Life & Style, Issue 602

Grand Theft Auto IV

8 May 2008

Typical, isn’t it? You wait two years for the most anticipated videogame of all time and it turns out all wrong. What have Rockstar being doing with their time? The driving feels different. They’ve changed the shooting. And Liberty City is only a…

Property special - Beat the credit crunch

8 May 2008

If you are looking for a new mortgage, consider the issues around affordability, the tie-in period of the deal, the loan to value percentage available and other conditions. Do not focus on the published headline rate and assume that is the deal for you.

Property special - City guides

8 May 2008

EDINBURGH HOTSPOTS Leith How much: Average one bed £126,540; two bed £164,420 What: For better or worse, the Leith of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting is almost unrecognisable as new cafés, restaurants and bars jostle for space alongside the…

Property special - Do it yourself

8 May 2008

A survey by online listings company Gumtree found that nine out of ten people do not think estate agents justify their high fees, while 40% told the Office of Fair Trading they offer poor value for money. So the recent explosion of people deciding to…

Property special - Old versus new

8 May 2008

For many property buyers these days, draughty old flats in need of repair just won’t cut it. Luckily there are plenty of shiny new options available across Scotland’s central belt, from swanky waterfront developments such as Coalhill in Leith to sleek…

Property special - Rental guide

8 May 2008

Know what you want Where do you want to live and who with, if anyone? What are your expectations? Be realistic but don’t settle for something which, in a few weeks, won’t make the grade. Go it alone or agent Consider if you want to scour the…

Property special - Sarah Beeny offers some advice

Moving on up

8 May 2008

Sarah Beeny may have flirted with the idea of a different career path but property was definitely in her stars. ‘My father is an architect and I grew up around building sites so they didn’t seem daunting,’ she explains. As her then-boyfriend (now…

Eating & Drinking Guide Launch Party

8 May 2008

At Cabaret Voltaire, four excellent restaurants received Eating and Drinking Guide Best Newcomer awards, with two more receiving our inaugural Readers’ Awards in association with Taste of Edinburgh. Attendants sipped a range of refreshments courtesy of…

The Shore Bar & Restaurant

8 May 2008

Leith is one of those hologramatic places that’s both new and old at the same time, depending on which particular angle catches your eye. Weathered sandstone or flash flats, docking cranes or design studios, venerable eating spots and new Michelin…

Property special

8 May 2008

Though she may have started house-hunting before the credit crunch hit the headlines, it took a quick look at the property market to tell Michelle Davies, 29, a software engineer who had lived in a rented flat since arriving in Edinburgh from Australia…

Food For Thought

8 May 2008

Because of my job, I need to keep fit and flexible. If I ate too many crisps, I wouldn’t fit into my straitjacket anymore. Breakfast is Weetabix Minis and a cup of green tea. I never eat fruit; I’m allergic to bananas, melons and strawberries. If I eat…

Airline announces direct flight from JFK to Edinburgh

8 May 2008

Delta Airline has launched a new direct service from New York JFK to Edinburgh, with its inaugural flight taking to the skies last week. Tourist agency VisitScotland said the move would help raise Scotland's profile as a holiday destination.

Dumb Waiter - A guide to food terminology

8 May 2008

brochette skewer think kebab, but not that kind of kebab. bruschetta Italian toast, served with olive oil and tomatoes (rather than marmalade). capon castrated cockerel. caponata a Sicilian speciality of aubergines with tomatoes, olives…

Earthy Food Store

8 May 2008

Despite the very best and utterly wholesome intentions to stock up on organic cheeses at the weekly farmers’ market, or to take a drive to the country to buy veg with the soil still hanging off it, sometimes a long lie or a busy week gets in the way.

Hammer on the web

8 May 2008

The internet has irrevocably changed the way we consume media. ‘Instant’ has become standard and even institutions like the BBC have taken to OnDemand in a big way. Access to downloadable films old and new is increasing and, of course, piracy and…

Side Dishes

8 May 2008

The harlequin group of restaurants, best known for their curry houses, now have a second Spanish-themed tapas restaurant in their portfolio after Las Ramblas in Bearsden with the opening of Torres at 327 Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. Tapas dishes are…

Summer trends

8 May 2008

Blame Status Quo. Blame grunge. Above all, blame Christopher Kane’s continuing fascination with the clothes his babysitters wore circa 1989. But how will a summer full of bleached denim and ra-ra ruffles work on our streets? We ask the experts. . .

Take Three: Old favourites, new regimes

8 May 2008

A kitchen fire in late 2006 might have spelt the end of this venerable restaurant, but Ryan James, who was already running a brace of Two Fat Ladies restaurants in the city, took it on, enhanced many of the original features and coupled it up to his…

Taste Test - Muffins

8 May 2008

Blueberry muffin £1.65 •• Tinderbox, 14 Ingram Street and 189 Byres Road, Glasgow Flatters a bit to deceive this one, with its generous size and nicely shaped top, as well as the purpley-blue interior. When tasted, however, the actual fruit is…