Published on Europe Up Close on 26th June 2015:
Where are the best wine bars in London? London, for wine lovers, is a true Aladdin’s cave. It’s a city that embraces all wine from all regions and leaves none behind. Indeed, there are few other places in the world where you can find both traditional wines made in Georgian Qveris and shiraz from New Latitude regions, such as Thailand.
Published on Roads & Kingdoms on 26th May 2015:
“You don’t like maatjes? Well, have another shot of jenever and try it.”
This, according to Fleur Kruyt, is the way to get maatjes, or Dutch soused herring, into your diet.
I’m at Van Kleef, The Hague’s oldest—and only—surviving distillery, to learn about jenever. Originally founded in 1842 by Lambertus Theodorus van Kleef, the distillery is now a museum in the heart of a largely residential area. Kruyt, our knowledgeable guide on this occasion, has been sharing her insight into this esoteric spirit.
Published on Europe Up Close on 11th May 2015:
For many visitors, Genoa is a portal to the Mediterranean. It’s the largest seaport in Italy and the first stop for many cruise passengers. In fact, as you step off the plane, a queue seems to form automatically, which funnels passengers from immigration straight to the cruise ships. But if you make time for a short walking tour through Genoa’s old town you’ll be rewarded with an immersive insight into this culturally rich city.
Published on host. Milano. on 17th April 2015:
In London, restaurant design is surprisingly powerful in its subtlety.
Think, for example, of a restaurant with stripped back lighting, bare walls, white tiles and chrome fixtures. Who do you imagine will dine in such a restaurant? And what kind of food will be served? Now, what about a restaurant with plush banquettes, aged-wood panelling and framed paintings? Has your diner aged by a couple of decades?
As in other parts of the western world, a well designed restaurant in London might get mentions in a magazine, gain kudos in awards or even attract the right type of clientèle. Followers of restaurant psychology might even argue that the right restaurant design can increase the average spend of the diner, making restaurant design an incredibly powerful tool for the restaurateur.
Meanwhile, restaurant design in China is a wholly different ball game. Here, it’s less about the fine-tuning and more about the turnover.
Now, we’re not talking about the European restaurants in Shanghai which aspire to their international counterparts. Nor are we talking about international hotel restaurants which are inspired by a brand identity. Rather, we’re talking about restaurants for the mass market.
According to one restaurateur I spoke to last year, a successful restaurant will need to redecorate once every two or three years to maintain a sense of “newness” for its diners. A restaurant that hasn’t been redecorated for seven years or more is basically on its last legs and will have seen dwindling visitor numbers for some years.
The reason? Competition.
The number of restaurants in China is so incomprehensibly large that the only thing which distinguishes between them is that sense of newness. Here, restaurant design isn’t built to last but rather, just until its shiny edge has worn out.
