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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Josh Niland surfs and turfs at The Singapore Edition
Singaporeans were excited when The Edition opened its doors last year, in a very handy location just off Orchard Road – a sleek-white-on-white proposition with Zen rooms and public spaces filled with interior gardens. But the biggest stoke was reserved for the hotel’s ground-floor destination restaurant Fysh, which is manned by Josh Niland, the Australian chef-author and proprietor of Saint Peter, Sydney’s favourite address for delicious and beautifully plated adventures in seafood.
Fysh, fyshsingapore.com
The Singapore Edition, editionhotels.com
The room is huge, with a long bar at one end (ideal for the solo diners) and a smattering of tropical-chic outdoor seating. The menu is Aussie-Asian surf ’n’ turf – so think tuna steaks and an interesting dhufish “schnitzel”, but also roasted duck with a heavenly grilled plum-hazelnut sauce and a nice wagyu rump cap. Plus several big sharing plates, including a 500g cod quarter cooked in banana leaves, and a good old-fashioned dessert trolley. There’s an all-day menu on weekdays and a fun-for-groups Sunday Fysh Roast menu where the champagne flows.
Light lunches and louche supper clubs in Santa Monica
Even amid the pastel-and-palm trees zaniness of Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue, The Georgian hotel is hard to miss: the eight-storey Art Deco building, a stalwart on the seaside town’s skyline, was unveiled last year under bright old-school lights spelling out the hotel’s name, and with a boldly revived turquoise façade. The owners, both native southern Californians with a love of old-world LA, have loaded it up with charming touches: art and vintage photography, tons of colour and indoor foliage, sexy coupes for your champagne. The two restaurants are night and day, literally and stylistically.
The Georgian, thegeorgian.com
Out front, shaded by yellow umbrellas and a wide veranda, is Sirena, which is ideal for lunch, though also romantic and lantern-lit at suppertime: a spicy Tijuana Caesar or a beet kale salad, some oysters, a caprese, and the chef’s insanely moreish potted focaccia (the secret: it’s doused in sea-salt brine just before baking). Then, from Wednesday to Saturday after 6pm, The Georgian Room downstairs takes it back several decades (in a good way), from the dim lighting and deep leather banquettes to the iceberg wedge salad, fried olives (they get their kick from a hint of ’nduja) and oysters Rockefeller. One has Santa Monica Pier and ocean views, the other live music and more than a hint about it that something naughty might go down. Either’s a good bet for your Saturday.
Lima comes to Athens at One & Only
The grapevine is, so far, all good chatter about One & Only Aesthesis, which opened earlier this summer on Asteras beach on the Athenian riviera. It’s definitely one for the Euro-hedonists, with its slick (and huge) beach bungalows and Guerlain spa and glam room. But the showcase restaurant, Manko, brings in the locals as well: true to expected One & Only form, Manko is an all-day-into-evening proposition, with seated dining as well as a more casual beach-club element.
One & Only Aesthesis, oneandonlyresorts.com
The food is Peruvian, strong on exotic ceviches and tiraditos, and both wok and grill selections. Chef Juan David Ocampo, an old Gastón Acurio hand, is teaching the Greeks to love their leche de tigre. Come during the day to enjoy a swim, and at night if DJs and scenes are more your thing.
In Porto, the Nuno Mendes magic with a Danish twist
With its Vervoordt-Van Duysen palette, coffered ceilings and calming central courtyard, The Largo in Porto wears the aesthetic leanings of its Danish owner-creators fairly conspicuously across its 16 suites and two rooms. But down in the restaurant, Cozinha das Flores, things are as staunchly Portuguese as can be, thanks to none other than Nuno Mendes, who oversees kitchens, menus, vibes and even cocktails (and, in the mornings, the pastries at Flôr, the next-door bar-café).
Cozinha das Flores makes hay with Porto and northern-Portuguese culinary traditions, with escabeches and fish stews showcased alongside tripe, and, to start, his Turnip Natas, a savoury riff on the sweet pastel de nata, topped with caviar. Then there’s the stunning dining room: just 10 tables, black-marble open kitchen, and ceramic wall mural painted by Pritzker Prize-winning architect (and native Porto son) Alvaro Siza Vieira.
