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FT editor Roula Khalaf selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Josh Niland surfs and turfs at The Singapore Edition
Singaporeans were excited when The Edition The hotel opened last year in a highly convenient location just off Orchard Road – a chic white-on-white proposition with zen-like rooms and public spaces filled with indoor gardens. But the biggest draw was reserved for the hotel’s ground-floor destination restaurant, Fysh, which is run by Josh Niland, the Australian chef and author and owner of Saint PeterSydney’s favourite address for delicious, beautifully presented seafood adventures.
Fish, en:fyshsingapore.com
The Singapore edition, edicioneshotels.com
The place is huge, with a long bar at one end (ideal for solo diners) and some tropical-chic outdoor seating. The menu is Australian-Asian surf and turf, so think tuna steaks and an interesting dhufish schnitzel, but also roast duck with a heavenly grilled plum and hazelnut sauce and a good tapa of wagyu sirloin. Plus there are several large sharing plates, including a 500g quarter cod cooked in banana leaves, and a traditional dessert trolley. There’s an all-day menu on weekdays and a fun Sunday roast fish menu for groups, where the champagne flows.
Light lunches and casual dinners in Santa Monica
Even amid the pastel-hued, palm-tree-lined madness of Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue, it’s hard to miss the Georgian hotel: The eight-story Art Deco building, a mainstay of the seaside city’s cityscape, opened last year under bright, old-school lights that spell out the letters of the hotel’s name and with a bold, renovated turquoise facade. The owners, both Southern California natives with a love of old-world Los Angeles, have filled it with charming touches: vintage art and photographs, tons of color and greenery inside, sexy glasses for the Champagne. The two restaurants are night and day, literally and stylistically.
The Georgian, elgeorgiano.com
Up front, shaded by yellow umbrellas and a spacious terrace, is Sirena, a lunchtime hot spot, but also romantic and lantern-lit at dinnertime: a tangy Tijuana Caesar salad or a kale-and-beet salad, some oysters, a caprese, and the chef’s incredibly delicious preserved focaccia (the secret: it’s sprinkled with sea salt just before baking). Then, Wednesday through Saturday after 6 p.m., The Georgian Room, downstairs, goes back several decades (in a good way), from the dim lighting and leather banquettes to the iceberg lettuce salad, fried olives (which have a hint of ‘nduja), and oysters Rockefeller. One has views of the Santa Monica Pier and the ocean, the other has live music and more than a hint that something bad might happen. Either is a good bet for your Saturday.
Lima arrives in Athens on One & Only
So far, everyone is speaking highly of One & Only Aesthesis, which opened earlier this summer on Asteras Beach on the Athenian Riviera. It’s certainly a restaurant for European hedonists, with its chic (and enormous) beach bungalows, spa and glamorous Guerlain lounge. But its flagship restaurant, Manko, is also drawing locals: true to typical One & Only style, Manko is an all-day-and-into-the-night affair, with table dining and a more casual beach club element.
One and only aesthetic, oneandonlyresorts.com
The food is Peruvian, with exotic ceviches and tiraditos, and both wok-cooked and grilled selections. Chef Juan David Ocampo, a Gastón Acurio veteran, is teaching the Greeks to love his leche de tigre.. Come during the day to enjoy a swim, and at night if DJs and the scene are more your thing.
In Porto, the magic of Nuno Mendes with a Danish touch
With its Vervoordt-Van Duysen colour palette, coffered ceilings and peaceful central courtyard, The Largo in Porto sports the aesthetic leanings of its Danish owner-creators quite prominently across its 16 suites and two rooms. But at the restaurant, Cozinha das Flores, everything is as firmly Portuguese as can be, thanks to none other than Nuno Mendes, who oversees the kitchens, menus, ambiance and even the cocktails (and, in the mornings, pastries from Flôr, the café-bar next door).
Cozinha das Flores showcases the culinary traditions of Porto and northern Portugal, with escabeches and fish stews alongside tripe and, for starters, its Natas de nabo, a savoury take on the sweet pastel de nata, topped with caviar. Then there’s the stunning dining room: just 10 tables, an open kitchen with black marble and a ceramic mural painted by Pritzker Prize-winning architect (and Porto native) Alvaro Siza Vieira.