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The new year is a time to look ahead and plan activities. So this week we pop the cork off why HK remains Asia’s wine hub and take a look at how Bregenz has come to be the site of some of Austria’s most iconic architecture. Plus: an indulgent lunch in the foothills of the Dolomites. Taking the lead is Tyler Brûlé.
The Faster Lane / Tyler Brûlé
Happy New Year, bonne année, Gutes neues, buon anno, bom ano novo, gott nytt år! It’s day 17 up in the mountains, the sun is still shining, I will return to the lowlands with a decent tan, I’ve made a small dent in the mountains of mags in the living room and have been far more social than expected. The past few years have seen a more bunker-like mentality take hold over the Christmas break but the mix of perfect weather, fresh discoveries and tempting invites have meant less sofa time than I was hoping for but perhaps this is no bad thing. From Monday, it’s back down to Zürich and a return to the office by midday, from Tuesday I’ll be on Swiss-French rails for the start of what’s set to be an action packed first half of 2025. But before that, here are a few observations and insights.
Paper, pencil and planning power
It’s been one of those early new year mornings that required a prompt start to get everything that’s been simmering since mid-December on page and in gear. In 2024 I abandoned a traditional daily diary in favour of a slightly larger-than-A5 ring planner from Hands (formerly Tokyu Hands) that offers a month per page and enough real estate to jot down cities, meetings and alternative destinations. While I also consult the dreadful Google calendar on my phone and Izumi runs the master diary, I find this format to be the most efficient way to both keep everything in order and visualise the weeks ahead. Operating off a small screen does little in terms of providing a broader view and I’m convinced that it’s better for your brain to plot with pencil, eraser and a generous grid if you want to get a solid grip on how to manage time and space.
Focus on the core
Rather than going full tilt and global for the start of 2025, I’m trying something new – a more gentle, regional beginning. I was all set to hit Asia from mid-January but with our Paris opening requiring attention, tweaks in Zürich and London and clients to see in Geneva, Milan and Vienna, the month of January is already packed. The first long-haul trip doesn’t happen until the second week of February – something of a personal record for sticking to one continent.
The grand tour returns
I’m now convinced the grand global tour is the most efficient way to manage multiple projects, clients and offices. Instead of returning back to base, repacking, becoming distracted and then venturing out again, it makes more sense to just keep going and return home for a focused period of time. Of course, this type of schedule requires meticulous planning and a good level of support but having been at this for more than a few decades I highly recommend this form of travel as it’s also better for the head – energising and educational. If you’re worried about jet lag, a small tip: you can sleep when you hit retirement or you can learn the fine art of the 10-minute taxi nap.
Look and learn
Belmont, in the heart of St Moritz, became something of a new local during the holidays. By day it’s a café, in the early eve it draws an apéro crowd and during the winter season there’s a light menu on offer a couple of days each week. Running a hospitality operation is rarely an easy gig and I’m always keen to settle into an establishment and quietly observe how waiters engage with newcomers and locals, who sits where and how focused the management is on the details. In the case of Belmont’s founder, Silvano, and his partners Raul and Carl in the kitchen, it’s always rewarding to watch them transform tables, whip up cocktails, straighten chairs, deliver dishes (don’t miss the crab on Japanese brioche) and adjust lighting. Better still, this is an operation that runs from 07.30, 365 days a year. In a world full of guff about community building, this is the real deal – elegantly delivered.
Thanks for popping in
Before jumping on the train, a sunny thank you to all the readers who popped into our St Moritz shop over the past weeks. There is no better way to learn and improve than to speak to our informed audience from Athens, Washington, San Antonio, Hamburg, Dubai and places even more far-flung and exotic.
Eating out / Luna Restaurant, Bolzano
Bolzano’s historic charm meets modern culinary delight with the opening of Luna Restaurant (writes Anton Preuss). Located in an historic inn, Parkhotel Mondschein, the oldest part of which dates back to 1320, it’s an Italian classic with a fresh touch.
Led by head chef Mathieu Domagala, a South Tyrolean with French roots in Lorraine, the menu features Alpine cuisine with a Mediterranean flair. On the menu is vitello tonnato with capers grown on the Italian island of Pantelleria, pappardelle with venison ragù and Arctic char fillet with chive sauce. Seasonal vegetables from the restaurant’s kitchen garden appear on every plate, while desserts such as pistachio tiramisù round off the menu.
Merano-based Biquadra’s design pays homage to the building’s illustrious history with a rich red colour palette accented with brass. The restaurant’s velvet-upholstered seats and travertine tables from the 1960s can serve 100 guests at any one time – if you’re in Bolzano, be sure to be one of them.
parkhotelmondschein.com
New opening / Club Bâtard, Hong Kong
Club Bâtard’s appeal is remarkably simple: drink well and pay less to do so (writes Theodora Yu). As Hong Kong’s resilient economy braces for another uncertain year, the city’s hospitality industry and landlords are having to pull out all the stops – and a fair few corks – to keep things flowing. Club Bâtard’s opening in Autumn 2024 was one such display of newfound confidence. The members-only drinking and dining destination in the central business district combines three restaurants and 300 covers with a three-storey walk-in wine cellar – the biggest in the city.
Bottles are reasonably priced when compared to the hefty mark-ups at five-star hotels and high-end restaurants. “A lot of people go to Shenzhen to have good food but here the traffic is moving in the opposite direction,” says Michael Wu, who founded the club with Linden Wilkie and Randy See.
“Hong Kong will always be the wine hub of Asia,” he says. Club Bâtard has taken three levels of the Pedder Building, a rare pre-war heritage structure surrounded by high-end shopping centres and office towers. Every floor features a different restaurant and the flavours on each menu are designed to pair with the wine stocked in the adjacent cellar – the centrepiece and star attraction.
The cellar’s 12,000-strong collection balances top wineries and small growers. Bottles range from HK$500 (€59) to more than HK$2m (€237,000); the oldest label is an 1898 vintage Château Latour. French regions dominate, though wine director Della Tang is keen to diversify. The sweetness and clear-cut acidity of German riesling, for instance, pairs well with the Cantonese dishes served at Hop Sze, such as the “stir-fry king” with dried prawns and chives.
Club Bâtard’s food service is overseen by See, the seasoned restaurateur behind Piccolo Concepts, a subsidiary of Singapore’s Les Amis Group. See says the goal of “straightforward and versatile” dishes, such as Bâtard’s signature roast chicken and duck burgers, is to make wine fun and a little less formal. We’ll drink to that.
clubbatard.com
Sunday roast / Ludovico Einaudi
Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi has been sharing his classical compositions for more than 30 years (writes Laura Kramer). Celebrated for taking influences from nature to create sublime harmonies, the composer tells us about his Sunday strolls around flea markets in Turin, walking his dog and indulging in seasonal vegetables.
Where will we find you this weekend?
If I’m in Turin, I’ll visit the flea markets or stop by the old coffee shops.
Ideal start to a Sunday? Gentle start or a jolt?
I like a slow start when I don’t have to run around.
What’s for breakfast?
I tend to skip breakfast and go straight to lunch. I only have breakfast if it’s from a very special place where I can expect to have the best eggs of my life. Otherwise, I stick to coffee and tea in the morning.
Lunch in or out?
Depends. If I happen to visit a nice market, I like to prepare lunch at home.
Walk the dog or downward dog?
Both. I walk my wheaten terrier, Brina, and then head to pilates in the afternoon.
A Sunday soundtrack?
Frank Sinatra.
Sunday culture must?
I like to take strolls that end up with a museum visit.
News or no news?
I have a look at the news every morning. I like to get an idea of what’s happening in the world. I opt for the Financial Times, not for its financial pages but more so for its culture section.
What’s on the menu?
I am very passionate about buying local, seasonal vegetables that I can prepare in my tagine pot.
Sunday evening routine?
I prefer quiet Sundays, when I can enjoy the comfort of my own home.
Will you lay out an outfit for Monday?
Absolutely not. I dress in exactly the same way that I would on the weekend.
Recipe / Aya Nishimura
January calls for something light and refreshing so Monocle’s recipe writer has prepared a healthy Caesar salad with all the trimmings.
Serves 4 as main or 8 as a starter
Ingredients
200g ciabatta or 4 slices sourdough, cut into large cubes
Olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
600g chicken breast, skin on or off
4 medium eggs
1 large romaine lettuce, soaked in cold water for 30 min, then drained
1 small red onion, thinly sliced and kept in cold water
8 anchovy fillets
35g parmesan, shaved
For the Caesar dressing
70g high-quality mayonnaise
½ small garlic clove, grated
1 anchovy, finely minced
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp light brown sugar or maple syrup
25g parmesan cheese, finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1
To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 180C. Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crunchy.
2
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Grill for 3 minutes on each side, then transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through. You can test it by piercing the thickest part of the chicken. If the juice runs clear, the chicken is cooked. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
3
Bring the water to a boil, add the eggs and cook for 7 minutes for a soft yolk. Cool the eggs under cold running water and peel when ready.
4
Make the dressing by mixing all of the ingredients until smooth.
5
In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, drained red onions and croutons. Arrange chicken slices, halved eggs and anchovies on top. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan, drizzle with the dressing and serve.
Weekend plans? / Stadthotel Kleiner Löwe, Bregenz
Despite its size the Austrian city of Bregenz, home to about 30,000 people on Lake Constance, has a knack for attracting high-calibre architecture (writes Stella Roos). Part of the town’s built-in charm comes courtesy of architect Peter Zumthor, who in the 1990s took a waterfront plot that was originally slated to be a garage and transformed it into the Kunsthaus Bregenz – perhaps Europe’s finest small contemporary art museum.
Now holidaymakers can head to the central Kornmarktplatz for a Glühwein at the new Stadthotel Kleiner Löwe, designed by another star Swiss practice: Herzog & de Meuron. The hotel is owned, run and lived in by couple Lisa Rümmele and Johannes Glatz.
The idea for the stay was born in 2014 when Glatz, the director of a stamp-manufacturing business, was sitting on the patio of the Kunsthaus and laid eyes on a derelict old building across the square. He sought out the owners and convinced them to sell it. Ten years later, a vaulted white design rises from behind the preserved early 20th-century façade.
The completed building looks almost exactly like Herzog’s early sketch, with the vaulted roof a scaled-up version of the arched entryways on the old, baby-blue façade.
“We wanted to balance old and new,” says Robert Hösl, the partner in charge of the project. “This neo-baroque style provides a typically Austrian feeling that feels right here.” Once you’re past the façade the interiors are just as welcoming, with fabric-covered walls and built-in cabinetry crafted by Bregenzerwälder carpenters from solid oak.
kleinerloewe.at
For more snowy boltholes and well-designed Alpine escapes, pick up a copy of Monocle’s seasonal ‘Alpino’ newspaper, on newsstands now.
Bottoms up / Kamil Barczentewicz
When Polish winemaker Kamil Barczentewicz first stepped foot on the land that would become his namesake vineyard in 2019, he was inspired (writes Julia Lasica). Just 3km away from the flowing Vistula in Dobre, he found a mineral-rich patch of limestone, sand and clay: the perfect terroir for experimenting with pinot blanc thanks to Poland’s cool climate. “I wanted to harness this potential and demonstrate that Poland can yield exceptional wine from the grape,” he says.
Barczentewicz has also experimented with chardonnay and riesling but it is his pinot blanc that makes him proudest. “The wine’s pronounced acidity and minerality invigorates the senses and evokes ascetic wines in the style of chablis,” he says. “I wanted it to feel elegant and subtle. Polish wines have a lot of potential that we should showcase.”
barczentewicz.pl
For more of our industry insights and plucky ideas for 2025, pick up a copy of‘Monocle: The Entrepreneurs’. Or better still,subscribetoday. Have a super Sunday.
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