Monocle Weekend
Edition: Sunday

Mario
It’s springtime 1996 and I have the wonderful idea to launch a magazine. My friend Nancy recommends a gentleman named Paulo in Milan to help sell the advertising and off I go with my layout boards, publishing schedule and pitch for Wallpaper. After two days in and out of fashion houses (Gucci promised to advertise, so too Versace) and furniture houses, things are looking good and I’m thinking that I just might like this media-entrepreneur gig.

Part of the charm of it all was shuttling around in a large Lancia with navy-velour upholstery and a man named Mario at the wheel. Six months later, Wallpaper launched with considerable fanfare and Mario was there for lunches in Como, dinners in Torino and parties in Milan. Last Sunday, off the Zürich-Milano Centrale express, Mario was waiting in his usual spot in front of the Excelsior Hotel Gallia – the Lancia long since swapped for a Mercedes E-Class. As business relationships go, Mario has been one of the most dependable and loyal. Grazie Signor Mario. What are we doing for our 30th anniversary?

Dolli
Most Athens stays aren’t really Athens at all, they’re more Vouliagmeni as I try to mix meetings with early Med dips at the Four Seasons. With a compressed schedule in the Greek capital and a return trip to Delphi on Wednesday, I took my friend Robin’s advice and booked into The Dolli at Acropolis in Plaka. A newcomer to the Athenian hospitality scene, The Dolli is housed in a former department store and is just what Athens has been missing: a quality boutique hotel of scale with fine service and a stunning view of the Parthenon to match. If you’re plotting an Athens stopover in the coming weeks or months, I can highly recommend a junior suite (fourth floor, corner) and a bottle or two of assyrtiko on the rooftop terrace.

Papadakis
I’m sure there’s an Athens version of Kronenhalle that I’ve yet to be introduced to but until that happens my best reference is Papadakis and its excellent menu of Greek classics, sunny staff and always intriguing cast of guests. If you need a dependable table in the heart of Kolonaki, you can’t go wrong with Papadakis. Aim to book early or, better yet, find a local with some pull for an outdoor table on one of those perfect May evenings.

Aurelia
Aurelia swung by our offices in Zürich on Thursday with a bottle of Billecart-Salmon and we set to work on a new Monocle campaign that will have its official launch in May and a small preview in the coming weeks. If you’ve been to a Monocle event in Zürich, Paris or Munich, you might well have met Aurelia. If not, you’ll certainly know her work for Bergos – the boutique private bank that happens to be our neighbour in Seefeld. How can anyone forget her recent campaign: “Nouveau riche? Better than no riche!”

Samuel
It’s move-in weekend (part one) in Lisbon and so far, so good. As reported a few weekends ago, we’ve been very happy with the contractors and now it’s the fun bit of finding bedside tables for the guest room (sorted an hour before filing this column), getting mom to do some custom paintings and waiting for deliveries from various corners of the Iberian Peninsula. Speaking of geography, I have another driver to thank for helping me navigate this stretch of Europe. Samuel is not just an excellent chauffeur but an amazing historian. Over the past few years he’s shuttled me up to Porto and Galicia to meet brands and architects, and around Lisbon to visit projects and check out possible opportunities. Should you be in need of some good German wheels, Samuel knows his way around this stretch of the Atlantic. Obrigado, Samuel.

Beneath the porticos in Bologna’s historic Santo Stefano district is Uno di Questi Giorni, the long-awaited farm-to-table restaurant from the duo behind the city’s much-loved Ahimè (writes Rossella Frigerio). It has been four years in the making: whenever co-founders Lorenzo Vecchia and Gian Marco Bucci were asked about the opening date, they would reply “Uno di questi giorni” (“One of these days”) – and the name stuck.

Designed by Trieste-based studio Metroarea, the interiors blend the old with the new and feature exposed wooden beams, cream-coloured sofas and contemporary lighting accents. But the pièce de résistance is the large open grill, where everything from Jerusalem artichokes and wood pigeon to oysters from the Po Delta are cooked as part of the grill-only concept. “We make what we would eat ourselves,” says Vecchia.
unodiquestigiorni.it

Extremadura-born chef and restaurateur José Pizarro has spent the past 25 years popularising Spanish cuisine in the UK (writes Claudia Jacob). He now owns five restaurants in London and one in Abu Dhabi, focusing on tapas-style small plates and Spanish sherries. Here, Pizarro tells us about his quick breakfast, his favourite flamenco artist and where he likes to walk his two miniature schnauzers.

Where will we find you this weekend?
At home. I recently returned from the Madrid Fusión Gastronomic Fair, where I was part of the jury for the 11th edition of the Best Iberian Ham Croquette in Spain competition. I’m looking forward to being in London for a bit.

What’s for breakfast?
A tortilla vaga or “lazy omelette” in English. I top it with whatever I have in the fridge but preferably some Spanish ham and caramelised onions.

Lunch in or out?
Out at The Camberwell Arms or our local Chinese restaurant. My personal favourites are the chicken feet and fried ribs.

Walk the dog or downward dog?
I have two miniature schnauzers, Conchi and Pie. I often take them on a stroll down Bermondsey Street, then let them have a run around in Leathermarket Gardens.

Your Sunday soundtrack?
Any song by Paco de Lucia, a Spanish flamenco guitarist from Andalusia.

A Sunday culture must?
My restaurant in The Royal Academy of Arts.

What’s on the menu?
Nine times out of 10, a Sunday roast. In a twist on tradition, we often prepare it the Spanish way and serve it with rice.

Your Sunday-evening routine?
My partner, Peter, and I love to watch documentaries. A recent favourite was What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates.

Will you lay out an outfit for Monday?
The weather in London is far too unpredictable so I always decide what to wear in the morning. I usually choose something from Paul Smith, Massimo Dutti or Zara.

As we enter asparagus season, Swiss chef Ralph Schelling prepares a simple puff-pastry tart topped with the vegetable. You can also substitute the asparagus with sliced courgette or cherry tomatoes to enjoy this dish year-round.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 rectangular rolled-out puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
150g cream quark
1 tbsp oregano (plus more to sprinkle)
⅛ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 pinch of pepper
500g green asparagus, lower third peeled
100g crumbled feta

Method

1.
Preheat the oven to 220C.

2.
Unroll the pastry dough and baking paper onto a tray. Create a 1cm crust by folding over the edges of the pastry. Press the crust down with the back of a fork and brush with a little egg.

3.
Mix the quark, half of the feta, herbs and seasoning. Spread two thirds of the mixture over the pastry base. Place the asparagus on top and cover with the remaining mixture.

4.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven.

5.
Sprinkle with oregano and the remaining feta.

6.
Cut into squares and serve warm.
ralphschelling.com

Renowned for its powerful waves, the so-called Mexican Pipeline attracts an international surfing crowd to Puerto Escondido on the country’s southern Pacific coast (writes Ilona Marx).

Just steps from the tempestuous break at Playa Zicatela, Hotel Humano’s location has already made it a popular stop-off. Architect Jorge Hernández de la Garza developed his retro-minimalist vision with design firm Plantea Estudio for Mexico’s Grupo Habita. The result is a striking building defined by brutalist concrete, terracotta-coloured tiles and rough bricks offset by native tropical wood.

The lobby, which opens onto the street across its entire frontage, allows the interior and exterior to merge seamlessly.

The 39-key hotel’s rooms feature hazel-coloured handmade tiles by San Pedro Ceramics and upholstered furniture in faded crimson that evokes the 1970s. The ocean-view suites are divided by ecru twill curtains.

In the evenings guests linger at the Sunset Bar, where a DJ and pool provide an atmospheric setting for sundown. Meanwhile, chef Marion Chateau of Marseille’s La Relève brings a refreshing fusion of French and Mexican flavours to the dinner table.
hotel-humano.com

Monocle’s April issue is on newsstands now. Pick up a copy to see plenty more well-designed addresses.

Chef and restaurateur Marius Frehner, best known for Zürich’s Gamper restaurant, discovered a predilection for vermouth in Barcelona (writes Myriam Zumbühl). He partnered with bartender Kaspar Fenkart, who has worked at the Swiss city’s Kronenhalle restaurant and Central Bar, to create a fortified wine named Wermut – the archaic German word for vermouth.

Frehner now offers the tipple at Gamper Bar, one of the city’s most popular spots for natural European wines. The white vermouth is tart and refreshing with a subtle bitterness, while the red version is sweet with spicy notes. Both are excellent in classic cocktails, be it the rinse in a dry martini or the richness in a manhattan. With an alcohol content of 16 per cent, Wermut sips just as nicely on the rocks as it does straight up.
wermut.ch

For more from Monocle and to support our independent journalism, subscribe today. Have a super Sunday.