The Review

The Review

Travel

Margi – Athens

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I love Athens . The modern capital of the ancient world, it’s become a little schizophrenic in its old age, as modernity keeps pulling away from its past. It’s a living, breathing museum that is a capital of the country. But if it’s not the heat or the incessant traffic in the main streets fraying nerves, it’s the throngs of tourists around the archaeology sites. So, if the city gets a bit too much, why not do what people have done for thousands of years: head to the sea and the Athens Riviera. From the road outside, they’ve done a pretty good job of making it look just like any…

Food & Drink

The Back Bar

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In the first of a four-part series, the team at the fabled Rummer Hotel in Bristol will be reviewing a selection of whiskys from The Whisky Exchange. This issue, Chelsie Bailey leads Dan Vidowsky and Borbala Csorvasi in a tasting of the historic Glenfarclas 15 and 20 year old. “I should never have switched from Scotch to martinis”. Bogie was only 57 when he died. When he was sick, he was frequently visited by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy who heard him speak the immortal words the night before his death. Obviously smoking killed him, not the sauce. Livers were issued during the 1900s, made only from carbon fibre, so…

Tech RoundUp, Uncategorized

Tech Roundup – Film

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As the ranks of the independent filmmaker exponentially expand and the funding market for new films grows, the team at Canon are carving out a serious piece of market share for themselves. What better way to kick-start our inaugural tech review than by featuring a giant-killing piece of kit. The influx of DSLR filmmakers has heralded a new wave of creativity flooding into the market. The next generation of cinematographers walks amongst you. The 5D – and whilst this is by no means conclusive – led this charge in my humble opinion. Those of us wanting to produce work without a bank loan or a budget for a RED epic were…

Interviews

The Aaron Paul Interview

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The greatest show of the last decade may be over, but Aaron Paul’s career is booming. With two new films hitting the big screen, our LA reporter Alexandra Wright sits down with Breaking Bad’s Jesse to discuss crystal meth, Hollywood and snowboarding. 2014 certainly seems to be the year for Aaron Paul. Is that how it feels? “Yeah, I feel very blessed. ‘Breaking Bad’ was definitely good for everyone involved and has allowed all of us to spread our wings. It’s been great”. Obviously Breaking Bad has had a huge impact on your career. Will you be sad to see it go? Do you think it was the right time…

Travel

San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge

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For over 25 years, Georgia and Stefano Barbini typified the world of fashion and haute couture design. Both owners of their respective fashion houses, they embarked upon an ambitious project to lovingly restore a sixteenth century farmhouse they found in the now Italian, but former Austrian, region of South Tyrol. The exact name is San Lorenzo di Sebato. When Stefano and Georgia came upon the 42 acres of pristine woods and meadows that was to become San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge, there was little ‘lodge’ to speak of. The property had been formally owned by the local clergy and was used as a battue hunting lodge. Stefano tells us that the…

Finance

Investing In IPOs

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Last year, 222 US companies went public, helping to raise $55 billion in what was the best year for the US IPO market since 2000. This enthusiasm for IPOs has continued into 2014, where we have already seen the strongest start for US IPO listings since 2000. In the UK, it also looks like IPO fever is back, with a number of well-known names already having listed this year including the likes of Poundland, AO and Boohoo, with plenty more on the way. So, how do you go about assessing whether investing in an IPO is right for you? Brenda Kelly, Chief Market Strategist at IG, gives her top six…

Culture

Waxing Biblical

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With Noah about to hit the big screen, Alan Diment looks at the religiously-thematic aspects of director Darren Aronofsky’s oeuvre. 2014 will see a raft of films inspired by Biblical tales. Among them will be Son of God, a retelling of the Christ story, and Ridley Scott’s Exodus, with Christian Bale donning his Moses sandals. First, we have Noah, directed by Darren Aronofsky, a lavish version of the Genesis story, dealing with water levels that make the recent floods look like a leaky tap.  Russell Crowe, as Noah, will lead a menagerie of survivors onto his purpose-built ark, including his wife and adopted daughter, played by Jennifer Connelly and Emma…

Style

InstaGlam

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As the photo-sharing app cements its status as fashion’s darling, Theresa Harold helps you sort the wheat from the chaff. Something strange has happened to my Instagram feed. Where before there was a stream of carefully-curated and beautifully shot images, there is now a deluge of blurry snaps. Composition seems to have gone out the window, and every shot is either too bright or too dark. I am, of course, writing this mid-Fashion Week – New York’s to be precise. Soon, Paris, London and Milan will follow, and it will be a solid month before my Instagram goes back to its restrained and tasteful norm. It’s easy to see why this happens….

Uncategorized

The Nadler, Soho

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The Nadler’s facade is one of my favourites. It’s probably meant to look quite divine and heavenly – after all, it’s a statue of an angel – but it’s actually quite demonic: black with pins protruding from the face and body. Still, there’s a certain beauty about it, one that exudes class and otherness; something out of the ordinary. This understated hotel is located just off Soho Square and strikes the perfect balance between form and function. There’s nothing superfluous here, just tasteful, clean design, a blend of business and pleasure. The colours are warm and elegant, which is exactly what you want from a hotel. Check-in was one of…

Travel

Hotel Rosa Alpina

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Having skied most of Europe over the past five years, some places twice, it was time that the team headed to pastures pinker. The Hotel Rosa Alpina resides in San Cassiano in the Dolomites, the epitome of Italian charm. If Peter Sarstedt’s ‘Jet Set’ needs a new bolt hole, San Moritz is out, San Cassiano is in. The small town of San Cassiano is located at the foot of Mount Lavarela. With a population of under 1000 people, it is a welcome change from the hedonistic attitude and footfall of its more meretricious cousins. We shan’t name names. San Casiano is more of a sybaritic escape for the great, the…

Finance, Property

Property Crowdfunding

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People coming together to invest in property is nothing new. Join forces, share the risk, share the returns. That is how it has always worked. But now a new real estate investment model has emerged, prompted by changes in legislation which mean that, for the first time, funds could be raised online from sophisticated investors and retail clients alike. Crowdfunding – financing a venture by raising investment from a large number of people via the internet – has already been used to help launch an array of innovative products and services. Sites like Indiegogo and RocketHub have caught the imagination of millions of web users and given creative ventures a…

Style, Uncategorized

Upper Street

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Let’s face it, we are all self-confessed fashion gurus in our own right. We all know a pair of shoes to match every outfit is a necessity, in order to really stand out at any occasion. Imagine being given the opportunity to design your own unique pair of shoes. Gone are the days of frustration, trailing from shop to shop to find the exact desired shoe. Not the correct shade or colour; not the right heel height; ‘these would be lovely, if only they were completed to an entirely different specification’; not flowers but stripes. The list is endless. However, going home empty-handed and feeling deflated because the current fashion…

Travel

Decadence in Dubrovnik

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Croatia’s fairytale city, Dubrovnik is every bit as enchanting as Paris or Venice. Indeed, the city has slowly become a go-to destination for the au courant, as well as the rich and famous.  Our editor, Laith Al-Kaisy, took a seven-day tour of the city to see how the post-war mindset and investment has helped cultivate some of the most indulgent experiences in Europe Dubrovnik Palace Straight ahead, beyond the French doors and over the balcony, the edge of Dubrovnik gently falls into the Adriatic Ocean. It’s too dark to actually see, but it’s there. You can hear the water playfully slap the brusque, arid rocks that peg the land’s end….

Culture, Interviews

Zoë Wanamaker Interview

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The Royal National Theatre of England recently celebrated its fiftieth birthday with a special evening dedicated to showing just a glimpse of the talents that have graced the venue over the past 50 years.  Emily Hennings explains more. The National Theatre began NTLive in 2009, broadcasting live plays around the world for those who were unable to make it to London. Now, five years later, it shows no sign of slowing down with an ever-growing demand for plays to be broadcast live from the venue. The National now broadcasts to over 500 venues in over 24 countries. One success was ‘The Cherry Orchard’ by Chekov, directed by Howard Davies and…

Travel

Alentejo

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Alentejo is a region that remains unspoiled by other tourists: sparsely populated and baking hot, it is a place that invites you to savour relaxing in spa hotels and on boats, eating Alentejo’s distinct bread dipped in locally produced olive oil from traditional pottery dishes, and drinking the plentiful variety of developing wines. Relax, eat, drink; the building blocks of a perfect break. Any landscape that achieves nearly three thousand hours of sunlight every year is an impressive alternative to the steel grey sky of the United Kingdom. And the rolling hills of Alentejo are spread liberally with vines, olive trees and cork oak woodland. The rivers, lakes and beaches…

Property, Style

Christopher Guy

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Christopher Guy announces its new landmark London showroom, set to open this June. Located in the South Dome of The Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour DCCH London, the new showroom will provide an unparalleled opportunity to experience Christopher Guy’s acclaimed and award-winning collections within a spectacular interior. For an idea of what to expect, watch his  New York opening last year. The internationally renowned designer, Christopher Guy Harrison, CEO and founder of the Christopher Guy brand is the creative force behind the new space. The opening of this approximately 4600ft2 showroom, the largest within DCCH, brings the Christopher Guy offering to a wider international audience of interior designers, located in the heart…

Property

The Hideaways

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Earlier this year, we spent a week at the fabulous Chalet Etoile in the Valais region of Switzerland, looking over the towns below and enjoying some of the finest views in Nendaz. This property is making its investors a handsomer return than most. Enter The Hideaways Club, our gracious and hospitable hosts for the week here in the village of Nendaz. The Hideaways Club was founded in 2006 by Stephen Wise, Helmut Schoen and Michael Balfour. Being holiday home owners themselves, the founders were looking for a simpler and more enjoyable way to own a second home overseas. “If you have a property abroad the first few days of your holiday…

Food & Drink

The Hangover

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For ten thousand years, ever since human beings settled down to the cultivation of cereals and vines, alcohol has played a fundamental role in society. It has served as an object of religious festivals, social lubricant, and afforded many unattractive men and woman the otherwise-unobtainable affection of higher mortals. Suffice to say, heavy drinking has always been part of the British character. Winston Churchill once told: “A lady came up to me one day and said ‘Sir! You are drunk’, to which I replied ‘I am drunk today, madam, and tomorrow I shall be sober, but you will still be ugly.” For years alcohol manufacturers have been telling us that…

Food & Drink

Cinnamon Kitchen, EC2

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We got escorted off the premises of Cinnamon Kitchen the other day. The lady and I were frogmarched to the roadside by the scruffs of our necks and admonished for doing the unimaginable, the abominable, the detestable: smoking. It was like being back at school. There we were, two grown adults, merrily imbibing the night, suddenly cut down by these health fascists. I understand not smoking next to the front door, but in an empty seating area? C’mon, guys, don’t cack on free choice. Other restaurants would be thankful to have a drippingly cool couple who think they’re Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall smoking outside. This is Shoreditch, after all….

Food & Drink

Interview: Frederick Forster

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Frederick Forster joined Prescott & Conran in July 2012 as the head chef responsible for Boundary Restaurant, and Boundary Rooftop Bar & Grill. Earlier in his career, he won the Roux Scholarship, before going on to win the prestigious Craft Guild National Chef of the Year Award in 2011. What is the philosophy behind The Boundary Restaurant? Our philosophy is to produce consistently high-quality French based food using only the best and most authentic ingredients available in the UK and from France, creating dishes with simplicity and techniques that are representative of a first-class establishment. Seasonality is key, with the main ingredient of a dish always remaining the focal point….