mixing it up W style

Eclipse bar

drink it up…

As we welcome September in and bid farewell to the summer that, well, never was, we’re looking to the sleek and innovative folk over at W hotels as they shake things up for the autumn months.  From September 1^st step behind the Eclipse bar and enter a world that’ll delight the senses, as you embark on a mixology master class alongside the Eclipse Barcelona’s cocktail gurus.

Discover the secrets behind the world famous Watermelon Martini, W’s very own Venezuelan Mojito and the seductive Passion fruit Martini, trust us your Friday night cocktail parties will never be the same again.

Find out more about the W Hotels here

(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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an epic chat with charley boorman

Charley with his bike

on your bike…

Our brother website Epic Tomato caught up with actor and motorbike adventurer Charley Boorman just days before his latest expedition to Canada to find out what inspires him and what he hopes to learn from his upcoming journey…

And if you fancy a Canadian motorbike escapade of your own, live out your wildest Harley dreams in Québec. Click here to find out more…

What inspired you to go on these adventures, to travel and see as much as you have seen?

I think it was my Dad; he was a film director (producing works such as Deliverance and Point Blank) and would shoot all over the world from the South Pacific to South Carolina and Brazil. As a child I went everywhere with him and was always in his movies…I vividly remember dad’s stunt man  teaching me how to shoot a hand gun at age 4, leaning out of the window and shooting sign posts. I guess it was his way of getting a bit of free work…he used to say ‘if you go and sit over there I will give you a tricycle’. Becoming an adult I carried on making movies but was choosing them for location rather than for script. When I met my wife we went to Oz and Africa together to make films and this eventually led to making the TV shows. Now it’s my kids who come out to meet me wherever I am, from Cape Town to Kenya to Tokyo, I think it is really important to instil the travel ethos in kids.

How do you prepare for these kinds of trips, is there a routine that you follow?

(Jokingly) Aside from getting other people to do everything for you? (I am a great believer in delegation!)

When you do go on an adventure and film it, there are endless issues with visas, work permits, film permits etc…for example in Russia every region we travelled through required a separate letter of sponsorship to permit filming.

In terms of dealing with extreme cold or heat like you have had to in the past, is there anything that really gets you through it and enables you to cope?

When we trained with the ex-SAS guys for hostile environmental training, we were taught how to survive and react to border crossings (amongst loads of other things of course) and it was this in particular that I found so useful.

I reckon if you can survive all the preparation then the journey is easy. When you spend all that time and effort preparing for your journey not matter who you are or for how long you are going, it’s very easy to forget to enjoy it; you are always rushing towards your destination but at the end of the day does it matter if you make it that night…or you end up sleeping in the car?

The thing I have noticed over the years is that it’s not the things that that go off without a hitch you remember, it is the things that go wrong; the break downs, the ‘dodgy’ situations, the immigration officials demanding money off you and the ensuing arguments that really stick in your mind…

Is there anything you miss whilst you’re away…something you always take with you?

It’s funny, you fantasise about food a lot; travelling through Africa and Mongolia and all those sorts of places you find there is not much to eat and the food you can buy in shops is not that great, I guess because the indigenous population are so self-sufficient.

So it’s rations all round?

Yeah, a lot of the time we go for those gooey, orange boil in the bags … not very pleasant and it’s at times like those when I start really craving one meal in particular, and strangely enough it is one that I don’t even have that much at home; Bresaola…a dried beef Carpaccio with rocket, shavings of parmesan, olive oil and balsamic with a squeeze of lemon….it’s on my mind a lot oh as well as American hot pizza with extra cheese!

So you are off to Canada in the next few days and are planning to visit all the different provinces…

Yeah, we will be doing all sorts of different things from really fun extreme stuff to interacting with the indigenous Inuit of the north. It’s going to be interesting to just be in one country for once with much fewer language barriers yet massive contrasts between say the Northern provinces and over on the West Coast. I am particularly looking forward to going down to the border with Montana to the areas where there was prohibition to see the tunnels they used to smuggle the booze in from Canada.

Is there one particular thing you have you have learnt about yourself through all your travels?

When you are travelling, the mistakes you make tend to become more apparent so I always hope you can improve on them. I think I am much more tolerant now, I used to be very impatient; as a kid my nickname was short fuse but I think I have got a handle on that now.

I also now have huge faith in humanity; you hear terrible things about certain places; for example we went through Libya a few years ago…people’s impressions are of torture and tyranny but when you are there it is not nearly as bad…I am sure it all goes on, but we stopped in villages where we were made to feel incredibly at home and people were so friendly…the same in Egypt and Sudan…filled with some of the loveliest, beautiful people.

How did you find it riding through the deserts?

Hot! Really hot…but it’s great, it’s what you fantasize about when you are planning the trip; about being baking hot with tyre sets melting beneath your wheels.

It was brilliant at night, still baking hot, lying there in your little silk liner under just a mosquito net looking up at just the most incredible stars in a pitch black African night sky. Once we came off the road and made camp when it was dark, in the morning we woke up to find ourselves right in the middle of these 3 huge kilns that were used for making bricks out of mud…all we could see was a load of guys looking down at us and a whole lot of commotion.

What are you looking forward to most about Canada?

I am really keen to get up into the mountains and the wilderness. We have arranged a whole host of amazing activities including kayaking, heli-mountain biking and swimming with minke whales in Newfoundland tempered with some time with indigenous tribes whose ancient ways of living remain unchanged to the present day.

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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party on down the québecois way

Festival-d-ete-de-quebec

celebrate the good times…

It’s summertime and we love nothing better at Black Tomato than getting out and partying up a storm to satisfy our yearning for fun in the sunshine. This year we’ve set our sights on Canada’s magical province of Québec to check out its festival buzz and experience how it’s done, Quebecois style…

First stop, Montréal, and we know it’s the place to be, having just hosted its annual F1 Grand Prix at the state-of-the-art Gilles Villeneuve track. This year’s race was undoubtedly a classic with the high-octane drama culminating in a gripping win for British driver Jensen Button, and the teams and drivers already talking about a hotly anticipated rematch next year.

To calm the hearts of the race-goers, the world’s largest jazz festival brings a touch of bluesy peace to Montréal’s sun-kissed streets this June and July, with over 800 jazz concerts to groove to at the Quartier des Spectacles. Then alongside two million other guests, giggle yourself silly at Just for Laughs, with comedy galas, theatre, stand-up, and street entertainment all vying for a crack at your funny bone. Don’t forget to also check out the International Fireworks festival, where the mesmerising ‘Pyro-Musical’ will have you staring for hours into the night sky and also Québec’s legendary Summer Festival, when Québec City is transformed into the live music and entertainment capital of the world.

(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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the great singapore takeout…coming to a city near you

the take out van

Singapore International Culinary Exchange

Last night we enjoyed a sneak preview of the tempting treats on offer at the Singapore Takeout pop up restaurant which has parked up on London’s South Bank for the weekend. The first stop on its nine city tour, the Takeout van will be showcasing the tastiest morsels from Singaporean cuisine in Delhi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Sydney, just to name a few.

dumplings

This weekend and last night saw the culinary exchange of top Singaporean Chef Janice Wong of the 2am:dessertbar and London’s father of fusion food Peter Gordon from the Providores and Tapa Rooms. Busy behind the pop up kitchen the two chefs whipped up a menu of 6 delicious creations inspired by traditional Singaporean recipes. With beautifully presented dishes being offered around the room such as lemongrass infused dumplings, and a mouthwatering chilli chocolate mousse we were in foodie heaven.

Open to the public on Saturday the 11th of June on a first come first serve basis for those with a penchant for flavours from the East we highly recommend popping down. And if you happen to be reading this in New York, Delhi, or Sydney then watch this space…

Click here for more info…

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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beach awards 2011

Beach

Introducing the Beach Tomato Awards 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, let us reveal the first ever Beach Tomato Awards 2011 launched by our sister website, Beach Tomato. Naming the best in beach fashion, beach beauty and beaches around the world, the Beach Tomato Awards will showcase the best of the beach this year.

Combining the Beach Tomato team and industry experts to form a judging panel, June will be spent deliberating the 15 different categories to announce final winners on 28th June 2011.

Alongside a judging panel of industry experts this is your chance to cast your vote in the People’s Choice Award categories to nominate the places and products that make the world’s best beaches worth bragging about. Don’t forget to drop your email address when you vote for a chance to win a very special Beach Tomato goody bag.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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steve mccurry: exclusive

boy in bombay

click on the image above for more inspiring photos…

Clear those coffee tables, have we got a gem for you…

One of the most admired and talked about photo journalists of our generation; Steve McCurry the intrepid photographer has released his eagerly awaited limited edition collection showcasing his most poignant shots that have captured and intrigued the world over.

One only need mention that shot ‘the green eyed Afghan girl’, a haunting yet outstandingly beautiful example of how photography has the ability to conjure up emotions and surpasses our imaginations.  We all love to travel and this collection of shots is the closest thing to transporting you right there. Desk-side wanderlust, bring it.

With only 3,000 copies available this master piece published by Phaidon will be snapped faster than you can say cheese.

And you all you special friends of Black Tomato quote this code: BT20CP for 20% of the original price. Click here for more information.

Boy in mid Flight India

Procession of Nuns Burma

Kuchi Nomads Afghanista

Flower seller India

Pilgrim Tibet

Boy at festival India

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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from jakes to giants

young the giant

giants and men

Young The Giant are one of the latest summer-sound bands to hit our shores, coming to prominence on legendary music shows like BBC’s Later With Jools Holland, and have recently announced that they are to play at Chicago’s Loolapalooza festival, alongside luminaries like Muse, Foo Fighters, My Morning Jacket and Coldplay.

Following the release of their debut single, ‘Apartment’ in the UK earlier this year, one member, Francois, took some time out of the European tour to catch up with Ed Schofield…

How would you personally describe your music?

I always have a hard time pinning down what I think we sound like. For the most part, we try to keep our arrangements tight, energetic, and groovy.

So how did the band come about? Where did you all meet?

We all went to high school in the same school district and were each involved in the local music scene in some way or another. With the prospect of time spent at different universities looming, we decided to come together and see how much we could accomplish before heading our separate ways. Once we had all started taking full course loads, we realized it was still possible to pursue the band if we could adapt to using more unorthodox writing methods.

Having played shows with names such as Kings of Leon and Cold War Kids, there must be some amazing memories from your time so far as a band, What are some of your biggest highlights?

I don’t know that I speak for everyone, but a highlight for me was the first show of our first national tour with Minus the Bear. I had been a fan since early high school and there was a very surreal quality to the entire night. It really hit home for me that we were actually making a serious go at this thing.

Do you remember the point when you all realized this could well be more than a hobby?

I can’t say that there was a specific point when it all clicked. It was more of a chain of events over a few months (getting picked up by a management agency, playing with the Kings of Leon and getting some early interest from a few labels). After that, we realized that we needed to make a decision about whether or not we could continue devoting enough time to both school and the band in order to succeed in either.

Originally you were called The Jakes but changed to Young The Giant, what was the reason for the name change?

We felt as though the name “The Jakes” really didn’t reflect where we wanted to be musically. It seemed as though the writing process was becoming clouded by our own preconceptions about the band, some of which were focused on the name.

Where do you all draw your main inspirations from as a band when you’re writing, recording and creating ideas?

I think a lot of the inspiration comes from the earliest writing method we were comfortable with. For a while, we would cram ourselves into a practice space and jam until something cohesive emerged. Although it wasn’t perfect, there is something to be said about trying to merge five creative minds into a focused voice. Working with Joe Chiccarelli also taught us to listen to one another and to back out when someone else has a good idea.

We also listen to a lot of music together and try to analyze influences, tones and songwriting technique.

You guys lived together in a house in Newport Beach. Did you get a lot done in this time towards the band? There must have been a lot of parties and distractions all the time!

Our parents and management would probably like us to tell you that we were productive and deserving of our position of luxury by the Pacific. That would be a lie. Although we did spend most of our time lounging by the beach, drink in hand, we like to believe that the experience helped us in the creative process later on. Yeah, that sounds good.

What bands are you all listening to at the moment? Any recommendations for us?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Bowie and post-Beatles McCartney (Ram is a favorite of mine). LCD Soundsystem recently released a set of live sessions, which is pretty fantastic. Kanye is also pretty amazing.

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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on the grapevine…

the bellevue

cliffs of the Bellevue…

The honnies at Beach Tomato have thrown their Pucci towels down on the smooth sun-warmed shores of Stiniva Beach of Vis Island in Croatia’s sparkling string of islands that makes up the  Dalmatian Coast for #beachoftheweek. They told us that Hvar needed to take heed as this little island was steadily creeping out the shadows to emerge as this summer’s hottest destination. We whispered in their ear the locale of our favourite mainland Croatian bolthole, the Bellevue, in white hot Dubrovnik, as the ideal starting point before nipping off to the islands…

Now this is what friends are for…

See where else we’re headed this summer on our word of mouth tips.

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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just the tip of copenhagen’s gastronomic iceberg…

copenhagen

copenhagen hues

As the sun slow-baked the industrial courtyards of the Copenhagen’s burgeoning Meatpacking district last weekend, impromptu terraces unpacked in front of the modestly glamorous restaurants that have credited this city with a world heavy-weight title in ageless culinary excellence.

This town is indisputably a design-aficionados dream and the food served amidst this blue-and-white gallery district certainly doesn’t disappoint the eye.  At Pate Pate (Slagterboderne 1) we broke the yolk of a perfectly poached egg over a savoury polenta cake cushion and lingered over a main of snails and beef. Yep, it’s not a combination you find too often, but trust me, it works. The desert I managed to shield from the eager spoons of my fellow diners, a molten blueberry soufflé with perfect posture, lives on in my memory of finest non-celebratory suppers…

copenhagen

Copenhagen’s cocktail culture doesn’t lag too far behind its culinary counterparts. At the (deservedly) frequently cited canal-side Ruby (Nybrogade 10) a team of hand-son experts seamlessly blend the offerings from an exceptionally large spirit cabinet amidst ultra laid-back drawing-room surrounds.  Across the other side of town, the lesser-known neighbourhood bar Salon39 (Vodroffsvej 39, 1900 Frederiksberg) – partner property to the distinctly un-Danish and therefore locally-esteemed tiki bar Brass Monkey (Enghavevej 31) – takes mixology to a new (spirit) level with an elegant dimly-lit intimate space reached via a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it doorway. No. 39 that is.

Un-surprisingly, the Danish do nourishing brunches exceptionally well too. Ricco’s on Studiestræde 24 was our favourite for a late Saturday morning. The hand-made bolle that came stuffed-to-the-brim with local produce were just as the owner himself had assured us from behind the counter; not savoury nor sweet. On the food journey between my clasped hands and my mouth I pondered yet another sensual balancing act, and then I stopped pondering and took another big bite…

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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babbles top 25 for family travel

This is beach

life’s a beach…

Like a proud big brother we are happy to announce that our sister website Beach Tomato has been nominated for Babble’s Top 25 Travel Blogs For Families.

Click here and take a peek why…

(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)

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