday and I was invited to lunch by David Young, Deputy Head Concierge at the Savoy. We were joined at the Holywood Arms by 6 of his friends....and wow has the place changed. the service was amateur and patchy if warm hearted and the waitress pretty. The red wine didn't arrive until we had nearly finished eating and even then only when I went up to the bar to stand in front of the bar man.The decor is gastro-pub chic and though quite high-street interiors, is elegant and smooth. The lighting is too bright.
The roast beef on the other hand was probably the best tasting roast beef I have ever had eating out in London. It looked dark and unattractive but the flavour was intense and delicious. It would have been even better if the horseradish had been freshly made...if ever a roast of beef deserved it home made then this was it! Everyone else enjoyed what they ate and there was no room for pudding.
It was only afterwards that I noticed not one of us had asked for salt or pepper and indeed there was none on offer. Maybe the simple secret of a delicious plate of food is to heavily season it. I do remember the head chef at The Electric once told me that all these cookery shows on TV never admit how much salt goes into food in commercial lichens.......And it was the first time in my life that I have not salted either roast potatoes or red cabbage...even the smallest pinch..... And it left me thinking.
Hugo Taylor from Made In Chelsea greeted me warmly when I spotted him under the heaters outside. I had met him a few years ago as one of the best friends of the son of Isobel Strathmore. It was fun to see him again but now as a celebrity and also in Chelsea,
....whatever your views of the TV show!
It is surely one of the most interesting and beautiful exhibitions of the last ten years, covering the 1480s and 1490s (ie pre Mona Lisa) of Da Vinci's career.
Da Vinci believed the artist to be an 'editor rather than merely a recorder', in other words capture nature and beauty rather than depict subjects in simply an illustrative manner.
The two editions of our 'Lady on the Rocks' ( and I'm not again referring to one of Erik Lorincz's cocktails) one now in the Louvre and the other in the National Gallery, London, sit in the same room probably for the first time in their history.....indeed apparently Da Vinci himself never saw them together....
Don't forget to go to the annex of the exhibition which is up two floors and in another part of the Gallery all together....there you will find the story of the Last Supper.
Allow yourself 1.5 hours to do it justice ....it is heavenly and certainly listen to the audio guide....it is a beautiful production.
It is wonderful to see the totally eclectic crowd of visitors all in rapt attention. I have rarely seen such reverence. Other people are always annoying and there is an incessant file past each of the great works but it really isn't too crowded......
I am thrilled that my beautiful niece, Melody Renouf, who I had lunch with today, works at the National Gallery...and we are going to spend some time going around the gallery so I can get to understand it better and I can learn from her about some of the paintings....
I went on Friday and then later to a very good dinner at Bar Boulud at the Manadarin Oriental to meet my old friend Col Ryder.
I would not normally think of going to a 5 star hotel to eat but this place is humming, informal, the food delicious and the service superb. Its fun. And as AA Gill declares, has the best hamburgers in the world....bar none. ( And my, that is a claim).... Renata Ryder, looking beautiful, came and joined us for an after dinner Old Fashioned. A series of cocktails from the American Bar team is a sure guarantee of a classic night out with an old chum. A few of the favourites at the moment are the Sazarak, the Green Park and finally, the Monet.
On Saturday night I was invited to the 1920s themed 21st birthday party of Georgia Gordon at Morden Lodge in Merton. It was lavish and stylish with delicious eats and a mixture of all generations. Simon Gordon talked about his new breakthrough product called Face Watch which the Savoy has signed up to and what a change it makes from running the hugely successful Gordon's Wine Bar. The nephews and nieces that I had partied with in Menorca back in July were also there.
On the way home Charley Boorman told me about his visit to Buckingham Palace the day before.....something to do with a large reception for adventurers and explorers. Ollie, his wife, who was driving us, was very envious as the spouse's had not been to the reception.
Charley told me that apparently Princess pushy ( Princess Michael of Kent) had crossed Africa on a bus as a student, having dyed her hair and got a very deep sun tan to qualify for her place on the bus( something to do with the regulations at the time). She took 2months disguised as a black women, including a stop when she was very I'll. And the bus and passengers waited for three days whilst she recovered in some godforsaken township somewhere.
The Queen said: 'Ah yes, you're the one that goes about on a motorcycle...'. Charley Boorman's latest series is currently on Monday evenings and called Extreme Frontiers ( not sure which channel).
The security police were thrilled that he was the only person in their careers to arrive at Buckingham Palace on a motorbike and had opened a book as to whether he would or not. He said they were jokey and charming.
The next day was Sunday and I was invited to lunch by David Young, Deputy Head Concierge at the Savoy. We were joined at the Holywood Arms by 6 of his friends....and wow has the place changed. the service was amateur and patchy if warm hearted and the waitress pretty. The red wine didn't arrive until we had nearly finished eating and even then only when I went up to the bar to stand in front of the bar man.The decor is gastro-pub chic and though quite high-street interiors, is elegant and smooth. The lighting is too bright.
The roast beef on the other hand was probably the best tasting roast beef I have ever had eating out in London. It looked dark and unattractive but the flavour was intense and delicious. It would have been even better if the horseradish had been freshly made...if ever a roast of beef deserved it home made then this was it! Everyone else enjoyed what they ate and there was no room for pudding.
It was only afterwards that I noticed not one of us had asked for salt or pepper and indeed there was none on offer. Maybe the simple secret of a delicious plate of food is to heavily season it. I do remember the head chef at The Electric once told me that all these cookery shows on TV never admit how much salt goes into food in commercial lichens.......And it was the first time in my life that I have not salted either roast potatoes or red cabbage...even the smallest pinch..... And it left me thinking.
Hugo Taylor from Made In Chelsea greeted me warmly when I spotted him under the heaters outside. I had met him a few years ago as one of the best friends of the son of Isobel Strathmore. It was fun to see him again but now as a celebrity and also in Chelsea,
....whatever your views of the TV show!