Skip to main content
Currently being edited in London

Daily inbox intelligence from Monocle

Monocle travel guide

This month's travel highlights include an izakaya-adjacent cottage in Portland, a pilot's curiosity shop in Honolulu and Portuguese haute cuisine at Belcanto in Lisbon. Plus, new finds in Madrid, Vancouver and Berlin.

Writers
Photographers

Do
Madrid

In the up-and-coming Las Salesas district, the Do concept store opened its doors under designer Lucía Ruiz-Rivas, featuring a well-edited range of things for the kitchen, wardrobe and office and displaying an international line-up of designers, such as Kento from Japan and The Medley Institute from Germany. The space, with a café, was designed by Ruiz-Rivas herself and houses exhibits from local artists. The shop also stocks its own expanding collection, which includes collaborations with Steve Mono (BAGS) and Abe the Ape (ceramics).
dodesign.es

Matchstick
Vancouver

It’s the little things that make this new East Vancouver café stand out in what is quickly becoming the espresso capital of Canada. Aaron Braun (pictured centre) and his business partners Annie and Spencer Viehwager opened Matchstick in late January. “Literally every single detail in the café was a point of conversation,” says Braun. “This means baking pastries from scratch every day on site. It means making sandwiches fresh to order and using only the top 2-3 per cent of coffee grown in the world.”
matchstickcoffee.com

Fine dining room at Belcanto with set tables, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, and modern pendant lighting.
Belcanto, Lisbon
Chef José Avillez smiling at Belcanto restaurant in Lisbon, with illuminated signage visible behind him.
Belcanto, Lisbon
Chefs in white uniforms work in Belcanto's kitchen with stainless steel pendant lights and equipment.
Belcanto, Lisbon
Woman in pale green long-sleeve shirt sitting on a colorful chair against a white brick wall.
Do, Madrid
Interior of Hound & Quail curiosity shop in Honolulu displaying mid-century furniture, antiques, and collectibles on wooden shelves and cabinets.
Hound & Quail, Honolulu
Two men sitting on mid-century chairs in a bright, minimal interior space at Hound & Quail, Honolulu.
Hound & Quail, Honolulu
Display of glass domes and curiosities at Hound & Quail shop in Honolulu with mounted animal heads on wall.
Hound & Quail, Honolulu
Interior of Do concept store in Madrid showing long wooden table with tableware, clothing racks, and minimalist design.
Do, Madrid
Organized drawer containing various brushes and cleaning tools in compartments.
Do, Madrid
Three staff members stand behind the counter at Matchstick café in Vancouver, with white subway tiles and wooden shelving visible.
Matchstick, Vancouver
Matchstick café interior with long wooden table, black chairs, white shiplap wall, and pendant lights in Vancouver.
Matchstick, Vancouver
Woman wearing a plaid shirt and white apron smiles at the camera with arms crossed.
The Barn, Berlin
Pastéis de nata pastries with caramelised custard filling on a plate.
The Barn, Berlin
The Barn café interior in Berlin with wooden counter, pendant lights, shelving, and pastries on display.
The Barn, Berlin
Man in plaid shirt and cap preparing coffee using a pour-over method at The Barn café in Berlin.
The Barn, Berlin
Outdoor patio dining area with red chairs, wooden tables, and red umbrellas at Yakuza restaurant in Portland.
Yakuza Garden Cottage, Portland
Exterior of Yakuza Garden Cottage with red door, wooden lattice panels, climbing ivy, and white bistro table in lush Portland garden.
Yakuza Garden Cottage, Portland
Minimalist table setting with white dishes, cutlery, red radio, wooden salt and pepper shakers, and oil bottle at Yakuza Garden Cottage.
Yakuza Garden Cottage, Portland

Hound & Quail
Honolulu

Amidst the restaurants and offices on Kapiolani Boulevard is Honolulu’s only cabinet of curiosities shop. Occupying a bright corner space in an unfussy 1959 office building, Hound & Quail sells everything from Knoll originals to mounted seashells. “The shop is only 20 sq m but we love the floor-to-ceiling windows,” says Mark Pei, who opened the space with his partner Travis Flazer. They previously ran a mid-century furniture shop and now focus on offering antiques to Honolulu’s residents. Both raised in the city, Pei and Flazer sell pieces sourced from local estate sales or markets in the US and Tokyo, which Pei visits in his job as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines.
houndandquail.com

Belcanto
Lisbon

A discreet business restaurant, Belcanto has gained a new lease of life under chef José Avillez, who cooks Portuguese haute cuisine after a stint at the Michelin-starred Tavares diner. Avillez suggests trying the partridge, and also the “professor-style scrambled eggs” created by a surgeon who, when he finished work, would go to the kitchen and cook eggs with burnt butter.
joseavillez.pt

The Barn
Berlin

It’s Mitte but could be San Francisco: The Barn – a cosy storefront deli – offers sandwiches made with local ingredients, scones, cakes and tasty artisanal coffees. The Barn has become a serious expat hangout but friendly German owner Ralf Rüller doesn’t mind; he’s happy to share his mum’s recipes for things like carrot cake with anyone.
thebarn.de

Yakuza Garden Cottage
Portland

The micro-neighbourhood of Fox Chase in Northeast Portland has become a foodie destination — but until recently, there was nowhere for travellers to stay. Dayna McErlean, who owns the Yakuza izakaya, has changed that with the opening of its Garden Cottage – a smartly renovated 1920s carriage house. “The neighbourhoods are what Portland is all about,” says McErlean. Tucked discreetly behind the restaurant, the cottage has a Northwest-Scando aesthetic. Best of all, you can order room service from Yakuza’s seasonal menu.
yakuzalounge.com

Monocle Cart

You currently have no items in your cart.
  • Subtotal:
  • Discount:
  • Shipping:
  • Total:
Checkout

Shipping will be calculated at checkout.

Please note: Orders to the United States may experience delays beyond the estimated-delivery window due to customs processing. Please refer to our FAQs for information on import duties and regulations.

All orders placed outside of the EU that exceed €1,000 in value require customs documentation. Please allow up to two additional business days for these orders to be dispatched.

Not ready to checkout? Continue Shopping