The Saké Handbook by John Gauntner – review
Saké has become more popular than ever in both restaurants and bars. One can find good quality saké by the bottle and made into cocktails,...
Four Emperors and an Architect – history review
This book is bound to appeal to anyone with a love of what they assume to be, and indeed what has become, classic English architecture....
Train2e@t Local Foodbook – Kuala Lumpur by Danny Chen – review
Danny Chen is the author of Train2e@t, this small yet deliciously stuffed book. He is the complete modern man, being a lover not only of...
Thomas Jefferson’s Crème Brûlée by Thomas J. Craughwell – review
We all know the name and his impeccable political credentials (he was an American Founding Father and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence;...
The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer – review
There will be many UK readers who will remember Lesley Downer not for her books, although there have been many, but for her enlightening and...
Tasting India by Christine Manfield – review
I enjoy almost every book that crosses my desk (now a uni-leg computer stand from a Swedish lifestyle emporium). Some are simple but informative volumes,...
Singapore Top Ten – Eyewitness Travel – guidebook review
It might sound like a very narrow perspective – Singapore Top Ten. Is that a list of the ten most exciting attractions? Or is it...
1000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz – review
Travel – it’s like a drug. If you have never travelled then perhaps you can’t understand why anybody would. Home is cosy, safe and you...
Serene Gardens by Yoko Kawaguchi – review
What vision do we have when we think of Japan? Well, in truth there will likely be a few images. If we are into anime...
Furoshiki – The art of wrapping with fabric by Kumiko Nakayama-Geraerts – review
Furoshiki is an ancient practice that seems to be very trendy now in Europe. I first came across it when a friend arrived from Marseille....
Raghu Rai’s Delhi – book review
Raghu Rai may not be a name familiar to you unless you are a photography professional. He has, however, had a career which has been...
India – The Ultimate Sights, Places, and Experiences – book review
India is large, colourful, and sumptuous, and any other superlatives you care to mention. It’s a luxurious encyclopaedia of the subcontinent and covers pretty much...
The Sari by Mukulika Banerjee – review
This wasn’t, to be honest, what I expected. It has a bright and evocative picture on the front cover but this isn’t a book about...
Food of Japan by Shirley Booth – review
It’s the winner of a Japan Festival Award ‘for outstanding achievements in furthering the understanding of Japanese culture in the United Kingdom’ in 2000. In...
Maharaja – The Spectacular Heritage of Princely India – review
Thames and Hudson are famed for their high-quality books and this is another fine example of the style of book we have come to expect....
Gardens of Delight – Indian Gardens Through the Ages – review
We British tend to think that we invented gardens and the concept of those spaces as areas of leisure. English gardens are mimicked the world...
India – One Man’s Personal Journey Round the Subcontinent – review
This is a unique perspective from a west London lad who takes a voyage of discovery, a voyage to discover heritage, roots, amazing differences and...
Made in India by Kaleem Winata – review
My passion for Indian art started in the 1960s when UK shops were filled with all manner of Asian textiles, pictures and ornaments. These were...
Japan – Eyewitness Travel – book review
You can travel to many countries and get by without a guidebook. You might get lost, you might wish you had the address of a...
Arabian Flavours – Recipes and Tales of Arab Life by Salab Jamal – review
We have not had great exposure to Arab cuisine in Britain. Our connections to that region have never been as close as, say, those we...