September 2015 by Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia

FULL COLOUR LOGO Singapore Since 1925

AROUND THE WORLD IN ONE CITY BLACK AND WHITE LOGO WITH THE PALATE DINING PRIVILEGES FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS Singapore Since 1925

Diners in Singapore now have a global menu within reach, provides fine food at privileged offers. American Express is offering up to 10% savings at gourmet deli Da Paolo Gastronomia, and up to 50% savings at these other restaurants around town. This exclusive gastronomic walk around the world, all within Singapore, REVERSED WHITE LOGO is available to selected American Express® Card Members.

For more information, please visit: palatediningprivileges.americanexpress.com.sg Singapore Since 1925

DA PAOLO GASTRONOMIA, A COMPLETE GOURMET EXPERIENCE Renowned gourmet boutique, Da Paolo Gastronomia, offers an extensive range of products that include carefully selected fine wines, Premium Loose Leaf Tea, Authentic Italian Coffee as well as a vast spread of fresh, authentic prepared salads, pastas, sandwiches sauces and pastries.

EMBARK ON AN ITALIAN CULINARY ADVENTURE AT MAD FOR GARLIC Mad For Garlic’s menu features original creations such as Garlic Steak, Garlic Snowing Pizza, and even Garlic Berry and Ice Cream all within a modern-chic bistro. Step inside this modern-chic bistro located in Suntec City Mall for a culinary adventure.

A DVERTISEMENT

TRY SONG OF INDIA FOR A TASTE OF BOLLYWOOD Authentic Indian cuisine with a modern presentation called “A Journey Through India” taking diners on a culinary expedition all over India.

VIBRANT ITALIAN AT BURLAMACCO RISTORANTE Gabriele Piegaia, renowned Italian chef who has helmed famous kitchens in Singapore, brings flavours of his Tuscan heritage to the table.

D’BELL, FOR UNFORGETTABLE DINING Delectable delights that will surprise you with their clever pairing of modern Indian cuisine and a stylish, daringly different touch of the world.

THE ROYAL MAIL, FOR A TASTE OF FAB BRITISH FOOD Well-loved favourites include the Deboned Roasted Whole Fish of the Day, Roast Prime Rib and Seafood Bouillabaisse.

AMERICAN CLASSICS AT BOBBY’S RESTAURANT & BAR A new gritty look has hints of steel on red brick walls with warm wooden furnishing here, a restaurant known for its fork-tender and succulent ribs.

BUYAN RUSSIAN Savour authentic flavours at Buyan Russian Restaurant and Caviar Bar. This is the place to enjoy Russian dishes, from world-known borsch to the small pies known as pirozhki.

THE FINEST CANTONESE DELICACIES AT XIN CUISINE Delve into dim sum and authentic Cantonese specialties, including the signature Tea Leaves Duck, prepared by a team of award-winning chefs.

KINKI Chef Kinki has mad skills in the kitchen and bar, while his restaurant shakes up the city’s dining scene with an ambiance that defies traditional, modern Japanese dishes.

THE PRIME SOCIETY Housed in a restored colonial barrack, The Prime Society serves up a varied mix of Australian cuisine and specialty steaks in a casual setting.

Terms and Conditions:: • To make your Palate reservation, please contact the number of the back of your Card. • For more information and the full Terms and Conditions, please visit palatediningprivileges.americanexpress.com.sg American Express International Inc., 20 (West) Pasir Panjang Road #08-00, Mapletree Business City, Singapore 117439. americanexpress.com.sg Incorporated with Limited Liability in the State of Delaware, U.S.A. ® Registered Trademark of American Express Company. © Copyright 2015 American Express Company.

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was made for this very place. Photographed by Scott A. Woodward

F E AT U R E S

What’s Your Sydney Style? From glam girls to the nouveau grunge, everyone can find a personal cache of Sydney cool. Ian Lloyd Neubauer breaks down the ’burbs so you can tailor your itinerary to your attitude.

106

C O U R T E S Y O F D E S T I N AT I O N N S W

The Sanchaya Living the luxe life in high style at a new Indonesian resort. Tag along with T+L to Bintan Island—our bursting wardrobe

Sailing into Sydney Harbour, page 96.

114

Soul Craft The Philippines are ahead of the game when it comes to shopping as social enterprise. Seven sustainable brands make the perfect statement-piece souvenirs from Manila. By Stephanie Zubiri. Photographed by Sonny Thakur

118

Lovable Little Urchins The kelprich seas of Hokkaido are known

for producing the world’s finest uni. Duncan Forgan heads to remote reaches of the Japanese island to seek out the delicacy from its source. Photographed by Aaron Joel Santos

126

The Modest Metropolis Even with a development boom and an ambitious creative community positioning it on the global stage, the city of Toronto still can’t quite get used to the idea that it’s kind of a big deal. By Stephen Metcalf. Photographed by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott

cont TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

HERE & NOW

25 Frame-Up Thai-

32 B E Y O N D

Australia’s first graffitiart-themed hotel.

designed eyewear worthy of Lady Gaga.

26 Jack of All Plates

49 Suites from the Street

49 THE GUIDE

75 Design Stars 2015 T+L spotlights six visionary firms whose designs for new urban parks, restaurants, museums and hotels are transforming cities around the world.

52 Flash-Point Fukuoka

tents Hollywood’s favorite chef gets Saigon sizzling.

Tokyo’s fashionable rival.

Exploring Papua New Guinea’s deepest caves.

28 Cultural Calendar

The best events around the world this season. Haute in the City An 30 eco-fashion designer’s go-to Hong Kong shops.

China Uncorked The 40 country’s top sommelier shares her inspirations.

The Takeaway Macau 60 shopping picks by a swimwear designer.

42 Higher Power Behind the scenes of the new film Everest.

83 Alila, Ovolo, Moxy, Oh

91 Finding Friends on

92 Deals Reader specials

62 Tribal Remedy A

A Bronx State of Mind 66 A culinary tour with the founders of Ghetto Gastro.

70 Back to Camp Chasing

childhood fun at grownup summer camp.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

In Every Issue T+ L D I G I TA L 1 4 CONTRIBUTORS 16 E D I T O R’S N O T E 1 8 T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N 2 0 W I S H YO U WERE HERE 134

UPGRADE

Philippine village cures a killer hangover.

32 Full Steam Ahead Must-have autumn accessories.

56 Inner Sanctum

My! What to make of the boom in “lifestyle” hotel brands—and how to choose the right one for you. the Fly Apps that make traveling alone less lonely. for great hotels rates around the region.

On the Cover At The Sanchaya Resort, Indonesia. Photographer: Scott A. Woodward. Assistant: Aiszam. Stylist: Furqan Saini. Makeup and hair: Joanna Koh/ Indigo Artisans. Model: Thais Roberta e Silva. Jumpsuit, bag, leather belt and heels, all Tory Burch; silk scarf, Hermès; sunglasses, Fendi; bangle and hat, both Bimba y Lola.

F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F A . L I . E ; C A R LT O N D AV I S ; C O U R T E S Y O F T R Y P ; C O U R T E S Y O F A B E R D E E N S T R E E T S O C I A L

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PHU QUOC COMES OF AGE

T+L lazes around the leafy, laid-back island in southern Vietnam, before mass-tourism takes its toll.

VISIT US traveland leisureasia.com Now on our site: Behind the bar with Asia’s mix masters; a shoppers’ guide to Bangkok; and more.

4 SECRET THAI ISLANDS

Off the western coast of Thailand, there’s a cluster of islands that you’ve likely never heard about.

4 SOPHISTICATED PHNOM PENH BARS

In the city of the 50-cent pint, Street 308 in Tonle Bassac is going upscale.

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KEEP UP WITH US

Aaron Joel Santos

Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott

Lovable Little Urchins page 118 — For this culinary pilgrimage to Shakotan—the road to which, Santos says, is “flooded with Japanese whisky”—he teamed up with old friend Duncan Forgan, and an endearing guide: “K-chan was like if Yoko Ono was your slightly more sensible godmother guiding you through the wilds of southwestern Hokkaido.” Though his favorite dish of the trip was a fish-free ripe, sliced avocado with fresh horseradish and seaweed, he learned loads about uni. “There are several different kinds,” he says, “but the bright orange ones are called ‘horseshit uni.’” Yum? Instagram: @aaronjoelsantos.

16 4

The Modest Metropolis page 126 — After assignments in South Africa and Vietnam, the duo’s return to their native Toronto was particularly welcome. “It’s nice to have a reason to explore your own city with fresh eyes,” says Herriott, who, with Graydon, shot the city’s cool emerging neighborhoods. They enjoyed meeting local entrepreneurs and trying the Rosé Fizz at Bar Raval. Gjelina: California Cooking from Venice Beach (Chronicle Books), the first cookbook featuring their photography, will be published in October. Instagram: @graydonpictures and @nikoleherriott.

Juliana Loh

Ian Lloyd Neubauer

The Takeaway page 60 — Life in Macau is imbued with the Portuguese influence, from the urban planning to “the food culture that spans back three generations,” Loh says. Shopping tips? Botalic Press, Creative Prism Macau, Signum and C Space. After you’ve worked up an appetite, head to Restaurante Carlos for Portuguese and Macanese fare; order the roast suckling pig, white wine clams and minchi—a local minced-meat and potatoes dish. For a nightcap, sit on the roof of Casa de Tapas overlooking old Taipa Village, with “beautiful old shophouses illuminated by European-styled lamps, and cobblestone pavements.” Instagram: @bilbaobab.

Inner Sanctum and What’s Your Sydney Style? pages 56 and 96 — On Neubauer’s fifth trip to Papua New Guinea, he dove into the Esa’ala Caves, not liking one bit the “walk down a log at a 45-degree angle through the mouth of a cave with a 30-meter drop below.” But he’s the first to tell you adventures can be had at home, too. In ever-evolving Sydney, he says, “there are always new suburbs joining the gentrification bandwagon.” Peruvian, Moroccan and Korean foods are hogging the spotlight, but the hottest table in town is the monthly changing seasonal menu at new Nel Restaurant: “I’m dying to try.” Instagram: @adventure_before_dentures.

W R I T ER

P H O TO GR A P H ER S

W R I T ER A ND P H O TO GR A P H ER

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF A ARON JOEL SANTOS; JULIA CALLON; COURTESY OF JULIANA LOH; COURTESY OF IAN LLOYD NEUBAUER

SEPTEMBER 2015

P H O TO GR A P H ER

| contributors

editor’s note

SEPTEMBER 2015

PART OF THE JOY OF TRAVEL IS MEETING PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING

@CKucway chrisk@mediatransasia.com

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 / T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

From My Travels

A break from the norm, a set of different horizons—that’s what we all need from time to time. My summer travel plans took me to Vancouver and up the B.C. coast, to a land of fresh oysters and wild berries, craft beer and a few Okanagan Valley reds. Though away from five-star hotels, I still managed to bump into familiar faces from the industry in Asia. Other surprise encounters? The startled deer we met antique hunting on the coast, and the Sunday night on a remote beach watching a whale in the Strait of Georgia search for his dinner close to shore.

F R O M L E F T: N A PAT R AV E E WAT; C H R I S T O P H E R K U C WAY

things you never would have imagined. We’ve got a few examples of that this month in our annual Style+Design special. Senses of style are personal and shaped by our surroundings. So in this issue, a few locals help us explore the destinations they know best. In “Flash-Point Fukuoka” (page 52), we enlist fashion editor Keisuke Ueno to uncover what makes his city’s style hub of Tenjin tick. Swimwear designer Bárbara Barreto Ian, meanwhile, escorts us souvenir shopping in Macau (“The Takeaway,” page 60), filling our suitcase with locally made, cultural curios. And in Bangkok (“Frame-Up,” page 25), the downright funky Moo Piyasombatkul draws inspiration from her travels to design eyeglass frames, ones that show the world through new lenses. That’s the challenge we gave Ian Lloyd Neubauer in illuminating his hometown this month. In “What’s Your Sydney Style?” (page 96), he reveals that each of its distinct suburbs sports its own personality, the parts making up one pretty fantastic whole. Sydney spoiler alert: The Inner West has emerged as the city’s epicenter of cool. As for my hometown of Toronto, in “The Modest Metropolis” (page 126), I had a sense of seeing the place through a different prism. The story is a journey through the multicultural center I know, but the names and faces have changed. Perfect time for a visit, in other words.

BALI . BILOXI . CANCUN . CHICAGO . HOLLYWOOD, FL . IBIZA . LAS VEGAS . MACAU . NORTHFIELD PARK . ORLANDO . PALM SPRINGS . PANAMA MEGAPOLIS PATTAYA . PENANG . PUNTA CANA . RIVIERA MAYA . SAN DIEGO . SINGAPORE . TAMPA . VALLARTA . COMING SOON: DUBAI MARINA . GOA . SHENZHEN

YOUR HOTEL KEY UNLOCKS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A ROOM.

the conversation ON OUR WATCH

IN-FLIGHT CALLS

The topic sets already frustrated fliers howling about irritating Chatty Cathy seatmates gabbing on the phone at the top of their lungs all the way across the Pacific—regardless of whether they’ve ever experienced such a horror. In fact, chances are they haven’t. First, there’s the question of technical feasibility. In our region, only six airlines (Air China, Emirates, Hong Kong Airlines, Nok Air, Philippines Airlines and Turkish) offer free on-board Wi-Fi, though not necessarily high-speed or on all routes, and the cost-to-speed ratios on the airlines that charge for Internet access mostly preclude dialing-on-the-fly anyway. Second, though no global law governs the issue, in the U.S., the FCC prohibits cell and VoIP calls, as do several individual airlines around the world, including Singapore Airlines, Air France and KLM. Third, and perhaps most tellingly, at least 20 airlines do allow passengers to make calls from their mobile phones, and there’s been no uproar to date, with the relatively few calls that are made lasting an average of less than two minutes. Here’s what people are saying.

“At a certain point, people cease being productive.

ALONE TIME ON FLIGHTS IS A SACRED RIGHT of the road warrior, and should be respected.” — PAUL METSEL A AR, CEO OF OVATION TR AVEL GROUP

“No, please, no. Adding voice calls to the ever shrinking confines of a commercial airline would be like

SENDING PAS SENGERS T O HELL W I T H GASOLINE UNDERPAN T S.” — ANONYMOUS, IN RESPONSE TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TR ANSPORTATION SURVE Y ON THE SUBJECT

#TLASIA

Even in daylight, the pattered dome of the Grand Lisboa hotel, in Macau, twinkles for @tcs197.

“On planes,

TAP, DON’ T TALK .” — PENNSYLVANIA CONGRES SMAN BILL SHUSTER

“Our experience is that it’s

A NON-ISSUE.” — TERRY DALY, OF EMIR ATES AIRLINES, NOTING THAT AMBIENT NOISE MUFFLES MOST CALLS

BURNING QUESTION

Should I get an international driver’s license? Depends on where you’re going. Sometimes, no extra document is required: anyone can drive in New Zealand with a valid Englishlanguage license from home, while in Japan approved drivers are limited to licensees from Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Slovenia, Switzerland and Taiwan. The idea of an asean permit has been in the air, but for now Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore have a reciprocal agreement to accept each other’s licenses. To be safe, get an International Driving Permit (IDP)—a multilingual translation of your license that usually must be used in addition to it. Check with the Automobile Association (theaa.com) for each country’s rules including age, rental and length-of-validity laws. The AA issues 12-month IDPs, so you can hit the road, Jack.

PATTERNS, SHAPES AND STYLES... OUR READERS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE DESIGN DETAILS ACROSS ASIA IN AESTHETE-PLEASING INSTAGRAM PHOTOS.

Against faux shophouses on The Peak in Hong Kong, @djoeyster says he’s just “trying to blend in.”

@hattpid’s new take on a hawker center in Singapore: “Waiting for this spaceship to take off!”

“Love, love, love these tiles,” an easy sign you’re in George Town, Penang, says @glampackersyd.

SHARE AN INSTAGRAM PHOTO BY USING THE #TLASIA HASHTAG, AND IT MAY BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE. FOLLOW @TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ART DIRECTOR DEPUT Y EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR AS SISTANT EDITOR SENIOR DESIGNER DESIGNER

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REGUL AR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGR APHERS Cedric Arnold, Jeff Chu, Helen Dalley, Robyn Eckhardt, Philipp Engelhorn, David Hagerman, Lauryn Ishak, Mark Lean, Melanie Lee, Naomi Lindt, Brent T. Madison, Ian Lloyd Neubauer, Aaron Joel Santos, Adam Skolnick, Darren Soh, Stephanie Zubiri CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR PUBLISHER DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER TR AFFIC MANAGER / DIGITAL CONTENT AS SISTANT SALES DIRECTOR BUSINES S DE VELOPMENT MANAGERS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION GROUP CIRCUL ATION MANAGER CIRCUL ATION AS SISTANT

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Nathan Lump Steven DeLuca Jay Meyer

TIME INC. INTERNATIONAL LICENSING & DEVELOPMENT (syndication@timeinc.com) VICE PRESIDENT E XECUTIVE EDITOR / INTERNATIONAL SENIOR DIRECTOR, BUSINES S DE VELOPMENT SENIOR DIRECTOR, AD SALES & MARKETING

Jim Jacovides Mark Orwoll Jennifer Savage Joelle Quinn

TIME INC. CHIEF E XECUTIVE OFFICER CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

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TR AVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA VOL. 9, ISSUE 9 Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, 1603, 16/F, Island Place Tower, 510 King’s Road, North Point, Hong Kong. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Produced and distributed by Media Transasia Thailand Ltd., 14th Floor, Ocean Tower II, 75/8 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoeynue, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: +66 2 204-2370. Printed by Comform Co., Ltd. (+66 2 368-2942–7). Color separation by Classic Scan Co., Ltd. (+66 2 291-7575). While the editors do their utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy. This edition is published by permission of TIME INC. AFFLUENT MEDIA GROUP 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 Tel. +1 212 522-1212 Online: www.timeinc.com Reproduction in whole or in part without consent of the copyright owner is prohibited. SUBSCRIPTIONS Enquiries: www.travelandleisuresea.com/subscribe

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Frame-Up

Jet-setting style maven Moo Piyasombatkul has been turning heads with her eye-popping eyewear. BY DIANA HUBBELL

NEWS + TRENDS + DISCOVERIES

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHANOK THAMMARAKKIT

Designer Moo Piyasombatkul sits pretty in her Luxe Baroque sunglasses.

This Thai designer’s future is so bright, she’s gotta wear her own shades. With elaborate curlicues and playful porcelain detailing, Moo Piyasombatkul’s (mooeyewear.com; frames from Bt20,000) ornate frames, both for sunnies and prescription lenses, adorn the visages of style icons like Lady Gaga and Rita Ora. The flourishes in her latest line, Luxe Baroque, reference your eccentric aunt’s antiques, but with a modern twist—no wonder they’ve caught the eyes of bolder fashionistas around the world.

Every bit as chic and unconventional as her accessories, this Bangkok native is a certified globetrotter. From London, where she earned a jewelry design degree at Central Saint Martins, to fashion-obsessed Seoul, to cruising Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar for treasures, she clocks serious air miles. Moo says travel is a major inspiration for her work, favoring Hong Kong and Tokyo as top destinations. “In Tokyo, I love their delicacy in arts and crafts,” she says. “Plus, Japanese desserts are so irresistible.”

/ here&now /

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Chef Jack Lee gets Saigon sizzling; herb-marinated lamb

chops in a balsamic-cherry sauce; rich foie gras meets refreshing dragon fruit.

THE DISH

Jack of All Plates

Chef Jack Lee has cooked for some of Hollywood’s most famous stars but he’s taken a sabbatical from Tinseltown to showcase his virtuoso talents at Acacia Veranda Dining, in Saigon, his hometown. BY CONNL A STOKES PHOTOGR APHED BY MORGAN OMMER

NO ONE COULD EVER SAY that Jack Lee

was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but by the time he reached adolescence, this child of Cholon, Saigon’s historic Chinatown, long had been wielding a kitchen ladle. Poor, widowed and with five children, Lee’s mom in 1980 sent her nine-year-old son, née Ly Vinh Vien, off on a boat to Singapore, and then the U.S. From that point on, his efforts in kitchens both paid tribute to his mother, who had taught him to cook, and allowed him to send money back to his family. He worked his way from the very bottom of L.A.’s culinary industry—bussing tables at age 12 for minimum wage—to the tip top, as

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

the banquet chef at Hotel Bel-Air, before opening his own business, Chinoise Cuisine. But now Lee has embarked on another challenge: coming home. Best known in certain quarters for creating the “hundred-dollar egg roll” (Maine lobster, Alaskan crab, summer black truffle, sevruga caviar and gold leaf garnish), Lee’s client list reads like a who’s who of L.A.—Angelina Jolie, Kobe Bryant, Clint Eastwood and Oprah Winfrey to name but a few. Yet for all the Hollywood hype, the Viet kieu, who always takes his food seriously but never himself, was a complete unknown in his home country, where he has taken up residence as head chef at Acacia Veranda Dining. “My friend tricked me into coming. He said, ‘Oh I have this worldclass kitchen in District 1, which is like the Beverly Hills of Saigon,’” he says with a wink when asked why he has returned. “But honestly, my only regret is I didn’t come back earlier.” Better late than never, say Saigon’s epicures, who quickly got wind of Lee’s talents (and effervescent personality) thanks to his innate flair for PR—he is already the celebrity chef on two Vietnamese TV shows. On his return to the motherland, Lee is clearly out to electrify Saigon’s relatively circumspect fine-dining scene. “That’s why I am really here—to put Acacia Veranda Dining on the map,” says Lee, who has infused his exquisite Asian-FrenchCalifornian cuisine with a plethora of fresh local tropical fruits. To get the gist of his self-styled nouveau “Jack Cuisine,” try the watermelon-seafood martini before sampling either the foie gras, enriched by a passion fruit sauce, or the scallops, abetted by a viscous and delicious soursop sauce. For a main, get the guavainfused short ribs or a lamb chop marinated with local herbs. Having access to fresh Asian produce “is a dream come true because I’ve always used fruits in my alcohol reductions,” Lee says. He insists you try a slow-roasted prime rib au jus. But watch your wine glass, because Lee’s likely to snag it to splash your beef with a little extra red tableside. The fast flair should be no surprise coming from a man who says he’s part Jackie Chan and part Bruce Lee. To which we’d also add, 100-percent his mother’s son. 8F Compass Parkview, 149151 Nguyen Du, District 1, Saigon; 84-8/ 3823-5221; acaciaveranda.com; dinner for two VND1,000,000.

/ here&now / Cultural Calendar

From Singapore to Sydney, our global guide to the upcoming events worth traveling for. BY MONSICHA HOONSUWAN SHANGHAI | Echo Park Music Festival | 09/19-20 |

This reincarnation of the beloved Black Rabbit festival is headlined by former My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way and bolstered by alternative artists of all genres, from Scottish rap to Seoul ska to Yunnanese electro-pop.

Bangkok’s executive chef Nicolas Schneller amps up the beverage lineup this year, adding the festival’s first pairing of sake with Thai food, orchestrated by rice-wine expert Keith Norum, and high-tea sets matched with beautiful blends from Mariage Frères. Round out a masterchef meal with concoctions from Alexandre Hersent, a mixologist from Banana Island Resort Doha whose whiskeyapple drink prompted Schneller’s confession: “For a long time, I didn’t have a cocktail so good.”

LONDON | London Design Festival | 9/1 9–27 | More

than 350 events, including the ancient alphabet-inspired installation at the V&A, Ogham Wall—shifting metal panels through which visitors walk, a collaboration with Irish Design 2015.

BANGKOK | 17th International Festival of Dance & Music | 09/11-10/18 | A month of stage spectacles from classic Swan Lake and Chinese opera The Butterfly Lovers to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty on Ice. KUALA LUMPUR | Coffee & Art Fringe Festival Asia | 9/11-13 | Contemporary and fringe arts, photography, poetry recitals and fair-trade cuppas from Malaysia’s leading coffeehouses and baristas converge for one multi-sensory affair.

MALAYBALAY CITY, PHILIPPINES | Kaamulan Festival | 10/1-31 | A massive combination food fest, rodeo,

SINGAPORE | Affordable Art Fair | 11/12-15 | This

darts tournament, street-dance-off and beauty pageant, this annual ethnic event celebrates the cultures and traditions of Mindanao Island’s seven indigenous tribes: the Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon and Umayamnon. (See story on page 62.)

Autumn Edition expects 90 galleries showcasing works from 600 artists— many are Asia’s emerging talents.

HONG KONG | Fine Art Asia | 10/4-7 | A

paradise for antique lovers, this fine-art fair gathers 100 of the world’s leading galleries to offer a slew of quality artworks, from Chinese ink to old-master to Impressionist paintings. You can also open your wallet for Chinese bronzes, vintage silver, jewelry and timepieces.

venues and 130 events are what it takes to celebrate the brews.

TOKYO | Oeshiki Festival | 10/11–13 | In memory of

the Buddhist monk Nichiren, this parade of lanterns adorned with paper cherry blossoms heads to Ikegami Honmon-ji temple, with drumming and dancing along the way.

NEW YORK | Allegiance | 11/8 | George Takei

SYDNEY | Craft Beer Week | 10/17–25 | Nine days, 70

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

MONTREAL | M for Montréal | 11/18–21 | Bringing together the best up-and-coming Canadian artists.

makes his Broadway debut in the adaptation of his own experience during the JapaneseAmerican internment of World War II.

A B O V E F R O M L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F A N A N TA R A ; C O U R T E S Y O F L O N D O N D E S I G N F E S T I VA L ; C O U R T E S Y O F B A N G K O K F E S T I VA L . B E L O W F R O M L E F T; C O U R T E S Y O F F I N E A R T A S I A ; C O U R T E S Y O F S Y D N E Y C R A F T B E E R W E E K ; C O U R T E S Y O F M I S F O R M O N T R E A L ; C O U R T E S Y O F A F F O R D A B L E A R T FA I R .

BANGKOK | World Gourmet Festival| 9/7-13 | Anantara Siam

TRENDING

Feast Your Eyes

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF W HOTEL BANGKOK; COURTESY OF FLORENTINA

Their dishes may be delicious, but with interiors ranging from haute to psychedelic, the visuals at these new restaurants steal the show. BY DIANA HUBBELL BANGKOK The House on Sathorn

SHANGHAI 1921Gucci

The W Bangkok’s crowning jewel, an 1889 mansion that once was the Soviet Embassy, finally this summer flung open its restored louvred doors. The big reveal? A gorgeous courtyard overhung by big parasols, twisty trees and the sea of skyscrapers beyond; a sexy Art Deco lounge; the soon-to-come exclusive club and private accommodations—and an intimate dining room with a menu inspired by chef Fatih Tutak’s travels. The communal bar around the open kitchen is the best place to gush over the beastly half-kilo riverprawn dish called Pier 9, or the playfully morbid Hunting, duck atop a splatter of pomegranate jus to symbolize blood. 106 Sathorn Rd.; 66-2/3444000; whotelbangkok.com; dinner for two Bt1,700.

Luxe brands like Bulgari, Prada and Porsche have been getting in the dining game and now Gucci has blazed onto the runway with a lush space swaddled in velvet, dark wood and gold. The aesthetic, like the menu, leans to expensive Italian, with napkins and silverware bearing the coveted logo and the brand’s birth year. Eating here is a splurge to be sure, but less financially ruinous than anything in the actual Gucci store down the elevator. 413 IAPM Mall, 999 Huaihai Lu; 8621/3356-3525; dinner for two RMB700. TOKYO Kawaii Monster Café

BEIJING Florentina

The Renaissance epicenter informs both food and form here. A muted palette and touch of Carrara marble recall Italian classicism. Designer Emma Maxwell drew on her background in sculpture to add flair: blown-glass ornaments call to mind fireworks in a summer sky. La vita è bella, indeed. 1F, Bldg. 2, 6 Fangyuan Xilu, Chaoyang Dist.; 86-10/8431-0027; dinner for two RMB676.

FROM TOP: The House on Sathorn lights up Bangkok’s brimming

drinking and dining scene; step into a contemporary take on the Italian Renaissance at Beijing’s Florentina.

Where else but Harajuku could the neon acid trip that is Kawaii Monster Café feel at home? Local artist Sebastian Masuda taps the countercultural geist in an eatery that manages to be equally adorable and unsettling. After passing the luridly hued cake-shaped carousel, diners are led by heavily costumed “monster girl” hostesses to one of four areas, including Mushroom Disco, decorated with poisonouslooking fungi, and Mel-Tea Room, a Mad Hatterworthy party. 4F, 4-31-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; 81-3/5413-6142; dinner for two ¥4,000 plus ¥900 entrance fee for 90 minutes.

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

/ here&now / INSIDER INTEL

Haute in the City

Eco-fashion designer JOHANNA HO browses her favorite Hong Kong shops with MARK LE AN.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Johanna Ho;

ROCK-STAR EDGE,

sophisticated polish, a cult following, fantastic haircut— Johanna Ho has it all. The Hong Kong-based designer began her career in 1998 with a show at London Fashion Week that led to the likes of Barneys New York, Selfridges and Harrods placing orders. Now, her star-studded client list includes Lana Del Ray, Karen Mok, Eason Chan, Faye Wong and Miriam Yeung. Ho brings a playful punch to the Hong Kong fashion scene, which she says is “still being driven by high-end western brands or their K-pop counterpoints.” So to disrupt this monotony, Ho came up with Uchi, a sustainable line that merges vintage clothes from her personal collection combined with leftover knit samples to create one-of-akind couture-like pieces on

offer at her eponymous shop (GF, 13 Wyndham St., Central; 852/2722-6776; johannaho. com). Eco-fashion, she says, is more than a passing trend: “These days, more people have a genuine interest in sustainability.” This year, she’s set to take that idea across China with a series of pop-up stores and a crossover collaboration with a yet-to-beannounced international sports brand. So-called athletichic is hot right now, but Ho’s the ultimate shopping buddy no matter what tickles your fancy. Here are her all-time favorite Hong Kong stores: • Microwave, for vintage clothes. The Japanese owner, Masa, frequents Osaka to buy and return with one-of-a-kind merchandise. “He has a great eye for special pieces,” says Ho. GF, 7 School St., Tai Hang,

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

Causeway Bay; 852/2566-8823; microwavehk.tictail.com. • WOAW, where Kevin Poon sells a range of cool stuff, from home gadgets to exclusive crossover projects with sports- and street-wear brands like Poler, Izola, Native Union and S’well. 11 Gough St., Sheung Wan; 852/2253-1313; woawstore.com. • Play Punch, for childrens’ wear. “It’s a tiny shop hidden in the hustle bustle of restaurants on Hillwood Road, but for parents who want to dress their kids cool, it’s an Aladdin’s cave.” GF, 25-27 Hillwood Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui; 852/2317-6899. • Liger Store, owned by Hilary Tsui and Dorothy Hui, fashion insiders with “impeccable taste.” Ho calls the shop “every ‘It’ girl’s treasure trove.” 55 Paterson St.; 852/ 2503-5308; ligerstore.com.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M B O T T O M : C O U R T E S Y O F J O H A N N A H O ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F L I G E R S T O R E ; C O U R T E S Y O F M I C R O WAV E ; C O U R T E S Y O F W O AW

the impeccable Liger Store; P.A.M. quilted jacket at Microwave; recent women’s wear by Ho; fun shopping at WOAW.

/ here&now /

ST YLE

Full Steam Ahead

All aboard the nostalgia express: autumn’s most forward-looking accessories—handheld trunks, ladylike pumps and lustrous pearls— are a flashback to the golden age of travel.

FROM TOP: David Webb

pearl-and-diamond earrings, US$245,000. Stella McCartney white brass-and-crystal necklace, US$885. Balenciaga rhinestone sword pin, US$1,035.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

P R O P S T Y L I S T: A R I A N A S A LVAT O

BY JANE BISHOP PHOTOGR APHED BY CARLTON DAVIS

/ here&now /

FROM TOP: Prada satin shoes, price upon request. Bottega Veneta metallic pumps, US$1,980. Calvin Klein Collection patent-leather pumps, US$995.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

orries and tension check out when you check into the anumba spa.

How apt is it that one of the Andaman Sea’s most beautiful islands also plays host to one of world’s top luxury spa destinations*?

Anumba spa grounds cover 25,000 square feet of bliss. The thai flower ritual treatment is particularly renowned.

At The Racha’s serene Anumba Spa, expert and caring therapists restore and rejuvenate mind and body with signature natural treatments and oils. VIP couples’ suites, steam rooms and rain showers are just part of the pampering. Within the lush spa grounds is an ocean-facing balance-fitness gym. The OM studio offers guided holistic movement classes. Relax, stretch and breathe. And find oneself. www.theracha.com

X O

P R I VAT E

Enjoy your 3rd night free with every 2 paid nights (Pool Villa Free Nights) for selected pool villas**. For stays until 31st October 2015 at www.theracha.com.

A menber of Small Luxury Hotels of the World

85 luxurious villas • 3 ozonated pools (excluding private ones) • 3 signature dining establishments & bar

world-acclaimed anumba spa • club del mar for chilling • personalized sea and land experiences • to-die-for-views complimentary tel: 66 76 355 455 fax: 66 76 355 637 email: reservation@theracha.com *2015 World Luxury Spa Awards Finalist – Best Luxury Resort Spa

www.theracha.com ** terms & conditions apply

/ here&now /

FROM TOP: Louis

Vuitton metal trunk, price upon request. Bally canvas-andleather case, US$3,495. Louis Vuitton calf-leather trunk, price upon request.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

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f r o m t o p : c o u r t e s y o f t h e s a n c h aya ; c o u r t e s y o f p l a z a l a g o i ; c o u r t e s y o f s w i s s - B e l h o t e l l a g o i B ay; c o u r t e s y o f a i r a d v e n t u r e s

Bintan Bliss

New to Bintan but showing off the best of what the island has always offered is Lagoi Bay, the heart of Bintan with luxury hotel and residences, as well as an exciting selection of recreational amenities. At Plaza Lagoi, the center of the Lagoi Bay development, guests can enjoy fashion retail, spas and restaurants. Anchor tenant Pasaraya—Indonesia’s leading department store—will increase the lure of visiting Lagoi Bay as well. Guests have easy access to Plaza Lagoi via a regular shuttle service to and from resorts. There’s also a check-in counter for ferry departures and a luggage drop-off facility for guests who have checked out and wish to shop or dine while awaiting the next ferry to Singapore. Opened at the beginning of the year, The Sanchaya, Bintan exudes colonial elegance at its finest. The 30 bespoke villas and suites at this resort are outstandingly appointed. Highly personalized service coupled with luxury amenities—from Ploh bed and bath linen and modern touches such as Bang & Olufsen televisions and sound systems, iPad minis and Wi-Fi assures guests a tropical holiday like no other. Located in the prime tropical beach resort, the brand new international 4-star Swiss-Belhotel Lagoi Bay provides convenient access to beautiful tropical beaches as well as culinary and commercial treats. This hotel features 195 guestrooms including Deluxe, Grand Deluxe, Junior Suites and Executive Suite in a modern contemporary design. The hotel’s array of guest services and facilities include a roof top infinity pool, kid’s club, gym, spa and massage to name a few. For those looking for an adrenaline rush, Air Adventures is Asia’s first ultralight sport seaplane offering flights along the scenic north Bintan coast. Twenty-minute flights offer unparalleled views from hundreds of meters high in the open-cockpit amphibious plane. For more information, visit http://bintan-resorts.com/visitors/

/ here&now /

Kaleidoscopic reception at Loke Thye Kee Residences. DEBUT

Straits Styling

A NEW MULTI-VENUE HERITAGE CENTER IN GEORGE TOWN IS PROVING HISTORY IS HIP.

LOOKING GOOD

GLANCES WITH WOLVES

up for cooking and handicraft workshops, or sip a cup of tea while getting a traditional foot massage. Travelers who want the full village experience should stay a night or two and book one of the five suites in the hotel, Loke Thye Kee Residences. Each room has its own private entrance, a cute kitchenette and an outdoor terrace. Exposed brick walls, arched windows and geometric mosaics are just a few of the design details that are both olden and of-the-moment. 326 Jln. Penang, George Town, Penang, Malaysia; 60-4/263-1929; lokethye kee.com; doubles from RM850.

Cosmetics brand Chantecaille has been donating profits to philanthropic causes since 2006. This fall, the company has created the Protect the Wolves palette, a trio of evergreen, pewter and black eye shadows designed to evoke the rugged American wilderness. Five percent of the proceeds go to Conservation Northwest, a group dedicated to conserving the population of wild wolves in Washington State. US$70; chantecaille.com. — JACQUELINE GIFFORD

COURTESY OF LOKE THYE KEE VILL AGE

The opening of Loke Thye Kee Village blurs the line between past and present and invites travelers to step into the heritage haze. The seven historic shophouses, restored by architect Chew Eng Eam, channel turn-of-the-century Straits Chinese design distinct to Penang. The space includes a just-opened hotel, LTK art gallery, Tea Spa, a Malaysian restaurant, a burger bistro, and The Bridge rooftop bar; in October the launch of a heritage center and rotating cultural events will complete the village. Visitors can attend city walks exploring Penang’s ancient architecture, sign

At the original branch of London’s Daunt Books, wonderfully diverse titles line Edwardian oak shelves. This tote, given only to devoted shoppers, has become a coveted talisman of the wellread jet-setter. 83 Marylebone High St., London.

DISCOVER MYANMAR

F R O M L E F T: P H I L I P F R I E D M A N ( 3 ) . P R O P S T Y L I S T: C H A N E L K E N N E B R E W. ES PA R D E N Y ES P R O V I D E D B Y E S PA D R I L L E S T O R E . C O M

TRENDING

Stealth Souvenirs

For certain savvy travelers, these understated keepsakes, available only at select stores in the world, are the ultimate status symbols—and a subtle wink to other globetrotting members of the club.

Espardenyes were traditionally worn by Catalan farmers. Now the rope-soled shoes, available at La Manual Alpargatera in Barcelona, one-up everyone else’s espadrilles—not least because they show you sympathize with the Catalan independence movement. 7 Carrer Avinyó, Barcelona.

Spot a man with the number seven embroidered on his tie? You can bet he shops at Milanese men’s-wear emporium Al Bazar. The range of cuff links, ties and rings bearing store owner Lino Ieluzzi’s birth date—and lucky number—have acquired cult status. 9 Via A. Scarpa, Milan. — COURTNE Y K ENEFICK

FROM MYANMAR’S GREAT CITIES TO RIVERBANKS WHERE OXEN COME TO DRINK, THIS LUXURIOUS CRUISER GLIDES THROUGH BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPES UNTOUCHED BY TIME.

SPECIAL OFFER Book our exclusive package, Rivers of Myanmar and Inle Lake, and take advantage of a 30% saving. Quote MY40 at time of booking. C O N TA C T O U R L U X U R Y T R AV E L C O N S U LTA N T S O N + 6 5 6 3 9 5 0 6 7 8 O R YO U R L O C A L T R AV E L A G E N T.

BELMOND.COM Offer is subject to availability, valid for new booings only and may be removed at any time. Cannot be combined with any other offer and is valid for two persons sharing. Offer must be booked before 30 September 2015 for travel before end of March 2016. All transfers to and from airports/cruise and domestic flights are included.

/ here&now / DRINKS

China Uncorked

If a young Chinese woman appears as your sommelier when you’re next in Shanghai, know that she’s one piece of the puzzle that is the new China. there ever was one, that China is changing. The wine sommelier at the

Four Seasons Pudong

(fourseasons.com/pudong) is ranked, at first a bit unexpectedly, as one of the best young sommeliers in the world. Step aside, old men in white gloves. Please be quiet, wine snobs who toss around modifiers to impress. This lady is a small taste of the modern China you know

little about. Yes, she’s young, female and Chinese but Guo will be the first to tell you that wine is about evolution. “The first thing about wine,” she tells me inadvertently speaking of herself, “is that there is always something new.” Guo was one of the first wine experts in China— there are now upwards of 40 in the country—and she’s developed a pedigree that is difficult to match,

FROM TOP:

Sommelier Ying Guo at the Four Seasons Pudong; the ruins of an old castle in Priorat; steep, grapefilled hillsides in Mosel Valley.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

not only in the Middle Kingdom, but anywhere on the globe. In February, she became the third person in China to pass the three-day advanced sommelier exam administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers, a portion of which requires identifying 43 characteristics of six different wines. Diplomat she is, Guo won’t be drawn on any one label or vintage. As with eating in China, she says, there are no rules. The hotel offers elegant Chinese cuisine at the 22seat Shang-Xi, and an authentic Italian menu at Camelia, both locales where wine of every description is ordered, recommended and served. A better route to uncovering this young expert’s favorites is through her secondary hobby. At home in Shanghai, Guo covets a

box full of rocks. Of course, they’re not just any rocks, but stones from vineyards she’s visited and, she says, each has its own story. Guo is intrigued by terroir, specifically with distinct vines that grow where nothing else can, often across steep hills such as those found in the wine regions of Mosel—with inclines up to 65 percent— and Priorat, where the porous base of black slate and quartz is known as llicorella. “I’m impressed by the balance of a wine, the purity,” she says. Guo has a sparkle in her eye when thinking of the next wine region she’d like to explore. While pondering the terroir, the climate and the wine itself, there’s another relevant ingredient. “Wine makes the world very small,” she tells me. “You always meet new people.” — CHRISTOPHER KUCWAY

F R O M T O P : C H R I S T O P H E R K U C WAY; M A R I A L U I S A W I T T L I N / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; H I R O S H I H I G U C H I / G E T T Y I M A G E S

YING GUO IS A SIGN, if

/ here&now / BREAKING GROUND

Peace Offering

THE L ATEST SANCTUARY NEAR ANGKOR WAT IS AS ZEN AS THE TEMPLE ITSELF. TWO MILLION PEOPLE visit

Cambodia’s Angkor temples each year, and the majority stay in the busy gateway town of Siem Reap. Now the family-owned Zannier Hotels group is offering a serene alternative among the rice paddies 10 minutes outside town. Phum Baitang is an eight-hectare resort designed by the Paris architecture firm AW2 (which also did Six Senses Con Dao) comprising 45 stilted villas with antique furnishings, some with

private plunge pools. “Most of the hotels in Siem Reap are done in a colonial style,” says company founder Arnaud Zannier, who opened his first property, a ski chalet in Megève, France, in 2011. “The land we acquired is in the countryside, so we decided to recreate the traditional houses that farmers live in.” Phum Baitang means “Green Village” in Khmer, and the resort has the feel of a small community. There are two restaurants, one of which is modeled

after a local food market and offers made-to-order Khmer dishes; a spa with a yoga pavilion and a hammam; and a cocktail-and-cigar bar in a 100-year-old farmhouse transplanted from the countryside. There’s also a 55-meter-long pool where you can order a fresh fruit smoothie from a tuk-tuk that circles the property each afternoon—a welcome break from the temple crowds. phumbaitang.com; doubles from US$285. — K ATIE JAMES

COURTESY OF Z ANNIER (2)

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN VACATION RENTAL SITES are hardly in short supply, but the new UltraVilla (ultravilla.com) stands out with some of the most exclusive and unusual houses on the market. The site connects travelers with top boutique agencies and their highly curated inventory, from a Tuscan farmhouse to a ski chalet in Japan. Think of it as Relais & Châteaux, but for rentals: all companies, even the most obscure, have been thoroughly vetted. It isn’t a booking tool—rather, you filter by destination and submit a request to the individual agency. And if you need more hand-holding, UltraVilla has a team of consultants available at no extra cost—a service you won’t get with the VRBOs of this world. — BROOKE PORTER K AT Z

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

/ here&now / ON LOCATION

Higher Power

For director Baltasar Kormákur and actor Jason Clarke, making a movie about the 1996 Everest mountainclimbing disaster was always going to be difficult. But when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal last April during post-production, the meaning of the project changed for everyone involved. BY MICKEY R APKIN

DURING THE MAKING of the new film Everest, about the 1996 storm that killed eight climbers, further tragedy struck on the world’s highest peak. In April 2014, 16 Nepalese guides perished in an avalanche. The film is dedicated to their memory. Then, this past April, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake took 19 lives on the mountain and more than 9,000 across Nepal. “On a personal level, the earthquake was devastating,” says director Baltasar Kormákur. He hopes Everest can help disrupt the pattern that often follows natural disasters, where the world watches raptly for a week or two before moving on to fresh news. To that end, Universal, the film’s studio, is encouraging audiences to donate to Oxfam International (oxfam.org) in support of earthquake relief.

Kormákur shot Everest, which stars Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin, in Kathmandu and at Everest Base Camp, before heading to the Dolomites, in northern Italy, which stood in for the treacherous Lhotse Face. The deaths in Nepal during filming reinforced the movie’s underlying questions. “We want to know, What can we achieve?” Kormákur says. “But the commercialization of nature is risky.” Despite avalanche warnings in Italy and many frigid nights throughout, the cast and crew knew their circumstances were vastly easier than those of the people they were portraying. In the end, Clarke says, he came to understand what drives people to climb the mountain. “The summit? You know the shape of it. It takes your breath away.” >>

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

1. Josh Brolin (pictured here), who quit smoking so he could tackle the project about the 1996 avalanche, plays doctor Beck Weathers, a member of Rob Hall’s (played by Jason Clarke) expedition group.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

/ here&now /

2. To recreate some of

the most difficult aspects of the Everest ascent, rather than shooting on location (pictured), the production headed to Cinecittà, the legendary Rome studio. “We had to fill it with Base Camp gravel,” says Kormákur. The conditions of the Hillary Step, the 12-meter wall just before the summit, were replicated with jet engines blowing salt at the actors.

3. Clarke (here, on the left) plays the expedition leader. Prior to filming, he trained with CEO Guy Cotter of mountaineering company Adventure Consultants. Cotter was at Camp One leading an expedition last April when the ground shook. “If they’d happened to be out that day heading up to Camp Two,” Clarke says, “they would have been wiped out.”

Camp are basic and

crowded, prayer flags in the background memorialize climbers who have perished on the mountain. 5. During the film’s first 30 minutes, audiences see Gyllenhaal (pictured here), who plays the other expedition leader, Scott Fischer, and other cast members acclimating as they climb to Base Camp. “Everybody has to deal with altitude,” Clarke says. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are. You find yourself drinking a lot of sweet tea. Your body needs it.”

EVEREST opens this

September in traditional 2-D and 3-D theaters as well as IMAX 3-D. Check local listings for more details. everestmovie. com.

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

4. Conditions at Base

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In Celebration of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 5th Cycle Birthday

Unforgettable evening with the best soloists of the Novosibirst Ballet Company.

GALA PERFORMANCE

The Novosibirsk Ballet Theatre, Russia

Saturday 26 September (7.30pm) Baht 4,000 / 3,000 / 2,500 / 1,800 / 1,200

The official orchestra of the capital city Prague, leading Czech musical ensemble with an established and World renowned reputation.

THE PRAGUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Czech Republic

Conductor: Robertas Servenikas, Violin: Vadim Repin PROGRAMME - Bellini: Overture Norma Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 and Dvorak: Symphony No.9 (From the New World)

Wednesday 14 October (7.30pm)

Baht 3,500 / 2,800 / 2,200 / 1,500 / 1,000 Supported by JOBTOPGUN.com

Hotline 02 262 3191 www.thaiticketmajor.com (24 hrs)

www.bangkokfestivals.com

VENUE: Thailand Cultural Centre. Free shuttle from MRT station Thailand Cultural Centre, Exit 1, during 5.30-7.00pm

japan | macau | philippines | + more

Graffiti art is the signature style at taghappy new hotel Tryp Brisbane.

C O U RT ESY O F T RY P

BACKSTORY

Suites from the Street

Rather than steam clean their graffiti-filled grounds, Tryp wrapped their first hotel in Australia around the exuberant art. The result, Ron Gluckman reports, is a raw and raucous hotel in a reenergizing Brisbane neighborhood.

/ beyond /B A C K S T O R Y

Of course, the owners at Tryp missed it too, ’til they practically tripped over it. Maybe it makes sense that it took a 12-year-old boy to recognize the potential in a playground for taggers and graffiti guerillas. Jeff Pilkington, who bought the site with a few partners six years ago, shares the story, and beers, on a brisk Brisbane night in the outdoor terrace at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Chur. “It was a rundown neighborhood,” he explains, “but we thought it would pick up.” Though Fortitude Valley now abounds with bistros, bakeries and shops, the group’s original plan to renovate the property into offices was derailed by the global economic crisis. So they locked down the site. While they focused on other projects (like kitting out hotels with their Bespoke Interior Solutions), the area steadily morphed into just the kind of stillgritty-enough-to-be-cool emergent neighborhood that wound up with plenty of neo-industrial office space and sufficient buzz to support a boutique inn with lively bars and restaurants. Right in the middle of this gentrification sat the developers’ dilapidated one-time backpacker hostel, so they switched tracks, and reached out to Tryp, Wyndham’s urban brand looking to expand to Australia. But days before an important meeting, Pilkington says, they still hadn’t pinned down the design. They had lots of ideas, but nothing they thought was sensational. Pilkington decided to seek inspiration by osmosis, and took another spin around the site with his family. As surrounding Fortitude Valley had moved upscale, their property had regressed further in the other

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

F R O M TO P : C O U RT ESY O F T RY P ; S C OT T B U R R OWS

YOU’LL NEVER SLEEP ALONE at Brisbane’s Tryp Fortitude Valley hotel. During my stay, I shared my suite with a gorgeous woman with big, beautiful blue eyes. She was painted on a wall two stories high, peering into my windows. Which, admittedly, may sound creepy. But this is Brisbane’s first street-art designed hotel—a unique boutique property that justifiably has garnered international acclaim for its avantgarde style that includes massive murals on outside walls, spraypainted hallways and graffitibedecked interiors. Practically every corner of this brand-new 65-room downtown hotel is slathered in colorful art. In a world of cookiecutter hotels endlessly embracing the latest buzzy design, it’s surprising nobody thought of this catchy theme before.

F R O M TO P : S C OT T B U R R OWS ; R O N G LU C K M A N ; S C OT T B U R R OWS

direction. Abandoned for years, it was littered with trash, walls covered in graffiti. Then Pilkington noticed his son, Judd, excitedly snapping photos. “He was going crazy, taking pictures of all the art. That’s when it hit me: that was the theme.” The place had become a mecca of sorts for Australia’s creative underground. “It was pretty unusual,” the Sydney-based contemporary artist Elliot “Numskull” Routledge recalls. “I’d visited the site a couple times. It was a popular site for street art, with big walls and great location that was easy to get into, right in the heart of the city.” Pilkington spotted some signatures. Judd posted pictures on Instagram. Word circulated on social media, and they tracked down several artists. In the end, four were given complete creative freedom to decorate an entire floor each: Numskull, Fintan Magee, Beastman (a play on his name, Brad Eastman) and Tyrone “Rone” Wright. The divergent styles of these now internationally recognized painters complement each other while making every vantage point different. Numskull specializes in graphic designs—colorful lines and patterns. Beastman, also based in Sydney, creates vibrant kaleidoscopic abstracts. Magee and Melbourne’s Rone have both traveled the world, from Tunisia to Mexico, splashing up gigantic portraits, but whereas Magee does lifelike full-body people in absurdist situations, Rone mainly focuses on female faces, like the sad-eyed lady seductively spying into my room. The A$20-million renovation not only highlights contemporary art, but the heritage of an old building that had once hosted the local chapter of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, one of those long-ago international secret societies. A bull’s head is mounted in the lobby stairwell, above an original society plaque salvaged from the building. The hotel also asserts irreverent authority in its dining. Chur, the fine dining restaurant, and Up, the rooftop, are run by chef Warren Turnbull, who has a few Chef Hats to his name while also being beloved for his bizarre burgers. Persuading people whose lives are dedicated to coloring outside the lines to go corporate took some

FROM TOP: A smoldering look in the corridor; Up, Tryp’s rooftop bar; outside, looking in. OPPOSITE FROM TOP: Catching clouds in the King room; stares and stairs in the lobby.

doing, Pilkington admits: “It was a little bit like herding cats.” But wooing the artists was only one step in a process filled with surprises. “When we talked to Tryp, we were nervous. We didn’t know if we’d last two minutes.” He nearly despaired when people dashed out of the meeting, but they soon returned with colleagues. “All of a sudden, there were 25 people in the room. They really got it. It was the funniest half hour of my life.” It made sense. Tryp embraces urban centers with the motto: “Own the City.” Having street artists reclaim the site encapsulates that philosophy, in bold colors. “The concept was really great,” says Rone, who hadn’t painted at the location prior to being hired. “But I knew of it. That’s a Brisbane graffiti landmark, like the Graffiti Hall of Fame.” And thanks to a keen-eyed 12-year-old with a camera, you and that two-story blue-eyed beauty can be the newest inductees. Tryp Fortitude Valley, Brisbane; 14-20 Constance St., Fortitude Valley, Queensland; 61-7/3319-7888; trypbrisbane.com; doubles from A$149.

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

/ beyond /U R B A N S T U D Y

Flash-Point Fukuoka

Tokyo has newfound competition for fashion capital of Japan. Michelle Tchea explores what’s igniting this harbor city’s sense of style.

FROM TOP: Style

editor and fashionisto Keisuke Ueno; chic vintage at Nesprit & Pa$$le; Junya Tashiro’s designs on the runway; Birth Day boutique.

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Take the style of Fukuoka, for instance. It’s a tapestry of different aesthetics, stitched together by the local ethos that there are no boundaries. Every mismatched item of clothing serves a purpose, offering often bizarre statements in an otherwise very traditional culture. Fukuoka, on the north coast of Kyushu island, has a reputation for its lovely parks and foodie-luring, fragrant pork-broth ramen, but it is evolving into a rapid incubator for the avant garde. The openings of international brands like Barneys New York and French high-end designer Lanvin in Tenjin, the city’s fashion hub, signify Fukuoka’s luxury awakening, but even more exciting is the local talent churning out innovative designs that include everything from homemade bracelets to bags made from old seat belts. The streets are flooded with cool new boutiques and I’m caught rudderless in the swell. So I enlist the help of Keisuke Ueno, a stylist and editor of Liry fashion magazine, to steer me in the right direction. “In Tenjin, fashion is constantly changing, but nobody actually knows what the Tenjin style is,” says the former Tokyoite, who moved to Fukuoka in 2007. “In Fukuoka, different types of fashions are not dispersed over different areas like Shibuya or Harajuku in Tokyo. Tenjin is a mixture, and the movement from these streets hasn’t been seen in other parts of Asia.” >>

B U N Y O K O YA M A ( 3 ) ; I N S E T: K J E L D D U I T S

JAPANESE FASHION CAN GET WEIRD.

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/ beyond /U R B A N S T U D Y but has come home to roost, in an effort to further elevate design here. “The true culture of the city is not being communicated to those in charge,” Tashiro says. He hopes his own shop in the heart of Tenjin, Himitsukiti—where his “just let it be” design philosophy shines through in effortlessly modern spins on Japanese classics like the kimono —will pave the way for other local designers to stay in Fukuoka. Young designers like Eri Yoshida and Ami Yamashiro who, indeed, have chosen to keep their clothing brand, A.li.E, in Fukuoka because of the local demand for their acrossthe-board designs, jumping from handmade collars to beautifully designed hosiery to glass earrings. “It is unrestricted creative freedom,” Yoshida says, “and that’s what fashion is all about.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT:

High-tide tights by A.li.E; dramatic handmade collar, A.li.E; women’s clothes and statement pieces at Hippiness; an eclectic mix of menswear at Mr. Reuter.

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THE DETAILS STORES A.li.E Delicate patterns and prints, from add-on collars to hosieries, by Eri Yoshida and Ami Yamashiro. a-li-e.com. Birth Day Fitted trench coats, color-blocked sweaters and slim-cut jersey pants are part of the casual menswear collection at this local store. 2F Ark Town, 1-15-50 Kego, Chuo-ku; 8192/715-0775; birthday04.exblog. jp; designs from ¥20,000. Florent The brand’s minimalist, flowy female items are sought after by Japanese fashionistas. 1-12-5 Imizumi, Chuo-ku; 8192/725-1450; florent.jp; designs from ¥12,960. Himitsukiti Couture, kimonostyle dresses and soft vintage styles are on offer at Junya Tashiro’s store. 2-1-21 Kiyokawa, Chuo-ku; 81-92/534-6377; designs from ¥7,600. Hippiness Women’s fashion here includes colorful layered cotton and chiffon dresses—some vintage. 2F Sun Space, 1-13-27 Imaizumi, Chuo-ku; 81-92/7521530; blog.livedoor.jp/rollers_ hight; designs from ¥12,600. Mr. Reuter Designer T-shirts, jeans and casual street wear. 1F Daini Akinori Bldg., 2-1-10 Imaizumi, Chuo-ku; 81-92/7150775; mrreuter.exblog.jp; designs from ¥6,000 Nesprit & Pa$$le The name is an introduction to the fun vintage finds for both men and women in this store. 1-4-31 Kego, Chuo-ku; 81-92/733-3710; nespritfuk.ocnk. net; designer T-shirts as well as a big collection of vintage clothing for men and women from ¥6,800. Saranam Every single accessory is designed to highlight the natural beauty of their leather materials. saranam.co.jp; leather accessories from ¥7,344.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P R I G H T: C O U R T E S Y O F A . L I . E ( 2 ) ; B U N Y O K O YA M A ( 2 )

Young women are opting for high-end looks and menswear silhouettes, rather than the short mini-skirts and big hair that once graced the covers of hyperfeminine, college-girl akamoji-kei magazines like CanCam and JJ. “Women today prefer fashion that’s not as flirtatious,” Ueno says. Meanwhile, the male wardrobe is getting cheekier and more eccentric. At Ueno’s favorite men’s store, Mr. Reuter, outfits seem plucked from different closets: think cropped suit pants, paired with leather sandals and a top hat. While Ueno extols the city’s wide-ranging and fast-moving fashion scene, Fukuoka-based Junya Tashiro thinks there is still room for improvement. Tashiro has lived in Paris and showcased his couture collections at Tokyo’s Fashion Week,

/ beyond /A D V E N T U R E

Inner Sanctum

A journey across demon-toothed mountains, volcanic beaches and pitch-black tunnels leads to the dark recesses of Papua New Guinea’s deepest caves, chasms that have inspired legends and horror stories. Story and photographs by Ian Lloyd Neubauer >>

A white-knuckle descent into the cave at Awalai Village.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 / T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

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‘WE GET ASKED IF WE KNOW WHERE

the caves are all the time,” says Anne Bedford, a local official from the district where the abyss in question, the Esa’ala Caves, are located. James Cameron’s 3-D thriller, Sanctum, released in 2011, is to blame. It’s the story of extreme divers exploring the caves in the southeast corner of Papua New Guinea. When a flash flood seals their exit, they risk their lives to find an escape through subterranean rivers out to sea. Oddly enough, Sanctum was filmed, not in PNG, but in Mexico and Australia. Still, it created a buzz around the Esa’ala Caves that hasn’t let up. Yet to the best of anyone’s knowledge, no outsider has ventured into the Esa’ala Caves. Enter Waiyaki Nemani of Villink Tours (675/70055624; villinktourspng@gmail.com) who, as the first operator in the district, is the go-to man for the caves. As his very first customer, my visit is a fact-finding mission of the real-life Esa’ala Caves. IT TAKES ME TWO DAYS TO REACH

Esa’ala from Sydney. The journey culminates in a knuckle-clenching hour in an underpowered fiberglass-bottom boat fighting its way through choppy seas to Sewa Bay on Normanby Island. Hidden by a ring of mist-shrouded mountains that locals say bear “the high and sharp teeth of demons,” Sewa Bay is an equatorial ark with one of the world’s greatest concentrations of avifauna. Surveyors have identified 410 species such as parrots, lorikeets, honeyeaters, doves and birds of

paradise with regal headdresses that emit melodious cries for which no words exist. My drop-off point is Sibonai Guest House (waiyaki.nemani@gmail.com; dorm-style rooms from K150 per person), a homestay nestled in a rain-forest clearing. It’s home for guide Nemani, whose knowledge of the caves, like so many things in PNG, is wrapped in misty supposition. “The scene in the movie where they abseil into a giant hole in the ground— that could be a crater people say is on top of Oya Tabu mountain on Fergusson Island, west of here,” Nemani tells me. “But no one has ever been because it’s sacred. We believe if you go beyond the tree line, you will die.” Conditions are harsh; high winds make walking up impossible. The only way is to fly— which also seems like a bad idea. “Years ago, a pilot tried and his plane disappeared,” Nemani tells me. “People say the plane got sucked into a hole in the ground.” WE CHARTER A BOAT TO Normanby’s

north coast, which is honeycombed with caves. Three hours later we moor at a black volcanic beach where a wrinkled old man followed by half a dozen naked children emerges from the jungle to greet us. His name is Stalek Manus, chief of Awalai, a hardscrabble hamlet behind the beach. Further back, Nemani says, is a flooded cave system with a dramatic swim-through to the ocean like in Sanctum. We follow Manus down a bush track that leads to a jagged coral wall. There he shows us a gap in the wall that opens to a dark cavern. The only way in is by walking tightrope-style over a flimsy log threaded through the gap in a 45-degree angle. Crab-walking down it requires nerves of steel, though a

village kid tailing us scurries down the log with the dexterity of a goat. Once inside, we crawl on all fours through a narrow, pitch-black tunnel. If seawater were to rush in per Sanctum, life would imitate art and we’d all be sealed in a watery grave. Nature has the upper hand, and like the character Frank McGuire says in the film: “We’re bits of dust passing through.” It’s spooky to say the least. Yet my fear is replaced by anger when I catch my foot on a rock and trip, breaking my camera. When I stand up, I hit my temple against a stalactite. The pain is exquisite. I thank my lucky stars when the tunnel ends at a platform jutting over a cavern pierced with shards of light. Below us lies a swirl of translucent blue and a submerged swim-through. The sound of crashing waves tells me the ocean isn’t far. I jump into the water and paddle up to the swimthrough, trying to divine if I can hold my breath long enough to reach the other side. The more I think about it,

Fergusson Island. OPPOSITE FROM TOP: Cave-master Nemani’s daughter, Tiffany; Sibonai Guest House in Sewa Bay.

the less inclined I am to try. So, throwing caution to the wind, I push myself underwater and swim for my life. It takes about 20 seconds to pass under the obstacle and breach the surface of the ocean. There, like the sole survivor at the end of Sanctum, I am greeted by absolute blueness—blue water, blue sky, blue as a sign of salvation. The Esa’ala Caves haven’t been explored enough yet to be anointed the world’s largest or most inaccessible. But there in the darkness, the cave felt both oppressively small and infinitely big, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, more caves in the system left to discover. It is inspiring, daunting, humbling. We’re just bits of dust passing through.

/ beyond / T H E T A K E A W A Y DESIGNER UMBRELLA

“Manuel Correia da Silva and Clara Brito are two really well-known designers in Macau. Their latest Sombra parasols are a mix of Victorian style with Macau gate motifs.” Lines Lab, 5 Trv. da Fabrica; lineslab.com; US$128.

WOODEN NOTEBOOKS

“Calvin Sio makes his pieces in his own studio at the Macau Design Centre, mostly out of different woods, and takes a sustainable angle towards his crafts.” Hylé Design, Macau Design Centre, 5 Trv. da Fabrica; fb.com/macau designcentre; MOP167.

EMBROIDERED HANDKERCHIEF

“I love these Portuguese hankies called lenços dos namorados—lovers’ hankies.” Mercearia Portuguesa, 8 Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro; merceariaportuguesa.com; small handkerchiefs MOP330.

BARBARA BARRETO IAN | SWIMWEAR DESIGNER | Macau

This Macau native and alumna of London College of Fashion flies to Portugal annually to visit family and pick up new inspirations for her women’s clothing brand Cocoberryeight (cocoberryeight.com). Back in Macau, Ian’s creative energy is kept alive by the intoxicating mix of Portuguese, Chinese and footprints of the city’s colonial trade-route legacy. Her favorite products reflect the unique ethnic intermix as well as her design philosophy. “I am a big advocate of handmade, traditional and artisanal,” Ian says. — JULIANA LOH

PORTUGUESE BREAD

“The Portuguese Bakery that opened this year serves pão alentejano, making their own yeast the traditional way. You can order the night before and it’s delivered by the time you wake up. Fresh Portuguese bread hanging outside your door!” Portuguese Bakery, 18 Trv. dos Juncos; portuguese-bakery.com; alentejano MOP25.

WOODEN TOYS

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

CLAUS PORTO SOAPS

“These artisanal Portuguese handmade soaps smell delicious and last forever. They are still made using traditional methods and come in a gorgeous and luxurious packaging.” Futura Clássica, 1 Calçada da Rocha; fb.com/ futuraclassica; from MOP42.

CARMO CORREIA

“My kids love handmade wooden Portuguese toys. These keep them happy and busy, which also definitely helps me in my creative process.” Mercearia Portuguesa; MOP30.

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/ beyond /D I S C O V E R Y Pretty and precise in the Manobo village. BELOW: Cantering into cowboy country.

Tribal Remedy

Seven nations, one Philippine province, and nary a beach in sight. Jeninne Lee-St. John falls under the spell of lush, landlocked Bukidnon, where the village elders hold the cure. PHOTOGR APHED BY RICHARD MARKS I’VE TRIED SUNDRY REMEDIES for

overimbibing, from a brisk swim to beef pho, but this year I accidentally discovered the most effective ever: full immersion in Tulugan village, in Bukidnon Province, on Mindanao island, in the agricultural heart of the Philippines. Hill-tribe homestead as hangover cure? Sounds unlikely, I know. But we were in an unlikely vacation spot, a landlocked region smack in the center of the nation’s easternmost isle. It’s a place where pineapple and palm plantations could be mistaken for vineyards, glimmering on hillsides in the dusk. Where the country’s best cowboys, whose grandfathers learned to rustle

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from the Americans, ride in rodeos and on ranches. Where your field of vision is dominated not by the shiny cerulean of the sea but by the dense Dartmouth- and ivy-greens of the waterfall-filled forests, by the auburn-mud-spattered white of curious cattle in the fields, by the lemon yellow signifying abundance and the stop-light red symbolizing courage of the clothes and beads still worn by the province’s seven indigenous tribes. Descendants of the original Filipinos, their beading, patterns, headdresses and prayer rituals feel closer to those of Native Americans than, say, the Hmong and other >>

/ beyond /D I S C O V E R Y Southeast Asian minorities. So we had come to Bukidnon to dive into their mostly red-, yellow- and blackkaleidoscope, and to get a sneak peek at their preparations for the monthlong Kaamulan Festival, which will be held this year in October. At this annual 50,000-person extravaganza, chieftains are installed, men lock heads at pestle wrestling, and everyone struts their stuff in the outfits, dances and songs they’ve been working on all year. Which explains why when we visited Manobo village in Maramag, not only had the high-schoolers long perfected several routines including the courtship dance (two girls, arms aflutter, vie for a boy by draping him with their kerchiefs until he finally sweeps one away, in a perfect teen drama), but so too had the littler kids, who swayed and crooned along on the periphery. The key task for their tiny fingers, though, is to thread elaborate beadwork designs, and, working on a headdress with fluttery-frocked six-year-olds, I felt like I had entered a living diorama.

The next day, on the other hand, I was dying a slow death after too late a night of too much quality scotch as we toured the leafy countryside, winding around rolling hillocks and under towering pines (the tops of which were the main things I could spy, prostate in pain in the backseat as I was), when we pulled to a stop. I was told we had arrived in Tulugan village. Out I tumbled into a magical hippie commune, where puppies frolicked with goat kids, young men playing basketball passed off to “me too” little boys bouncing on the sidelines, narrative and abstract art covered every surface indoor and out, and any aversion I’d had to local village visits crashed and burned. There, arbor-canopied lanes were lined by ingenious and wholly unique homes best described as treehouses. Some were the larger-than-life play forts every boy dreams of for his backyard; others looked more akin to multi-level ranch homes his parents want in the front. One had a spiral staircase leading up to a turret. (I climbed it, and surveyed the rustic

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

territory like a pirate in the crow’s nest.) All had flowers blossoming in the woodworks, potted plants on windowsills, and fenced-in gardens. A spring rain had just fallen. The smell of dew on all this flora was an elixir. I was coming back to myself. AND THEN I MET WAWAY SAWAY, the

head of this merry band—an artist and musician who has played at Lincoln Center and the Smithsonian, and who invited us to his son’s home on the family compound. Twenty years ago, Saway began using clays and silts to make the rusty-hued paints that every Talaandig now uses to paint canvases and wood blocks, massive and small, for love and money. On this day, he showed us another of his inventions: the tamboliling, a combo drum, guitar, violin and one-string fiddle—a mélange of the instruments his mother and father used to play. For lunch we drove 10 minutes away to Kurbada’s Bulalo, a roadside restaurant overhanging a rushing brook, where the steamy beef shank

soup took care of my tummy, and the glass bottles of fizzy, ice-cold Coke washed down the rest of my headache. Oh, and the mayor held court while slyly covering the bill for us unexpected tourists who had stumbled upon his fiefdom. A canary yellow dump-truck jeepney filled to the brim with 50 passengers, some clinging to the sides, drove by in the direction from which we had come, and I considered flagging it down to hustle back to the best village ever. Because as I sat cross-legged on the floor of Saway’s son’s wooden loft, surrounded by dozens of earth-tone artworks, doodling with a mudcaked paintbrush, glancing out the window as a mist visibly lifted off the green valley in the distance, dazed by the string- and beat-driven melody of the tamboliling, I tried to think of another moment in my life that had transported me anywhere close to the same way. Saway likes to say, “Music can be heard in the movement of a river.” On this revelatory day, music was the river, I dove in, and I was healed.

Roadblock, Bukidnon-style. OPPOSITE, FROM FAR LEFT: Waway Saway soothes with his tamboliling; lengthy traditions; Manobo teens locked in the courtship dance.

SilkAir (silkair.com) flies from Singapore to Davao four times a week; otherwise, transfer in Manila. It’s a two-hour drive from Davao into Bukidnon (bukidnon. gov.ph). The next Kaamulan Festivals (facebook.com/kaamulanfestival) will be this October and March 2016 in Malaybalay; check online for the daily schedules.

BUKIDNON, BEYOND 1 Buy peanut butter from the monks If you need a little peace from the party, ascend the high hill topped by the modern pyramid that is the church of the Benedictine Monastery of the Transfiguration, designed by revered Filipino architect Leandro Locsin. This beautifully manicured meditative space overlooks a museum full of lustrous liturgical vestments of banana and pineapple fibers woven into patterns inspired by indigenous tribes; it’s a unique melding of traditions. The amiable monks grow coffee, rice and peanuts—the peanut butter in their shop is the sweetest silk you’ll ever spoon into your mouth. San Jose, Malaybalay; 63-88/221-2373.

2 Ride with the cowboys In many ways, this is frontier country, to which the sprawling ranches manned by horseback cattle herders can attest. The big rodeo at Kaamulan is a centerpiece of the festival, but others are held throughout the year. Bettors might put their money on competitors from Impasugong, where cowboy blood runs deep. If you want to get your gallop on, local hotels and public gardens in Dahilayan in particular offer horseback riding. Or head to Forest Park or Adenture Park there, where high-octane rides, like their super-long super-fast dual zip line, also await. dahilayanforestpark.com, dahilayanadventurepark. com; admission from P50.

3 Climb the mountains and raft the rivers It’s fitting that the name of this province home to the second- and fourth-tallest Philippine peaks means “highlander.” Get fit like one to traverse both Dulang-Dulang—which the Talaandig protect and hold sacred—and Kitanglad, an inactive volcano. Collectively known as D2K, one of the country’s most challenging treks rewards you with serpent eagles and sparrow hawks above the age-old pines. The Cagayan de Oro River spills forth from the Kalatungan Mountain Range, meanwhile, rushing white-water rafters along class-two to -four rapids. trailadventours.com; four-day trek P5,500. riverraftingcdo.com; rafting trips from P700.

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

/ beyond /P L A C E S E T T I N G S

A Bronx State of Mind

Members of the New York City culinary collective Ghetto Gastro give a tour of their stomping ground. BY THESSALY LA FORCE PHOTOGRAPHED BY MACKENZIE STROH

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE : Ghetto Gastro founders Jon Gray (left) and Lester Walker (second from left) at Johnny’s Reef Restaurant; a pastrami sandwich from Loeser’s Old Fashioned Kosher Deli; a heap of fresh carrots at Lloyd’s Carrot Cake; Johnny’s Reef Restaurant’s fried calamari.

IT WAS A R AINY DAY at Johnny’s Reef Restaurant on City Island, at the eastern edge of the Bronx, where four members of Ghetto Gastro had gathered for a feast of fried seafood. “Growing up, City Island was like the Hamptons for the ’hood,” said Jon Gray, a Bronx native and one of the three founders of the 25-person roving culinary group—a tribe, really— which stages pop-up dinners with a cult following around the world. He sipped a Henny-Colada—one part Hennessy and two parts piña colada, topped with a maraschino cherry and an American flag toothpick. “That was the weekend getaway. We’d go to Johnny’s Reef, do our thing. You might see some cats you had beef with. Or you might see ladies with a lot of cool vibes on the water.” In summer, the place fills up with locals who come for the fried lobster tails and fresh red snapper. Gray, a classic charismatic front-man, had come to give T+L a culinary tour of the Bronx. Though

SEPTEMBER 2015 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

often overlooked as a dining destination, the borough is a source of pride for Ghetto Gastro, and is full of authentic food experiences that can easily compete with those of Brooklyn and Queens. Gray dreamed up the idea of Ghetto Gastro in 2012—“The name came to me in a nap!” he said— after a stint designing a denim line. Along the way, he recruited two other Bronx-born chefs, Lester Walker and Malcolm Livingston II. All three share a passion for food (as a teenager, Gray used to roam Manhattan with a Zagat guide) and a desire to connect Bronx culture with that of the rest of the world. Walker and Gray were old friends; Gray befriended Livingston when he learned Livingston was working at Wylie Dufresne’s acclaimed restaurant WD~50 (since closed). “I was like, yo, let’s link,” Gray said. The trio started throwing underground dinners for tastemakers in downtown Manhattan, and

/ beyond /P L A C E S E T T I N G S

Deli-owner Fredy Loeser, who has been serving customers in the Bronx for more than 50 years.

that gradually grew into a more global enterprise. In the past two years, Ghetto Gastro has staged dinners at Art Basel Miami, flown out to attend René Redzepi’s MAD Symposium in Copenhagen, and hosted a dinner at the Cannes Film Festival. Their events and food, which they promote by word of mouth and across social media, are inspired by both the Michelin-starred restaurants they admire, such as Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy, and the food they grew up eating at home. Their menus might include dishes such as “crab and cornbread,” a crab velouté with beluga caviar and a crunch of freeze-dried corn bread, and “swerve and turf,” a cut of Kobe beef with saffron-butter-poached lobster tail. But while their cooking has evolved, tending to their roots is still a big part of Ghetto Gastro’s mission. Gray, who manages the group full-time, often volunteers at community events (GG recently served ice cream for Africa’s Out, Wangechi Mutu’s LGBT initiative). “Making it out of the Bronx is a success, but let’s also make our neighborhood better,” he said. “You hear the word ghetto and you think failure,” Walker says. He now splits his time between the Bronx and Washington, D.C., where he cooks at the José Andrés restaurant China Chilcano. “We want to redefine what ghetto means. Our mission is to empower the youth, educate, and bring culture through food,” added Livingston via e-mail from Copenhagen, where he now works as Noma’s pastry chef. The three may lead far-flung lives, but they still make it a priority to meet up in the borough they grew up in, whether for broken rice at Com Tam Ninh Kieu or beef patties at Kingston Tropical Bakery. Some dishes are always worth returning home for.

GHETTO GASTRO’S BRONX

M A P I L LU ST R AT I O N BY M A R K TO D D

The chefs pick the borough’s best food, from global cuisine to New York classics. Kingston Tropical Bakery The Bronx’s best coco bread, baked fresh every day. 4000 White Plains Rd.; 1-718/7980076. Green Garden Health Food Fruit smoothies with a Rastafarian touch. greengarden healthfood-hub.com. Feroza’s Restaurant Roti The place for Trinidadian chicken roti sandwiches and imported Caribbean soda. 716 Burke Ave.; 1-718/405-9081. Johnny’s Reef Restaurant Come for the fried lobster tails and fresh red snapper; stay for the view over the water. johnnysreefrestaurant.com.

Com Tam Ninh Kieu Famous for its Vietnamese com tam (broken rice) with pork, egg and shrimp cake. 2641 Jerome Ave.; 1-718/365-2680. Loeser’s Old Fashioned Kosher Deli & Caterer A pastrami sandwich to rival Katz’s. 214 W. 231st St.; 1-718/601-6665. Lloyd’s Carrot Cake The bakery still uses an adapted version of the late Lloyd Adams’s mother’s recipe. lloydscarrotcake.com. Seis Vecinos Serves Central American specialties like pupusas (Salvadoran savory pancakes) and marañón (cashew apple) juice. seisvecinosnyc.com.

REDISCOVERY OF LEGACY

OPENING SOON

J7 Hotel Road 6 Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia www.j7hotel.com

info@j7hotel.com

Back to Camp

On a four-night adventure in central Thailand, Merritt Gurley takes a bike ride down memory lane and, on behalf of adults everywhere, calls dibs on the childhood summer camp experience.

I was nine and my best friend Nandini and I signed up for a horseback-riding camp in Kanchanaburi run by a German woman named Lee Rhodes. It wasn’t exactly the all-American experience I’d seen in movies like Meatballs, Camp Nowhere and Indian Summer, but my father’s job had brought our family from California to Thailand, so it was the closest I could manage. Rhodes had moved to the kingdom in 1924 and was already well into her seventies when I met her, though she seemed old beyond age, like a mountain or a redwood. We spent the mornings riding horses, magnificent animals I still fear to this day, and the evenings sitting around a campfire listening to her tales about Thailand in the 1920s and 1930s: She ran a business

THE YEAR WAS 1992.

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training horses to pull carriages, the main mode of transportation across Bangkok back then; she sold horses for the then-handsome price of 10 baht a piece; she kept monkeys and sun bears as pets. During World War II, a Japanese soldier abducted one of her favorite horses and she strongarmed the man into returning it. She survived bombings, a flood, a fire. She met the king. I hadn’t met many adults who grew up overseas, so I felt a connection with her. She understood that expat kids often don’t have real homes to go back to. Instead we look for familiar experiences that can be repeated or recreated anywhere. Like getting old friends together and going back to summer camp. That’s why this year, after I had my first baby and am supposed to be more of an adult than ever, I decided to chase some childhood fun: I roped Nandini back in (yep, we’re still tight after nearly a quarter century) along with my younger sister, Kat, for a four-night trip to the Wild Lodge (thewildlodge.com) in Khao Ito. It wasn’t a hard sell. Summer camp nostalgia is having a moment. With family and adults-only camps exploding across the U.S., it was only a matter of time until they made their way to our region, where you can now find them everywhere from Korea to Australia. This season saw the debut of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, the TV prequel of the 2001 cult-favorite movie Wet Hot American Summer. The whole show is essentially the reliving of a childhood experience— and I was psyched to follow Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd into that old Polaroid. Just because you tack on years doesn’t mean you lose your taste for organized outdoor fun. Aren’t campfire-roasted s’mores delicious to even a supposedly refined older palate? IT IS A SURPRISINGLY SMOOTH twohour drive from Bangkok to the camp. Khao Ito Forestry Park is close to Khao Yai National Park, and 260

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/ beyond /F I R S T P E R S O N I AWAKE THE NEX T DAY with a kilometers east of the horsebackravenous hunger the fresh air riding camp I went to years ago in seems to inspire, ladle myself out Kanchanaburi. It’s a hilly region a heaping bowl of chicken congee of Thailand and as the landscape from a vat and think of Meatballs: gets more curvaceous, I start “We’re gonna be having a shifting in my seat. It is working; delicious gruel breakfast and don’t I have the same giddy buzz I’d felt forget to ask for seconds because it’s as a kid. “We’re here!” I yell as the all the gruel you can eat.” carved wooden sign announcing All grueled up, we set off the entrance of the Wild Lodge mountain biking. It’s a pleasant finally comes into view. The Wild ride up Khao Ito mountain, with Lodge runs activities for groups of leaf-littered single-trail paths all ages and we’re on an itinerary that ascend through a Eucalyptus similar to the international-school forest. The light climbing through field trips they host for 12-yearthe trees is so crisp it seems olds: kayaking, hiking, archery, imported from a Swiss dawn, but mountain biking, a high-rope aerial the humidity is a fixed reminder challenge. It isn’t an exact replica we’re still in the tropics. I fight my of my childhood experience but way up a steep patch, sweating it is close enough; we ride bikes and cursing and steadily slowing instead of horses and I play the down until I relent role of wizened and walk the last five expat spinning minutes. The summit yarns about ancient is worth the effort Bangkok from the and embarrassment, 1990s around the SPINNING with a view that campfire—“There hasn’t changed much were only three bars YARNS ABOUT in the past 20 years: on Sukhumvit Soi 11 ANCIENT BANGKOK mountains, trees, and Thong Lor was plains. I shuffle up a barely a glimmer FROM tree, dangle my legs on the map!”—to a over a thick bough, eat chorus of shocked an orange and squint oohs and aahs. with the effort of The property is committing the scene to memory. almost two hectares square, and The ride back down is bliss, 45 heavily outfitted with the promise minutes weaving through bright of fun. It is a slice of playground green thickets and over little jungle carved out of the jungle-thick streams on one of the best downhill hillsides of Khao Ito. Ropes from trails in Thailand. the aerial challenge swing loosely The next few days are a blur of in the breeze. Mountain bikes are outdoor fun. We kayak the quiet stacked in front of a storage room waters of Khao Ito Reservoir and by the open-air dining area. A I lose my sister’s sunglasses in a Frisbee lies on an open field. capsize. She pretends she isn’t mad There are eight lodges about it. I try my hand at archery constructed largely using and learn it is never too late in life reclaimed materials, and each is set to discover a new sport to be inept up with bunk beds, fans and an en at. We play card games and drink suite bathroom. There are luxury instant coffee. Kat builds up the rooms in the works, but I’m happy courage to talk to the young Irish that for now the rooms are to the instructor, but to no avail. We talk point. I claim a choice bottom bunk about how great the air smells and and chuck my duffel into a corner. read our books under the salmon Unpacking can wait—there’s that glow of a slowly setting sun. Frisbee outside with my name on it.

I play the role of wizened expat

the 1990s around the campfire

The final dinner is an epic mix of barbecued meats and chicken nuggets. For dessert we head to the campfire for the requisite sandwich of graham crackers, Hershey’s bars and marshmallows. I eat five, all smokey from the burnt marshmallows, and feel sick. I tell a ghost story about a man with a hook that frightens no one. Nandini and I reminisce about the last time we went to camp, and decide this time is better because neither of us have lice and we both own real bras. We talk about the kids we grew up with and where they are now. We sing terrible songs from our favorite old mix tape. We can’t sleep—we’re too excited about tomorrow: the aerial challenge. of heights. The fear hit me deep into my twenties, around the same time I started using facial moisturizer and contemplating a savings account. Now the phobia has taken hold, grown roots, flourished. So standing 30 meters in the air, poised oafishly above a 10-meterlong log, I’m in a cold sweat. I’ve got to walk across, but I’m too

I HAVEN’T ALWAYS BEEN AFR AID

scared to take the first step. “Don’t look down!” the jerks at the bottom yell. I rack focus between the tiny beam and the grassy death below. I’m harnessed, but the part of me that is afraid does not respond to reason. Come on, I tell myself, this is what camp is all about. Face your fear. Challenge yourself. Eyes straight ahead. I grit my teeth and take a step. And another. And another. Before I know it, I’m almost to the other side. I know better than to look down, but can I steal a quick glance backwards? I want to see how far I’ve come.

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GROWN UPS UNITE The adults-only camp concept— traditional throwbacks include Camp Grounded (campgrounded.org) and Camp No Counselors (campnocounselors. com)—is all over the U.S., and we really hope some nostalgia-loving entrepreneurs in our region will follow the lead of niche experiential camps like Zombie Survival Camp (zombiesurvivalcamp.com) and Wine Camp (winecamp.org). In the meantime, here are a few places that host organized camps for various ages, or where you can request a custom summer-camp experience for your group of friends. Kultura Kamp, Philippines Outdoor fun for all ages, exploring the rivers and hillsides a short drive from Manila. kulturakamp.com; two-day trip from P4,600 per person. Green Camp Bali, Indonesia This family camp in Bali has an educational edge, blending activities like trekking with classes on organic

gardening. Next camp October 16-18; greencampbali.com; adults US$200, children under 12 US$85. Outward Bound, Australia The epic 26-day adults-only Summit to Sea trip spans three Aussie states, from the continent’s highest mountain to the south coast of Victoria, but they have shorter excursions that run year-round for kids and families as well. January 4-29, 2016; outwardbound.org.au; A$4,595 per person. Open Sky Unlimited, Malaysia Two hours from Kuala Lumpur the Camp4Real program for adults and families is a deep jungle excursion followed by classic back-to-basics camping. openskyunlimited.com; two-day trip from RM440. WCP Camping, Korea Tour the eastern coast of South Korea with stops for rafting, caving, sightseeing and beachside barbecues. wcpadventure. com; four-day trip from US$310.

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Design Stars 2015

COURTESY OF SELGASCANO

These six firms are creating the new must-see destinations in cities across the world— plazas transformed into urban sculptures, restaurants that feel like time capsules, light-filled museums that upend our expectations about how to view art. Plus: six more much-anticipated design-driven openings. BY CHEE PEARLMAN AND ASHLEY NIEDRINGHAUS

JOSÉ SELGAS AND LUCÍA CANO OF SELGASCANO, CREATORS OF THIS YEAR’S SERPENTINE PAVILION, IN THEIR HOME OFFICE OUTSIDE MADRID.

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SELGASCANO

ELEVATORS OF EVERYDAY ARCHITECTURE.

SELGASCANO’S SERPENTINE PAVILION IS A CURVY MAZE OF BRIGHT TUBES MADE OF SYNTHETIC MATERIALS WITH A CAFÉ AT THE CENTER.

their projects to date have been homes and offices. One exception was a community center in Badajoz, Spain, where skateboarders can ride ramps under a mushroom-like roof. Partners José Selgas and Lucía Cano seized the Serpentine commission as an opportunity to play. The amoeba-like building, on view through October 18, is wrapped with polymer ETFE fabric panels and ribbons printed in 19 colors. A changing rainbow of hues shines through the translucent fabric onto a glossy white floor, turning a Fortnum & Mason pop-up café at the center of four passageways into a kaleidoscopic light show. “The whole building is a dialogue between the materials, to test shapes and colors,” Selgas says. “We want the experiment to feel playful or even mysterious, like a dream.”

THE MUSEUMS OF TOMORROW

Smithsonian’s newest institution, an angular perforated-bronze structure set on a twohectare plot of land on the National Mall. Opens fall 2016. nmaahc.si.edu.

Three bold new cultural centers to watch for.

National Museum of African American History & Culture, Washington, D.C. The British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye oversaw the design of the

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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Oslo- and New York–based Snøhetta is doubling the museum’s exhibition space by adding a futuristiclooking rippling white

concrete block to the 1995 Mario Botta building. Opens spring 2016. sfmoma.org. Design Museum, London Minimalist British

COMING SOON The firm’s design for a school for the slum dwellers of Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya, is on view at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, through October 25, after which it will be rebuilt in Kenya. The Serpentine Pavilion will travel to a park in Los Angeles next year, where it will live permanently.

architect John Pawson is turning the landmark Commonwealth Institute Building into a space for large-scale exhibitions. Opens fall 2016. designmuseum.org.

JIM STEPHENSON

Many boldfaced names have been invited to design the Serpentine Pavilion, a temporary structure erected each year on the lawn of London’s Serpentine Gallery (serpentinegalleries. org), including Frank Gehry, Herzog & de Meuron, and Zaha Hadid. But for the 15th edition, the prize went to the littleknown Spanish husband-and-wife team Selgascano. The selection of the duo, whose sinuous sensibility sometimes evokes the fantastical structures of Antoni Gaudí, was especially surprising since most of

JAYA INTERNATIONAL DESIGN

F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F T H E PAT I N A , C A P I T O L S I N G A P O R E ; C O U R T E S Y O F J AYA I B R A H I M

ADVANCING A LEGACY OF EAST-MEETS-WEST LUXURY

The cultural center of Singapore, known as the Civic District, is a hotbed of modern-day architecture and fancy hotels, but later this year The Patina, Capitol Singapore (patinahotels.com) will open its doors, hoping to usher in a new era of grand luxury to the city-state. The story of this hotel starts with Pritzker Prize laureate Richard Meier, who was hired to renovate two adjacent buildings—the iconic Capitol Building and its neighbor, the Stamford House—to create a home for The Patina, which is nestled within the two stately structures. With the wheels in motion to renovate the exterior, the award-winning designer Jaya Ibrahim, who decorated The Legian in Bali and the Capella Singapore, was commissioned to create an interior design inspired by the colonial influences of the building’s exterior. Before his unexpected death in May, Ibrahim had said his vision for The Patina was to “instill a sense of timelessness, where Western styles sit comfortably within an Eastern sensibility.” Ibrahim and his team were challenged to create a space that felt relevant in today’s modern Singapore while avoiding the pitfall of looking like a period piece. Here, colonial-meets-Art Deco themes are completed with luxury fittings, highcorniced ceilings and stunning archways. The 157 rooms and suites are dominated by regional influences, a world-class art collection and traditional yet contemporary interiors. So while the Singapore hotel blitz is in full swing, The Patina, with its rich history and elegant designs, may just outshine them all.

THE PATINA, CAPITOL SINGAPORE IN THE CIVIC DISTRICT. Inset: JAYA IBRAHIM'S DESIGN LEGACY LIVES ON.

COMING SOON Continuing to follow Ibrahim’s sophisticated aesthetic, Jaya International Design has three major projects booked in Asia. First up, The Capella Shanghai in August 2016, followed by a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Jin Zhai Gou, China, in May 2017. Wrapping up the list is the Kaohsiung Bay Residences, which will open in Taiwan in March 2018.

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KENT LUI TACTICS

LEADING SAIGON’S DESIGN REVOLUTION.

Saigon is one of Asia’s great boomtowns, shining brightly as a home for up-and-coming artists and designers, culinary bigwigs and nightlife-hungry locals and tourists. As cultural shifts go mainstream, the long favored French influences are giving way to something distinctly Vietnamese. Architect Kent Lui of Kent Lui Tactics, who designed Hong Kong’s skyline-shaping International Finance Centre and HSBC Building, is at the epicenter of creating Saigon’s new design identity. For Lui, this new Saigon pulls from a mix of French, American and Chinese motifs while honoring and incorporating local influences. In creating this new vision, Lui seized the opportunity to work on District 1’s Times Square building, a 39-story structure on two of Saigon’s most legendary streets, Dong Khoi and Nguyen Hue. Times Square’s all-glass façade has an integrated light projection system, a first for the city, which will be used to illuminate the

exterior with light shows and future New Year’s Eve celebrations. Knowing this project, if done correctly, could change the way the world views Saigon and Vietnamese design, Lui and his team spent more than seven years perfecting their plans. The grand dame of the mixed-use property is the city’s newest and unapologetically opulent hotel, The Reverie Saigon (thereveriesaigon.com). At first blush, The Reverie, which occupies the upper and lower floors, seems like a far cry from traditional Vietnamese design. But Lui is quick to point out the Vietnamese people’s fondness for all things colorful, energetic and lively as the central motif. Take, for example, the vibrant Murano glass installation on the ceiling of the ground floor lobby, which forms the geographic silhouette of Vietnam or admire the richly colored, handblown glass chandeliers and vases by famed Italian glass designer Venini. “Drawing inspiration from outside of Vietnam is, in many ways, illustrative of the country’s storied past,” he says. “Which is why the hotel is outfitted in an eclectic and internationally sourced arrangement of furnishings, decorative pieces and textiles.” With one eye on its rich history and another on its bright future, Saigon is ready for its new-aged renaissance.

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COMING SOON Lui will continue to be a driving factor in architecture and design in Saigon. At the Union Square Building, a yetto-be-named five-star hotel in District 1 broke ground in July 2014. With an open concept design centered on ancient European style and plans to showcase an impressive art collection, the hotel has an anticipated opening date of mid-2017.

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF THE RE VERIE SAIGON; COURTESY OF KENT LUI

THE REVERIE SAIGON, IN DISTRICT 1, IS A VIBRANT ODE TO VIETNAM'S LAYERED PAST.Inset: KENT LUI .

NERI&HU DESIGN AND RESEARCH OFFICE

CHINA’S MASTER MULTICULTI MULTITASKERS.

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF ABERDEEN STREET SOCIAL; COURTESY OF ROSSANA HU

ABERDEEN STREET SOCIAL, A BAR, RESTAURANT AND BISTRO IN A 1950 s BUILDING IN HONG KONG. Inset: DESIGNER ROSSANA HU .

COMING SOON The Hub, a mixed-use retail, hotel, event and performance space near Shanghai’s Hongqiao Railway Station, opens this fall, followed by Social Japanese, the firm’s eighth restaurant for Jason Atherton, in London in December. A seven-story hotel and retail space is scheduled for Miami’s Design District in late 2016.

Modern-day China is often accused of having terrible design standards, and when the Chinese designer Lyndon Neri was working with his wife, Rossana Hu, in the Princeton office of starchitect Michael Graves, he was often one of the accusers. Then a Chinese journalist challenged him to do something about it. So in 2004, the duo moved to China to launch their firm; today, they employ a staff of 100, who design everything from teacups to buildings. For one signature project, The Waterhouse hotel, in Shanghai’s South Bund, they repurposed a 1930s building, introducing modern architectural elements to the original structure. Neri says that when it opened, in 2010, many Chinese considered it “controversial for its rawness,” but that changed when celebrities began staying there. In 2012, Neri&Hu brought a similar aesthetic to Design Republic Design Commune, a 1910 British police building in Shanghai that the firm converted into design shops and Jason Atherton’s restaurant the Commune Social. The British chef has been a frequent partner; Neri&Hu has designed restaurants for him in London, Sydney and Hong Kong, where last year it opened the airy, two-story Aberdeen Street Social (aberdeenstreetsocial.hk). Neri describes the aesthetic as “textured and eclectic,” a reflection of the cultural mix he and Hu have embraced in their fast-changing adopted Chinese hometown.

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JANET ECHELMAN

ECHELMAN'S LARGESCALE AERIAL SCULPTURE AS IF IT WERE ALREADY HERE, WHICH IS SUSPENDED OVER BOSTON’S ROSE KENNEDY GREENWAY. Inset: JANET ECHELMAN.

COMING SOON In November, Echelman will exhibit a sculpture inspired by the Japanese tsunami at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, followed by projects in West Hollywood and Greensboro, North Carolina.

CHILDREN OF THE HIGH LINE

Three linear park concepts coming soon to a city near you.

Goods Line, Sydney Architecture firms Aspect Studios and Chrofi are transforming an old railway corridor near the new Frank Gehry–designed UTS

Business School into a verdant 500-meter-long strip, opening this fall. Seoul Skygarden Dutch architectural firm

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MVRDV is converting an abandoned one-hectare, 900-meter-long overpass into a pedestrian walkway. When it is completed in 2017, it will have cafés,

Cities often commission large-scale public art to create events that draw visitors and give locals a fresh perspective on their environs. Few are better at delivering such experiences than Janet Echelman. Urban space is her canvas, and rope—kilometers of it—is her brush. With these simple tools, the Boston-based artist fashions multihued installations that hover over once-ordinary plazas like airborne fishing nets. Her latest, inspired by a cat’s cradle, floats above Boston’s Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway (rosekennedy greenway.org), a zone reclaimed from car traffic after the Big Dig. Echelman says she conceived the project, on view through mid-October, as a way to “link the city back together along the gash that had been a sixlane highway.” Echelman, who developed her technique after watching fishermen construct nets in the Indian village of Mahabalipuram, has in recent years created undulating works in cities from San Francisco to Singapore. Their construction is not simple: the one-tonne installation in Boston required more than 160 kilometers of specially braided twine and half a million knots, not to mention custom software to model the sculpture’s joints and predict the effects of weather. Most visitors lie on the grass to view it, watching as it ripples against the sky.

shops, and 254 species of trees, shrubs and flowers. 11th Street Bridge Park, Washington, D.C. This greenbelt planned for

late 2018 by OMA and Olin on a former freeway bridge over the Anacostia River, will have flexible venues for markets, festivals and performances.

F R O M T O P : M E L I S S A H E N R Y; E S S D R A S M S U A R E Z / T H E B O S T O N G L O B E / G E T T Y I M A G E S

AN ARTISTIC REINVENTOR OF URBAN LANDSCAPES.

AVROKO

INFLUENTIAL PURVEYORS OF THROWBACK MODERNISM.

F R O M T O P : B A R R Y B R E C H E I S E N / C O U R T E S Y O F M O M O TA R O ; A N D R E W H E AT H E R I N G T O N

MOMOTARO, IN CHICAGO, IS INSPIRED BY THE “SALARYMAN” OF POSTWAR JAPAN. Below, from left: PARTNERS WILLIAM HARRIS, KRISTINA O’NEAL, ADAM FARMERIE AND GREG BRADSHAW OUTSIDE GENUINE SUPERETTE, IN NEW YORK CITY.

Many designers find inspiration in earlier eras, but AvroKO does it better than most. See: brand-newly opened The House on Sathorn (whotels.com), a 126-year-old mansion-oasis in Bangkok whose original quirks, such as pig’s heads in the columns representing the first owner’s zodiac sign, informed the firm’s modern, sultry, a-little-bit-ArtDeco, a-little-bit-rock-n-roll revamp. Another era they’ve nailed is midcentury Japan, exemplified in Chicago with Momotaro (momotarochicago.com). The partners mantain exacting control of their work, but like to veer experimental and try new things, especially in the eight restaurants and bars they run themselves. The firm, now based in New York, San Francisco and Bangkok, adopted this strategy in 2003 in New York’s Nolita with Public (public-nyc.com), a riff on early-20th-

COMING SOON

century civic buildings. Genuine Superette (eatgenuine.com), which they opened in April in Little Italy, mixes graphics that evoke coastal California eateries, inspired by Eames Case Study houses, and a sound-track culled from childhood cassettes. The menu is just as carefully designed, with options like a roadside-diner-style, hormone-free burger with American cheese and golden fries cooked with state-of- the-art technology that reduces the fat content. “It’s not that we want to take you on a journey to a nostalgic past,” partner Kristina O’Neal explains. “It’s more like modernist poetry. We want you to feel a sensation of the past, not a copy of it.”

Among a dozen projects AvroKO has under way around the world are Genuine Liquorette, a bar opening later this month beneath Genuine Superette, and a yet-tobe-named hotel, restaurant and spa, on the site of a 1950s motel in Calistoga, California, that will open next fall.

Singapore Since 1925

Alila, Ovolo, Moxy, Oh My! There’s been a global explosion of design-focused, tech-savvy hotels. And with so many to choose from, here’s how to tell them apart—and find the right one for you. ILLUSTR ATIONS BY TOBY NEIL AN

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WITH BRANDS YOU’VE

WHY NOW?

The big idea High-end design that puts local environment and community at the forefront, for travelers who like to leave as few footprints as possible. Where they are now Bali, Bangalore, Goa, Jakarta, Oman, China Where they’re going next Central Java, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Borneo Starting rate US$180 Hidden in the middle of bustling Seminyak, amid a scene saturated with chic

cafés, fine-dining joints, designer boutiques, art galleries and a host of upscale accommodations, is an oceanfront oasis partially concealed in a living, plant-covered façade. The skylightdotted lobby features big butterfly installations hanging off walls of vertical greenery, and artful back-to-nature touches are peppered throughout, like the all-natural Alila soaps and shampoos guests will find tub-side—products that are as fragrant as they are effective. And to further prove that comfort can jibe with conservation, the

Three trends that explain the rise in lifestyle hotels.

1. It’s all about the millennials. There are two things budding jet-setters want: constant Wi-Fi and not to feel like a tourist. Hotel companies are listening— and the results appeal to more than just today’s twentysomethings. According to Tina Edmundson, Marriott’s global brand officer, “Lifestyle hotels tap in to a new creative class, including young entrepreneurial business types who want affordable access to art, culture and design, as well as more-seasoned, independent travelers who appreciate singular experiences and high standards of service.” 2. Travelers want to feel like part of a club. “We know a lot of people are looking for a shared experience among

ALILA

like-minded guests,” says Barry Sternlicht, CEO of Starwood Capital Group, whose new brand, 1 Hotels, is built for luxury seekers with a passion for sustainability. He’s not the only hotelier thinking more about niche psychographics. At The House Collective, by Swire Hotels, “the personality of each of our ‘houses’ enables us to deliver a highly individualised offering,” says Brian Williams, Swire’s managing director. 3. Affordable real estate and “cool neighborhoods” go hand in hand. Rapidly gentrifying areas may not be ideal for legacy brands, but they’re perfect for travelers who want to feel more integ rated into the fabric of a city.

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resort—239 rooms and suites, a penthouse and four swimming pools—is constructed in adherence to EarthCheck’s strict standards. Alila means “surprise” in Sanskrit, and part of the experience is supposed to be eyeopening, helping guests connect with the surrounding environment and culture. Involvement with the community, through hiring residents, working with local suppliers and organizing voluntourism programs, boosts its cred as one of the most sustainable resorts in Seminyak. alilahotels.com.

They’re also a dream for developers. Gray Shealy, executive director of the Master’s of Hospitality NUMBER OF Management LIFESTYLE program at BRANDS Georgetown THAT HAVE LAUNCHED University, says, GLOBALLY IN “Up-and-coming THE PAST YEAR, neighborhoods give AT T+L’S LAST COUNT. lifestyle brands an insider’s look at a location.” Other perks? Potential for character-packed buildings. Construction costs can be higher in these, but guests are often willing to pay more for unique design touches.

COURTESY OF ALILA

never heard of popping up on what seems like a weekly basis, choosing a place to stay has gotten harder than ever. It doesn’t help that so many of them sound the same, look the same and promise the same amenities. In short, they’re all examples of what the hotel industry calls a “lifestyle” hotel—which generally means a sense of style at a reasonable price. To help you figure out the brand for you, Travel + Leisure scouted a few exciting newcomers to see what makes them tick and how well they live up to their ambitions.

/ upgrade / HYATT CENTRIC

The big idea Central locations and good prices cater to the masses, while the residential feel appeals to a younger set. Where they are now Miami and Chicago Where they’re going next New York, Paris and a dozen other cities Starting rate US$229 Hyatt Centric was conceived for the “modern explorer,” an eye-rollinducing term that could be ascribed to nearly anyone with a passport. But if broad appeal, rather than uniqueness, is what Hyatt is going for, then its first property, in Chicago’s historic Loop, gets it right. The rooms are monochromatic and soothing (some will

RISING STARS Five more boutique brands making a splash.

ART SERIES

call them crisp; others, generic), with smart tech features like Bluetoothenabled TVs and free high-speed Wi-Fi. There’s little to draw a local crowd besides a solid French bistro, but small details, like an onyx fireplace in the lounge and vibrant artwork in the lobby, succeed at making the hotel feel more boutique than bare-bones.

An unbuttoned vibe trims costs—see the room service, which swaps carts and china for bagged-up drop-offs. But without any real links to the city—not even local snacks in our mini-bar— the brand’s promise of an “authentic” experience rings a bit hollow. Maybe modern explorers can find all that themselves. hyattcentric.com.

This collection of Australia’s most artistic hotels, each named after a local artist whose work adorns the property, makes commuting fun with its Smart cars and Lekker bikes. artserieshotels.com.au.

FUSION RESORTS Each of Fusion’s eight properties in Vietnam has its own character inspired by local environment and people, including Asia’s first all-inclusive spa resort, Fusion Maia Da Nang. fusion-resorts.com.

THE HOUSE COLLECTIVE Swire Hotels’ “houses” truly feel like homes, with designfocused accommodations in China and Hong Kong. The emphasis on warm service will woo even the most seasoned travelers. the-house-collective.com.

SALA Sala’s boutique resorts provide modern luxury wrapped in the old-time charms of Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Khao Yai. salaresorts.com.

MOXY The big idea A budget-friendly, DIYinspired chain (brownbag breakfasts, self check-in) with an eclectic, highbrow design philosophy. Where they are now Milan Where they’re going next New Orleans, Munich, London and Copenhagen Starting rate US$70

Owned by Marriott but developed by a division of Ikea, Moxy’s Milan debut could have been a showroom for flatpack particleboard furniture. But the brand has aimed higher than that: the lobby-slash-bar is outfitted with pendant lights and tweed-covered armchairs; the boxy but well-appointed rooms have Avedonesque floor-toceiling photographs; and the library “plug-in zone” is lined with shelves of design and fashion books. Moxy, it turns out, delivers on style as much as it does on value. There are caveats, however. A location in Malpensa airport is better suited to business travelers than creative types (several of the slated openings are near airports), and the “hassle-free” mobile check-in turns out to be a fantasy—by 9:30 p.m. the line snaked from the front desk to the front door. Want to explore? The bus to Central Station takes an hour. It’s a bargain not without sacrifices. moxy-hotels.marriott.com.

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Small hotels set in heritage buildings that have been carefully restored to quirky Dadaism perfection. unlistedcollection.com.

F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F H YAT T C E N T R I C ; C O U R T E S Y O F M O X Y

UNLISTED COLLECTION:

LUXURY ESCAPES…

CREATED FOR YOU

Centara oﬀers you the ultimate choice in accommodation, ranging from the comfort of spacious deluxe rooms to stunning suites, private pool villas or luxury penthouses in Thailand’s best beach spots, as well as in other balmy, blissful destinations such as Vietnam, the Maldives, Bali and Sri Lanka. Whether you’re seeking world-class dining, sumptuous spa visits, sparkling white sand beaches, or a taste of tropical adventure, Centara oﬀers it all. Plus you can take advantage of the ‘Ultimate All-Inclusive’ cash-free experience at our luxury resorts in Maldives.

BOOK DIRECT FOR OUR BEST PRICE PROMISE www.centarahotelsresorts.com • T: +66 (0)2 769 1234

•

E: reservations@chr.co.th

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Why small, independent properties have become the business of big hospitality giants.

If hotel corporations are looking to recreate the boutique experience, why not own and operate a collection of fully independent outposts? That’s the thinking behind Starwood’s new Tribute Portfolio, Hilton’s one-year-old Curio, and Loews’ OE Collection— all groupings of one-off properties, each with its own distinct personality. As has been proven with other “soft brands” (like Starwood’s Luxury Collection or Marriott’s Autograph Collection), the strategy pays off. Independent hotels gain marketing and distribution channels from their parent companies, parent companies can answer the growing demand for locally tapped-in experiences, and guests can reap the benefits of a loyalty program without staying in a bland corporate box. Ultimately, it’s a winwin situation for everyone involved—travelers included.

U HOTELS

The big idea Travelers can count on design-centric rooms that highlight local heritage at travel hubs across Southeast Asia. Where they are now Thailand, India, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam Where they’re going next Cambodia, Turkey Starting rate US$62 Local culture is key to the ethos of U Hotels & Resorts, by Absolute Hotel Services, which bills its boutique brand as “an uncomplicated

bijoux deluxe hotel.” Each property has its own distinct look: think an Ottoman revivalist theme with woven carpets, blue tiles and carnation motifs at the new Istanbul hotel, or the purple silk and teak of the Lanna kingdom at the U Chiang Mai. But in some cases style trumps substance, like bathrooms tricked out with everything but shelf space, so guests are left fishing around in their dopp kits for toiletries. Still, we think the smart service elements compensate. All properties offer 24-hour check in (so if you show

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up at 2 a.m. on a Thursday you don’t have to leave until 2 a.m on the Friday), breakfast “whenever, wherever,” and free Wi-Fi. Guests can also get that warm and fuzzy feeling knowing the brand doesn’t just reflect local culture, it supports it: for every night booked, US$1 is donated to charities that give back to the surrounding communities. The various properties have different priorities, from helping conserve the wildlife to funding nearby primary schools, depending on where need is the greatest. uhotelsresorts.com.

AC HOTELS

The big idea Catering to next-gen business travelers with a credo that “you get only what you need, and don’t pay for what you don’t.” Where they are now Spain, Italy, Denmark, Turkey, France, the U.S. and more Where they’re going next Across the U.S., Canada and Latin America Starting rate US$189 too insubstantial to add to the experience. AC Libraries amounted to two workstations in the lobby, and a calendar of events with various influencers has yet to be determined. The saving grace: the no-frills rooms are always comfortable, with fair prices, to boot. achotels. marriott.com.

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF AC HOTELS; COURTESY OF U HOTELS & RESORTS

THE UN-BRANDED BRANDS

Marriott’s AC has a fiercely loyal fan base in Spain, where it has 61 hotels. So it’s no surprise that the U.S. debut, in New Orleans’ Cotton Exchange building, borrows from its predecessors, with tortilla española in the breakfast room and wines on tap in the lobby. The formula translates well. AC delivers on what you need to be productive, like free bottled water, Wi-Fi, and outlets galore. There’s no restaurant or room service, but the airy design makes you think you’re in an indie hotel, complete with arched windows and high ceilings. The Miami and Chicago locations, however, don’t benefit from a characterpacked building—one was a takeover of a nondescript budget hotel; the other, a new build— and their amenities are

X2 is plugged as the anti-brand. Pronounced cross to, the concept is intended to transport travelers The big idea to a “new dimension of luxury.” Holiday retreats that Launched by Thailand-based combine large open entrepreneur Anthony McDonald, spaces, distinctive design X2 benefits from the freedom of elements and the feeling being privately owned. There is of privacy. no parent company setting down Where they are now rules or standardizing style. Thailand, Australia McDonald says the X2 properties Where they’re going next are designed to break the mold Indonesia of paint-by-number tropical Starting rate US$141 architecture across Asia and are built, largely out of sustainable materials, with the goal that they must “satisfy the spirit.” It is both a lofty and nebulous agenda, but we’re guessing X2’s large private pools, rain showers, personal garden terraces, and friendly service satisfy at least a few of the collective soul’s criterion. McDonald has a discerning vision when it comes to which locations to develop; there are only three X2 hotels and five X2 villas currently open, set in Sydney and across Thailand. From the beachfront resort in Samui to modern apartments in North Sydney with amazing views of the Opera House, the properties are all superb and special in their own way. The scale is intimate, true to the X2 philosophy, which privileges quality over quantity. The villas, like X2 Chiang Mai North Gate, can only accomodate 10 to 12 people, for private groups of friends and family. The downside is the limited inventory, meaning you should book well in advance. x2resorts.com.

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF X2; COURTESY OF OVOLO HOTELS

OVOLO HOTELS The big idea All-inclusive, casual services for business and leisure travelers looking for oversized rooms and a fuss-free stay. Where they are now Hong Kong and Melbourne Where they’re going next Sydney Starting rate US$92 Ovolo Southside is built in a converted warehouse, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, with spacious rooms awash in local art and graffiti installations. The hip space would be right at home in New York City’s Meatpacking District, but just a quick glance out of the floor-to-ceiling windows proffers a stunning mountain view and

confirmation that this hotel is bang in the middle of the city’s revitalized Wong Chuk Hang area, 15 minutes from Central. There isn’t direct MTR access for now, but a station should open by the end of next year. And who needs public transport when there’s so much to see within a walkable distance in this booming neighborhood? The one-year-old property is surrounded by a treasure trove of hidden gourmet eateries and 20 or so art galleries. From the moment guests check-in the whole experience revolves around conveniance, with tons of free perks from high-speed Wi-Fi to a fully stocked minibar and the daily happy hour—all just a part of their plan to create “shiny, happy people all around.” ovolohotels.com.

REPORTED BY: Nikki Ekstein, Allison Weiss Entrekin, Jacqueline Gifford, Merritt Gurley, Monsicha Hoonsuwan, Katie James, Brooke Porter Katz, Amy Tara Koch, Greg Oates, Sandra Ramani, and Valerie Waterhouse.

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

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FINDING FRIENDS ON THE FLY

HIT TING THE ROAD ALONE HAS NE VER BEEN LES S LONELY, THANKS TO A HOST OF TECHIE TOOLS THAT PUTS FELLOW TR AVELERS WITHIN EASY REACH. BY DIANA HUBBELL

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M I C K W I G G I N S / G E T T Y I M A G E S

AT HOME __ P lan your trip together. Let’s say you’re not much of a lone wolf, but that none of your friends feel like gallery-hopping in Hong Kong next weekend. With Mingle Trips (mingletrips.com) there’s no need to compromise; just tell the site what you have in mind—anything from clubbing to culture is fair game— and see who signs up. Wandermates (wandermates.com) operates on a similar principle, allowing you to scour cities for existing adventure ideas. __ Make a date. Yes, travelers are indeed using the Tinder Plus (gotinder.com) “Passport” feature to meet up while seeing the world. The paid version of the app allows you to start swiping profiles anywhere in the world you want to go, meaning you can lay all the groundwork before your plane actually hits the ground. Less established in Asia is Traveller Chic (travellerchic.com), which allows users to search for other singles based on age, gender, orientation and intention. The basic site is free to use, but to send private messages, you’ll have to shell out US$25 a month or US$120 a year.

__ Go mobile. If Tindering carries a few too many amorous expectations, there are plenty of other ways to reach out. Both Tripr (triprapp.com), the leader of the bunch, and Ventoura (ventoura. com), launched earlier this year with US$250,000 in seed funding, use the familiar left-right swiping interface to connect road warriors and locals, many of whom offer specialized tours of their home cities. Backpackr (backpackr.org) offers detailed profiles of users and allows you to propose trips with a tap. ON THE WAY __ P ick the right seat. Do you find yourself crossing your fingers each flight hoping that this time you’ll sidle up to someone who shares your interests (and hopefully the armrests)? KLM (klm.com) made headlines a few years ago when it launched Seat & Meet, which allows passengers to choose their seats based on public LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. While competitors such as Malaysia Airlines adopted and abandoned similar programs, a series of apps aims to help passengers accomplish the same thing.

With Planely (planely.com), you can connect with others on your flight before taking to the skies, giving you time to decide if this is someone you want to spend time with at your destination. __ Road trip it. The Lion City’s public transportation may be squeaky clean, but where’s the fun in that? Chat up a local and save a buck with Ryde (rydesharing.sg), a Singaporean startup that makes carpooling a cinch. To ensure safety, the site offers the country’s first specialized ride-sharing insurance, provides a ladies-only option, verifies all user profiles and has a zero-tolerance policy for shenanigans. ON THE GROUND __ Hit the town. Checking out that trendy craft beer bar just isn’t the same without a buddy. Grab one fast with Party with a Local (partywithalocal.com), which uses your location to find insta-pals for a drink, chat or just a few nightlife tips. Meetups (solo-travel.meetup.com), in addition to providing networking opportunities for locals, has a section for solo travelers in any given city.

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

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DEALS | T+L READER SPECIALS

CULTURE RANGOON

A deluxe room-to-suite upgrade in Beijing and two free pampered nights in the Maldives are just some of the many VIP treatments that feature in this month’s offers.

Sedona Hotel Yangon One of the city’s most comfortable accommodations affords views of the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda as well as Inya Lake. Complimentary with your stay are entry to Shwedagon Pagoda and a meal for two of the hotel’s signature Hainanese chicken rice. The Deal Discover Autumn: a night in a Superior room, from US$165 for two, through September 30. Save 20%. sedonahotels.com.sg. CHIANG MAI

Akyra Manor The new urban-style hotel on café-lined Nimmanhemin Road welcomed its first guests last month with a premiere exhibition of Andy Gotts’s photography, featuring off-screen portraits of some of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, such as Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johanson and Kevin Spacey. With this offer, you’ll receive a signed limited-edition print. The Deal Special opening rates: a night in a Deluxe suite, from Bt4,200 for two, through October 31. Save 45%. theakyra.com.

SPA

A tub with a view at Akyra Manor, in Chiang Mai.

SUPER SAVER Outrigger Konotta Maldives, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Lots of private space at this new resort: your two-story villa has its own garden, an open-plan living room, a king-size bed, a dual-sink bathroom, a second-floor deck with sun loungers, and a pool. The Deal Special opening rates: a night in a Beach Pool villa, from US$419 for two, through October 31. Save 70%. outriggermaldives.com.

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VIETNAM

Mercure Hoi An Royal The World Heritage town welcomes a brand-new Accor property, decorated with flower motifs, hanging orange lanterns and throne-like rattan chairs that evoke the air of

F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F A K Y R A M A N O R ; C O U R T E S Y O F O U T R I G G E R K O N O T TA M A L D I V E S

BANGKOK

W Bangkok The bright and colorful décor here mirrors the everlasting energy flowing through the Thai capital. But when you need to retreat from it all, there’s Away spa, where a complimentary 60-minute Massage Metamorphosis for two helps de-stress and detoxify. The Deal Delight Escape: two nights in a Wonderful room, from Bt13,950 for two, through December 31. Save 50%. whotelbangkok.com.

vintage Vietnam. A complimentary candlelit dinner and 60-minute hot-stone massage for two delivered poolside add to the romance. The Deal Discover Authentic Hoi An in Style: three nights in a Junior poolside suite, from US$590 for two, through December 31; use offer code T+L. Save 30%. mercure.com.

FAMILY CHIANG MAI

The Dhara Dhevi You don’t have to venture far out of town to find an out-of-this-world Lanna resort that’s complete with all the modern amenities plus a rice farm, as well as a host of complimentary family fun: after the whole gang joins together for a rice-planting session, kids can run along to their scheduled daily activities that include lantern-making, painting and yoga, while the adults pamper themselves with a 60-minute traditional spa treatment. The Deal Family Fun Experience: three nights in a Deluxe Colonial suite, from Bt59,000 for two adults and two children, through September 30. Save 40%. dharadhevi.com. BANGKOK

C O U R T E S Y O F K ATA B E A C H R E S O R T & S PA

Plaza Athénée The freshly renovated Thaicolonial rooms at this timehonored property are airy, sumptuous and bedecked in regal silver, with an elongated sofa-bed by the window for comfortable skyline-gazing. The Deal Family Staycation: two nights in an Athénée room, from Bt11,240 for two adults and a child, through December 30. Save 20%. plazaatheneebangkok.com.

beverage as well as spa treatments at St. Gregory. The Deal Suite Staycation: a night in a suite, from RM693 for two, through December 18. Save 30%. parkroyalhotels.com. BALI

Rimba Jimbaran Wake up to the views of Jimbaran Bay in your 70-square-meter suite, on the hillside right above the sister property Ayana Resort & Spa. There are few better places to liven up the evening, bathed in spectacular sunset and lulled by rhythmic waves, than at the hotel’s Rock Bar, where you receive priority access. The Deal Rimba Suite Deal Summer offer: a night in a Premium View suite, from US$270 for two, through December 23. Save up to 30%. rimbajimbaran.com.

you so pleased that you took those two complimentary nights. The Deal Stay 7 Pay 5: seven nights in a Beach villa with pool, from US$7,500 for two, through December 19. Save 29%. reethirah. oneandonlyresorts.com. PHUKET

One&Only Reethi Rah Every element at this first-class island resort is personalized for you; the minibar stocked with only the things you like, the perfect pillows and relaxing room fragrance, the helpful unpacking and packing services, and the itineraries tailored to your taste will make

MACAU

Kata Beach Resort & Spa A romantic getaway for two to the golden beach of Kata includes a candlelit wine dinner by the ocean or the pool, to which you have private access from your spacious modern Thai room. Round-trip airport transfers are included. The Deal Just for Two: three nights in a Grand Pool Access room, from Bt18,900 for two, through October 31. Save 30%. katagroup.com.

Mandarin Oriental The waterfront hotel lets you book the second Deluxe room at half price so you can bring your besties along for an entertainment-packed weekend in the Las Vegas of Asia. The Deal Friends Getaway: a night in a Deluxe room, from MOP3,732 for two, with the second at half price, through September 28. Save 50%. mandarinoriental.com.

CITY

Taipei Marriott Taiwan’s first Marriott opens this month in Dazhi District, the new commercial hub, and is giving away a NT$1,000 dining voucher applicable at any one of the hotel’s five restaurants or lounges. The Deal M-Fans Welcome package: a night in a Superior room, from NT$6,888 for two, through September 13. Save 55%. taipeimarriott.com.

BEIJING

MALDIVES

to Fairmont Gold lounge for breakfast, afternoon tea, hors d’oeuvre and evening pastry treats. The Deal Summer upgrade: three nights in a Deluxe room, from RMB1,700 for two, through December 31. Save 35%. fairmont.com.

Fairmont Beijing The CBD hotel’s Fairmont Gold services, complimentary with every Deluxe room booked at best available rates, include a dedicated concierge who can recommend authentic local experiences; an upgrade to a Junior suite with morning coffee, tea or orange juice delivered to your door; use of a private boardroom; and access

TAIPEI

— MONSICHA HOONSUWAN

Into the blue at Kata Beach Resort & Spa, in Phuket.

BEACH PENANG

Parkroyal Penang Resort Stay here for access to famous Batu Ferringhi Beach and its roadside night markets; daily RM100 credit redeemable for dinner at Tamarind Brasserie, Cool Bananas or Uncle Zack by the Beach; and 20-percent savings on all food and

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / SEPTEMBER 2015

In Celebration of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 5th Cycle Birthday

Winner of the Golden Mask National Theatre Award for best production and best male dancer.

LA BAYADERE

Ballet in three acts The Novosibirsk Ballet Theatre, Russia

Monday 28 September 7.30pm Baht 4,000 / 3,000 / 2,500 / 1,800 / 1,200

SYMPHONY CONCERT Samara State Symphony Orchestra, Russia

Conductor: Alexander Anissimov Programme: Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture “Romeo & Juliet,” Festival Overture 1812 and Beethoven’s Symphony No.9

Monday 5 October (7.30pm) Baht 3,000 / 2,500 / 2,000 / 1,500 / 800

Hotline 02 262 3191 www.thaiticketmajor.com (24 hrs)

www.bangkokfestivals.com

VENUE: Thailand Cultural Centre. Free shuttle from MRT station Thailand Cultural Centre, Exit 1, during 5.30-7.00pm

A ARON JOEL SANTOS

Gliding along the canal in Otaru, Japan.

/ SEPTEMBER 2015 / Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your Sydney style? | The Sanchaya

sets the stage for a fashion shoot on Bintan Island | Next-wave Philippine design | Uni-hunting in Hokkaido | Subtle Toronto, the undercover trend-setter

What’s Your Sydney Style?

C L O C K W I S E F R O M B O T T O M R I G H T: C O U R T E S Y O F J O N A H ' S ; C O U E T E S Y O F Q T S Y D N E Y; C O U R T E S Y O F D E S T I N AT I O N N S W ( 2 ) ; COURTESY OF BANG STREET FOOD; COURTESY OF OT TO

From glam girls to the nouveau grunge, everyone can find a personal cache of Sydney cool. Ian Lloyd Neubauer breaks down the ’burbs so you can tailor your itinerary to your attitude.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Ferry traffic

during the annual Australia Day activities in Sydney Harbour; a curbside art dealer at one of Sydney’s many flea markets; Dhakainspired Bang Street Food; lunch under the sun at Jonah’s; QT Sydney’s "director of chaos" concierge; Sydney rock oysters at Otto Ristorante.

I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA’S MOST BEAUTIFUL AND BOISTEROUS CITY. OK, MAYBE I’M BIASED. BUT, COME ON: THE harbor, the beaches, the people? We’re all fiercely proud to call this bullet-speed, sun-kissed city home. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find we cut ourselves into clans. In Sydney, your credo is tied to the suburb in which you live. Elitist? In a way. But it’s also a key for successful living. Even as rule-breaking, trend-setting new venues keep opening, most of the attractions and distractions in this heaving metropolis of 4 million are still compressed into a small number of precincts and suburbs. Toss in the fact that transport to and from outlying areas can be costly and grindingly slow. So we subdivide: the super-chilled to the North Shore, the cooler-than-you to the Inner West, and the old-money types around the Harbour Foreshore. When planning a trip here, visitors should heed the Sydneysider’s lead. For example, for cutting-edge eats, you can’t go wrong with the Inner East; Mad Men redux can be found in the CBD. Let your style—and these neighborhood-by-neighborhood itineraries—be your guide.

THE CBD Sydney’s Central Business District gives new meaning to the term “stuffed shirts.” Enter a maze of specialist stores whose shopability is vouched for by Australia’s godfather of fashion, Peter Morrissey, who presides over several eponymous labels. Chinatown sits in the south, Darling Harbour in the west, the Royal Botanic Gardens on the eastern flank and the historic Rocks district in the north, meaning this area is basically the center of its own world. Known as the “director of chaos,” the concierge at QT Sydney dresses like a character from A Clockwork Orange. The thespian service model blends with psychedelic digital art and baroque furnishings at this standout, 200-room hotel filling two neo-Gothic sandstone buildings. This is Sydney’s coolest, quirkiest and sexiest place to sleep. Combine your stay with a session at the hotel’s hammam-inspired spa, a chili-infused cocktail at the Boston-style Gilt Lounge, and oven-baked trout, lamb or duck at the Gowings Bar & Grill. If Don Draper were transported to Sydney in 2015, he’d feel right at home here. Especially when he could procure two of his favorite vices nearby. Beautifully tailored suits and expensive whiskey are both served with élan at Shirt Bar, an innovative retail concept that blends old-world charm with espresso counter service. Secreted away on Sussex Lane, Shirt Bar is a smash among Wall Street types on Fridays after work. While you’ve got your wallet out, sashay over to the flagship boutique of Paspaley, the world’s leading cultivator of pearls, sourced from Paspaley family farms on Australia’s remote northwestern coast since 1935. Their oversize pearls encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds make the ultimate Sydney souvenir.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: State Theatre

building in the CBD; QT Sydney’s barbershop; fashion godfather Peter Morrissey; seasonal French at Tetsuya’s; Paspaley’s Sydney flagship shop.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T I O P L E F T: C O U E T E S Y O F Q T S Y D N E Y ( 2 ) ; I A N L L O Y D N E U B A U E R ; C O U R T E S Y O F T E T S U YA' S ; C O U R T E S Y O F PA S PA L E Y

Keep the good times rolling with dinner at Tetsuya’s, a high temple of gastronomy that consistently rates as Sydney’s premiere fine-dining experience. Its success story harks back to 1989, when Japanese-born Tetsuya Wakuda opened the trailblazing degustation restaurant in an obscure spot in the western suburbs that over time became Sydney’s hottest meal ticket. Today Wakuda practices his trade—a marriage of French culinary techniques and seasonal local ingredients with an emphasis on seafood—from a heritage-listed CBD mansion crammed with ceramic Oriental art. Testuya’s signature dish of 20 years, the confit ocean trout, is requisite eating. Walk off your meal on George Street, says Morrissey, who loves going to the cinemas there—“gold class, of course.” The area “feels like Times Square because there are so many people around,” Morrissey adds. “It pumps after dark.”

Don’t worry about being clichéd, and get your culture on at the Opera House, Morrissey says. “It’s such an extraordinary experience just walking in there. And The Sydney Theatre Company around the corner on Dawes Point is extraordinary for its ability to modernize the classic musicals and plays. The costumes and sets are absolutely cutting edge.” While you’re in the neighborhood, learn about the razor-wielding street gangs that terrorized Sydney a century ago at the Justice & Police Museum, a historical hideaway built inside a 19th-century police station and courthouse replete with holding cells and interactive installations. From Circular Quay, ride the Eastern Suburbs ferry to Double Bay, a shopping village reminiscent of the French Riviera that’s home to the new InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, one of the only five-stars in this part of town. Set in the old Ritz-Carlton building, this beauty is awash with designer chandeliers, polished brass handrails and vast swaths of Calacatta marble. Winter at the InterContinental is best spent at the 1930s-style gin bar with its grand piano and roaring fireplace, or filling up on a Sunday roast at the Stockroom restaurant. Come summer, hit the roof pool for some serious cabana action and panoramic harbor views. After sundown head to Vine, a whitewashed restaurant and wine bar that pays homage to upscale home-cooking. Choose among lamb shoulder, New Zealand snapper or free-range pork—slow-roasted and served with delicately baked vegetables in stoneware dishes—followed by a dessert tasting plate featuring Valrhona chocolate soufflé and dulce de leche lollipops. Then party til late at Casablanca nightclub in Double Bay, where fixer extraordinare Karim Gharbi, owner of just-launched, money-is-no-object bespoke The VIP Sydney concierge service, runs a custom bottle service at private booths. The following morning, ferry to Watsons Bay, a former fishing village with a Hamptons-esque feel that’s movie-set pretty. The action revolves around the Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, a large waterfront venue on a fairytale of a beach lined with pastel rowboats. The Wato’s beer garden adds a touch of St.-Tropez to Sydney, with tropical drinks and accompanied by DJs on weekends. The suites upstairs are on the Spartan side but the harbor-window

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F J O N A H ' S ; C O U R T E S Y O F P O L O I N T H E C I T Y; C O U R T E S Y O F G A S T R O PA R K ; I A N L L O Y D N E U B A U E R

THE HARBOUR FORESHORE The playground of Sydney’s rich and beautiful spans from the ferry terminal at Circular Quay, to the waterfront mansions of Potts Point, to the hidden beaches and national parks of Vaucluse. This is the home of the city’s newest grande dame and global icons like the Sydney Opera House.

views will haunt your dreams for years to come. From here, catch a water taxi to Otto Ristorante on Cowper Wharf. This is where the A-listers come on sunny Sunday afternoons to consume the freshest Sydney rock oysters, the most succulent suckling pig and the chunkiest swordfish steaks—and to drown in champagne. Throw in paparazzo, skyline views and the salty scent of the sea, and you’ll see why Otto makes for a quintessential Sydney day.

THE INNER EAST Sandwiched between the CBD and Sydney’s exclusive eastern suburbs are a series of former working class barrios housing Australia’s most dynamic dining and nightlife precincts. This is the hottest ’hood right now for foodies and night owls.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Whale Beach as seen

from Jonah’s; off-field antics at Polo in the City; a molecular creation by Gastro Park’s Grant King; Karim Gharbi (right) creates bespoke itineraries for the jet-set.

Surry Hills is Sydney’s own Soho, a place where seedy old pubs, kebab joints and ridiculously expensive restaurants coexist. One of the loudest and more reasonably priced new additions to the area’s global menu, Bang Street Food, borrows from the fast food of the markets of Dhaka to create dishes with depths of flavor that are off the Richter scale. The A$55 “Bang for Your Buck” degustation tells no lies and includes Bangladeshi-born chef Tapos Singha’s worldbesting honey-roasted paneer and drop-dead gorgeous mango icecream dessert rolled in white chocolate and pistachio nuts. From Surry Hills, walk eastwards to Darlinghurst via Oxford Street and on to Darlinghurst Road where you’ll find Eau-de-Vie—dubbed “one of the best cocktail bars in the world” by Gharbi. “They make drinks using liquid nitrogen and fire and all kinds of rare spirits.” In the red light district of Kings Cross, Gastro Park is the restaurant laboratory of Grant King, Australia’s own Heston Blumenthal. Using bizarre ingredients like fish scales, kangaroo carpaccio and caramelized veal, the mad-capped molecular master chef creates inimitable concoctions like liquid butternut gnocchi in mushroom consommé and chocolate honeycomb spheres that crack open like dinosaur eggs to reveal a Technicolor treacle of sweets. Available only on Saturday, King’s 10-course degustation dinner matched with wines is off-the-hook decadent. A short stroll along Macleay Street will take you to Potts Point, a compression point of Art Deco apartments and Victorian terraces that stakes its claim as Sydney’s Manhattan. Among a cacophony of trendy cafés and bookstores is The Roosevelt, a former alehouse where mob boss Abe Saffron—a.k.a. Mr. Sin—held court in the 1940s. Today it’s a dimly lit Prohibition-style speakeasy with plush red carpet where Sydney’s latter-day cocktail king Sven Almenning and his coconspirators serve drinks in glass pistols, high heels and hip flasks. When daylight beckons, clear your head at Centennial Park, a voluminous expanse of wetlands, ornamental lakes, pine forests and playing fields on the fringe of the Inner East. In mid-November, just before spring becomes a delicious summer, Centennial Park hosts the super-exclusive Polo in the City. With reams of high fashion, horses charging down the field, corporate marquees and free-flowing champagne, this is a chance to mingle with Sydney’s well-heeled cool kids.

BONDI One might think that Bondi needs no introduction, but beyond the golden strip of sand that is Australia’s most visited beach is its most happening suburb—a global cooking pot of ever-changing restaurants, hipster cafés,

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F P O L O I N T H E C I T Y; C O U R T E S Y O F I N T E R C O N T I N E N TA L S Y D N E Y D O U B L E B AY; C O U R T E S Y O F R O O S E V E LT; C O U R T E S Y O F O T T O

CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Polo in the City at Centennial Park; cabana action at the InterContinental Sydney Double Bay; brilliant booze-in-a-boot at The Roosevelt; the city's skyline at dusk from Otto Ristorante.

bars and boutiques. This is city living at its best: the salt in your hair, lattes and margaritas, a healthy outlook and the high-end of everything. “Kick off your day with a morning run from Bondi to Bronte along a track hugging the spectacular coast. It’s one of Sydney’s great joys and it’s free,” says Renae Leith-Manos, the editor emeritus of Bondibeauty.com.au. “Or, if yoga is your thing, the BodyMindLife studio in Bondi offers the ultimate physical and spiritual experience. Afterwards, Bondi Wholefoods is the perfect place for a healthy breakfast.” Pick up some sugar-free homemade brownies to go along with your choice of their natural beauty products. Brown Sugar’s black stone eggs—a symphony of English muffins, hash browns, tomatoes, bacon and poached eggs—are rated by locals as the ultimate hangover cure, and wash down well with the signature house coffee, a secretive New GuineanGuatemalan-Ethiopian blend. For live music on a sunny Sunday arvo, hit the Beach Road Hotel, then grab a craft beer at any number of Bondi Road’s bars after dark. For something somewhat more exotic try Mr. Moustache, a Mexico City-style cantina hidden within the Hall Street dining precinct. Mr. Moustache specializes in mescal, the complex and brooding agave-based cousin of tequila. The bar, as one can imagine, stocks hundreds of mescal varietals flavored with things like raisins, jalapenos, tamarind, plums and chilis. Your waiter or barman will then match each shot to an avant-garde array of tacos made from hibiscus flour and stuffed with baby octopus or braised pork. Round off your meal with the caramelized banana, a Bondi-Mexicana bespoke dessert set adrift in agave syrup, bathed in milk caramel and ablaze with liquor.

The harbor-window views will haunt your dreams for years to come And now a drum roll please… at the very top end of Bondi’s food chain is Icebergs Dining Room, a cantilevered glass prism overlooking the southern end of the beach commanding cry-intoyour-cocktail beach vistas. “Every celebrity who visits Sydney ends up there at some stage,” Gharbi assures. “It has the ultimate view.”

THE NORTH SHORE A more slow-paced world of red-brick Californian bungalows, long lonely beaches and left-of-field places to stay lies on the north side of Sydney Harbour. Escape the city bustle here with a laid-back day-trip or a more active adventure—not to worry, though, there are still spectacular hotels. No visit to Sydney is complete without a ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly Beach, a more down-to-earth version of sunkissed Bondi on Sydney’s north shore that’s a mecca for surfers and Brazilian backpackers. From Manly, a string of sandy coves bookended by limestone rock formations continues for 30 kilometers up the coast before reaching a climax at Palm Beach. Backdropped by native bushland, this golden moon of sand is almost too beautiful to be true; little wonder it was selected as the set of the hit Australian sitcom Summer Bay. Begin your visit to

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Palm Beach with a refreshing swim in the surf or a short bush walk up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse on Sydney’s northernmost peninsula. Epic doesn’t even begin to describe the views you will see from here all the way to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, across Broken Head and the entire northern coast of Sydney. For lunch head up to clifftop Jonah’s, overlooking neighboring Whale Beach, one of Sydney’s longest continually operating restaurants. Now nearly 90, Jonah’s boasts one of the city’s largest private cellars, with more than 6,000 bottles of vintage Australian and international wine. After sampling a few, you’d be advised to stay the night in one of the 11 Jacuzzi suites with endless Pacific views. At around the A$1,000 mark, boarding here isn’t cheap. But it’s only half the standard rate at La Corniche, a whitewashed penthouse footsteps from the water taxi berth at McMahons Point Wharf on Sydney’s lower north shore. From the Jetmaster fireplace, to the indoor pool, to the private lift and wrap-around windows with reach-out-and-touch-it views of Sydney Harbour Bridge, every inch of La Corniche screams Sydney excess. Also on the business end of the north shore is Taronga Zoo. This expansive cornucopia of wildlife is known the world over for a reason and you don’t need to have kids in tow to love it. The Roar & Snore overnight experience combines a night safari, buffet dinner and camping. Rise in the morning for a cooked breakfast, behindthe-scenes tour and the zoo’s world-famous seal show.

So complete is the Inner West’s turnaround that it even pulls the Bondi crew. “The latest trends in hair and beauty are starting in places like Esstudio Galleria,” Leith-Manos says of the salon and spa in the university suburb Chippendale. Students, rockabillies and punks also amass around Newtown, a ramshackle warren of old pubs, thrift shops, LGBT bars, ethnic eateries and theaters on nearby King Street that’s regarded as Sydney’s little bohemia. From Newtown, continue to Erskineville, home of The Imperial Hotel, where parts of the 1994 classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were filmed. In April, the place was given a new lease on life by Murat Kilic, an underground DJ and music producer who’s spent the past 20 years playing Sydney clubbers the beats they crave at his legendary Spice-themed raves, cruises and clubs. Spice Cellar ERSKNVL at The Imperial Hotel, as this latest addition to Kilic’s stable is called, plays across all genres of electronic music, sports a friendly door policy and hosts regular international DJs. Sydney’s Inner West has also emerged as a hub for fashion and design. There are dozens of weekend markets to browse, but doyen designer Morrissey’s pick of the bunch is Rozelle flea market . “It’s a great place to find vintage glasses, scarves and old prints,” he says. And if you like the Deus Ex Machina retail spaces Oberoi and Canggu in Bali, you’re going to love The House of Simple Pleasures, the brand’s flagship store in the suburb of Camperdown on busy Parramatta Road. The House, as its known, brings together a custom motorcycle showroom, mechanic workshop, design studio, Deus boutique and a renovated-factory function space to host everything from weddings to rock concerts. Toolbox-chic… one of an endless cache of new styles born and bred in Sydney.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Beauty guru Renae Leith-Manos; walking from Bondi to Bronte along the charming coast-hugging track; A$2,000-a-night view from the living room at La Corniche penthouse apartment; The House of Simple Pleasures; capturing sunrise over Sydney Harbour.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: I A N L L O Y D N E U B A U E R ; C O U R T E S Y O F D E S T I N AT I O N N S W ; C O U R T E S Y O F L A C O R N I C H E ; C O U R T E S Y O F T H E H O U S E OF SIMPLE PLE ASURES; IAN LLOYD NEUBAUER

THE INNER WEST Following a decade of speculator-led, hipster-fed gentrification, this once grungy collection of suburbs on what was until recently the wrong side of the town has emerged as Sydney’s new epicenter of cool.

THE DETAILS GETTING AROUND Taxis (taxiscombined.com.au; 61-3/6334002) in Sydney are all metered but expensive. UberX (uber.com) can be up to 30 percent cheaper. Ferry schedules can be found online (transport.nsw.gov.au). HOTELS Inter-Continental Sydney Double Bay 33 Cross St., Double Bay; 61-2/83888388; ihg.com; doubles from A$314. Jonah’s 69 Bynya Rd., Whale Beach; 61-2/9974-5599; jonahs.com.au; doubles with breakfast from A$325. La Corniche B/8 Henry Lawson Ave., McMahons Point; 61-423/786-806; luxehouses.com.au; three bedrooms for A$2000 per night. QT Sydney 49 Market St., Sydney; 61-2/8262-0000; qtsydney.com.au; doubles from A$320. Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel 1 Military Rd., Watsons Bay; 61-2/9337-5444; watsonsbayhotel.com.au; doubles from A$439. RESTAURANTS AND BARS Bang Street Food 3/410 Crown St., Surry Hills; 61-2/8354-1096; bangstreetfood.com.au; “Bang for Your Buck” sets A$55. Brown Sugar 106 Curlewis St., Bondi Beach; 61-2/9130-1566; brownsugar bondi.com.au; breakfast for two A$40. Eau-de-Vie 229 Darlinghurst Rd., Darlinghurst; 61-422/263-226; eaudevie. com.au/Sydney; cocktails for two A$24. Gastro Park 5-9 Roslyn St., Potts Point; 61-2/8068-1017; gastropark.com.au; 10-course degustation menu A$170, with wine A$290. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar 1 Notts Ave., Bondi Beach; 61-2/9365-9000; idrb.com; drinks for two A$38. Mr. Moustache Unit 3, 61/79 Hall St., Bondi Beach; 61-2/9300-8892; mrmoustache.com.au; shots from A$10. Otto Ristorante Area 8, 6 Cowper Wharf, Woolloomooloo; 61-2/9368-7488;

ottoristorante.com.au; tasting menus from A$140, with wine A$210. The Roosevelt 32 Orwell St., Potts Point; 61-2/8096-1787; theroosevelt.com.au; cocktails for two A$24, A$15 prime steaks on Wednesdays. Spice Cellar ERSKNVL 35 Erskineville Rd., Erskineville; 61-2/9223-5585; thespicecellar.com.au; tickets from A$20. Testuya’s 529 Kent St., Sydney; 61-2/ 9267-2900; tetsuyas.com; 10-course degustation A$220, with wine A$330. Vine 2 Short St., Double Bay; 61-2/93630010; vinebar.com.au; dinner for two plus wine from A$220. ACTIVITIES George Street Cinemas 505-525 George St., Sydney; 61-2/9273-7300; eventcinemas.com.au; tickets from A$20. Justice & Police Museum Albert Street corner Phillip Street, Sydney; 61-2/92521144; sydneylivingmuseums.com.au; open weekends, admission A$10. Polo in the City Centennial Park; polointhecity.com; November 14, admission from A$138. Rozelle Flea Market 663 Darling St., Rozelle; rozellemarkets.com.au; open weekends 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Sydney Theatre Company Pier 4, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay; sydneytheatre. com.au; tickets from A$50. Taronga Zoo Bradley’s Head Road, Mosman; 61-2/9969-2777; taronga.org. au; zoo admission A$46, Roar & Snore camping package with dinner, breakfast and tour A$288 per person. The VIP Sydney 61-2/9697-3344; thevipaustralia.com. STORES The House of Simple Pleasures 102104 Parramatta Rd., Camperdown; 612/8594-2800; deuscustoms.com. Morrissey morrissey.com. Paspaley 2 Martin Pl., Sydney; 612/9232-7633; paspaley.com. Shirt Bar 7 Sussex Ln., Sydney; 61-2/ 8068-8222; shirtbar.com.au.

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Printed cotton halter, Hermès; heels, Tory Burch; necklace and matching bangle, both Bimba y Lola; sunglasses, Max&Co.

s anc haya THE

LIVING THE LUXE LIFE IN HIGH STYLE AT A NEW INDONESIAN RESORT. TAG ALONG WITH T+L TO BINTAN ISLAND—OUR BURSTING WARDROBE WAS MADE FOR THIS VERY PLACE

Photographer: Scott A. Woodward | Photographer's assistant: Aiszam | Stylist: Furqan Saini Makeup & Hair: Joanna Koh/Indigo Artisans | Model: Thais Roberta e Silva

Silk cotton top and bangles, all HermĂ¨s; printed swimsuit and necklace, both Bimba y Lola; heels, Tory Burch. OPPOSITE: Corset shantung silk dress with leather details, Ralph Lauren Purple Label; necklace, Hermes; strappy heels, Roger Vivier.

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BOARD A FERRY IN MODERN Singapore and disembark an hour later onto the talcum sands of a bygone era. Classic colonial at its best, The Sanchaya Bintan also pays full respect to its Southeast Asian location, with a graceful, collonaded great house and swooping-peakroofed Singaporean- and Thai-style villas scattered about the serene resort. The bounty of art and

antiques all over this property was lovingly collected by the lady of the manor from a trove of countries including Brunei, Burma, Malaysia, Laos and Vietnam. These artefacts complement their surrounds the same way, say, a statement necklace and the perfect clutch can make an ensemble. So pack an array of easy-breezy beach gear and elegant evening attire to

properly drink in all The Sanchaya’s indulgences. At a sprawling place with just 30 rooms, you’d expect the luxury of privacy. But what about pétanque and pastis? There’s archery if you want to go even older-school. Hand-packed pipes of Indonesian tobacco give your naughty side some local cultural cred. And don’t forget to order strawberries and clotted cream with a Pimm’s cup when you

head for your game of croquet... True, you might not have enough hands for the mallet too, but don’t worry—one of the British Butler Institute-trained staff will hold your purse. thesanchaya.com; doubles from Rp9,147,600; from Singapore, take the high-speed ferries, which depart Tanah Merah Terminal; the resort handles immigration. –jeninne lee-st. john

Cotton linen dress, Hermès; sunglasses, Max&Co.; feather bangle, straw hat and clutch, all Bimba y Lola.

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Swimsuit, leather bangle and sandals, all Hermès; silk Frenesí cabana kaftan and metal chokers, all Tory Burch; earrings, Bimba y Lola. OPPOSITE: Silk column gown with diamanté details, Gucci; Formosa statement earrings, Tory Burch; silver palladium bangle, Hermès.

Soul Craft The Philippines is ahead of the game when it comes to shopping as social enterprise. These seven sustainable brands will make the perfect statement-piece souvenirs from your next jaunt to Manila.

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By Stephanie Zubiri. Photographed by Sonny Thakur

Metro Manila recast in recycled paper by Wataru Sakuma, of Masaeco.

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HIGH FASHION AND HIGH MINDED: THE CURRENT CREATIVE RENAISSANCE IN PHILIPPINE DESIGN IS ALSO, IN A WAY, A SPIRITUAL ONE. RATHER THAN JUST EMULATING WHAT’S HOT ELSEWHERE, IT TAKES A HARD LOOK AT LOCAL TRADITIONS AND REVIVES THEM IN WAYS THAT MODERNIZE AND GLAMORIZE THEIR DISTINCT HERITAGE. THE RESULT IS CONTEMPORARY COVETABILITY IN PRODUCTS CREATED OUT OF A TRUE SENSE OF COMMUNITY—OR, AS DESIGNER BUDJI LAYUG, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MANILA FAME DESIGN SHOW, CALLS IT: SOUL CRAFT. “PEOPLE ARE LOOKING NOT JUST FOR GOOD DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING,” HE SAYS. “THEY ALSO WANT A PRODUCT THAT TELLS A STORY. A PRODUCT THAT HAS SOUL.”

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Arnel Papa

Indigenous Jewelry

History-rich Bulacan, the heart of the Tagalog region just north of Manila, was one of the very first provinces to revolt against Spain. But its expertise in metallurgy and jewelrymaking stretches back to precolonial times—with anthropological evidence of bracelets and beads from the Stone Age having been unearthed across the country. Bulacan-based accessories designer, Arnel Papa, continues in this tradition with stunning designs that nod to a more primitive era with hammered brass, large stones and natural materials like carabao hooves and bones while still remaining on-trend for our era. With a freestyle creative process, he is inspired by nature to create loose shapes and forms that either can blend seamlessly with a bohemian look or can feel modern and edgy alone when paired with more minimalist clothing. 2F Greenbelt 5, Makati City; 63-2/729-0181.

Cabili travels the archipelago in search of communities and artisans with whom she can work and whose lives she can improve: “my mission is to create while also reviving,” she says. In the vein of the farm-to-table food movement, Filip + Inna has been a pioneer in fashion here, taking a proudly local product straight from the hands of its maker and into the wardrobes of the stylish set. “Living in the tropics, shorts are a must, but little did we know that this design was going to be our best selling style,” Cabili says of her Biti and Pilar shorts. “It has found its way to Capri, Positano, Nantucket, Palm Beach and the Bahamas.” Now no one can argue when you say showing off your legs is a public service. filipinna.com.

Tali Handmade

Handbags with Heart

Filip + Inna

Socially Conscious Shorts

Gorgeous ethnic motifs and old techniques mesh with vibrant colors and modern shapes in Filip + Inna’s skirts, dresses, tunics and shorts; it’s a staple brand for those wanting to make a statement. Founder Lenora

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Girl power is the name of the game at Tali Handmade. Contemporary with a boho twist, these bags snag the spotlight in both a stylish metropolis and on a lazy beach. Made from straw with leather accents, they are handwoven by female inmates of a city jail. Cofounders Liza Morales Crespo and Marielle de Leon-Lazaro, who also work with Filipina-owned firms throughout their production process, aim to empower women at a grassroots level by giving them a sense of purpose and a source of income to support their families. They couldn’t have been more successful; the bags have become one of Manila’s hottest accessories and are a example of looking good while doing good. talihandmade.com.

Tepiña

Weaving by Women

Pineapple fiber, or piña, has come and gone from fashion, but the Rurungan sa Tubod Foundation is breathing new life into it, and into communities now producing it again. An elegant fabric that lent itself well to dramatic turn-of-thecentury designs because of its natural stiffness, it has proved difficult to adapt to today’s sartorial needs and for years languished in the realm of dated traditional regalia. The foundation’s ingenious idea was to interweave the natural pineapple fibers with silk resulting in a suppler and more lustrous material they call Tepiña. Based in Palawan, Rurungan aims to help the local population adapt to the changing socio-economic landscape by providing livelihoods for women marginalized by the seasonal agriculture economy and the adverse effects of climate change. In the same thread, so to speak, they adhere to the principles of sustainable textiles: the production of piña is extremely low-waste and consumes minimal energy. rurungan.org.

Masaeco Paper Recycled Paper & Fiber Artwork

A paper roadblock might not sound very effective, but it’s the method this Tagaytay-based company—whose name melds the Filipino word for “masses” and its eco-ethos—uses to help

youth from rural areas avoid having to leave home for the cities just to find jobs. Working with Japanese technology and young designers to create products using paper and fibers made out of recycled agricultural waste, Masaeco’s new business model is meant to help prevent provincial brain-drain. Philippine-based Japanese designer Wataru Sakuma uses these fibers to create panels of hypnotic patterns that can be used as either captivating artwork or dramatic wall divisions. This paper may be used as dividers, but it is bringing people together. masaecopaper.com.

Schema

Local-Loving Lamps

The Philippines has a strong heritage in weaving felt most often in textiles or furniture made of natural fibers like rattan. Schema by Kalikasan Crafts takes it one step further by combining this old technique with an unlikely material—metal wires. The result is a juxtaposition of both striking rigidity and alluring movement and fluidity created by the crisscrossing patterns in their lamps, votives and other home accessories. “When people see our designs, their immediate reaction is that they want to touch it,” says founder and owner Jerry Jiao. “They can’t seem to understand what the material is or how it’s made, at first glance. It gives the illusion of being really supple but they are so surprised at how solid it is.” Another surprise: everything is handmade by artisans that were retrained by Kalikasan in

innovative techniques blending metallurgy and weaving. “No one can believe they are not produced by a machine because of the precision and exact symmetry,” Jiao says. “This proves that we truly have exemplary artisans.” schemaproduct.com.

Iñigo Elizalde for Catalina Embroideries Ethnic Embroidery

“Embroidery is a dying tradition,” says New York-based textile designer Iñigo Elizalde. “It’s a very slow and intricate process, and in this present sped-up world, it is getting left behind.” That’s why he’s been working with Catalina Embroideries—a socially conscious firm that provides full schooling scholarships for all of its employees’ children—to create eyecatching, graphic home accessories. He draws inspiration from a “halo-halo of influences,” such as ethnic motifs and the colorful jeepneys that roam the capital. And those fresh energy designs, which move far away from granny’s dining table and into the modern living space, are hand embroidered by skilled artisans. “It is an amazing local tradition with incredible quality,” Elizalde says. “It would be very sad to see it die out.” catalina.ph; inigoelizalderugs.com.

lovable

little urchins

The kelp-rich seas of Hokkaido are known for producing the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest uni. Duncan Forgan heads to remote reaches of the Japanese north to enjoy the sweet delicacy direct from the source.

PHOTOGR APHED BY A ARON JOEL SANTOS

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Lush terrain along the Shakotan Peninsula in southwestern Hokkaido. OPPOSITE: This oceanic gold has been known to fetch up to ¥40,000 for 300 grams at Tsukiji market in Tokyo.

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he haunting strains of a maritime lament drift through the damp air as we make our way onto the rocky beach at Bikuni Harbor to meet local fishermen. Our guide Kemanai is reciting a salty traditional work song, the words of which are inscribed on a giant stone monolith marking the entrance to the harbor. The calligraphy looks intricate but the stanzas are very simple—variations on “row the boat, and pull the net,” according to our Japanese companions. It is a surreal start to the day, but Kemanai’s soft and wistful tones make a fitting accompaniment to a gloomy summer’s morning on the remote Shakotan Peninsula. As she concludes her performance, rain patters down on the Sea of Japan while the cries of gulls echo around an amphitheater created by giant looming cliffs. We arrive at our destination but, while the water here in Bikuni remains placid, the white-crested waves further out offer hefty swells. There will be no fishing today. If the enforced day-off is weighing on Koji Shirakawa, he is doing an admirable job of not letting on. The

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fisherman is the picture of relaxation as he fiddles with his knives, cleans his boat—named King of the Sea—and performs minor repairs on his equipment. In a small container by his feet, half a dozen sea urchins reflex their spiky tentacles in the saltwater, the blazing color of their meat reflecting Shirakawa-san’s sunny demeanor. Kentucky touts its bourbon; inhabitants of Naples and Hanoi make lofty claims for their versions of pizza and pho. Shakotan Peninsula, however, is regarded as the mother lode of Japan’s best uni—the edible reproductive organs of the sea urchin. The region’s clear water with its profusion of tasty kombu (sea kelp), the central element of the sea urchin diet, is said to produce the sweetest uni in the country. In a seafood-obsessed nation with exacting standards of culinary excellence in even its most throwaway dishes, this fame is no trifling matter. Top-quality sea urchins from Hokkaido, home to two prized species of the oceanic gold, have been known to fetch prices as high as ¥40,000 (US$320) for 300 grams at auction in Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market. “We are very lucky to be fishermen here in Shakotan,” Shirakawa-san says. “Japanese people love uni, and the uni here has a very good reputation, not just in Hokkaido, but all over the country.”

Koji Shirakawa, an uni fisherman in Bikuni Harbor. OPPOSITE: At Otaru Tatsumi, plump ikura (salmon roe) cushions bafun uni and murasaki uni, the two types of urchin caught off the Shakotan Peninsula.

More than 1,000 kilometers north of Tokyo, the Shakotan Peninsula is a world removed. Two days earlier, we had stepped out of Shinagawa Station in the heart of the capital only to be enveloped in Tokyo’s humid summer heat and perpetual wave of buttoned-up commuters. On the other hand, Hokkaido, though it makes up almost one quarter of Japan’s landmass, bears the weight of just 5 percent of the population and heavy industry is practically non-existent. As a result, its cold, clear seas and unspoiled interior burst with a bounty of delicious edibles from giant pinkhued crabs with claws thick with delicate flesh to intensely marbled beef raised from cattle fed on lush pasture grass and straw. “Hokkaido is oishii [delicious],” Kemanai tells us, coining an effective and accurate marketing slogan for her home prefecture in the process. f all the prized Hokkaido foodstuffs exported, none are quite as of-the-moment as uni. My first encounter with it came five years ago in one of the better Japanese restaurants in Saigon. Urged by a friend to broaden my palate, I immediately fell for the sweet, buttery taste and gelatinous texture of uni. And thank goodness my taste

buds were savvy enough to be on-trend, because since then uni has become one of the “It” ingredients of contemporary dining, making its presence felt on menus from San Francisco to Shanghai. It starts here, with the few dozen fishermen who, if the weather cooperates, set out each day at 5 a.m. and for no more than three hours lean over the side of their boats looking through a large glass to search out uni in the justfew-meters-deep shallows. Prize spotted, they use a long rod with a three-pronged claw at the end to grab the little golf-ball-sized critters. Shirakawa-san has never left Japan. But, as a fisherman with access to some of the best uni-harvesting grounds in the world, he is reaping the rewards of the rising global popularity of the diminutive delicacy. “The price of uni has risen six-fold over the last 10 years,” he tells me, in the shelter of his processing shed, where paid helpers assist in the delicate procedure of removing the uni from the hard spiky shell of the sea urchins by spoon. “And uni from Shakotan sets the price in big fish markets like Tsukiji and Osaka’s central wholesale fish market. Therefore it is an enviable position to be in.” Despite his good fortune, Shirakawa sees clouds on the horizon. Rising sea temperatures have stunted the

Urchin straight from the sea.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Hokkaido

expert Kemanai; Bikuni Harbor on the Shakotan Peninsula; squid at the Hakodate fish market; fortunes and messages left at a shrine in Otaru; along the town’s canal.

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A streetcar at dusk in Hakodate.

THE DETAILS HOTELS Minshuku Ginrinkaku 9-7 Irikacho, Shakotan-cho, Shakotan-gun; 81-135/45-6323; doubles from ¥10,000 with breakfast and dinner. Otaru Ryotei Kuramure 2-685 Asarigawa-onsen, Otaru-shi; 81134/51-5151; kuramure.com; doubles from ¥33,400 with breakfast and dinner. RESTAURANTS + BARS Craft Beer Bar Jun 33-7 Hon-cho, Hakodate-shi; 81-138/ 32-3370; jun-c.co.jp; beer for two ¥1,000. Fukuzushi 102 Aza Funama, Oaza Bikuni-cho, Shakotan-cho, Shakotan-gun; 81-135/44-2073;

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seasonal sushi lunch for two ¥6,000. Hakodate Beer Hall 14-12 Suehiro-cho, Hakodate-shi; 81138/27-1010; hkumaiyo.com; beer for two ¥1,020. Otaru Masazushi 1-1-1 Hanazono, Otaru-shi; 81-134/230011; masazushi.co.jp; sushi sets from ¥1,500. Otaru Tatsumi 1-1-6 Hanazono, Otaru-shi; 81-134/25-5963; tatsumi-sushi.jp; sushi sets from ¥1,200. Uni Murakami 1F, 22-1 Otemachi, Hakodate-shi; 81-138/26-8821; uni-murakami.com; dinner for two ¥8,000.

growth of kombu while deforestation has led to run-off, which has upset the delicate ecosystem. “This year’s harvest has been disappointing,” he admits. However, the Shakotan fishermen, who have organized themselves into a cooperative about 45-strong, have been consulting with marine biologists for advice on promoting kombu growth. Solutions already considered include pouring nutrient-rich fermented tree bark and also fish residue back into the water to replenish kelp banks. “We are aware of the importance of sustainability and the environment, and that needs to be at the forefront of our strategy moving forward,” he says, sounding more like he belongs in a Tokyo office tower than on the Shakotan shore. Despite the relative paucity of this year’s haul, there’s no discernable shortage of uni in the restaurants we visit. Our first stop in Shakotan is Fukuzushi, a modestlooking sushi bar run by chef Kiichi Sasaki and his wife. As we sit at the wood-paneled counter, the friendly Sasaki serves up a beautifully balanced sushi banquet, the highlights of which include a generous hunk of delicate flounder and lightly seared otoro that demands virtually no mastication while disappearing in my mouth. The two pieces of uni sushi are also spectacular. One is topped with murasaki uni, which has a mustard-green tint and a sweet, somewhat pine-tinged taste. The other uses bafun uni, which has an orange hue and a richer taste. There are six varieties of edible sea urchin in the waters of Japan but these are the only ones caught off Shakotan. “The flavor of the uni can change within a matter of a few miles,” Sasaki-san says. “Different landscapes— forests, grasslands, moors—provide different nutrients for the kelp.” ith the weather taking a turn for the better post-repast, we are able to explore Shakotan’s non-culinary highlights. A stroll to rugged Cape Kamui at the tip of the peninsula reveals the vivid blue waters that make the area famous. In fact, a scoop of soft-serve vanilla Hokkaido gelato with a dash of blue coloring is popular souvenir-photo fodder for visitors to the cape. Further eccentricity can be found at the nearby port town of Yoichi. Famous as the home of a distillery used by Japanese whisky brand Nikka, the town is also the birthplace of astronaut Mamoru Mohri. The Yoichi Space Museum built in his honor is not overly useful for nonJapanese speakers, but the introductory 3-D video featuring a talking animated apple (another notable local food product) is winningly bonkers. There’s not much in the way of high-end accommodation on Shakotan Peninsula, but Minshuku Ginrinkaku, a Japanese-style bed-and-breakfast run by a local fisherman and his family, is an atmospheric bolthole by the ocean. I end my day drinking cold sake and eating yet more delicious seafood with uni as the centerpiece in my tatami-mat room.

Although much smaller than Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, the mid-sized town of Otaru is positively bustling compared to somnolent Shakotan. One of the prefecture’s main tourist towns, visitors come here to promenade along the canal, shop in converted old warehouses and to view the city and Ishikari Bay from the heights of 532-meter-high Mount Tengu. They also come to eat on Sushiya-dori (literally “Sushi-shop Street”), which is lined with restaurants, with plastic sushi platters affixed with price tags giving passing punters a handy guide to the offerings inside. Later that day, we will have a flawless but expensive dinner at the upscale Masazushi, one of the town’s bestknown sushi bars. But less formal and more enjoyable is lunch at Otaru Tatsumi. Here, head chef Shinya Takami is a jovial presence in the long kitchen, showing off his US$3,000 sushi knife and poking fun at the idea of opening a sushi restaurant in Sapporo. “Why would I want to do that?” he says. “It is at least 20 kilometers from the sea.” Although his demeanor is light-hearted, his food signals serious culinary intent. An uni-don with ikura (salmon eggs) is decadent, buttery perfection with the creamy uni contrasting with the crisper tones of mint, wasabi and cucumber. Even better—if that’s even possible—is the uni chawanmushi (egg custard). I had previously thought of chawanmushi as, at best, a strange novelty afterthought. Takami’s version, however, is perfectly chilled with subtle hints of dashi and soy. Bafun uni, a cherry tomato and fresh shrimp nudge the dish into the stratosphere. Just as heavenly are my digs at the palatial Otaru Ryotei Kuramure, a luxurious ryokan with nostalgic rooms decorated with Japanese and Chinese antiques. An onsen next to the babbling Asari River makes the perfect place to sweat out the food excesses of the day. In the case of uni, it is hard to get too much of a good thing. After three days of unctuous decadence, however, I’m tempted to try something different for my final Hokkaido meal. No, don’t worry, uni is still on the menu. But whereas most of the restaurants on the island like to keep things simple, the uni dishes at Uni Murakami, in Hakodate in the far south, are notable for their flair. Run by a family that owns one of Hokkaido’s most respected uni processing companies, this is one of the restaurant’s two branches (the other is in Sapporo). A stone’s throw from the fish market, merging old traditions and new, the cool, contemporary Hakodate location pitches me curveball after delicious curveball. Think uni tempura and uni gratin. A lively place with a tremendous selection of bars, especially in the Goryokaku area where venues such as Craft Beer Bar Jun offer a friendly welcome and some great locally brewed beers, Hakodate makes a fine place to sign off from an uni expedition. As the night continues, talk turns to karaoke, another of Japan’s gifts to the world. It is a predictable development. I’ve already seen evidence that extended exposure to Hokkaido’s fresh seafood has a tendency to move one to song.

THE MODEST METROPOLIS Even as a development boom dramatically reshapes its skyline and an ambitious creative community positions it on the global stage, the city of Toronto still can’t quite get used to the idea that it’s kind of a big deal.

BY STEPHEN METCALF | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL GRAYDON AND NIKOLE HERRIOTT

Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cranefilled downtown, as seen from Riverdale Park. BACKGROUND IMAGE: A mural by Jesse Harris on Queen Street West.

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IF YOU’RE EVER IN TORONTO, a friend had told me, make sure to search out Jen Agg. Agg co-owns the Black Hoof, a farm-to-table, nose-totail restaurant on Dundas Street West that, many agree, has transformed Toronto’s dining scene since it opened, seven years ago. In her thirties, Agg has long brown hair and an almost predatory conversational style. “Are you mansplaining feminism to me?” she asked as we shared an asparagus dish with whipped burrata and mullet bottarga—fish roe cured to the hardness of Parmesan, then grated. “Is that what you’re doing?” I liked her immediately. Since Agg and her husband, the Haitian-born painter Roland Jean, opened “the Hoof,” as she calls it, they

have added Rhum Corner, a Haitianstyle rum bar next door, and Cocktail Bar, a jewel box of a place across the street. Agg refers to the three together as “Hoofland.” On a Friday night, Hoofland was hiving with youngsters. After the rush, Agg and I settled down over Manhattans at Cocktail to discuss how she and Jean had built their mini-empire. “The design of the Hoof is almost an anti-design,” she told me. “I’m sure you noticed the Edison bulbs and barn boards.” I assured her that I had. “Nicely done. Because it has neither of those things. Everyone thinks it does, but it doesn’t.” What it does have are Eames barstools, Marais chairs in seafoam green and nothing on the walls aside from plain dark wallpaper and three angled mirrors. Rhum Corner was conceived as an idealized version of Jean’s birthplace and a tribute to the couple’s marriage, with lights strung across the ceiling, Baron Samedi art and a voluptuous mural by Jean of a young woman, naked except for an olive-green army cap, glancing over her shoulder, Ingres-style. “You’re supposed to feel as if you’re on an

outdoor patio in the Caribbean,” Agg said. And Cocktail Bar? “This is the most beautiful room I’ve designed.” I could only agree. A free-standing fireplace greets you upon entering. There are old leaded-glass windows in the cabinet doors of the back bar. The walls, barstools and banquettes are charcoal gray. The tin ceiling reflects the room’s candlelight. The joint is dark; the joint glows. A perfect cocktail feng shui having been achieved, Agg and I traded progressively more incoherent barbs into the late hours. She told me that she feels Toronto has “tall-poppied” her—punished her doubly for being both immodest and a woman. Blunt and ambitious— especially blunt about being ambitious—Agg expressed her frustrations with Toronto pungently. “The world will pay attention to you before this provincial town will,” she said. And the world has: Anthony Bourdain named the Black Hoof his favorite restaurant in Toronto, and Agg and Jean have teamed up with members of the band Arcade Fire to open a Haitian restaurant, called Agrikol, in Montreal later this year.

CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE TOP: A server

at Bar Raval; the patio at Cocktail; the skyline from Sugar Beach; oysters and a Duro Ocho, a rum-based drink, at Cocktail; a used-book vending machine at Monkey’s Paw; street performers in front of a new condo in Little Portugal.

Agg was, from all appearances, trying to kill off her inner Canadian, even as I was trying to cultivate mine. Shame on me. I had arrived in Toronto expecting that famous Canadian modesty from everyone I met. BEFORE I SPENT TIME IN Toronto, I had lazily classed it in my mind with Seattle and Portland—laid-back metropolises populated by welladjusted knowledge workers. And it’s true that Toronto is nothing if not well-adjusted. Cops here are more likely to have bikes than weapons; cars slow down for a yellow rather than gunning it; passersby say “excuse me,” oftentimes for no discernible reason. But Toronto is also the biggest city in the country. It is not to Canada as Seattle or Portland is to the U.S. “You could drop a small nuke in Trinity Bellwoods Park, and the entire cultural class of Canada would be wiped out,” Stephen Fowler quipped. Fowler, a preternaturally younglooking 51-year-old, moved from San Francisco to Toronto with his Canadian wife a dozen years ago, then watched in despair as everything that he is—a twirly-mustachesporting, vintage-store-rummaging, vinyl-listening kind of guy—became a hipster cliché. He runs the Monkey’s Paw, an antiquarian bookstore in Little Portugal that is filled with lost curios and oddments of the English speaking world. Spread across the tables of his little storefront on Dundas Street West are titles like Werewolves in Western Culture and A Guide to Gravestones and Gravestone Rubbing. Fowler is one of the more acute observers of civic manners I’ve met. He sees Toronto’s dilemma this way: From the Canadian perspective, it is the striver city the rest of the country resents. But from a global perspective, it remains a provincial city where the brightest lights leave for London or Dubai. “Or worse,” he adds, “for New York. Beneath all the decency and modesty is a chip on the shoulder so huge it took me years to understand it.” Toronto’s divided self has always found expression in its urban design.

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COCKTAIL FENG SHUI ACHIEVED, WE TRADED BARBS INTO THE LATE HOURS

In a sense, there are two Torontos: the highly planned, highly developed city known as “downtown,” a word locals sometimes say with an air of exasperation, and the city of “the neighborhoods,” enclaves of civic spontaneity like Little Portugal, where Hoofland is located. The seminal urban theorist Jane Jacobs commented on just this aspect of the city when she moved here in 1968 from her beloved Greenwich Village. “Toronto is a very refreshing city to come to from the States,” Jacobs said on a Canadian TV program. “It’s all full of romanticism and quirks and surprises and ingenuity, particularly in the way outdoor space is used.” But Jacobs also recognized Toronto’s “civic schizophrenia,” as she put it. On the one hand, it was a bottom-up, fun, free-spirited city of creatively repurposed public spaces. On the other, it was a top-down, pompous, overplanned city that seemed perversely devoted to stamping out its more creative twin. As of 2015, the situation has grown more curious. For most of the past decade, Toronto has been a skyline of cranes, each hoisting a fresh glassskinned tower up from a podium slab. The boom is partly thanks to Canada’s strict lending standards, which allowed it to largely avert the global real estate bubble. And so, ironically, it was the country’s infamous prudence that helped unleash the current wave of construction and speculation. Developers completed more than 20,000 new condo units across the greater Toronto area last year, an all-time record. And yet, though international money pours in, it is not the case that pompous Toronto is swallowing indie-artsy-Etsy Toronto whole. The two now encroach upon one another in novel and disorienting ways. For downtown, that means borrowing from the cachet of the arts scene, sometimes to sell real estate that is unremarkable. For the art and culture scene, it means courting international recognition and money. The key term for both is design. “Design has followed food as the lure,” said John Baker, who co-owns Mjölk, a hybrid art gallery–design

boutique in the Junction neighborhood, northwest on Dundas Street West. With his chunky Yellows Plus eyeglasses and Viridi-Anne high-waters, he could be a “creative class” avatar in Sim City. Down to the last item, his store, which reflects Japanese and Scandinavian influences, is exquisitely curated. He seeks recognition abroad, he told me, as a means of getting Canadians to acknowledge him. “Famous designers design for us,” he said, pointing to furniture by the Italian Luca Nichetto and the Norwegian duo Anderssen & Voll. “Only then do people here talk and notice.” Jonathan Sabine of MSDS Studio, a small firm that has exhibited work at Mjölk and has designed products for the Toronto-based housewares company Umbra, has similar feelings. “It helps to be accepted by the rest of the world in order to elevate our position here,” he said. He and his partner, Jessica Nakanishi, worry that some developers throwing up towers downtown don’t share their values, which they describe as humanism, multiculturalism and craft. Sabine recalled a developer who bulldozed a building housing artists’ studios and in its place erected a condo called… “Art Condo.” In an effort to shape the Toronto they want to live in, MSDS is working with what Nakanishi called a “thoughtful developer” on a more human-scale condo project. “We want to build things that last,” she said, “that are beautiful rather than glitzy.” After chatting with Sabine and Nakanishi, I headed out on Dundas Street West, first on a streetcar near the burgeoning gallery neighborhood of Bloordale Village, then on foot. I passed a squat social-services building the color of whole-wheat pasta and an old Nestlé factory with large bay doors labeled kit kat and batter making before finding Shane Krepakevich in his nearby studio. Krepakevich began his professional life as a geologist, then became a sculptor, and only later drifted into design. The lighting and furniture he creates under the name the Mercury Bureau is astonishing—seemingly pure investigations of surface, line

FROM ABOVE: Robin Goodfellow, the

co-owner of Bar Raval; the neighborhood vibe of Queen Street West. OPPOSITE: Jen Agg and Roland Jean at Cocktail Bar.

and form that are also fully functional objects. He described the things he makes as “large, solid, spectacular,” then wondered whether it were “possible to make something equally strong that doesn’t need to be spectacular to achieve strength.” It can sometimes be difficult to tell whether Krepakevich is speaking literally or in metaphors. Was he referring to design, the life cycle of cities, or time itself? Later, I met Alex Josephson, the beamingly confident cofounder of Partisans Projects, one of Toronto’s up-and-coming architecture shops,

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who wore leather pants and sported a sculpted hairdo. We were at one of Partisans’ latest commissions, Bar Raval, a swanky joint inspired by the pintxos bars of Spain’s Basque region. He pointed out the “lingerie of steel and Spanish tiles” that hung in the front window and the molten quality of the mahogany structures suspended from the walls and ceiling. The shapes float in undulating patterns that make one think less of the artisan’s touch than of pure computing power. “The back-end nerd factor of all this is insane,” Josephson told me. “Nineteen different software patches. To carve wood!” Canada’s conundrum, he explained, is that it has money and talent to burn but has historically lacked the egos necessary to bring the two together. The country’s “culture of humility” has translated into very few acts of public extravagance. In the United States, private developers hire starchitects to build legacy buildings. In Canada, the ambition to be “world class,” he says, is squandered on “architecture’s version of Fordism. It’s the purest form of prefab, in which the developer repeats the same floor plan, the same suppliers, the same materials, to get economies of scale.” Josephson wants to rescue Toronto from the dullness of the podium tower—to do to it what Bar Raval has done to the pintxos concept, and what, for that matter, his stylist has done to his hair: turn it into sculpture. He imagines a condo structure that rolls like “sensuous hills,” its curvaceous landscape concealing “dynamic interior architecture” and “spatially rich outdoor spaces”—a “Swiss Cheese” tower, “inspired by the spatial richness of the Swiss-cheese block.” Josephson told me that he has already moved beyond the design phase. “I’ve been working,” he confided, “with a developer who cares about the neighborhood.” ONE RAINY NIGHT, I went to

Trampoline Hall, a storytelling event in which people deliver lectures on subjects they know nothing about. Here was the Toronto I’d heard about:

CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW:

Octopus in tomato-pepper sauce at Bar Raval; MSDS designers in their studio; Mjölk, a design store in the Junction; sidewalk diners at Bar Raval; furniture and vases at Mjölk; Stephen Fowler of the Monkey’s Paw; graffiti in front of a condo development in Liberty Village.

youthful, a little boozy, loose, ritualistic and very fun, not least for not being a self-conscious “thing.” The whole evening shimmered with the delicate feeling of flying just under the radar. Later, I went for beers with Carl Wilson, one of the event’s founders and a music critic for Slate. “Trampoline Hall came out of a period when it seemed like Toronto was creating a really distinctive arts and culture identity,” he told me, referring to the indie music scene of the late nineties and early aughts that gave rise to bands like Broken Social Scene and Feist. Where that milieu was once spontaneous, now it is more—well, designed. As an example, he motioned to our surroundings. The bar was called Wallflower. I liked Wallflower. It was dimly lit, with floral wallpaper and Christmas lights and votive candles and an old-timey chandelier. It was calculated-eccentric, vintage right out of the box. “It used to be that the places that became bohemian hangouts were actual dive bars, taken over by artists and their friends,”

Wilson said. “Now they’re customdesigned for that purpose. It cuts out the middle stage of gentrification.” On my last day in Toronto I strolled down Dundas Street West with Fowler, who echoed this sentiment. Gesturing down Ossington Street, now busy with latte options, he said, “When I moved here, this was all Portuguese-run kitchensupply stores and vacant lots. You had your Portuguese doctors, grocers, tax preparers.... English didn’t need to be spoken for days.” In the alleys, men would throw open their garage doors and spend the day roasting sardines, making wine and playing cards. Cities are always trying to recover their naïveté, the imagined pointzero before—fill in the blank— gentrification, overdevelopment, hipsterism. To be urban, though, isn’t to be naïve. It is to complain. It is, as Robert Frost said of trees, to talk of going, but never get away. Or as Fowler put it, “Why am I not doing my store in L.A.? People would get it there.” He paused, then added, “Toronto’s just too nice to leave.”

THE DETAILS HOTEL S Delta Toronto The first singlepurpose hotel built in Toronto in 20 years. deltahotels.com; doubles from US$203. Drake Hotel This eclectic 19room hotel kicked off the renewal of Queen Street West when it opened in 2004. thedrake hotel.ca; doubles from US$191. BARS & RESTAUR ANTS Bar Isabel This jazz-filled tapas joint is the place to sate late-night cravings for jamón ibérico or morcilla—it’s open til 2 a.m. barisabel.com. Bar Raval Inspired by Basque pintxos bars, it has fast become one of

Toronto’s hottest tables. thisisbarraval.com. Black Hoof A Little Portugual gastropub serving a cornucopia of meat-focused dishes. theblack hoof.com; small plates US$6–US$20. Wallflower The salon-style bar has a vintage vibe, with classic cocktails and microbrews. 1665 Dundas Street West. SHOPS Mjölk Junction boutique that carries Scandinavian and Japanese housewares, modern and classic. store. mjolk.ca. Monkey’s Paw This esoteric bookstore in Little Portugal has a vending machine that dispenses books at random for US$2. monkeyspaw.com.

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wish you were here

Cedric Arnold / Bagan /

BURMA Squint at the valley before you, editing out any modern touches, and Bagan appears like a centuries-old dream. At its height, between the 11th and 13th centuries, the capital of a long-forgotten kingdom boasted more than 10,000 temples, pagodas and monasteries across this valley floor. Today, approximately 2,200 survive and, even now, their design exhibits the pinnacle of Burmese craftsmanship, the masonary work in particular laying the basis for future temple design in Southeast Asia. These structures peppering the plain fall into two broad categories: either stupas or larger, hollow gu-style temples that are used for worship. Up close, each of these religious monuments in what is Burma’s dry zone is intriguing, though the enduring image that is etched into memory is the sweeping dawn view of the valley floor.

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