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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Nigella Lawson reveals the 'must-visit' Sydney restaurant behind the 'most wonderful meal of my life'
The Sydney restaurant is a firm favourite among off-duty chefs and foodies The TV personality named her top dishes and has already vowed to return Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has shared a glowing review of a Sydney restaurant for serving 'the most wonderful meal of my life' - and has already vowed to return before she departs Australia. The visiting British food icon dined a week ago at Ester in Chippendale, a trendy restaurant headed up by chef Mat Lindsay that may be a hidden gem - not widely known among the general public but revered by off-duty chefs and serious foodies. The TV personality gushed about Ester for remaining 'unfailingly the most exciting kitchen in the world' after visiting the little-known hotspot with two friends. 'I had the most wonderful meal of my life. I know I say that every time I go to Ester (and it's always true) as each time is a fresh occasion for delight,' Nigella said. The 65-year-old specifically highlighted some of the restaurant's 'exceptional dishes', explaining that her dining experience commenced with 'impeccable' oysters to start. Also on the menu was the 'legendary fermented potato bread with salmon roe and beguiling jelly-topped kefir cream' - a signature dish renowned at the restaurant. Known for taking and sharing pictures of her meals, the culinary icon admitted she was 'too wrapped up in the conversation to photograph everything' that night, but said she did manage to capture some of her favourite dishes. Among the dishes were the 'madly good Sommerlad chicken dumplings - bulgingly plump and sensationally savoury in their rich, smoky broth'. Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has shared a glowing review of a Sydney restaurant for serving 'the most wonderful meal of my life' Nigella Lawson shared some of the standout dishes from her recent dining experience at Ester, specifically highlighting the 'impeccable oysters' (left) and 'exquisite pippies' (right) Nigella also called out the 'exquisite pippies' as a standout. The TV cook said the seafood dish was served in a 'liquid that tasted saltily like a gravy drunk on its own magnificent meatiness'. To round out the decadent meal, Nigella and her friends enjoyed a 'superbly elegant but winkingly bright crèpe caramel'. If her mouth-watering description of the dishes weren't proof enough, Nigella capped off her post by declaring that she had already made plans to return to the restaurant. 'Have already booked a table for my last night here before I fly back home, as this food is too good not to revisit,' she said. In addition to personally calling out and thanking specific Ester employees, Nigella added that 'everyone affiliated with this miraculous venture does it - and the whole of hospo - great honour, stamping every moment with memorableness and meaning'. The celebrity chef's glowing review also revealed that she'd dined at Ester in esteemed company – sharing the table with Australian novelists Helen Garner and Charlotte Wood. Charlotte, who's known for her novel The Natural Way of Things, replied to Nigella's post by describing the evening as 'a life highlight for several of us at that table'. 'Everything was incredible including star company,' Charlotte said. Nigella Lawson recently visited the award-winning restaurant Ester, which is known for its wood-fired modern Australian fare Nigella concluded her recent decadent dining experience at Ester with this 'superbly elegant but winkingly bright crèpe caramel' ReceipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi also responded to Nigella's post with an elongated: 'Yuuuuuummmm!!!' The beloved Australian food blogger also recommended that Nigella check out Ester's sister restaurant, Poly. 'Get everything on the smalls list,' Nagi advised. The high level of praise that Nigella heaped on Ester should hardly come as a surprise given that she'd previously named it a must-visit when she's in town. The British food icon told Gourmet Traveller earlier this year that the surprising yet delicious creations at Mat Lindsay's restaurant are 'extraordinary'. The award-winning restaurant is known for its relaxed yet stylish interiors and wood-fired modern Australian fare. The World's 50 Best Restaurants panel called it one of Sydney's hottest dining destinations, noting: 'The fit out is minimal, mood informal and selection of wood-fired small plates ruthlessly streamlined. Bag yourself one of the hottest seats in Sydney.' Ester offers an à la carte and set menu for lunch and dinner, with set menus only available on Saturday evenings, starting from $145 per person. The fermented potato bread served with salmon roe and kefir cream (pictured) is a signature dish at Ester Culinary icon Nigella Lawson has been frequenting a number of Sydney food institutions while she's in town, including Fratelli Paradiso, Sean's and Small's Deli Signature dishes include the woodfired oysters with chicken fat butter, the blood sausage sanga, and the fermented potato bread - a dish that chef Josh Niland previously described as a 'timeless masterpiece.' Since arriving in Oz, Nigella has been making the most of her visit by checking out several of Sydney's foodie hotspots. After landing in mid-May, her first port of call was to local institution, Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point. Sharing the details of her visit to social media, the British culinary queen revealed it was a personal tradition to make it her 'first stop in Sydney'. Nigella also paid a visit to North Bondi beachside restaurant Sean's, describing the venue as a 'perfect Sydney Sunday spot'. But it's not just upmarket dining venues that have caught the celebrity chef's attention. The Domestic Goddess also made a 'customary pilgrimage' to Small's Deli, a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop in Potts Point. There, she ordered a show-stopping sandwich called The Toto. Describing the 'outrageously good' sandwich, Nigella explained that it's 'spread with lemony butter bean purée and pesto, it's bulgingly stuffed with mortadella and mozzarella, exuberantly sprinkled with chopped toasted almonds, and topped with peppery rocket.' The question on every Sydney foodie's lips is: Which restaurant will Nigella show up to next?
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RI Republicans propose cutting renewable energy programs to reduce utility bills
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — House Republicans have announced a suite of bills cutting back renewable energy programs they say are driving up Rhode Islanders' energy bills. 'Far too often, the utility is painted as the villain, but many of these cost increases stem from legislative mandates — laws passed by the General Assembly that forced utilities to buy expensive energy or fund inefficient programs,' House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale said at a news conference Thursday. The bills, proposed just before the legislative deadline, would do everything from ending solar and wind projects to eliminating the energy efficiency charge. ALSO READ: RI lawmaker wants to cut back on clean energy to lower utility bills One bill would put a pause on net metering, which offers credits to renewable energy customers. 'Right now, solar customers are credited at the full retail rate for energy,' Chippendale said. 'They produce up to 125% of their usage. That's not market-based. It's an inflated rate that gets passed on to every single ratepayer in this state.' Some Democrats at the State House argue renewable energy costs are not the problem — profits are. Legislation proposed by state Rep. Meghan Cotter instead aims to curb the profit margins of utility companies. A spokesperson for Rhode Island Energy said the company has met with leaders from both parties. READ MORE: Expensive electric bills put RI clean energy policies into spotlight 'We welcome smart legislation that prioritizes a balance between reliability and affordability, and look forward to continuing to work with those members of the General Assembly who are committed to that same goal,' Caroline Prettyman wrote. Conversations have gotten louder in Rhode Island as residents continue to share stories of high utility bills. RELATED: Rhode Islanders shred utility bills at State House to protest rising costs 'The money should come back to Rhode Islanders through the profits that Rhode Island Energy is bringing in, instead of by rolling back green energy initiatives that are aimed to make our state better for, you know, not just right now, but 100 years to come,' said Zach Mezera with the Working Families Party. He believes the conversation about utility reform shouldn't be a partisan issue. 'Rhode Island Energy has a lot of money for marketing,' he said. 'They know that this is an issue that wedges right into the middle of the public. So for our part, we think they're trying to pit us left and right, young and old, pro green and anti green against each other.' 12 RESPONDS: Getting answers to your utility bill questions Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Mary Pickford speaks from another age
'Just let me go tell her you're here.' Former Matinee idol Buddy Rogers bounded by the winding staircase to the third floor of his Beverly Hills mansion and called to his wife of 37 years: 'Mary, darling. You have a visitor, pet.' There were murmurs upstairs. Then Rogers walked slowly down the white steps to his visitor beneath the portrait of Mary Pickford in the spacious living room. He shrugged and shook his head. 'Mrs. Rogers would like to see you, darling, but she's in the shower, dear.' The scene is usually the same whenever anyone calls on the admired queen of the silent films. She is either sleeping or in the shower, always 'unavailable.' Hundreds have been party guests of Buddy Rogers at fabled Pickfair in the last decade, but none has ever seen Miss Pickford. Even her stepson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., doesn't see her when he spends an occasional week in the guest cottage. One of her last interviews was in 1965—to an English silent film historian who has tried many times to see or phone her. But she is unavailable. Mary Pickford, who will be 80 in April, is upstairs in her bedroom in a self-imposed seclusion that has lasted nearly two decades. She was the first real movie star, a pioneer of the movie colony, coming to Hollywood when it was no more than a country village. She was America's Sweetheart of the early 20th century—famous for her golden Mary-Jane curls, dimpled chin and simple charm. They called her Goldilocks. Rogers—tanned, athletic and manicured at 68—shook his head affectionately. 'She just doesn't go out. But she's doing great, darling. I took her out for a drive last week, but she said it made her nervous and she wanted to go home.' Pickfair, 1974, is a museum—once called the 'White House of Hollywood'—where U.S. Presidents, foreign heads of state, financiers and famous authors paid court to Miss Pickford. Contemporary accounts of those gleaming parties come so vividly to mind while in the mansion that one can almost hear music and laughter, faint and incessant, from the garden and the cars going up and down the heart-shaped drive. In the old days, guests at Pickfair could ride horses through the mountains to the Pacific Ocean and pass only one house along the way. But time and progress have taken their toll on Pickfair. Only five of the original 15 acres remain. Five $150,000 homes were built on what used to be her vegetable garden. A china set that Napoleon gave Josephine in 1807 is locked inside a glass cabinet. The mansion property and artistic contents are valued at $2 million. The big rooms and high hallways are full of Frederic Remington paintings, early 18th-century antiques from Europe, Chippendale chairs and mirrors and Victorian tables. A sterling silver urn, given to Miss Pickford by the queen of Siam, is also in a glass case. Film awards—including the first Oscar for the best performance by an actress in sound—are scattered around. In almost every room as portraits of Miss Pickford staring down from the walls—at stages of her life from 18 to 59. Rogers points out every detail eagerly. 'Look here, darling.' He leads the visitor into the small 'Rodin Room,' named after Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), father of modern sculpture. There are his rare sketches of nude dancing women, which Miss Pickford bought almost half a century ago. Ultimately, Rogers confided, the visitor would get her audience with Miss Pickford after all —after a fashion. He dialed his wife on a house phone on a small table. 'Yes, darling, she's here,' he said. 'She's a young one, dear.' He handed over the phone. 'Mrs. Rogers wants to talk to you, sweet. She's so happy you're hear, darling.' Gusty Santa Ana winds slapped hard against Pickfair, howling loudly, rattling closed windows. 'Boy! If I were outside right now I'd feel like hen caught in a tornado,' Miss Pickford laughed. It was fresh and spontaneous laughter. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down as if each syllable were an arrangement of notes that would never be played again. Her voice was sad and lovely and grandmotherly, but with bright things in it. 'I just hopped out of the tub,' Miss Pickford said. 'I'd come down and chat with you but my hair isn't fixed. I'm afraid I'd have to get all dressed up for you.' She said she enjoys the privacy and rest long denied her after all the busy years in the public eye as one of the world's wealthiest and most beautiful women. 'Yes, I miss my career, certainly,' Miss Pickford said. 'But I feel I've earned this rest. I used to work from 6 in the morning until midnight—the actress by day, the producer by night! Ut was a struggle. I never had time to myself. 'This is the first time in my life without constantly being interrupted.' She did not specify what has intruded on her solitude for the last decade or more, but said she now goes nowhere—not to movies, nor to shows, nor out to dinner, nor even shopping. 'I've chosen this way of life for myself,' she said. 'I like my privacy.' She said she reads mysteries and newspapers, dictates, looks out of her bedroom windows at Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, listens to records and watches television. 'I'm reading all about the devil,' Miss Pickford confessed. 'I think all this exorcism business is a hoax. Buddy says the movie is scary and I don't like to be scared.' Rogers sat slumped in a nearby armchair watching, amused. Miss Pickford is aware she is different from other silent stars who have kept busy and still earn honors on stage and screen despite their ages. (Lilliam Gish, a close friend of 75, often appears in comedies as a little old lady. Gloria Swanson, the same age, is on Broadway and TV. Marlene Dietrich still does her famous songs at nightclubs and theaters at 74. (Mae West, 83, likes to stay public and recently judged a UCLA kissing contest. And Helen Hayes is starring in a new, prime-time TV series called Snoop Sisters. She's 73). It's been so long since I met the public,' she said. 'People are so nervous these days. I don't think people would have the patience to listen to me… 'I played little girls, you know. Actresses can't go on and on forever doing that type of role. I can't imagine Jack Benny being 80, can you? And yet he's kicking around all the time on TV. Women can't get away with that like men can. 'Although I often dream I am before the cameras again. The other night, I imagined myself in a long shot and wondered if I should not redo my hair for it…' She paused, then said musingly, 'I have several pretty house dresses. I could throw one on and come down and talk to you… but I'm too lazy.' Damn… Some who have not seen Miss Pickford for years guess that time has not been kind to her. But her business manager, Matty Kemp, 64, describes her as having the 'beautiful skin of a baby.' She's 5-foot-1 and very slim. 'She keeps her hair blonde and has that same winsome smile that everyone remembers,' Kemp said. 'You can't detect a wrinkle on her face.' Two favorite friends of Miss Pickford are Miss Gish and Mildred Loew (producer Adolph Zukor's daughter). They visit Miss Pickford once a year when they are in town. Miss Pickford has not viewed her films for 25 years. They have been shown only twice in the United States since they were locked up in vaults at Bekins and Producers Film Center in Hollywood in 1933. There they have sat, deteriorating with time. Miss Pickford wanted it that way. She is one of the few stars who owns and controls her films. Just recently she was persuaded not to order her films burned at her death. She had not wanted to be compared with today's actresses. 'I always thought of myself as an entertainer for my own generation,' she explained. 'That was all that counted. It was Lillian Gish who convinced me that the films belong to the public and that I had no right to destroy them.' So the Mary Pickford Foundation, run by Kemp, has spent about $260,000 to preserve and restore the films. (Some foreign countries have copies of her movies and show them at special screenings). Some will be shown this month at film festivals honoring Miss Pickford throughout Europe. Her managers want to test the reaction of other countries before they consider showing them in the United States. She wants to attend the Paris tribute. 'I'm longing to see Paris again. I got my warmest reception there long ago. I wonder if their reactions to me would be the same. Did you know that I can speak straight French for a half an hour?' If she goes, it will be her first public appearance since 1965, when she visited Europe. In the early 1970s, England and France had film tributes for Miss Pickford. There were parades in London and Paris and thousands of people lined the streets to get a glimpse of her. They shouted for her autograph and locks of her hair. But Miss Pickford was not there. At the last minute, she stayed at Pickfair. Rogers went alone and waved to the crowds for her. She still misses producer D.W. Griffith. 'No one came close to him,' she said. 'He mastered the close-up, the fade-out. No one ever called him David because everyone had the greatest respect for him. He was always Mr. Griffith.' Miss Pickford also spoke fo Douglas Fairbanks Sr., her second husband. They were considered the world's most romantic couple. In films, Fairbanks was the dashing hero who could dispose of 20 adversaries in a running fight. According to Miss Pickford, he was exuberant and often did handstands or leapt over sofas to amuse friends. 'Because he had never outgrown a small boy's penchant for showing off, he was rarely referred to as Douglas or Mr. Fairbanks,' she said. 'It was always Doug.' She sighed and her voice became sad. 'I got word that my beloved cameraman Charles Rosher died in Portugal. He was a master, too.' Another pause. 'He once said, 'I'm not going to shoot this film because there's a shadow on Miss Pickford's face.' I said, 'Charlie, what does it matter?' But he insisted. He was so loyal. I don't know where to send word to his wife.'Miss Pickford said she was appalled by Watergate. 'I can't see any individuals destroying this country,' she said, vehemently. 'The United States is supposed to be the leader of the world and some punks are letting it go to the ashcan. We obviously need some housecleaning.' (She was a big contributor to President Nixon's reelection campaign, according to Kemp. During World War I, she also sold $48 million worth of Liberty Bonds for the United States. (The government wanted her to make war propaganda films then, but she would make only humorous ones. One showed her riding a horse down San Fancisco's Market St., her golden curls flying in the breeze, leading the 143rd Field Artillery shipward to France.) Of today's stars, Miss Pickford said she is most impressed with Katherine Hepburn and Liza Minelli. But her favorite remains Shirley Temple. 'Oh, she was the cutest baby,' she said. 'She had more talent than anyone. Too bad she had to retire, but she left us with a lot of beautiful memories.' She added that there were no actors she was particularly fond of. 'Nope. None since Gable,' she said. There was another deep sigh. Rogers seized on the silence to draw the conversation to a close. 'She's doing great, darling, but I don't want to tire her out,' he said. Miss Pickford's voice started to trail away. 'It was nice talking to you,' she said. 'Maybe I'll see you someday…'
New York Post
04-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
550 Madison Ave. — maybe Midtown's most coveted office location — now nearly 100% leased
A global holding company with $22 billion in managed assets has claimed what might be Midtown's most coveted, crown-jewel office location. Aquarian Holdings LP signed a lease with landlord Olayan Group's 550 Madison Ave. for the landmarked 'Chippendale' tower's 75,000 square-foot, three-level penthouse, Realty Check has learned. It brings the 750,000 square-foot trophy to about 96% leased. 4 550 Madison Ave., above, was purchased for $1.4 billion in 2016 by Olayan, which reimagined and retooled the building's office floors and lobby for 21st century tenants. Google maps Olayan bought the pink granite tower for $1.4 billion in 2016 when it was vacant and upgraded it for at least $300 million more. The company redesigned the lower-floors facade and enlarged retail windows under the watchful eye of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The office floors and lobby were comprehensively re-imagined and systems re-tooled for 21st century tenants. The repositioning also includes a new, block-long, glass-canopied pedestrian arcade and garden between East 55th and East 56th streets. 4 Aquarian Holdings LP founder Rudy Sahay aquarianlp The Philip Johnson- and John Burgee-designed building is home to marquee-name tenants including Chubb Ltd., which was the first to sign on for 240,000 square feet; private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice, with 144,000 square feet; and Hermes for its 72,000 square-foot US headquarters. A source said only the 22d floor and a small prebuilt section of the 34th floor remain available. On the retail side, Simon Kim's Gracious Hospitality Group leased 550 Madison's northern ground-floor corner, leaving only the south-end retail corner yet to be claimed. 4 Some of 550 Madison's 303,500 square feet in office space has been leased for more than $100 per square foot since the pandemic. CBRE/Olayan The tower's leasing performance has been epic. Since we wrote in November 2021 that 550 Madison was regarded as a 'bellwether' for the office market, which was struggling back from the pandemic, some 303,500 square feet of the offices went for more than $100 per square foot — perhaps the city's highest percentage of C-note deals at a single property. Aquarian, currently based at 40 10th Avenue in Chelsea, was founded by Rudy Sahay, who previously co-founded real estate firm 54 Madison Partners and was a founding member of Guggenheim Partners. 4 The entrance to 550 Madison Ave. Getty Images Aquarian recently formed a joint venture with Raven Capital Management, a music industry investment fund. It also announced the creation of Aquarian Insurance Holdings, a shared structure for the company's reinsurance and retail insurance businesses.
Daily Record
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
King Charles' Dumfries House to introduce parking charges for visitors 'from further afield'
King Charles III's Dumfries House estate is set to start charging non-locals for parking later this year Parking charges will be introduced at King Charles III 's Dumfries House estate later this year but free parking for local people will be maintained. Plans announced by The King's Foundation would see a "nominal car parking charge" introduced but only for people "travelling to visit the estate from further afield". A public consultation has been launched on Wednesday, April 23, to establish the level of the charge and the "generous" local radius for free parking at the Palladian house, near Cumnock, East Ayrshire. Permits will be issued to local residents to allow them to park free of charge as The King's Foundation want to ensure that the estate's public spaces including gardens, woodlands and playparks are accessible for locals. They have also reassured visitors - both regulars and not - that the estate's public spaces will remain free for everyone. All revenue raised from car parking charges is set to be invested into the maintenance and development of visitor facilities, education programmes and the estate's green spaces. Members of the public will be able to put forward their views until Sunday, May 18, with three key questions being asked - who should continue to benefit from free parking and how should revenue from car parking be invested and how much is a reasonable charge for a day's car parking? The King's Foundation have said that the charges will help them to "continue protecting and developing the 2000-acre estate for the benefit of local people". Those interested in finding out more about the plans can also go to the estate's Visitor Centre between Monday, May 5 and Sunday, May 18. To have your say on the proposals, visit Dumfries House, which was purchased by King Charles III in 2007, is the headquarters of The King's Foundation. Last year, the estate welcomed more than 280,000 visitors from all over the world and 10,000 people benefitted from education and training programmes on the estate. The House displays one of the largest collections of Chippendale furniture in the world, as well as hosting special events and weddings throughout the year and providing employment for nearly 250 people.
