THE REVIEW

THE CILLIAN MURPHY EDITION

LATEST FEATURES

Flight

Sikorsky S-92

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A worthy note for the super-rich: if it flies, floats or fornicates, rent it. But let’s be honest, who wants to share? When you absolutely have to outshine everyone on arrival, accept no substitutes. The Sikorsky S-92 is the mother of all VVIP helicopters. Numerous heads of state, corporate giants and wealthy recluses have chosen the S-92 over its competitors for a number of reasons. In today’s travel environment, owners and operators require a VIP aircraft which is comfortable, safe and productive. The Sikorsky S-92 offers a standard nine-passenger interior within its spacious cabin and can incorporate custom features including a galley, wet bar, closets and lavatory. Active vibration suppressors…

Travel

Chez Cliché

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I have stayed at many hotels and I can count on both hands the amount of times I have needed to call on the small army that are responsible for running the various establishments. Do I order room service? No, the smart traveller heads out to eat anything but the anaesthetised hotel food. Of course, the humble steak sandwich and the standard caesar salad are hard to bugger up. When you spend in excess of £350 on a hotel room for a night, you’re likely to only use the bedroom. Unless, of course, you’re on business, in which case, you’re likely to sit staring at a laptop. If, however, you’re looking…

Cars

Ferrari FF

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“Snow at this time of year? You have to be joking. Hasn’t global warming severely dealt with Mother Nature on that front.” “No,” scorned the women from the MET office, as she put the phone down on me. This wasn’t something that I had considered: a foot of snow at our intended destination. This wasn’t the Alps, you see, so the English are hideously unprepared to deal with anything other than an onslaught of damp. We were driving the Ferrari FF though – so how would the Italians fair? At first glance the FF (four seat and four-wheel-drive) is unconventional. It might be the prancing horsed manufacturer’s most audacious looking vehicle to…

Travel

No. 11 Cadogan Gardens

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When our editor in-chief wrote “Reviewing top end hotels is a pox of the profession” earlier this year, he was right. My perception of what an exceptional hotel is has changed dramatically over the past five years. I used to be pleased when the check-in desk ork knew my name. Now I expect a fanfare on entrance and an en-suite with sinks overflowing with Chanel, whilst a suitably tailored gentleman complements me emphatically about my Aspinal luggage. Life has changed in many ways. Life in Knightsbridge, however, hasn’t changed much since serfdom. In a quiet corner of South Kensington you will find No. 11 Cadogan Gardens, built in the 19th…

Health

David Lloyd

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Having seen Andy Murray take the Wimbledon title for England for the first time since we thought the Earth was flat, i fully expect the population of our fair isle to head for the nearest set of courts they can find. Thus reliving ‘past tennis glory’ and keeping chiropractors and physiotherapists in the lifestyle to which they are accustomed. There are easier ways though people, having spent the last two weeks frequenting my local David Lloyd health centre, i have come to embrace exercise the way prepubescent boys covet gentleman’s magazines. My relationship with exercise is somewhat mixed, i was always a rather thin child and couldn’t have weighed more than nine…

Automotive, Culture, Interviews

15th Anniversary Gumball Rally

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I remember being 16 years old it was a suitably dull day in my home town so i decided to head into town and loiter as the rest of the youths did. The loitering led to boredom so some twenty minutes later i found myself in GAME purchasing a copy of Gumball3000 for the PS2. A fast paced game that involved driving a range of different vehicles across various countries whilst trying not to crash or get nicked by the eastern European rozzers. This year we were asked by the team at Twisted Land Rover if we should like to join them on the 15 year anniversary of the Gumball Rally travelling…

Style, Time

du Maurier Maxim Watch

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Please don’t call me Mr de Winter, I’ve a very impressive array of first names; George Fortesque Maximillion, but you needn’t bother with them all at once, my family call me Maxim. If you’re familiar Daphne du Maurier’s story of Rebecca then the character of Max deWinter will doubtlessly be on your list of top ten rouges of all time. The dashing ‘hero’, who murders his ex-wife and still gets the girl. Imagine a handsome trilby-wearing rake with a family residence that would make the Queen blush and breeding to shame Kauto Star. The leading man in the book oozes all of the charm that you would expect from a 1930s landed millionaire—and you’ll be no doubt pleased to learn that you too can…

Style

Bremont

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There are some watch brands out there that positively exude effortless cool — and Bremont is one that unquestionably falls into this category. In an industry dominated by watchmakers, typically from Switzerland, boasting over a century of watchmaking heritage, Bremont have certainly bucked this trend; it’s a British watchmaker that formed in 2007. For most, this would be a hindrance to finding an audience, but it hasn’t held Bremont back at all, and this is testament to the quality of the timepieces that it consistently produces. Fans of Bremont will already know, but for the uninitiated, Bremont is a watchmaker that is most famed for its aviation style timepieces —something…

Culture

VIOLENTANGO

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A revolutionary new concept for tango arrives this summer with the sensational new act from Buenos Aires. VIOLENTANGO are a five-piece instrumental band from Argentina currently taking South America by storm with an exciting rock-influenced tango defining a revolutionary new chapter for contemporary tango music. A new album “Escape” will be presented on a forthcoming U.K Tour. This fifth independent album commands a definitive release from the constraints of conventional tango music, revealing an exciting outlet of expression and the liberation of an alternative form. This discovery of innovative arrangements proclaims the emergence of a new genre. Recorded at ION, the premier studio of Buenos Aires, Produced by Jorge “Portuguese” Da Silva. Since their last visit to the…

Automotive

Eagle Jaguar

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The E-Type was first presented to the world’s press at the Restaurant du Parc des Eaux Vives, in Geneva on 15 March 1961, a launch timed to coincide with the Geneva Motor Show of the same year. Such was the media excitement and clamour for demonstration runs up a nearby hill-climb that Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons instructed chief test driver Norman Dewis to drive through the night to bring another model to Switzerland. Dewis, who was one of the team drivers for the ‘55 Le Mans Team, took eleven hours to drive from Calais to Geneva. Averaging 68mph, across France. On non-motorway roads. In a factory-fresh car. Strewth! When…

Food & Drink

The Dining Room

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At last! It’s in vogue to be British! Hoorah (in the non marine sense) to all Henries, let’s all dress head-to-toe in Harris Tweed and celebrate massively, in an incredibly understated miniature fashion, don our best stiff upper lips and swap all Chihuahuas for sizeable hounds immediately. I was reluctantly persuaded to leave the pipe at home and do my very best to behave tonight.  Alright, perhaps I’m a little over excited – but I’m off to The Goring. Once upon a time, not too long ago, The Goring Hotel was born into the blue-blooded heart of Belgravia, a mere brogue’s throw from Buckingham Palace. Like all things regally British,…

Style

B.L.T.

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Michael Caine. Actor. South Londoner. Legend. And sartorial hero of mine. By the time the second Summer of Love rolled around, I’d been a punk, a breakdancer, a psychobilly, a skater, a BMXer, and a hippy (one of my better looks, given my long curly locks at the time). But as my peers boarded to The Farm’s Groovy Train, I found myself wanting ride to T-Rex’s White Swan, delving deeper and deeper into the psychedelic 60s and, ironically, became more interested in the first Summer of Love! And so it was, along with my discovery of all things psychedelic and groovy, that I developed a penchant for the films of…

Food & Drink

Wilks

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If you ask the local folks around Bristol, you will find a host of people and the old rags pontificating about the “way things were”. James Wilkins and Christine Vayssade bought the lease on a property on Chandos Road to set up their dream restaurant. It just so happens that the space was previously owned by another couple who ran a highly successful restaurant there for over 30 years. But as I never went to its predecessor, I would be able to dine at Wilks, unabated and untainted. I will fast forward to mid-meal. As I saunter toward the amenities, I notice numerous pictures of James with multiple Asian chefs….

Food & Drink, Travel

Bangkok: A Culinary Mecca

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From street stalls to hipster bars, from single plate meals to exquisite sharing menus, Bangkok will thrill your palate. Former Bangkok dweller Amy McNichol finds out where to dine. Mmm, Thai food! Delicious, right? What could be better than dunking a fistful full of prawn crackers into a polystyrene tub of acidic orange gloop and shovelling them into your trap while they fizz? For mains, it’s a vat of watery, green curry and a brick of tooth-decayingly sweet coconut rice that has been packed in to, and moulded by, its plastic takeaway box. As it flops out onto the plate and smashes like a poorly made sand castle, remember, Thai…

THE REVIEW

THE ALICIA AGNESON EDITION

TRAVEL

The Ghan Train

The Ghan

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I’m certainly no Francis Bourgeois, but there’s something so romantic and intriguing about crossing lands unknown in the comfort of a sleeper train. Being given the opportunity to see vast landscapes that many won’t ever get to witness, solely due to its sheer remoteness, is a rare delight.

Monterey Car Week: What to expect in 2024

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A few key events are akin to film festivals and fashion weeks in the automotive world. The British have the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival. The French have Retromobile and the Chantilly Concours of Elegance. The Swedes have the newly launched Auroura Concours, Italy brings us the legendary Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este and Fuori Concorso, and then there’s North America… 

Boutique Retreats, Sojourn

Wilderness perfected, by Boutique Retreats

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Travel is a fine and freeing thing. The unshackling of the metaphorical chains, the daily grind of work, and life’s endless expectations. Oh, and the choice! Sunshine, or snow? Lakes, forests, dunes or mountains? Total relaxation, escapism, exhilaration or luxuriation?

ViseVersa, The Hyatt Regency Lisbon

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It would be easy to say that the past decade or so has been kind to Lisbon – it’s subtly undergone the kind of glow-up certain other smaller European capitals keep putting on the backburner… and it’s been driven organically by tourism raised high on the shoulders of social media’s more gastronomy-oriented corners. 

Langdale Chase Hotel

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Steeped in amazing untold stories, the house was designed by J.L Ball, JT Lee and Pattinson of Manchester and built as a private house in the late 19th century for Edna Howarth

THE ALPINE EDITION

BEAUTY

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville

The Greatest Outdoors

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Set between Les Menuires and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, my recent foray to the mountains offered plentiful serene moments of reflection and emotional expansion, with ample time to enjoy the last of the white stuff as the ‘23-’24 ski season came to a close.

Bentley Beyond, The Collection. For the journey.

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Driving a car you love is so much more than the ‘a’ to ‘b’. It’s the feel of the steering wheel moving from under your palm, the resistance of the accelerator beneath your sole or the slick movement of the gearbox. Sometimes it’s the thrill you get when the mechanic tells you that against all odds, your pernickety classic car flew through its MOT. It’s the bond you feel and the memories you create together over the miles.

Where the Hot Springs Flow: Diving into The Well, Oslo

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It is perhaps one of the great tragedies of my life that I don’t spend every weekend in a beautifully crafted replica of a Kyoto bathhouse, surrounded on all sides by thirty or more totally naked Norwegians, each glistening with perspiration and a curated array of essential oils. However, my trip to the spectacular Oslo wellness resort The Well ensured – within an hour of arrival, in fact – that my existence would no longer be completely lacking this experience. 

THE REVIEW

THE BEN WILLIAMS EDITION

FILM

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae - Roger Chan - The Review Magazine

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae LP780-4

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I slip my slightly clammy hand gingerly into the slot, ease some pressure and pull gently skyward. That scissor-door entry is nothing less than muted pornography. So effortless in its execution, it’s part of the recipe that makes the Aventador just that little bit more special.

Casio PX-S7000 Stephen Sims

Aesthetic Harmonics – The Casio PX-S7000

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Quality, innovation and – by god, in this case – style. Casio’s reputation precedes it when it comes to its product development and, crucially, its product refinement. Their first electronic keyboard, The Casiotone CT-201, was birthed by Toshio Kashio and his team in January 1980.

Ferrari F8 Spider

Ferrari F8 Spider

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Fresh from four days in Scotland driving the simply astonishing Ferrari F8 Spider, there are times in one’s life where you have to sit back, take some time, and genuinely let an experience wash over you. You need to take it in. Revel in it. The smells, the sights, the sheer visceral nature of it.

Alpina - Startimer Pilot Chronograph

Alpina – Startimer Pilot Chronograph

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Like many Swiss watchmaking dynasties, Alpina can trace its founding back to the turn of the nineteenth century – 1883 to be precise – by Gottlieb Hauser, a watchmaker in Winterthur, who also established the Swiss Watchmakers Corporation (Union Horlogère Suisse).

Stacia Suttles

Stacia Suttles

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It wasn’t until Stacia Suttles turned 19 and stepped into a boxing ring for the first time, that the amateur fighter realised she was exceptionally gifted in the combat sport.

Twisted 21

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I scanned the horizon of the Finnish race circuit but Charlie was possibly doing a few laps in the 500hp V8 110. “Let me see if I can find him Tony”. “Cool man”. This was the first of a handful of semi awkward exchanges I would have with Tony Hawk that week as we crossed from Finland into Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Austria and Monaco.