SURF FAST, LIVE SLOW

Sydney surfer George Gorrow has worn many hats in a lively, eccentric, and often manic life. From his early years as a young skate rat growing up with his mum and three brothers on the then mean streets of Dee Why, through to today, the 40-year-old has dabbled and enjoyed remarkable success in an array of fields and sub-cultures, including but not limited to; amateur boxing, street art, Italian cookery, interior design, high-end fashion (most notably founding Ksubi), foreign arthouse film production, zen gardenry and David Bowie-ism (aka the study and appreciation of all things Diamond Dogs). His most recent passion is The Slow, a creative collaboration with his equally multi-talented wife Cisco offering a completely immersive Balinese accommodation experience. A mere stone’s throw from the insanely playful reefs and beachies of Canggu, The Slow is part gallery, part bar, part fine dining chill zone, all complimented by 12 of the coolest apartments you’re ever likely to stay in.

“It’s a modern take on island style living,” says Gorrow. “A collision of design, art, and music; a bit of everything that we love or have been influenced by over the years. It’s a bit boutique, but we’re also young and non-traditional, so we don’t have desks or TVs or fancy robes and marble bench tops… we simply want to be relevant to our generation and to the island in a fresh kinda way.”

The Slow turns over a steady stream of artists and exhibitions visiting surfers can feast on. “Woody Gooch has had his show on the walls for the past month and Ozzie Wright will be showcasing new works throughout August. We have the Monster Children Calender launch coming up and a whole roll call of legend musicians playing shows and supplying playlists. On top of all that, we’ve got Chef Moran in the kitchen cooking up world class creations with produce supplied by our co owned permaculture farm. If you don’t try his Tataki and KFBs, you need to give yourself an uppercut.”

As the Canggu area continues to fizz at the speed of sound and light, Gorrow believes The Slow offers some welcome respite. “You can come to stay or swing by for a drink or a meal, mostly though, it’s about taking some time out from the hustle of the Bali streets and slowing it all down for a while, which, when you get down to it, is the reason why you come to Bali in the first place anyway,” he says.

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