After an hour of sucking in our breath, dodging overladen lorries carrying marble on the national highway to Delhi, we arrived at the kilometre long driveway leading to our hotel, with its stark silver on black signage. The imposing sight of Devi Garh, the 17th Century fort cum palace occupies one of the most strategic passes in Rajasthan and rises from its perched hill position with terrifying dominance. The uplighters casting impressive shadows against its many towers, balconies, and crenulations. Very rarely are our expectations exceeded, but on this occasion a Howitzer blew them out of the water. Uniformed guards saluted our arrival, porters scurried to open our doors and we exhaled a sigh of satisfaction. We hopped out and followed the long low-lit path to the main entrance and staff sporting designer black Nehru tunics greeted us. We gathered our jaws off the manicured central lawn as our eyes struggled to take in the magisterial sight of Devi Garh, domineering, stark, confident and undeniably the most impressive translation of hospitality we had encountered in Rajasthan. Stone sculptures lay casually strewn across the lawn as if ditched from the sky by the gods.

At each turn casual elegance promised mystery after mystery. Historic frescoes twinned with floor sculptures in the shape of lotus plants, housed in a courtyard riven with marble patios softened by jade clipped hedging. Even the air tastes tranquil here. Several flights of granite steps leading to secret chambers and a series of courtyards led us to our suite. Which was designed and assembled with an immaculate eye, sinuous marble with a quadruple aspect inserted with a window seat the size of a generous bed. The split-level led us to our low-slung marble based bed. We shrieked with a lottery winner’s surprise and with childlike fascination we explored cupboards, boxes, wardrobes, drawers and anterooms, gasping at the multi level dressing area and bathroom, rather than gilding the lily, this is simple opulence. That evening we celebrated our arrival with pre-dinner drinks, served in a bar styled from a Bond villain’s lair. The Maharani made herself at home with a ginger infused Champagne cocktail and I put up with…a Martini, of course. Dinner would have melted the hardest of hearts, the hotel was a scene lit by a thousand candles, soft glow resting on the curls of a carpet of rose petals.

Imaginative, modern Indian food was served buffet style, fireworks rocked the clear sky and we filled our mouths with food created by a gastro God. Being a nosy chef and food adventurer has its advantages. I wanted to meet the brigade behind the silkily smooth Murgh Palak (Spinach and Chicken curry) and their interpretation of a fiery Rajasthani classic, Laal Maas, mutton soaked and slow cooked in Kashmiri chillies, but this version was tempered with almonds and the gentle touch of buffalo milk. The region is known for its opulent and sometimes heavy food, however the talented chef, Rakesh and his team delivered course after course with the lightness of a ballerina’s pirouette. This kitchen was capable of delivering world peace with these astounding treasures, truly unifying and crossing cultural and culinary boundaries.Devi Garh attracts a cosmopolitan set, French Trustafairians, Hollywood casting agents, Scandinavian designers, Indian oligarchs and apparently Liz Hurley…in our situation it was definitely a case of ‘fake it ‘til you make it’. How to describe Devi Garh? In a fast changing culture which is thousands of years old, I think it’s the definition of Indian Heritage shod in a pair of Louboutins.

There has been a market in this building since 1882 and it was once the most famous fish market in Europe but in May 2014, part of the market hall reopened as the “Time Out” Food Hall,  housing 35 of Lisbon’s top chefs and restaurants. Set within a beautiful building topped off with a Moorish style dome, the large open space is a really a modern take on a food Court , focusing on local quality product and independent operators.

The food choice is vast but it remains authentic and maybe that’s the reason for the success. With no global chains in sight, you find everything from traditional Portuguese cuisines, beers, wines and plates of ham from Alentejo, Azeitao sheep’s cheese and the Lisbon classic, the custard tart. Other foods are also represented with Italian, Thai, fresh sea food and dessert counters all being served by local independents.  The quality of food is high, as some of Lisbon’s top operators are here.  One of Portugal’s top chefs  Henrique Sa Pessoa’s has a counter, serving the likes of truffle mash potatoes and Portuguese style steak and egg.  Other well known Lisbon names with representation, include Sushi from Confraria, Café de Sao Bento, who are acknowledged to have the city’s best sirloin steak in Lisbon and ice cream from Santini.

Each operator has a small kitchen area where they cook in front of you and then everyone shares the communal seating area located in the centre of the hall. The signage through out is a contemporary black and white style.  Simple wooden tables and chairs are shared by all the operators and although it’s a modern take on a food court, it has a great vibe and is busy throughout the day serving both locals and tourists. Open until 2 am at weekends, this venue is a great example of a destination which appeals to its immediate catchment as well as the international tourist. With meals ranging from 6 – 12 Euros, it really is an all day option and appeals across the board from families to the cool contemporary set.

This Roman cave, located in Via Gregoriana, is a secret studio packed full with design wonders. My Cup Of Tea was originally an events trend spotting company, which more latterly opened a retail arm, portrayed as less of a shop, and more of a “creative space”; operating a carousel of new talent including designers, artists, high fashion, and jewellery. Based around a relevant story, the space features a constantly changing roster of artists and designers creating a space where there’s continuously something to appeal to a varied audience.

Previous collaborations have included the woven gold bracelets of Nicotra di S Giacomo and the chic couture aesthetic of Anna Sammarone, and they remain focussed on discovering and exhibiting young and exciting with talents less typical of the high street. A converted apartment in an particularly charming part of Rome, this is a retail space which epitomises the idea of ‘slow retailing’ but at the same time remains dynamic and hugely interesting by showcasing a spectrum of shifting talent, and works in tandem with their well established expertise in communications and continued reports on fashion trends.

This idea of retailing space configured in a way that encourages the consumer to roam and imagine appears to be something that is becoming increasingly prevalent, with parallels seen from Goodhood Store, to Jigsaw, Dover Street, creating environments to wonder, dwell, and be inspired.

Having been to The Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill, I was excited to try out their newest restaurant. Located on the first floor of Kingly Court in Carnaby Village, The Rum Kitchen is situated in a corner without very much else up there. Despite this, booking a table, especially in the evening is recommended as it gets extremely busy, particularly towards the latter end of the week. A late evening table isn’t a problem as food is served throughout the night.

On our visit, we were greeted by friendly staff who took us to our table and handed us our menus. We were pre-warned about the strong rum cocktails here, and couldn’t wait to choose our tipple from the long list of Caribbean inspired cocktails. Spice is the name of the game with regards to the food. Our starters, the sticky BBQ ribs and jerk chicken wings, left our lips feeling like we had just had lip fillers! The soft shell crab and jerk chicken burgers were generous in size and highly recommended alongside the sweet potato chips. Now we are ready to go again and try the rest of the menu!

The Rum Kitchen is a great place for a fun and tasty meal with friends, the music is cool and you really get into the party spirit. A ‘buzzy’ atmosphere is certainly the way to describe it, from the background music, the hum of the chatting diners to the clatter of rum bottles as the various cocktails are made.

I was also a big fan of the fit out, a real shack-like feel with various signs and drums dotted around the place. This is a cool space and, like the Notting Hill restaurant, located in an equally cool area attracting the right crowd. It is a great example of a restaurant working on a first floor inward facing scheme, however we have to remember this is in the heart of central London.

http://therumkitchen.com/

The area around Omotesando Hills is a mecca for shopping, specifically the surrounding side streets adjacent to the main retail street, where international architects have designed world class buildings for the world’s top fashion brands. Omotesando has more buildings designed by world class architects than any other neighbourhood in the world.

The most talked about is the Prada Aoyama building which was designed by Herzog and de Meuran, this glass honeycomb structure also includes an underground warehouse with direct underground connection into the adjacent store. Although this is amazing during the day, it’s best seen at night, when lit up.

The building also benefits from a space around it, which is contrasting to most of Tokyo, further highlighting the design. Other surrounding statement buildings include Stephan Jaklitsch’s design for Marc Jacobs and the Cartier Building design from Bruno Moniard and Jun Mitsui & Associates.

www.omotesandohills.com/english