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This week we head to Michigan to see Gallic flair in Grand Rapids and catch up with a Portuguese chef dishing up seafood in Alentejo. Plus: we take a tour of Koh Samui to find out how the Thai island is attracting a new generation of restaurateurs and whip up recipe for a refreshing yuzu spritz. Kicking things off is an observant Tyler Brûlé.
The faster lane / Tyler Brûlé
It has been one of those weeks where “that book” that I’ve been working on for a rather long time has been tugging at my shirt tails, demanding attention. It all started when I boarded a sparkly new Stadler MOB Goldenpass Express carriage at Zweisimmen on Thursday morning and was transported into the little bubble that is Gstaad-Saanen. As we wound our way down into the valley, passed the busy farmers raking grasses along steep slopes and watched a Pilatus PC-12 make its steep approach to the tiny airport, I was back in the pages of my book – last touched sometime back in January.
With an alpine setting, it’s always useful to pay attention to what’s happening outside the rail carriage, inside the hotel lobby and around the pool to inform what might one day end up in the chapter of my future bestseller. After check-in and lunch with friends at Gstaad Palace, it was time to take up my position on the lounger and observe, analyse and record what was unfolding around me. If you’re not familiar with the pool at the Palace, it’s part hotel amenity, part community centre, and a sunny social hub for everyone in the valley. With Olympic proportions, it has a five-metre diving tower at one end, a restaurant and bar at the other. Alongside it there are white plastic loungers, cabanas, patches of lawn, a trampoline and enough mature trees for ample shade. As for the crowd, they’re hotel guests, residents of the nearby chalets and locals from elsewhere up and down the valley.
Much of the activity is around the diving boards as children, dads, show-offs and semi-professionals scamper up the ladders to position themselves for various performances off the regular, three- and five-metre boards. There’s a lifeguard on duty but you don’t see much of him as he’s also in charge of towel distribution and keeping a sense of order in other corners of his domain. At one point there are at least 10 kids on top of the tower. The lifeguard walks over to tell them that it might be a good idea to not have such a big crowd on the platform and that they should space out jumps and dives so that they don’t land on each other.
Aside from that, it’s a wonderful free-for-all that I could watch all afternoon. The parents are all knocking back spritzes and rosé, and no one is very concerned that kids are trying their first backflips and groups of five-year-olds are running and jumping from the highest board. This is where the Swiss deserve an honorary gold medal for encouraging self-responsibility rather than legislating to prevent fun or attempting to cancel out any form of risk.
When the diving tower becomes too busy for the more seasoned 16-year olds, they move over to the ping-pong table in small groups and obediently respect the time limit, allowing others to have a go at serving up their best top spin.
“Where are you from?” asks a lanky boy in mint Fedeli shorts to a kid standing alongside the fence.
“I’m from Portugal,” replies the boy in faded pink trunks. “What about you?”
“I’m from Geneva,” says the young man in mint. “Hey, you guys aren’t doing very well in the Olympics, are you? I thought Portugal would be much better in more sports.”
“No one is really from Geneva,” says the Portuguese, rapidly changing the subject. “Where are you really from?”
“It’s a complicated question,” says the young Genevois. “I’m Perisan but grew up in the US and France, and now live here in Switzerland. Are you ready for Persia to smash Portugal?”
As the boys pick up the paddle to do battle, a group of college-age girls arrive for a late-afternoon swim and tanning session. As they dart back and forth from the changing rooms, I note that there’s almost a total absence of ink on skin. Odd for this age group, no?
The sun starts to dip and there’s a little rush at the bar for more cocktails. A group of ladies are still playing cards; they’ve been at it since lunch. Another Pilatus is making its approach to Saanen Airport over the hotel. The breeze is picking up and, suddenly, there’s the high-summer scent of the Swiss Alps – chamomile, cow poop and a bit of coniferous forest. It’s time for one more cooling dip and then up to the room to dress for dinner. The Gstaad season runs for another month or so. Try it if you can.
If not, the Monocle crew looks forward to seeing you on the other side of the Alps in St Moritz from Friday. See you for drinks on the village square from 19.00 local time.
New opening / Chateau, Grand Rapids
Michigan might not be known for its French touch but you’ll find a small dose of Gallic flair at Chateau (writes Gregory Scruggs). Husband-and-wife duo Chris and Allaire Swart have transformed a heritage storefront in Grand Rapids into a daytime café that becomes an evening wine bar. The pair selected San Francisco-based Obata Noblin Office, co-founded by a fellow University of Michigan alumnus, to design the space. Large front windows provide ample daylight but judicious lighting creates a moody, candlelit feel after dark.
The team selected green as the accent colour in a nod to the restaurant’s focus on natural wine and single-origin coffee. Chateau sets a new standard for up-and-coming Cherry Street in this Midwestern city. “We’ve taken a 100-year-old building and maintained almost all of its integrity, from tin ceilings and brick walls to slab wood floors,” says Chris. “It was important for us not to shellac over history but rather maintain that patina.”
chateaugrandrapids.com
Sunday Roast / Ana Lamelas Moura
After stints in fine-dining establishments from Arzak in Spain to Eleven in Lisbon, chef Ana Lamelas Moura opted to return to her roots (writes Ivan Carvalho). Lamelas, her restaurant in the Portuguese fishing village of Porto Covo on the Alentejo coast, offers dishes inspired by the Atlantic. Here, Moura chats to us about Indian food in Lisbon, a cultured afternoon in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and her favourite food-focused podcasts.
Where will we find you this weekend?
Working at my restaurant. Weekends are our busiest days.
Ideal start to a Sunday? Gentle or a jolt?
My Sunday is actually Monday, the day our restaurant is closed. I like to start it with a jolt and get moving with caffeine.
What’s for breakfast?
Coffee and a cigarette. I can’t eat immediately after waking. A bit later I go for scrambled eggs on buttered toast.
Lunch in or out?
Always out as I like to see what others are cooking. In Lisbon, I love Laranja Tigre for its great Goan food from chef Hugo Brito.
Walk the dog or downward dog?
I don’t have a dog but I’ll ride my bike, do Crossfit and play golf or football.
A Sunday soundtrack?
“Borrow”, a song from Portuguese band Silence 4.
Sunday culture must?
In Lisbon, my favourite place is the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, where you can enjoy an exhibition, watch a concert or go for a stroll in its magnificent gardens.
News or no news?
I listen to the Assim Assado podcast, which features talks with chefs, and Refeitório on [Portuguese] state broadcaster RTP. It’s important to know what’s happening in your industry.
What’s on the menu?
In Porto Covo, the food culture is focused on the sea, so we have stuffed squid and greens or a plate of açorda [a type of bread soup] with fried sole and a poached egg. We try to present the best of the Alentejo coast in a dignified way.
Where are you spending your summer holidays?
A place I try to go to every year is San Sebastián. I worked there for a couple of years as a chef, so I always try to go and check out the vibrant dining scene.
Sunday evening routine?
Go out with friends and try new Portuguese wines. Nothing too crazy because my days off aren’t compatible with most people’s schedules.
Do you lay out an outfit for Monday?
No. I keep my choices simple as I don’t like to think too much about what I’m wearing.
Recipe / Ralph Schelling
The summer cocktails series in Monocle’s Mediterraneo newspaper offers twists on much-loved classics. This one can be mixed quickly and kept flowing, which makes it ideal for an outdoor event with a larger guest list. “I used to work in the Tokyo restaurant Ryugin, where I used yuzu a lot,” says Swiss chef and recipe writer Ralph Schelling. “You cannot replicate its flavour. It has now developed into an obsession of mine.”
Aperitif for 4 people
Ingredients
2 handfuls of ice cubes
80ml yuzu juice or yuzu syrup
150ml saké
400ml champagne
Yuzu or lemon slices
Method
1
Place the ice cubes in a glass and top it up with the yuzu juice or syrup, saké and champagne.
2
If desired, garnish with a slice of fresh yuzu or lemon.
ralphschelling.com
For more summer concoctions, pick up a copy of Monocle’s ‘Mediterraneo’ newspaper, which is out now.
Cooking the books / ‘The Levantine Vegetarian’
The abundance of produce along the shores of the eastern Mediterranean provides fertile inspiration for this culinary Levantine love letter by Salma Hage (writes Claudia Jacob). In her new cookbook, published by Phaidon, the Lebanese chef whips up cheesy za’atar pinwheels to bring along to a summer picnic, a herby omelette for a savoury breakfast and a smoky barberry salad with sumac to crown the mezze table.
Hage’s vegetarian feast is fizzing with flavours from Syria, Turkey, Egypt and beyond, all of which trace the history of migration through redolent recipes. Her penchant for pickles, pulses and pitas means that there is plenty to get your teeth into, vegetarian or not.
phaidon.com
Weekend plans? / Koh Samui
For better or for worse, Alex Garland’s 1996 novel The Beach (and its 2000 film adaptation) pinned Koh Samui firmly on the backpacker’s map of Southeast Asia (writes James Chambers). Nearly 30 years on, Thailand’s second-largest island is preparing for another moment in pop culture’s spotlight that symbolises how it has matured into a destination known not only for its white sandy beaches but also its increasingly upmarket bars and hotels. “Samui has retained its tropical-island feel,” says Englishman Mark Harrison, hotel manager at Garrya Tongsai Bay, Koh Samui’s first luxury resort. Harrison has worked at Tongsai Bay for more than 20 years and, in that time, he saw the transformation of Thailand’s largest island, Phuket. The country’s central government wants to turbocharge Koh Samui’s economy in a similar way.
Beach bar Coco Tam’s offers a breezy introduction to Koh Samui’s ever-evolving and increasingly sophisticated hospitality industry. Founder Tam Chotechurangkool started out in the northern beach town of Bophut with an ice-cream stall and two bean bags before graduating to cocktails and adding a coffee shop and restaurant. Coco Tam’s is among a small but growing number of bars and restaurants tempting visitors to venture outside their secluded five-star villas. Some of the best examples have been founded by newcomers. Australian Leandro Panza arrived in 2016 and opened 2 Fishes, a beachfront seafood restaurant with an ever-changing menu and room for a pizza oven, pastry station and table for hand-rolling fresh pasta. It’s evidence that Koh Samui’s tropical-island charms and affordable lifestyle have become irresistible to a new generation of travellers.
To read the full report, pick up a copy of our bumperJuly/August issue, which is on newsstands now.
Pack this / Ookioh beach towel
Ookioh’s Galle towel sports the “Made in Portugal” label with pride. Its generous size and loop for easy hanging make it a suitable travel companion for days spent at the beach.
The towel is made from soft Italian yarns and its colourful design takes its cues from Moroccan tiles, transporting you to a tranquil poolside riad – wherever you choose to lounge.
ookioh.com
For more travel tips and food finds, pick up a copy of our bumperJuly/August issue, which is on newsstands now. Orsubscribeso that you never miss an issue. Have a super Sunday.
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