Not convinced? April 13, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… BMW M5 PRICE: £73,960 0-62MPH: 4.3 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 231g/km MPG COMBINED: 28.5mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 63 AMG S PRICE: £87,010 0-62MPH: 4.2 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 235g/km MPG COMBINED: 27.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four [...]
Vinyl revival: See what the fuss is about and head to a record store April 13, 2015 FLASHBACK 50 Essex Road, Islington This scrupulously organised collection is set over two floors, with CDs on top and vinyl in the basement. Find new, second-hand and reissued classics ranging from rock to soul to reggae. SISTER RAY 34-35 Berwick Street, Soho No matter what music you’re into, you’re sure to find [...]
Have a whale of a time beside the Sunshine Coast in the real Australia April 12, 2015 Everyone knows it’s a long way to Australia, but I don’t think people really compute just how claustrophobic a 24 hour flight is until they’ve done it. When I touched down in Brisbane, a small child jubilantly ripped her seatbelt off and cried, “I’m free, Mummy! I’m free!” I was right there with her. If [...]
48 hours in… Braşov, Romania April 12, 2015 WHERE TO STAY The quirky but luxurious Chambers’n Charm hotel is among the best in the city. chambers-charm.ro WHERE TO EAT Subetrranean Bella Muzica servves a mash-up of local and world cuisine. bellamuzica.ro WHERE TO DRINK Bistro de l’arte is hidden inside a beautiful old building in the town centre. bistrodelarte.ro
Bordeaux: Why the 2014 vintage is the best since 2010 and which wines you should invest in now April 10, 2015 Bordeaux 2014 We consider the 2014 vintage to be the best vintage since 2010; quality ranges from good to truly exceptional. The Left Bank overshadowed the Right Bank, with wines from St. Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe particularly superb and Margaux variable. The Right Bank was more uneven in quality, except amongst the leading estates. [...]
Film review: Woman in Gold April 10, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★☆☆☆ Ryan Reynolds, playing lawyer Randy Schoenberg, sums up the plot succinctly when he tells an Austrian court “this is a simple matter of one woman getting back what’s rightfully hers.” Of course, when it comes to the Woman in Gold by Gustav Klimt, the reality is more complicated than that. Not [...]
Film review: Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, Lost River April 10, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★☆☆ Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, Lost River, could charitably be called a paean to his cinematic heroes: David Lynch, Terence Malick, Harmony Korine, Guillermo del Toro and, most of all, his sometime collaborator Nicolas Winding Refn. He borrows themes, tropes, sometimes even complete shots from all of them, weaving a lurid, dark, [...]
Film review: John Wick April 10, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★☆☆☆ Reports that Keanu Reeves is staging a comeback are too true to be good. Over the past decade, as the actor languished in b-movie limbo, the more optimistic among us began to hope that we’d soon be rid of him altogether. But lo and behold, his latest action thriller has done [...]
Theatre review: Oppenheimer play is an explosive hit April 9, 2015 Vaudeville Theatre | ★★★★★ Tom Morton-Smith’s brilliant new play for the RSC begins at a smoke-filled fundraiser for the anti-fascist forces fighting Franco in far away Spain. Jazz is playing, and everyone dances – everyone except for Robert Oppenheimer (John Heffernan pictured above), who stands at the centre of things, martini in hand, smiling. In [...]
Something for the weekend April 9, 2015 EAT! THE DUCK AND RICE As you might have guessed from the name, Wagamama founder Alan Yau’s latest venture combines two British favourites: Chinese food and a traditional pub. Head down to Soho for a pint and some prawn crackers. 90 Berwick Street, visit theduckandrice.com SIP! WHISKY WEEKENDER Do you like whisky? Of course you [...]