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This week we’re enjoying the Alpine majesty of Austria’s Lake Fuschl with a chic Parisian-inspired cocktail in hand, courtesy of our Swiss chef. We also take a seat at The River Café’s new laidback opening. Plus: we meet an aperitif creator who came up with his brand idea during a rousing game of pétanque. First up, Tyler Brûlé on the return of paper trails to our skies.
The Faster Lane / Tyler Brûlé
You’re not gonna believe this. Then again, maybe you will. Newsflash: it’s time to invest in that stretch of forest you’ve been eyeing up in British Columbia or Poland because I can confidently report that paper, as a vehicle for distributing information, emotions and irrational impulses, is making a comeback. And it’s about bloody time! Now, I know you’re thinking, “Of course Tyler would say this because he’s been an advocate of print since he discovered the world of Richard Scarry back in 1972,” but I have solid evidence. So please pay attention.
Earlier this week I met with a major player in the business of transporting tens of millions of people around the world. Like many in their sector, they’d long been looking for a reason to accelerate their “digital transformation” (when will see an end to this term?) and getting rid of magazines, and paper in general, was a way to show progress while supposedly saving on fuel costs. Some did away with their in-flight magazines early on and pushed passengers to download digital editions before boarding; to this day, I reckon four – max five – people have ever downloaded a magazine before boarding a flight. Then the pandemic did a very good job of pretty much killing off the seat-pocket magazine for reasons that still baffle. We were told that the onboard mag was easily contaminated and would spread coronavirus but in-flight safety cards would not. Seriously? Can you believe that we fell for this nonsense? Anyway, the pandemic was the perfect excuse for all those people who actually defined themselves as digital natives to show how forward-thinking they were – and, in an instant, magazines disappeared for most carriers.
Four years later, I’m chatting to some airline executives who are looking at what their competitors are doing, listening to their passengers and realising that there’s not only a missed opportunity to talk up their brand to their passengers but also to sell a few ads and generate a bit of extra revenue. “Most of us have come to the conclusion that digital can’t do everything and we’re missing that moment to connect with passengers when they’re not on their screens,” said an exec.
And here’s another thing that came as a bit of a surprise. On Friday afternoon I was at the kiosk in Paris picking up my weekend haul of newspapers and magazines, and while I’m no fan of the “mag in a plastic bag” as a supplement to my regular reading, I was thrilled to see that Le Bon Marché had chosen Le Figaro to carry an autumn catalogue celebrating its Paris Paris exhibition. The chunky little catalogue was a perfect accompaniment to the paper’s weekend line-up and it did such a good job that after flipping through its pages I went to the store to track down a few birthday treats for mom. So clever was the marketing team at Le Bon Marché that it had done a men’s and women’s edition. Could a digital newsletter have done a similar job? Perhaps. But it wouldn’t have given me the depth or sense of urgency that the catalogue delivered. What better tool than printed words and imagery to promote an experience that’s physical and demands that you visit the store instead of simply shopping online?
Finally, Monocle is about to send an almost 300-page issue to press, much of it driven by brand partners who want to be on page rather than on-screen. We’re hoping to have at least another thumper before year’s end. Meanwhile, time to think about that stretch of forest or buying a recently abandoned printing company.
Eating out / The River Café Café, London
The River Café opened 37 years ago as a canteen to feed the employees at the west London practice of British-Italian architect Richard Rogers. Now the studio’s reception area, which overlooks the Thames, has been transformed into The River Café Café, a corresponding opening with a streamlined Italian menu.
“We have always liked feeding people,” says Ruth Rogers, the chef, and Richard’s widow, who launched The River Café with Rose Gray. “Our new space offers a pared-back dining experience with the same high-quality ingredients cooked in the same kitchen as The River Café with the same riverside view.” So it’s the ideal spot for a more casual bite – and a more spontaneous one: tables can’t be booked. Secure a seat, though, and you’re in for a treat.
When Monocle visits, the breakfast offering features pillowy chocolate cornetti, marmalade crostini and chunks of sweet nectarine. For aperitivi there are plates of bruschetta with smashed broad beans and Vesuvius tomatoes, Cantabrian anchovies on sourdough and Charentais melon with parma ham – all of which will see you through until the grappa starts flowing.
rivercafe.co.uk
Sunday Roast / Valeriano Antonioli
Valeriano Antonioli is the CEO of Lungarno Collection, the hotel company of the Ferragamo family, which has addresses in Rome, Milan and Florence, where Antonioli is based (writes Gabrielle Grangié). Antonioli’s latest opening, Portrait Milano, reimagines classic Lombardian baroque architecture in the heart of Italy’s fashion capital. Here, Antonioli shares his treasured trattoria recommendation, a penchant for hiking in the mountains and the joy of tending his fruit trees.
Where will we find you this weekend?
I am from Bormio in the Lombardy region, so I try to get to the mountains as often as I can throughout the year to hike, cycle or ski. This weekend, however, I am heading to the Galápagos.
Your ideal start to a Sunday? Gentle or a jolt?
Jolt. I prefer getting on the mountain bike to calmly washing the car.
What’s for breakfast?
A plate of papaya accompanied by cornbread and jam. Plus an extra-large cappuccino with skimmed milk.
Lunch in or out?
Out at Ristorante Tuga near Florence, which specialises in seafood. I’ll get the catch of the day with grilled vegetables.
Walk the dog or downward dog?
Downward dog. Yoga is a must for me.
Where are you going on holiday?
Ecuador, then the Amazon, then Peru. I’m also planning to climb two mountains in my region: the Cevedale and the Gran Zebrù.
Beach or urban waterfront?
I love being surrounded by nature so I always prefer to be immersed in a natural environment.
A Sunday soundtrack?
I’ve been enjoying Eminem’s energy recently.
News or no news?
News from Corriere della Sera, CNN and the BBC.
What’s on the menu?
It’s a privilege to have fruit trees and vegetables growing in my garden. The process of taking care of them is more important to me than how I prepare them.
Recipe / Ralph Schelling
We’re spotlighting a series of cocktails from Monocle’s Mediterraneo newspaper this summer to keep your thirst thoroughly quenched. This week, Monocle’s Swiss chef and recipe writer Ralph Schelling has created something chic and distinctly Parisian to toast our new office in the city. Schelling perfected the recipe at an event when a French interior designer asked for something Gallic with a smooth finish. “It’s like a crêpes Suzette but without the richness,” says Schelling.
Aperitif for 4 people
Ingredients
Handful of ice cubes
150ml cognac
30ml Cointreau (or Triple Sec)
30ml fresh lemon juice
300ml fresh orange juice
4 orange slices (for decoration)
Method
1
Pour the cognac, Cointreau, lemon juice and orange juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice.
2
Close the lid and shake the drink well for about 20 seconds.
3
Strain into each glass without ice and garnish with the orange slices.
For more drinks to enjoy under the sun, pick up a copy of the Monocle ‘Mediterraneo’ newspaper, which is available now.
Bottoms up / Pastis 12/12
Traditionally made with liquorice roots and anise pods in Provence, pastis is more than a drink – it’s a distillation of Provençal culture (writes Lucrezia Motta). So it’s no surprise that the founders of Pastis 12/12 came up with the brand idea during a stimulating game of pétanque in Saint-Tropez, “12/12” being an archaic expression for match point. “It’s the holiday alcohol associated with leisure and aperitifs with friends and family,” says co-founder Hugues Cholez. “It’s also the drink that brings everyone together – from workers to executives, young and old, women and men.”
Charming label illustrations by Quentin Monge are testament to the carefree nature of the anise-flavoured aperitif. Produced in one of Marseille’s oldest distilleries, Pastis 12/12 enhances a traditional recipe with notes of fig and orange blossom, native plants from the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and a hint of sweet almond. For Cholez, this joyful tipple is best enjoyed by the sea, with friends and playing a game of pétanque, of course.
pastis1212.com
Weekend plans? / Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, Salzkammergut
It’s just a 20-minute drive from Salzburg’s main train station to Lake Fuschl but the two locations feel worlds apart (writes Florian Siebeck). Beyond the city are the lush green meadows and mountains of the Salzkammergut region: if it looks like something from The Sound of Music, that’s because it is: this is where the 1965 classic was filmed. On the eastern shore of the Alpine lake is Schloss Fuschl, built as a hunting lodge in 1461 and once a retreat for Salzburg’s nobility. It has been a seasonal hotel since the 1940s but was recently reopened under the Rosewood banner.
Rosewood’s latest property is its second in Austria following the opening of its Vienna hotel in 2022. Fuschl’s 98 guest rooms, including its 42 suites, were fully refurbished and now feature hand-painted minibars and marble bathrooms. In the suites on the upper floors of the historic tower, old walls have been uncovered and layers of paint removed to reveal original 15th-century ornamentation. In the lobby, antlers nod to the lodge’s history while the corridors are lined with old paintings; the hotel has one of the world’s largest collections of Old Masters outside a formal museum. From after-hours tours to hot-air balloon rides, forest walks, herb picking and umbrella-making, Fuschl offers guests plenty to enjoy. Most people, though, are here to idle, either on a slow ride in the hotel’s gondola or with a little pampering at the vast spa which includes indoor and outdoor pools, three saunas and a steam room.
rosewoodhotels.com
For more sophisticated sojourns and hospitality openings, pick up a copy of Monocle’sSeptember issue, which is on newsstands now.
The Stack / ‘Italian Coastal’
Italy is blessed with a scenic coastline stretching more than 7,000km, much of it found on sun-drenched islands and abutting towns where residents enjoy a wonderful assortment of regional dishes. Now British cook and food writer Amber Guinness has decided to chronicle a slice of this rich culinary history in her latest book, Italian Coastal: Recipes and Stories From Where the Land Meets the Sea.
To make her task more manageable, the Florence-based author set her sights on a popular section of the Bel Paese coast running from seaside Tuscany down through the Amalfi Coast and finishing in northern Sicily. Guinness considers culinary life along the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea by delving into the backstory of 60 recipes. She has amassed a mouthwatering collection of dishes including crostini with ricotta and nduja, tomato linguine with capers and an exquisite Amalfi-lemon cream cake. Part travelogue, part recipe book, Italian Coastal will tempt readers to soak up the seaside sunshine and flavours of the Bel Paese – or to whip up a taste of the Italian Mediterranean at home.
thamesandhudson.com
For more on our favourite corners of the world and the traditions that make them worth visiting, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Monocle or better still, subscribe today so you never miss an issue. Have a super Sunday.
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