Monthly Archives: October 2012

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive

Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive

Mercedes-Benz and AMG have been teasing us with the prospect of an all-electric supercar since the SLS AMG E-Cell concept broke cover in 2010.

Now at the Paris Motor Show, Mercedes has presented the public with an all-electric SLS that’s set to become the fastest production electric supercar in the world.
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Gold and silver mooncakes sell out in China

Mooncakes made of gold and silver are selling like hot cakes in China as gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival, reported Xinhua news agency last week.

gold mooncake

Sold in various weights of gold or silver, many of these mooncakes have reportedly sold out in the run-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 30.

Mooncakes, a traditional Chinese delicacy made of lotus seed paste, are given to family and friends in China as gifts to celebrate the Mid-Autumn harvest festival.

The Bank of Communications is reportedly selling a 500-gram gold mooncake at over 21,000 yuan (US$3340) while ICBC Bank is offering a gift box of two 50-gram gold mooncakes, inscribed with auspicious motifs and Chinese characters, for 47,620 yuan (US$6,820). The cheapest of ICBC Bank’s range of mooncakes is a mooncake made of silver that is priced at 850 yuan each (US$135).

Other banks that have also jumped onto the bandwagon include the China Merchant Bank, Bank of Communications and Agricultural Bank of China.

These gold mooncakes are usually purchased as gifts and customers must order at least two week in advance; the gifts are “usually not for families or friends.”

The Chinese are among the top consumers of gold in the world in recent years. Over the past year alone, the ratio of Chinese rich investing in gold jumped from 0.1 percent in 2011 to 11.5 percent in 2012.

Traditional mooncakes

joel robuchon mashed potatoes

World’s biggest vat of mashed potatoes

joel robuchon mashed potatoes

When the chef with the most Michelin stars in the world is asked to oversee the creation of the world’s biggest vat of mashed potatoes, there is no place for industrial-sized mixers or short cuts.

Because executing Joël Robuchon’s recipe for perfect mashed potatoes requires old-fashioned tools like a potato mill and lots of elbow grease.
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Banyan Tree Lijiang

Banyan Tree to develop luxury homes in China

Banyan Tree Lijiang

Singapore-based luxury resort chain Banyan Tree will develop its first luxury residential property in China, reported the South China Morning Post Wednesday.

Banyan Tree will launch the project in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, where the residential property is located in a suburb 45 minutes away from the city.
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2013 Lamborghini Gallardo

2013 Lamborghini redesigned Gallardo

2013 Lamborghini Gallardo

The Italian sportscar maker is showing off six new Gallardo models at this year’s Paris Motor Show (Sep 29-Oct 14), all of them boasting angular and trapezoidal lines.

The redesign of the new LP 560-4 and LP 570-4 Edizione Tecnica Gallardo models cements Lamborghini’s image as a supercar specialist.
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Club Signature lounge Sofitel So Bangkok

Christian Lacroix for Sofitel So Bangkok

Club Signature lounge Sofitel So Bangkok

The Sofitel So Bangkok hotel last week unveiled a new executive lounge designed by legendary French couturier Christian Lacroix. This 30-story hotel is the Sofitel group’s second So design boutique property following the Sofitel So Mauritius.
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Royal Suite Hotel Plaza Athenee

Plaza Athénée’s renovated Royal Suite

Royal Suite Hotel Plaza Athenee

The Hotel Plaza Athénée last month unveiled its renovated Royal Suite by interior designer Mari-José Pommereau.

The Royal Suite tops the list as the most spacious, luxurious and most expensive hotel suite in Paris. Rates in the Royal suite start from €20,000 per night.
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