Mmm - worth the wait [Photo by Paris by Mouth/Flickr]
After 2 years of red tape and countless hurdles, Spring has finally sprung and bon vivants in Paris are joyfully rejoicing the unveiling of American chef Daniel Rose’s beloved Spring restaurant now located in a roomier and refined locale just steps from the Louvre.
Genever, Dutch gin, whatever, just drink it in
Genever, it could be the name of your last European flame, or your next, and most probably ours. For it’s Dutch gin, and it, along with akvavit, is the essence of the tipple list at Vandaag, an airy and sunflower bright, day until night bier restaurant in New York’s East Village.
Garden + terrace + moonlight = romance [Photo by John McDermott]
Once upon a time in the faraway Kingdom of Angkor, there was a popular chef called Pascal Schmit, who ran an equally popular restaurant called Abacus, housed in a charming two-storey villa. As night fell, all of Siem Reap’s well to do Khmers and expats would gather in the lantern-lit garden, on the verandah or in the bar to eat, drink, chill and make merry. Then one day Pascal shut up shop and went to try his hand in a hotel kitchen, at La Residence D’Angkor, and the people followed him there. But Pascal wanted more, a restaurant of one’s own again, so now Abacus is back, and his loyal followers couldn’t be happier.
Clink & drink!
Choices, choices, some of us thrive on it, while others are paralysed by it, living in fear of missing out, or of making the wrong decision. If too much choice is never enough for you, then head to 28°-50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen, in the basement of an unassuming red brick building smack in the centre of old London town, where every drop on the regular wine list is available by the glass.
Hyde and Sleek
Two for the price of one, that’s what you get at Hong Kong’s newest private members’ club, Hyde. On one floor is Hyde nightclub, a thumpin’-pumpin’, booty-shaking boom-boom room. On a separate floor is Hyde Lounge, a New York-style loft space for milling, swilling and chilling. On both floors, a parade of slinky minxes and the not-so-stealthy wealthy.
Chin Chin Lab's nitro ice cream - just like magic
It’s hot, you’re on holiday, darling little Apple is going into meltdown, you have a headache, you need a quick fix and there’s no kiddy valium at hand. Time to turn to one of life’s simplest pleasures – ice cream, or gelato if you’re feeling Continental, guaranteed to soothe and satisfy both young and old. From good ol’ fashioned ice cream trucks serving brand new flavours to the latest laboratories and their whiz-bang liquid nitro confections, here’s our pick of five places for a deliciously cooling tongue tango.
Bossa vibe, Bossy views at Sunset
Summer’s here, and what better than to kick back on a breezy terrace to while the sultry night away. From a petite Parisian neighbourhood laneway to an oh-so-sexy deck in Istanbul, here are some of our favourite alfresco dinner haunts in Europe. Oh, put those sunnies away, Susan, it’s supper time.
A red welcome
Old Shanghai hands now often refer to things in the city as ‘pre-Expo’ or ’since the Expo’. Pre-Expo, if you wanted the unique package of piquant Yunnanese dishes and a sultry sip n’ sup spot, you’d have to head out west to Lost Heaven in Shanghai’s Xuhui district. Since the Expo, they’ve opened a four-storey flagship on the Bund, so you can pop in after sightseeing along the expanded walkway (another ’since the Expo’ plus, huzzah!) or post-retail if you’ve been following LUXE Shanghai’s Shopping Itinerary for the Bund.
What a viewtiful world we live in
A great hotel bar is a joy to behold, and even better with your poison of choice in hand. It’s a salve for weary travellers and an escape for local denizens, all tinged with the frisson of a chance international encounter. Of course, there are any number of factors which make a hotel bar great, not least of which are the cocktails, but to really make you feel like you’re connected to the city, it’s hard to beat a knockout view and setting. So, sorry Bar Hemingway, we love you, but sometimes a gal’s gotta give a little extra, and these babies really put the oh AND the aah into panorama…
Stagger-fab views at Khayangan Estate
The Bali season is almost upon us and for LUXE, it’s all about villas; 24-hour hot and cold staff, privacy, luxury and value. For years however, it’s been out with the old and in with the new as owners and visitors fell big time for the minimalist Bali modern look – heavy on stone, glass and un-eco concrete, and all too often looking like a million moddy gaffs anywhere in the world. We’re thrilled to see then, that the latest crop of our favourite properties on the Isle of the Gods celebrates local craftsmanship and detail in the form of rebuilt antique wooden Javanese joglo houses, many of which were saved from demolition. Think unique architecture, exquisite fretwork, lashings of teak with no nasty nails, and all without compromising on modern comforts. The new Bali joglos put the tongue in groovy carpentry…
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