Latest news with #Itsu
Scottish Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
90s music legend leaves restaurant stunned after blowing hundreds on luxury sushi order after epic UK gigs
Singer loved the restaurant so much he put in a second order the following day RAW DEAL 90s music legend leaves restaurant stunned after blowing hundreds on luxury sushi order after epic UK gigs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BACK in his Nineties pomp, Robbie Williams was fuelled by a diet of drugs and alcohol. Nowadays things are very different – with the teetotaller instead preferring to gorge on high-class sushi to get through his gigs. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 Robbie Williams feasts on high-class nosh to get through his gigs Credit: Alamy 7 Robbie splashed hundreds on sushi from Bath's Robun restaurant Credit: Getty I've been told Robbie splashed hundreds of pounds on fancy nosh from Bath's Robun restaurant ahead of his two shows in the city over the weekend. He put in one order for himself and his crew on Friday afternoon for a feast including salmon sashimi, abura-age tofu nigiri and vegetable futomaki. And the Let Me Entertain You singer loved the Japanese restaurant – which features in the Michelin Guide – so much that he put in a second order, worth a hefty £278, the following day. Robbie played to sell-out crowds at the city's Royal Crescent, with a total of 30,000 fans watching him across the two nights. A source said: 'The order was put in under Robbie's name, but a member of his crew came to collect it. "Robbie and his whole team really enjoyed the food.' A spokesman for the restaurant said: 'We did receive a significant special order for collection on both Friday and Saturday.' You can't blame the star for treating himself to a healthy dinner before smashing it on stage. And all that fancy grub frankly sounds far better than my basic Itsu order. Robbie Williams kisses fan in Murrayfield crowd as he belts out Sunshine on Leith DEMI THE NEWLYWET MARRIED life looks good on newlywed Demi Lovato, as she sported striped swimmers for a honeymoon dip in the sea. Demi, who tied the knot last month in California, is holidaying with musician partner Jordan Lutes – who performs under the name Jutes – on French Polynesian paradise isle Bora Bora. 7 Demi Lovato stuns in striped swimmers for a honeymoon dip in the sea Credit: instagram 7 Demi with musician partner Jordan Lutes Credit: instagram 7 Demi and hubby Jordan enjoy a romantic dinner on the beach Credit: instagram Judging by her Instagram photos, they had the best time ever. It looked like she practically lived in a bikini the entire time – including when they hired jetskis. They also enjoyed a romantic dinner on the beach, as each of them wore floral garlands. Here's hoping real life back home in the States will be just as fun. KELLY: 'THERE'S NO JUNK IN MY TRUNK ON TOUR' STEREOPHONICS frontman Kelly Jones has revealed he's axed junk food and booze from his tour rider – after his jeans stopped fitting. The Handbags And Gladrags singer told Bizarre he's now more likely to ask for some weights to pump iron than lager and pizza. 7 Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones has axed junk food and booze from his tour rider Credit: Splash Speaking ahead of the band's Isle of Wight lead festival slot this weekend Kelly, inset, said: 'The Nineties were crazy – a totally different social situation. It's like another planet now. 'I think there are some things on our rider that are still the same as back then – because nobody has bothered to change it. 'There's always beer and wine. It used to be 12 boxes of pizza and a crate of lager. But when your jeans stop fitting you, you've got to get that right – those requests doesn't work at 50!' Hinting he's all about home-grown organic grub, the singer added: 'Let's say the takeaway order at the end of the night is a little more extravagant and healthier these days. 'Now there's more gym gear backstage – that was definitely not there in the Nineties. 'Like a weight bench and stuff. It sits there – it gathers clothes a lot. 'We all still travel on the bus together, we all still go out for dinner together, we go for a drink after together. "Thankfully, we all get on – not every band does – and we've had the same crew for 25 years, so it's a family-orientated vibe.' I try to be tucked up in bed as early as possible even at festivals, and I'm in my 30s, so I can relate. LIZ AND BILLY TOP OF BILL LIZ HURLEY has brought her boyfriend back to Blighty, as she stepped out on a red carpet here with Billy Ray Cyrus for the first time. The couple posed at the Royal Academy of Dance fundraising evening in Mayfair's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where she dazzled in a cream, sleeved dress. 7 Liz Hurley steps out on the red carpet with Billy Ray Cyrus for the first time Credit: Getty Achy Breaky Heart singer Billy wore a black suit and, for some reason, had his hair in pigtails. He had already met Liz's son Damien, but Billy's trip to the UK means that he can also now meet her extended family. Though if he wants to impress them, he really ought to ditch that hairstyle. THE second Wicked film might not be completed until just weeks before its November release, judging by the latest update. Filming wrapped in January 2024 although the cast were called back for extra scenes – and now composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz has said the soundtrack for Wicked: For Good is yet to be recorded. He admitted: 'This is crunch month.' AVA MAX is hitting the UK for one night only to celebrate her album, Don't Click Play, following its release on August 22. Last night, she announced a tour of the US and Europe, including a stop at the O2 Academy Brixton on October 25. I'm sure the singer will be encouraging plenty of early Halloween costumes in her crowd.
The Irish Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
90s music legend leaves restaurant stunned after blowing hundreds on luxury sushi order after epic UK gigs
BACK in his Nineties pomp, Robbie Williams was fuelled by a diet of drugs and alcohol. Nowadays things are very different – with the teetotaller instead preferring to gorge on high-class sushi to get through his gigs. Advertisement 7 Robbie Williams feasts on high-class nosh to get through his gigs Credit: Alamy 7 Robbie splashed hundreds on sushi from Bath's Robun restaurant Credit: Getty I've been told Robbie splashed hundreds of pounds on fancy nosh from Bath's Robun restaurant ahead of his two shows in the city over the weekend. He put in one order for himself and his crew on Friday afternoon for a feast including salmon sashimi, abura-age tofu nigiri and vegetable futomaki. And the Let Me Entertain You singer loved the Japanese restaurant – which features in the Michelin Guide – so much that he put in a second order, worth a hefty £278, the following day. Robbie played to sell-out crowds at the city's Royal Crescent, with a total of 30,000 fans watching him across the two nights. Advertisement A source said: 'The order was put in under Robbie's name, but a member of his crew came to collect it. "Robbie and his whole team really enjoyed the food.' A spokesman for the restaurant said: 'We did receive a significant special order for collection on both Friday and Saturday.' You can't blame the star for treating himself to a healthy dinner before smashing it on stage. Advertisement Most read in Bizarre And all that fancy grub frankly sounds far better than my basic Itsu order. Robbie Williams kisses fan in Murrayfield crowd as he belts out Sunshine on Leith DEMI THE NEWLYWET MARRIED life looks good on newlywed Demi Lovato, as she sported striped swimmers for a honeymoon dip in the sea. Demi, who tied the knot last month in California, is holidaying with musician partner Jordan Lutes – who performs under the name Jutes – on French Polynesian paradise isle Bora Bora. 7 Demi Lovato stuns in striped swimmers for a honeymoon dip in the sea Credit: instagram Advertisement 7 Demi with musician partner Jordan Lutes Credit: instagram 7 Demi and hubby Jordan enjoy a romantic dinner on the beach Credit: instagram Judging by her Instagram photos, they had the best time ever. It looked like she practically lived in a bikini the entire time – including when they hired jetskis. They also enjoyed a romantic dinner on the beach, as each of them wore floral garlands. Advertisement Here's hoping real life back home in the States will be just as fun. KELLY: 'THERE'S NO JUNK IN MY TRUNK ON TOUR' STEREOPHONICS frontman Kelly Jones has revealed he's axed junk food and booze from his tour rider – after his jeans stopped fitting. The Handbags And Gladrags singer told Bizarre he's now more likely to ask for some weights to pump iron than lager and pizza. 7 Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones has axed junk food and booze from his tour rider Credit: Splash Advertisement Speaking ahead of the band's Isle of Wight lead festival slot this weekend Kelly, inset, said: 'The Nineties were crazy – a totally different social situation. It's like another planet now. 'I think there are some things on our rider that are still the same as back then – because nobody has bothered to change it. 'There's always beer and wine. It used to be 12 boxes of pizza and a crate of lager. But when your jeans stop fitting you, you've got to get that right – those requests doesn't work at 50!' Hinting he's all about home-grown organic grub, the singer added: 'Let's say the takeaway order at the end of the night is a little more extravagant and healthier these days. Advertisement 'Now there's more gym gear backstage – that was definitely not there in the Nineties. 'Like a weight bench and stuff. It sits there – it gathers clothes a lot. 'We all still travel on the bus together, we all still go out for dinner together, we go for a drink after together. "Thankfully, we all get on – not every band does – and we've had the same crew for 25 years, so it's a family-orientated vibe.' Advertisement I try to be tucked up in bed as early as possible even at festivals, and I'm in my 30s, so I can relate. LIZ AND BILLY TOP OF BILL LIZ HURLEY has brought her boyfriend back to Blighty, as she stepped out on a red carpet here with The couple posed at the Royal Academy of Dance fundraising evening in Mayfair's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where she dazzled in a cream, sleeved dress. 7 Liz Hurley steps out on the red carpet with Billy Ray Cyrus for the first time Credit: Getty Advertisement Achy Breaky Heart singer Billy wore a black suit and, for some reason, had his hair in pigtails. He had already met Liz's son Damien, but Billy's trip to the UK means that he can also now meet her extended family. Though if he wants to impress them, he really ought to ditch that hairstyle. THE second Wicked film might not be completed until just weeks before its November release, judging by the latest update. Advertisement Filming wrapped in January 2024 although the cast were called back for extra scenes – and now composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz has said the soundtrack for Wicked: For Good is yet to be recorded. He admitted: 'This is crunch month.' AVA MAX is hitting the UK for one night only to celebrate her album, Don't Click Play, following its release on August 22. Read more on the Irish Sun Last night, she announced a tour of the US and Europe, including a stop at the O2 Academy Brixton on October 25. Advertisement I'm sure the singer will be encouraging plenty of early Halloween costumes in her crowd.
Press and Journal
11-06-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Itsu in Union Square to make a comeback as reopening date revealed
The Aberdeen branch of Itsu is to reopen after its sudden closure earlier this year. The Union Square restaurant closed to customers in January after the franchisee went into administration. And the unit has remained empty, with signs on the windows explaining the issues with the lease and ownership that forced it to close. Itsu's Aberdeen branch was owned by Heart With Smart (HWS), which also owns Pizza Hut and was sold following a deal to save several restaurants across the UK. Now, however, it has been confirmed that Itsu is making a comeback to the Granite City. Staff have been spotted in the restaurant after months of inactivity, preparing for the reopening. Job adverts have also been advertised, seeking team members for the brand's Union Square branch. The restaurant will open its doors once again on Friday July 4, at 11am. This will be great news for fans of Itsu's Asian-inspired food. The menu includes favourites such as gyozas, ramen, dumplings and soups.
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘A fundamental right': UK high street chains and restaurants challenged over refusal to accept cash
Major high street chains and restaurants, including Gail's bakery, Itsu and Zizzi, are being challenged by campaigners over their refusal to accept cash after a jump in consumers turning to notes and coins for daily spending. Following a steady decline in cash payments over the last decade, consumer groups says the cost of living crisis has seen more people turning to the traditional payment method for day-to-day spending. In 2023, 1.5 million adults in the UK were using cash for daily spending, a four-year high. Ron Delnevo, chair of the Payment Choice Alliance, which campaigns for the long-term future of cash services, said it was 'completely unacceptable' that some stores were rejecting cash. The alliance wants new laws similar to those in some other countries requiring organisations and retailers to accept cash. 'The vast majority of the public want cash to be honoured as a payment,' he said. 'These businesses are letting down the public.' Delnevo said a survey conducted by YouGov in June 2023 on behalf of the alliance revealed that 71% of British adults would support a legal requirement for businesses to accept cash. Gail's, which has more than 150 stores, says going cashless has 'environmental benefits' in eliminating the need for cash collection and delivery. Itsu, which promotes 'affordable, nutritious food' rolled out cashless payments after a successful trial, and Zizzi says it only accepts card and contactless payments for the 'smoothest and fastest' payment experience. The coffee and bakery chain Pret a Manger has piloted cashless outlets but still accepts cash in most of its 490 shops in the UK. It found the cashless service was faster but decided against a wider roll-out in favour of customer choice. The Treasury select committee is expected to report shortly on its inquiry into whether there is any need to regulate or mandate the acceptance of cash. An early day motion tabled in parliament last month calls for the government to implement legislation to require all businesses in the UK to accept cash, but ministers have said they have no plans to mandate the acceptance of cash. The motion highlights concerns at the 'rapidly increasing trend for UK businesses, local authorities and leisure facilities, including those supported by taxpayer funding, to refuse to accept cash for payments'. Car parks, train buffets and leisure centres are among the services that have gone cashless. Kate Osborne, the Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, who has signed the early day motion, said: 'It is a fundamental right that people should be able to use cash as a legal tender. When you are trying to budget, particularly if you are on a low income, cash is a simple way of doing it. I understand that many people are not using cash much of the time, but there should be choice for all. 'We are seeing more and more retailers offering card-only payments, and it causes problems in constituencies like mine where we've got a high number of people who are digitally excluded or may choose not to do electronic banking.' Osborne said that cash can be more convenient. 'I've been on trains before and the system [for the buffet] has gone down and they can't take cash,' she said. 'You could be on a train for three or four hours, and you can't even buy a cup of tea.' Use of cash has fallen dramatically in the last decade, from more than half of payments in 2009 to about 12% in 2023. Yet it is still the second most frequently used method of payment in the UK after debit card. Cash accounted for 6bn payments in 2023, with the number of people who mainly use cash rising from about 900,000 in 2022 to 1.5m in 2023, according to figures from the trade association UK Finance. Ajay Banga, now president of the World Bank, revealed the roadmap of the finance industry in 2017 when, as chief executive of Mastercard, he stated in an interview: 'My enemy is cash.' The international finance industry now faces resistance over its eagerness for cashless transactions. Sweden has been at the forefront of countries moving towards a cashless society, with the New York Times reporting in 2018 that about 4,000 Swedes had implanted microchips in their hands to pay for travel or food, or enter keyless offices. Mounting cyber crime and the rising threat from Russia have led to a rethink, with residents now advised to keep enough cash at home for at least one week. While cash can help provide resilience in the event of an attack or collapse in the financial system, many consumers also turn to coins and notes for budgeting. A system known as 'cash stuffing' – using envelopes for different categories of spending – has racked up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok, but security experts advise against keeping large amounts of cash at home. May Fairweather, a financial coach and executive director at the nonprofit organisation Talk About Money, said the financial industry wanted 'frictionless' purchases because it made it easier for people to spend money. 'Cash adds friction, and that can be a good thing,' she said. 'It gives people time to think and time to make proper decisions.' She also said thatnotes and coins remind people trying to budget that money is 'finite'. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says that about 3 million people continue to rely on cash, even as digital payments become more popular. It introduced rules last September requiring banks and building societies to ensure reasonable access to cash withdrawal and deposit services. A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We recognise that cash continues to be used by millions across the UK. While we have no plans to mandate cash acceptance, individual businesses can decide which payment methods they accept, and new rules introduced by the FCA support those that do want to continue accepting cash by enabling business to make deposits.' Gail's, Itsu and Zizzi have been contacted for comment.
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- Telegraph
I sampled Michelin-starred food in Japan – but it's the egg mayo sandwiches I'll remember
Presented in a beautiful, layered black box tied up with a ribbon, my first meal in Japan arrived in style. However, as I unfolded the trays of lovingly prepared food, it was as I suspected it might be: lots of raw fish. And, er… other stuff, some of it yellow and slimy. The guest next to me was impressed: 'This is exactly what I was looking forward to – a proper Japanese breakfast.'' I did not say 'this is exactly what I was dreading', but that would have been true. What I know about Japanese food could be written on the back of a receipt from Itsu – but look, I was giving it a go. I had flown down from Tokyo to Fukuoka, Japan's sixth-largest city. Fukuoka is on Kyushu Japan's third-largest – and most southerly – island and has a growing reputation for its cuisine. It had been a long journey and although I had a fantastic room in the Ritz Carlton, I was somewhat baffled by it. The bathroom consisted of two glass boxes inside each other, all of it which could be screened off. The design was superb, but it took me a while to figure out how to actually get inside it. Prior to breakfast the only thing I had eaten since my arrival were some enormous strawberries left for me in my room. Grown locally, they could have rivalled anything from Kent. Fukuoka, which means 'happy hills', is not on the usual Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka circuit. It is, however, regularly cited as being one of the best places to live in Japan. After a couple of days there, I began to see why. It's walkable – unlike the massive sprawl of Tokyo – and the people are friendly; there are beaches and plenty of green space. There are lots of little bars, some fabulous modern architecture, plus a museum full of Buddhist statues, Miro and Dali. And then there's the food. On my first evening I dined at Yamaya Sohonten Zen in the Shirokane area of the city, a glass-walled restaurant supervised by Zaiyu Hasegawa, a leading figure in contemporary Japanese cuisine whose goal is to highlight Kyushu's food culture. Chef Abe Daishero was at the helm and everything looked very pretty – although I was not entirely clear what a lot of it was. A smiley face cut into a tiny piece of carrot? The claypot rice was a thing of beauty, each grain glistening gem like, but my favourite dish was a kind of deconstructed mackerel sushi, with lotus root tempura. It was all quite a contrast to Yoruzu, a tea and sake house in the Akasaka area of the city, which I visited to sample its pairings of teas and wagashi (Japanese sweets). The menu – served in a small, dark zen space – was based around a low-key performance by the owner Suguru Tokobusi, who serves his teas in different temperatures from a kettle he designed himself, in what feels like a modern tea ceremony. His assistants bustle around in white coats, which adds to the strangeness. I didn't actually like the very strong tea – I guess this is like the different roasts of coffee – but I liked Tokobusi very much. He handed me a bowl that was 400 years old and told me to hold the decoration away from myself; he pointed out that the bowl had a deliberate imperfection, as all things must. One could sense the underlying philosophy at work here. It reminded me of Leonard Cohen's line: 'There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.' There was something very moving about the care involved in all this. Tokobusi laughed at me because I really loved a smoked radish morsel he served, saying that it indicated I was a woman who likes 'hard liquor'. Some kind of psychic, surely? The following day I bowed and made a wish at the local Jotenji temple near the Mikasa river, with its mad cartoonish entrance of a pink smiling face. But mostly I wished my stomach didn't feel quite so weird. My next meal was lunch at Sushi Gyoten. It's a tiny little place that could seat no more than about eight customers at a time, all perched around one table while Kenji Gyoten himself works its magic. No wonder he has three Michelin stars. As he placed a huge hairy crab that was still alive on the counter, I felt as if I was watching a master at work. He followed that with a slab of tuna as big as a side of beef, explaining all the different cuts. I tried some creamy puffer fish (they can be poisonous, but I trusted him not to kill me). The meal felt like a complete experience because he is an artist: each piece of sushi was an improvisation created as he responded both to the ingredients and to the people in front of him. Without question, this is dining as an elevated, astonishing experience. Having said all that, the place I really enjoyed my food the most was at the yatai (mobile food stalls) that Fukuoka is famous for. These pop-ups – each one taken down during the day and put up at night by the Naka river – are polythene shacks where you are crammed on a bench while the cook makes tiny gyoza and pork yakitori in front of you, or doles out bowls of ramen. Everyone drinks highballs and the whole experience feels friendly and without pretension. The same was true of Librun Craft Sake Brewery, which felt hip and fun: here sake comes in all sorts of flavours, including a horrible chocolatey one the owner had made for Valentine's day (my favourite was the verbena version). After all that food and drink, I felt I needed refreshment of a different sort. I went to an onsen in the Miyako Hotel Hakata I had moved to right by Hakata station, the warm baths fed by natural spring water. A fuss was made because I have a tattoo on my back but a plaster was found to cover it up and I tried not to stare at the Japanese women, all of us naked, scrubbing themselves. Every young woman I met in Fukuoka says they have no intention of getting married. Japan has a crisis of ageing on its hands (although I could not help but note the fantastic skin of the older women). Anthony Bourdain always said don't eat in hotels, head to where the locals eat. Later on, I found a bustling joint within the main rail station, where large groups were celebrating, and everyone was eating fried chicken. This turned out to be the very best fried chicken ever – and I have lived in Louisiana. The Korean influence was there: every mouthful had a proper crunch because karaage chicken is double fried after being marinated. As I headed away on the bullet train I knew I had been utterly spoilt with wonderful Michelin-starred food, but it is the yatai stalls I will remember. And the egg mayo sandwiches from the 7/11 that I snaffled while watching Sumo wrestling on TV. Did I mention them? Divine. Essentials Getting there Suzanne travelled as a guest of Fukuoka City. For more information, see gofukuoka. She flew with Etihad from Heathrow to Tokyo and then with Jetstar to Fukuoka. There are multiple direct flights daily between Tokyo and Fukuoka, or it is a five-hour train journey via Shinkansen. Staying there Ritz Carlton at Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City 2-6-50, Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, has doubles from £545 per night, room only. With the Style at 1 Chome-9-18 Hakataekiminami, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, has doubles from £227, room only. Miyako Hotel Hakata at 2 Chome-1-1 Hakataekihigashi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, has doubles from £197, room only.
