Table Talk

Where the food's worth getting out of bed for
A new dining concept is being launched at the Sheraton Park Tower hotel, London, based on the supper clubs of Amsterdam and Rome. The new Bedroom Boudoir Evenings offer guests a laid-back bed-based setting to enjoy dinner, complete with low lighting, tranquil music and more than 30 beds to lounge upon. Bedroom Boudoir Evenings are planned for 24 September, 21 October, and 25-26 November at a cost of 60 per person. They include a three-course dinner and a bed per couple with a soft, fluffy duvet and pillows. A bedside table with white linen and candles is placed alongside each bed for guests to dine at. Groups of friends can reserve a number of beds which can be moved together.

Now let's see how you do in the communal shower test A Croatian airline is under fire for making would-be stewardesses strip down to swimsuits and show their skills in the water. Officials at Dubrovnik Airlines say staff have to be fully trained for all situations and have put out job ads saying that being able to swim is a fundamental qualification. And they have set up a company "jury" to watch potential stewardesses take a special swimming test before they can start work. But the ads have caused outrage, with many Croatians blasting the company's policy as sexist, especially as pilots don't have to undergo the same swim tests. Trainee stewardess Mirna Perovic from Zagreb said: "It's just an excuse for dirty old men to look at young girls in bikinis."

A potent brew in the hand is worth two up the sleeve A German brewer has concocted what he says is the world's strongest beer, a potent drink with alcohol content of 25.4% that is served in a shot glass. "Everyone who has tried it is enthusiastic. It tastes like a quirky mixture of beer and sherry," said Harald Schneider, its Bavarian brewer. Schneider, who lives in southern Germany where beer is a tradition, said his brew had been fermented for 12 weeks to give it an alcohol content twice that of Germany's other strongest beers. "People will only be able to drink two or three glasses, otherwise they will drop like flies," he said. Schneider said he expected the holder of the world's strongest beer title, the Boston Beer Company, to put up a fight. He added: "I'm pretty sure the Americans have something up their sleeve."