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Matters of taste: This month’s six best new food and drink finds, from Berlin to Tokyo

Matters of taste: This month’s six best new food and drink finds, from Berlin to Tokyo

A Turkish delight in London, a Berlin bolthole par excellence, cannily designed drinks from Denmark, a multifaceted Tokyo café and a fresh Paris bar by Anne-Sophie Pic are some of November’s best finds.

Writers

1.
Bravo
Berlin

For the Berlin Biennale of 1998, the city’s KW Institute of Contemporary Art commissioned American artist Dan Graham to create a walk-in sculpture for its courtyard. The result was a stunning glass pavilion that doubled as Café Bravo. Nearly three decades later, it was in need of an upgrade. The solution was to call in Clemens Roesch, Eva Alken, Sören Zuppke and Vadim Otto Ursus – who have made waves sating the city’s creatives at dining spots such as Otto, Trio and Pluto.

Relaunched in July, it’s the first of their venues that lives entirely by day. There’s sprouted-oat muesli with hazelnuts and compote for breakfast; for lunch, try the open sandwiches with Heggelbach cheese and tomato or Wiener sausages with goulash sauce.

The food is defined by the same devotion to produce as at the team’s other spots, sourced from a network of local growers. “As an art institution with an international crowd, we were more interested in the regionality of the ingredients than in anything that announces itself as local cuisine,” says Zuppke of the menu.
bravo-berlin.net

  • Modern café interior at Bravo Berlin with round table, black stools, wooden counter, white pendant lamp, and green foliage visible through large windows.
  • Four people pose together inside Bravo café in Berlin, with large windows overlooking green foliage behind them.
  • Overhead view of Bravo Berlin lunch dishes including roasted chicken with butter and onions, green salad, wine, and condiments on brown table.
  • Glass pavilion entrance to Bravo café in Berlin with ivy-covered walls and courtyard beyond.
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Inside Bravo (Image: Robert Rieger/Courtesy of Bravo)

2.
Cup of Joy
London

In Monocle’s June issue, we made a case for the way that coffee culture can cross borders. Now, a new arrival in Marylebone, our London stomping ground, has proven that when it comes to coffee, the appeal truly is universal.

Cup of Joy first opened in Istanbul in 2013. Seven more outposts followed and now the early custodian of speciality coffee in Turkey has expanded its footprint to London in style.
28 Blandford Street, London

  • Warm terracotta and oak-paneled interior seating area at Cup of Joy London coffee shop
  • Cup of Joy's terracotta and oak-panelled interior with wooden tables, chairs, and illuminated ceiling panels.
  • Cream ceramic cup with coffee on wooden round table bathed in warm sunlight
  • Cup of Joy coffee shop storefront in London's Marylebone with coral awning and illuminated signage.
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Cosy downstairs seating (Image: Felix Speller/Courtesy of Cup of Joy)

3.
Hillside DouDou
Kuala Lumpur

Since DouDou Bake opened in 2020, its chocolate tart infused with Tie Guan Yin oolong tea has become a favourite among Kuala Lumpur’s residents. Now, the group has opened its second bakery in the city’s upscale Mont Kiara neighbourhood, atop a hill. Hillside DouDou’s goods range from classic croissants to its bestselling shiopan (Japanese salt bread).

Come evening, the space transforms into Glou Glou at DouDou. Named after the sound of wine being poured, it’s a steakhouse in collaboration with open-fire restaurant Atelier Binchotan. The menu specialises in aged meats seared over a charcoal fire: try the Uruguayan Angus and finish with the bone-marrow ice cream.
Lot LG 2-01-1, Steppes, 32, Jln Kiara 3, Mont Kiara, 51200 Kuala Lumpur

  • Bakery counter with pastries and staff in Berlin's Bravo restaurant interior
  • Diners at a table with plated dishes, candles, and charcuterie during an evening meal service.
  • Modern café interior with wooden chairs, green pendant light, and large windows overlooking greenery.
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Freshly baked bread line the counter (Image: Courtesy of Hillside DouDou)

4.
Utopic
Paris

Anne-Sophie Pic’s new bar inside Paris’s Fondation Cartier is the city’s newest crossover between hospitality and culture. Utopic takes the fashion-industry heavyweight into a laid-back, speakeasy-style bar designed by Agence Moinard Bétaille – the firm responsible for fitting out more than 450 Cartier boutiques across the globe. Here, that design vernacular takes the form of orange leather seats, marbled floors and light-oak details. “Utopic is rooted in an idea that had been brewing since 2008 when I discovered Japanese cocktail bars in Tokyo,” says Pic. “I was captivated by the buzz and the lighting.”
anne-sophie-pic.com

  • Modern bar interior with orange leather bar stools, oak paneling, and shelves of bottles at Utopic in Paris.
  • Anne-Sophie Pic wearing glasses and a white shirt poses at the bar counter of Utopic in Paris.
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Orange leather seats and marbled floors define Utopic’s decor (Image: Courtesy of Utopic)

5.
Sanva
Tokyo

Refreshment is at the heart of Sanva’s first flagship store. The Tokyo-based fragrance brand, which was founded by Fumiya Yoshiyama, has found a home on Tomigaya’s main retail street. “I wanted to create a space that opens up all five senses,” explains Yoshiyama. “Whether it be through taste, scent or sight, it’s a complex that you can experience on various levels.”

Designed under the direction of Tokyo-based creative director Yusuke Nagai – the founder of cultural complex Vacant/Centre – the two-level flagship opened in April with an all-day café beneath a boutique with the brand’s oils, mists and soaps, plus a tucked-away gallery. Opening directly onto the thoroughfare outside, the café has a calm, neutral-toned interior with naturally dyed curtains, orb-like lights and wooden furniture, handcrafted with a rugged touch.
sanva.jp

  • Woman in blue shirt holding fragrance bottle at Sanva flagship store in Tokyo with hanging light fixture and product displays.
  • Lemon tart slice with yellow topping and white filling on blue plate at Sanva café in Tokyo
  • Three smiling staff members at Sanva Tokyo café counter with espresso machine and glowing orb light fixture.
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Fragrance brand Sanva’s flagship store in Tokyo (Image: Courtesy of Sanva)

6.
Canned Mary
Copenhagen

Canned Mary was conceived by a Copenhagen duo who were offered the chance to create a canned drink, with design courtesy of co-founder Åsmund Sollihøgda. A Danish fruit producer and importer provides organic tomato and lemon juices, the vodka is from Nyborg, while Cholula hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce complement the flavours. Feeling virtuous? The non-alcoholic Virgin Mary is the answer to your prayers.
cannedmary.com

Canned Mary beverages featuring religious imagery on white cans with pull-tab lids, displayed with cocktail glasses.
Canned Mary will turn you into a believer (Image: Tony Hay)

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