Sunday 2 February 2025 - Monocle Minute | Monocle

Sunday. 2/2/2025

Monocle Weekend
Edition: Sunday

The high life

This week’s dispatch finds our team of editors and correspondents reaching for high-altitude escapes including a cosy conversation with an interior designer in the Dolomites and a fresh pit stop at an Alpine club in snowy Lech. Then we treat ourselves to a sweet Spanish dessert, explore a bookshop in Seoul and pop the cork on Austrian wine at a new opening in Thessaloniki. At the top is our editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, with some tips for mingling minds.

The Faster Lane / Tyler Brûlé

Ideas on the house

Allow me to pick up where Andrew left off in yesterday’s edition. If you want to hear more war stories and what happened with that mountain of cash in the lobby of an Inter-Conti in a West African capital, you’ll need to come to The Chiefs conference in Jakarta, open a generous bar tab and Mr Tuck and I will tickle you with stories from the golden years of journalism circa the early 1990s.

But let’s rewind the Betacam tape to Midori House and that Midori Mingler on Wednesday evening. And just in case you’re only joining the story now, the Mingler is an after-work gathering of staff (and occasionally surprise guests) and an opportunity to share work, tales from the road, deliver business updates and open a few bottles of wine. Before our geopolitics and hospitality panel (a rather curious combo that went down a treat), there were a few minutes devoted to framing the year ahead, a weather report on the state of our businesses and then a word game to focus minds, inspire and stay on mission. Management consultants like to work in threes, believing that people can’t remember more than low single-digit marching orders. I have considerably more faith in my colleagues and also feel that it’s better not to limit people to a fixed menu. Instead, serve them a focused, well-rounded à la carte offer of tasty, easy to digest concepts – hence the Midori Mingler menu was a varied selection of nine morsels to savour.

As you might find yourself in a similar situation over the coming weeks when you need to stand up in front of the company and give a little Q1 direction, feel free to borrow a few of the concepts that we feel are healthy tips for commerce and brand building – no matter where you’re placed on the globe.

Sun
January is tough in much of the northern hemisphere, so you need to engineer a bit of sunshine from time to time to keep spirits up and get colleagues and partners feeling optimistic when the wind is whipping through the streets of West London and the avenues of Minneapolis. Aside from a good supply of wine and nibbles, sunny staffers are also key. If they’re not already on the payroll, rent a few Aussies, Kiwis and Saffers to keep things frothy and perky.

Personalities
We need more of these in the workplace and not the digital variety who have beautiful lives and are chatty on screen but deadly as a travel companion on the TGV to Paris. Too many companies search for academic excellence and end up with legions of people who are brilliant technocrats but no client wants to interact with them. Business needs to get back to a place where relationships and fresh wins are fostered over dinners and tennis matches and not tedious video calls.

Phone
I suggested this first: it’s a good idea to pick up the phone when it rings. Second, it’s even more useful as an essential diplomatic tool for defusing email escalation and dialling your colleague or client if things aren’t progressing politely. Third, meeting in person is even better for advancing conversations.

’Hood
Companies like to focus on brand and talk up community engagement in abstract terms while failing to address the essentials on their doorsteps. Monocle napkins and chocolate wrappers blowing down the street are, ultimately, our problem and even if we weren’t the ones who missed the bin, we owe it to our neighbours to keep things looking sharp and tidy. Leading by example usually prompts similar action by at least a few others on the street.

Thank you
Are you one of those people who feel a duty to hold open the door for sweet old ladies or men with too many bags because they don’t know how to pack properly? Are you also the type of person who feels like tackling the old dear when she doesn’t give you so much as a nod or a smile, let alone a thank you? The art of a well-placed thank you (on paper or screen) works wonders. We’ll save the topic of learning how to say sorry for another Sunday.
Thank you, merci, danke, obrigado.

Eating out / Tiffany’s x 1905, Thessaloniki

Greek meets chic

Thessaloniki’s characterful blend of modern Greek charm with ancient Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman influences was embodied in the original Tiffany’s restaurant, which shuttered in 2013 after for more than 40 years of service (writes Claudia Jacob). But where the old establishment was reminiscent of a mageirio (casual kitchen serving homely dishes), the new Tiffany’s x 1905 departs from convention.

Image: Louiza Vradi

“We didn’t want to copy the original Tiffany’s but to invent a modern version,” says restaurateur Nikos Nyfoudis, who returned to his native city after 12 years in the UK. The result is a bistro with contemporary sensibilities from Nyfoudis’s experiences in Crete, Kefalonia, London and, of course, his hometown.

Image: Louiza Vradi

The new restaurant-cum-wine bar pays homage to its namesake institution while also claiming its own identity. For proof look no further than the venue’s wine list by oenologist Anestis Haitidis, who procured 600 delicate whites and quaffable reds from the likes of Naxos and Austria’s Bürgenland. The food is an equally seductive proposition: order the kontosouvli (spit-roasted pork), pickled artichokes from the island of Tinos and braised lamb with strained yoghurt. Round off the meal with the Kiounefe: an irresistible shell of shredded pastry filled with mozzarella cheese and drizzled with syrup and pistachios.
tiffanys1905.gr

Buy ‘Greece: The Monocle Handbook’ today for a selection of Hellenic hotels and Byzantine boltholes that will help you discover this sunny country anew.

Image: Ilona Marx

Sunday Roast / Harry Thaler

Mountain high

South Tyrolean architect and Monocle friend Harry Thaler designed the new Monti Suites at the Miramonti Hotel in the Dolomites (writes Ilona Marx). He joins us to discuss his coveted Alpine dairy, his Merano culture fix and the white wine he sips on a Sunday.

Where do we find you this weekend?
At the breakfast table with my family, enjoying a variety of products from the Alpine dairy in Lagundo. They do the best mountain cheese and yoghurt.

Ideal start to a Sunday? Gentle start or a jolt?
A slow start with a macchiato. Then a walk with my family at the Vigiljoch mountain pass or a break at the Villaverde hotel.

What’s for breakfast?
Fresh sourdough bread with honey and goat’s cheese. If I’m in a rush, it’s an espresso and a croissant from Konditorei Steinach.

Lunch in or out?
Definitely out. Either grilled vegetables with salad at Pur Südtirol, a high-quality supermarket, or the great olive rolls from Pastalpina to take away.

Walk the dog or downward dog?
A walk in the mountains is a great way to switch off. Alternatively, tennis with my son or meditation in the evening. Yoga is still on my to-do list.

A Sunday soundtrack?
Here I trust my wife’s taste: something chilled, maybe Bonobo or Alt-J to let our thoughts flow. If it’s up to me: jazz, please.

A Sunday cultural must?
A trip to the Kunst Meran [Merano Art Gallery] to gather new inspiration. Or a quick visit to Linda at The Monocle Shop on Via Dante in Merano.

What’s on the menu?
Something light and creative, maybe a seasonal salad with burrata and figs; the vegetables from Eva at Bioexpress Algund are always amazing. Or pasta with fresh herbs. I love welcoming friends with a glass of white wine from the Cantina Kurtatsch winery in Trentino, Alto Adige.

Do you lay out an outfit for Monday?
I’d like to say yes but the truth is no. I usually opt for something that’s practical in the studio while still suitable for spontaneous meetings. My Blundstone boots are always faithful companions.

Illustration: XIHA

Recipe / Ralph Schelling

‘Pirusas jumillanas’

This week, Swiss chef Ralph Schelling offers a light, tasty pastry hailing from the Spanish town of Jumilla in Murcia. For the best results, pair it with the region’s sweet monastrell wine. And remember: sharing is caring.

Serves 4

Ingredients
80g powdered sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle)
6 egg yolks
15g ground aniseed powder
200ml olive oil
50g plain white flour
Salt (a pinch)

Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180C.

2
In a bowl, beat the sugar, egg yolks and aniseed powder until frothy.

3
Slowly pour in the olive oil and stir to create an emulsion. Add in the flour and a pinch of salt. Stir again.

4
Chill the mixture for 20 minutes, then use a spoon or spatula to spread approximately 12 flat, golf-ball-sized pirusas across two sheets of baking paper.

5
Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Leave to cool.

6
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve (ideally with a sweet monastrell wine).
ralphschelling.com

Weekend plans? / Arlberg Club House, Lech

Sleek peak

With discreet chalets tucked into its snowy folds, Lech is seemingly removed from all earthly worries (writes Florian Siebeck). High in Austria’s Arlberg region, the alpine enclave has long been the retreat of discerning skiers who prize its snowy slopes as much as its commitment to privacy. “It’s a town that values powder over pomp,” says Patrick Krummenacher, who co-owns Hotel Arlberg alongside his husband, Benjamin Schneider.

Despite the hotel’s success, the couple saw an opportunity for reinvention. “Lech must remain liveable year-round, not just in winter,” he adds. That’s why they seized the opportunity to repurpose the old tourism office opposite their hotel, creating Arlberg Club House.

Image: Robert Rieger

Kitzbühel-based designer Bernd Gruber worked on the interiors, which feature rich textures, organic curves and earthy tones. At its heart is a restaurant that departs from alpine staples, instead serving dishes including fresh gnocchi with caviar, surf-and-turf and lobster rolls.

Image: Robert Rieger

A shop offers Austrian Mühlbauer hats, Carl Auböck brass designs and skiwear from Aspen’s Aztech Mountain. You can also find cashmere pieces from Iris von Arnim and Meta Campania’s workwear-inspired collection by Bottega Veneta alumnus Jon Strassburg.

Image: Robert Rieger

“About 75 per cent of our guests are regulars. Coming here feels like coming home”, says Schneider. “Lech is a tight-knit community.”
arlbergclubhouse.com

Find your next alpine escape in our winter newspaper,‘Alpino’, which is on newsstands now.

Top of the shops / Daeshin Wirye Center, Seoul

Page turner

Seoul’s Daeshin Wirye Center has a bookish new occupant with a distinctive mid-century style (writes Yvonne Xu). Graphic, a library devoted to comics and art books, has opened its second branch here. For an entrance fee, visitors can peruse the collection and settle into any of its inviting nooks, cosy settees or veranda chairs.

The idea is to allow readers to stay as long as they want – at least, up to a point (the high demand has led to the introduction of a three-hour cap at peak times).

It’s the latest addition to Seoul’s array of sit-down reading sanctuaries. Whether it’s by encouraging readers to lounge on beanbags or by having a DJ set the mood, Seoul is reimagining how books are experienced. Pull up a chair and get stuck in.
graphicbookstore.imweb.me

In Monocle’sFebruary issue, which is available on newsstands now, you’ll discover 25 bright ideas for a bright 2025.

Image: Tony Hay

Bottoms up / Phelan Farm, California

Natural wonder

Rajat Parr has attracted an important following in the wine world after his productive stint as sommelier for restaurateur Michael Mina in San Francisco (writes Ivan Carvalho). Now Parr has a new job as a farmer growing grapes on California’s Central Coast using regenerative agricultural practices.

At Phelan Farm, Parr has been busy working with varietals suitable for the cool climate of the San Luis Obispo Coast appellation. “I want a serious wine but made completely naturally,” he says, pointing to the sheep and chickens on the property that help add to the fecundity of the soil. His Phelan Farm pinot noir is made with natural yeast and is bottled without filtration. In the glass it shows a lively acidity with notes of red cherries.
phelanfarm.com

Cooking up an idea for 2025? Find advice in our business special,‘Monocle: The Entrepreneurs. Or better still,subscribetoday so that you never miss a beat. Have a super Sunday.

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