Aldo’s Vinoteca & RestoranBuenos Aires

Argentina’s most famoussommelier Aldo Graziani hascreated a wine cellar inBuenos Aires that runs as arestaurant yet retains itswholesale prices. Aldo’sshowcases 500 of thecountry’s top wines. “My aimis to open up a discussionwhere wine becomes themain protagonist,” saysGraziani. — !"aldosvinoteca.com

Aldo’s top Argentinian wines:

1) Manos Negras Torrontés2011 A fresh, aromatic whitewine from San Juan.

2) SonVida 2008 One ofMendoza’s best cabernetsauvignons (produced byformer Reuters correspondentand UN diplomat David Smith).

3) Calypso Malbec 2008Outstanding value for whatis a top quality wine fromBodega Monteviejo.

!"# — $%%&' ()

*+,-'. '/$*%Global

Monocletravel guideGlobalPrefaceThis month Monocle visits anew luxury retail behemoth inMilan, a Yemeni coffee outlet inTokyo and a Copenhagenrestaurant serving New Nordicfood at affordable prices.

ExcelsiorMilan

In a 4,000 sq m venue that usedto house an old cinema indowntown Milan is Italian luxuryretailer Gruppo Coin’s latestventure, the Excelsior, adepartment store where fashionand food mix. Designed byFrench architect Jean Nouvel,the neon-bright building is anew landmark in the capital’scentre, stretching from CorsoVittorio Emanuele to PiazzaBeccaria, taking up two sidesof Galleria del Corso.

The shop’s top three floorsoffer clothing from brands suchas Rag & Bone, Mackintosh andBorsalino while the basement isreserved for the Eat’s Store, afood market and three eatingspots: an elegant take-away, abistro and a restaurant hostedby guest chefs. — #$%excelsiormilano.com

Monocle’s favouritedepartment stores:

1) Shinsagae, South Korea2) Mitsukoshi, Japan3) Beymen, Turkey

ColobockleTokyo

At Colobockle*, Japaneseartist Michiko Tachimoto’s artgraces everything. It’s in thechildren’s books and on puzzles,lampshades and jewelleryaround the old house sheand her husband, TomoichiroNagao, renovated in Tokyo’sNakameguro area. They openedthe shop seven years ago toshowcase Tachimoto’s work,a mix of handsewn craft andcollage illustration.

“Since kindergarten, I’vewanted to create my ownchildren’s books,” saysTachimoto. Handmade stuffeddolls lounge near books such asAnnie’s Little Train, and a glasscase holds some of hercollaborations with Disney andLipton. Buyers can put theirgoods in the custom-fittingcloth bags that Nagao makeson a sewing machine at theback. — &"colobockle.jp

*Footnote: Colobockle means“a person under a butterbur”(a native plant) in Ainu, thelanguage of a tribe in Hokkaido.

Game onSydney

Inside the city’s revamped casino, The Star, threemuch-anticipated restaurants have opened: DavidChang’s Momofuku Seiobo, Stefano Manfredi’sBalla and Teage Ezard’s Black. star.com.au

45 Park LaneLondon

45 Park Lane, sister hotel to The Dorchester,opened its doors in September. Architect anddesigner Thierry W Despont has transformed theformer Playboy Club into an Art Deco space full ofcosy woody interiors. Each of the 45 rooms andsuites have a verdant view of Hyde Park andoriginal art works by artists such as Sir Peter Blakeand Damien Hirst hang on each floor. — '&45parklane.com

Highlight: Wolfgang Puck’s signature steaks atrestaurant Cut. They are grilled over hardwood andcharcoal then finished to a crisp perfection under acustom-made broiler.

Fasano Boa VistaSão Paulo State

Brazilian hotelier RogérioFasano has created the ultimatecountry retreat set in FazendaBoa Vista, a mere 10-minutechopper hop from São Paulo.“Brazil had hotels like this butthey have disappeared. I wantedto recreate this concept,” hesays. Architect Isay Weinfeldhas satisfied Paulistas yearningfor a reconnection with natureby giving all the living areas(including the 39 rooms andsuites) floor to ceiling windowswith views of the FlorestaNacional de Ipanema naturalreserve. Diners at the Italianrestaurant enjoy views ofthe fresh-water lake, idealfor swimming in the lateafternoon sun. — !"fasano.com.br

Highlights: Sundowners underthe sibipiruna trees at the1930s vintage railroad wagon,the golf bar that sits on the firsttee of Randall Thompson’s 18-hole course. Other highlightsinclude vintage horse-drawncarriages and six helipads.

Q&APaul Pairet,Chef, Shanghai

Paul Pairet, the Frenchchef behind Shanghai’sMr & Mrs Bund restaurant,created what accordingto him is a multi-sensoryeating experience withhis 10-seat space calledUltraviolet. Machines pumparomas into the air andvideo screens and soundmachines create a specificambience to accompany 20small-plate courses.

Why engage sensesother than taste? Thepoint is that all the sensesinfluence the way we eat. Theexperience of eating a dishon a beach is not the sameas eating it in Paris.

How will the mood shiftfrom course to course?The scenarios will build withevery course. First an applewasabi disc is served withringing bells, dark light andAC/DC music. There’s alsothe Indonesian Gado Gadoexperience — I use thescent of kretek, a clovecigarette typical of Indonesia,and the durian. Those twosmells are very typical ofIndonesia to me.

Could the technologydistract from the food?The goal is to the contrary —not to distract, but to focus.I can send a single light ontoyour dish, perfectly centeredon your plate — you’ve neverfocused so much on foodbefore. — ()paulpairet.com

Grill MarketReykjavik

Iceland’s culinary wunderkind, Hrefna RósaSætran, met her kitchen partner GudlaugurFrímannsson at the Fish Market, her firstrestaurant in Reykjavik, in 2008. The chefs’ bondbore fruit and two years later the Grill Market wasopened in the busy Lækjargata street in a rebuiltcinema that had burned down. Decorated bydesigner Leifur Welding, the two-floor restaurant’smain attraction is the extreme-temperaturecoal grill. Custom-made by the London-basedClay Oven Company, it reaches temperaturesupwards of 1,200C, imparting an earthy flavourto the meat and fish. — ()'grillmarkadurinn.is

$%%&' () — !"!

PHOTOGRAPHER:

BJÖRN

ARNASON

PHOTOGRAPHER:

GAIA

CAMBIAGGI

PHOTOGRAPHER:

AYA

SEKINE

Aldo’s Vinoteca & RestoranBuenos Aires

Argentina’s most famoussommelier Aldo Graziani hascreated a wine cellar inBuenos Aires that runs as arestaurant yet retains itswholesale prices. Aldo’sshowcases 500 of thecountry’s top wines. “My aimis to open up a discussionwhere wine becomes themain protagonist,” saysGraziani. — !"aldosvinoteca.com

Aldo’s top Argentinian wines:

1) Manos Negras Torrontés2011 A fresh, aromatic whitewine from San Juan.

2) SonVida 2008 One ofMendoza’s best cabernetsauvignons (produced byformer Reuters correspondentand UN diplomat David Smith).

3) Calypso Malbec 2008Outstanding value for whatis a top quality wine fromBodega Monteviejo.

!"# — $%%&' ()

*+,-'. '/$*%Global

Monocletravel guideGlobalPrefaceThis month Monocle visits anew luxury retail behemoth inMilan, a Yemeni coffee outlet inTokyo and a Copenhagenrestaurant serving New Nordicfood at affordable prices.

ExcelsiorMilan

In a 4,000 sq m venue that usedto house an old cinema indowntown Milan is Italian luxuryretailer Gruppo Coin’s latestventure, the Excelsior, adepartment store where fashionand food mix. Designed byFrench architect Jean Nouvel,the neon-bright building is anew landmark in the capital’scentre, stretching from CorsoVittorio Emanuele to PiazzaBeccaria, taking up two sidesof Galleria del Corso.

The shop’s top three floorsoffer clothing from brands suchas Rag & Bone, Mackintosh andBorsalino while the basement isreserved for the Eat’s Store, afood market and three eatingspots: an elegant take-away, abistro and a restaurant hostedby guest chefs. — #$%excelsiormilano.com

Monocle’s favouritedepartment stores:

1) Shinsagae, South Korea2) Mitsukoshi, Japan3) Beymen, Turkey

ColobockleTokyo

At Colobockle*, Japaneseartist Michiko Tachimoto’s artgraces everything. It’s in thechildren’s books and on puzzles,lampshades and jewelleryaround the old house sheand her husband, TomoichiroNagao, renovated in Tokyo’sNakameguro area. They openedthe shop seven years ago toshowcase Tachimoto’s work,a mix of handsewn craft andcollage illustration.

“Since kindergarten, I’vewanted to create my ownchildren’s books,” saysTachimoto. Handmade stuffeddolls lounge near books such asAnnie’s Little Train, and a glasscase holds some of hercollaborations with Disney andLipton. Buyers can put theirgoods in the custom-fittingcloth bags that Nagao makeson a sewing machine at theback. — &"colobockle.jp

*Footnote: Colobockle means“a person under a butterbur”(a native plant) in Ainu, thelanguage of a tribe in Hokkaido.

Game onSydney

Inside the city’s revamped casino, The Star, threemuch-anticipated restaurants have opened: DavidChang’s Momofuku Seiobo, Stefano Manfredi’sBalla and Teage Ezard’s Black. star.com.au

45 Park LaneLondon

45 Park Lane, sister hotel to The Dorchester,opened its doors in September. Architect anddesigner Thierry W Despont has transformed theformer Playboy Club into an Art Deco space full ofcosy woody interiors. Each of the 45 rooms andsuites have a verdant view of Hyde Park andoriginal art works by artists such as Sir Peter Blakeand Damien Hirst hang on each floor. — '&45parklane.com

Highlight: Wolfgang Puck’s signature steaks atrestaurant Cut. They are grilled over hardwood andcharcoal then finished to a crisp perfection under acustom-made broiler.

Fasano Boa VistaSão Paulo State

Brazilian hotelier RogérioFasano has created the ultimatecountry retreat set in FazendaBoa Vista, a mere 10-minutechopper hop from São Paulo.“Brazil had hotels like this butthey have disappeared. I wantedto recreate this concept,” hesays. Architect Isay Weinfeldhas satisfied Paulistas yearningfor a reconnection with natureby giving all the living areas(including the 39 rooms andsuites) floor to ceiling windowswith views of the FlorestaNacional de Ipanema naturalreserve. Diners at the Italianrestaurant enjoy views ofthe fresh-water lake, idealfor swimming in the lateafternoon sun. — !"fasano.com.br

Highlights: Sundowners underthe sibipiruna trees at the1930s vintage railroad wagon,the golf bar that sits on the firsttee of Randall Thompson’s 18-hole course. Other highlightsinclude vintage horse-drawncarriages and six helipads.

Q&APaul Pairet,Chef, Shanghai

Paul Pairet, the Frenchchef behind Shanghai’sMr & Mrs Bund restaurant,created what accordingto him is a multi-sensoryeating experience withhis 10-seat space calledUltraviolet. Machines pumparomas into the air andvideo screens and soundmachines create a specificambience to accompany 20small-plate courses.

Why engage sensesother than taste? Thepoint is that all the sensesinfluence the way we eat. Theexperience of eating a dishon a beach is not the sameas eating it in Paris.

How will the mood shiftfrom course to course?The scenarios will build withevery course. First an applewasabi disc is served withringing bells, dark light andAC/DC music. There’s alsothe Indonesian Gado Gadoexperience — I use thescent of kretek, a clovecigarette typical of Indonesia,and the durian. Those twosmells are very typical ofIndonesia to me.

Could the technologydistract from the food?The goal is to the contrary —not to distract, but to focus.I can send a single light ontoyour dish, perfectly centeredon your plate — you’ve neverfocused so much on foodbefore. — ()paulpairet.com

Grill MarketReykjavik

Iceland’s culinary wunderkind, Hrefna RósaSætran, met her kitchen partner GudlaugurFrímannsson at the Fish Market, her firstrestaurant in Reykjavik, in 2008. The chefs’ bondbore fruit and two years later the Grill Market wasopened in the busy Lækjargata street in a rebuiltcinema that had burned down. Decorated bydesigner Leifur Welding, the two-floor restaurant’smain attraction is the extreme-temperaturecoal grill. Custom-made by the London-basedClay Oven Company, it reaches temperaturesupwards of 1,200C, imparting an earthy flavourto the meat and fish. — ()'grillmarkadurinn.is

$%%&' () — !"!

PHOTOGRAPHER:BJÖRNARNASON

PHOTOGRAPHER:GAIACAMBIAGGI

PHOTOGRAPHER:AYASEKINE