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Leo’s Oyster Bar, San Francisco
Leo’s Oyster bar may sit in the hub of the city’s Financial District, but wander through its inconspicuous entrance and you’ll find and island-inspired design den that is straight out of the 1960’s. It’s a spot for Mad Men-style lunches of oysters, clams, shrimp and New England lobster rolls. But it’s the bespoke leafy wallpaper, glowing onyx bar and rattan furniture that are drawing a clued-in crowd from all over town. The secret weapon is the tiki bar out back, The Hideaway, which serves giant punch bowls of banana Daiquiri to share. The retro cocktail lounge has become the beacon of breezy indulgence for the banking set and way beyond – a place where one rum-and-amaretto cocktail can quickly spiral into four.
Address: Leo’s Oyster Bar, 568 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California, USA
Telephone: +1 415 872 9982
Website: leossf.com -
El Portalon, Dalt Vila, Ibiza
Head to the little hillside restaurant of El Portalon at sunset and it glows an extraordinary pink. Housed in a 600-year-old palazzo in Dalt Vila, this low-key spot is the work of American organic-tomato farmer Anne Sijmonsbergen, who kickstarted the Ibiza‘s foodie revolution 13 years ago (encapsulated in her essential cookbook Eivissa). Championing all things seasonal and responsibly sourced, for her first restaurant she’s teamed up with restauranteur Justin Mallet and chef Filippo Alberi, both from perennially popular local hangout Babylon Beach Bar, and head chef Joel Bonino, of Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social. Opt for a table on the vine-smothered terrace and order the Catalan fried courgette with honey from Sijmonsbergen’s farm or the squid stuffed with spinach and sobrasada. If Babylon Beach is where the party usually ends up, El Portalon is the steal-away spot to start off in.
Address: El Portalon, Plaça dels Desemparats, 1, Eivissa, Illes Balears, Ibiza
Telephone: +34 871 110 925
Website: elportalonibiza.com -
Liza Beirut
Beirut was once known as the Paris of the Middle East. Her beauty is still there, though you must look harder for it now. Your reward is to stumble on a jewel such as the Bustros Palace, a lavish 19th century townhouse. Liza Asseily’s restaurant Liza Beirut occupies the first floor. Its intricate interiors respect the past without being stuck in it – each light-flooded room is playfully themed according to its wallpaper of banana leaves, vintage banknotes or skyscrapers. The menu is classic Lebanese, impeccably executed. There are cooler parts of town, but Liza Beirut, in slightly stuffy Achrafieh, is an outstanding example of the growing confidence with which the city is embracing its cosmopolitan history while making it new, with style and a sense of humour.
Address: Liza Beirut, Metropolitan Club Doumani Street, Trabaud, Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
Telephone: +961 1 208 108
Website: lizabeirut.com -
Wanda Cafe, Madrid
Can a café sum up the mood of a city? Designer Parolio thinks his latest project, Wanda, does just that. The Spanish capital was hit hard by the financial crisis, but now fresh rays of optimism are peeking through, with funky new hotels and trend-tapping restaurants opening in a flurry. Nowhere is this positivity more visible than right here. ‘After the grey recession years I wanted to communicate the opposite: vitality, joy, colour’ says Parolio. Walls are painted ice-cream shades; fluorescent tones pop from the ikat motifs on cushions below photos of Californian summers. That new-wave healthy West Coast feel extends to the menu too: sea-bass carpaccio and lentil-and-tofu burgers with beetroot houmous. It gets more sinful after dark when bright young things sink frozen Melon Daiquiris. This day-to-night hangout is forging a fresh-faced revolution in the city, with organic market El Huerto de Lucas and juice bars such as the living-wall-covered Fit Food popping up all over town.
Address: Wanda Café, Calle de María de Molina, 1, Madrid, Spain
Telephone: +34 91 737 53 64
Website: wandacafe.com -
Ulu Cliff House, Uluwatu, Bali
The party scene in Bali has moved from Kuta to Canggu – via Seminyak. But surprisingly, it’s in the serious surf town of Uluwatu that the coolest beach club has just popped up. Ulu Cliffhouse is set over the Indian Ocean, with a huge infinity pool, access to the beach below and with it one of Bali’s most sought-after waves. Naturally, there’s an in-house surfboard sharper, but more exciting still is Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz in the kitchen. Formerly of Lima’s Astrid & Gastón (33 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list), he’s serving small plates inspired by his new home: the shrimp ceviche is cured in chillies from local farms; pomegranates from his kitchen garden add sweetness to the guacamole. The Beastie Boys played at the club’s launch and there’s an on-site recording studio. So head here to find music fans sipping mango Daiquiris with Balinese rum and surfers sinking home-brewed kombucha.
Address: Ulu Cliff House, Jl. Labuan Sait No. 315, Padang-Padang, Bali, Indonesia
Telephone: +813 3881 2502
Website: ulucliffhouse.com -
Vespertine, Los Angeles
Having worked at some of the finest kitchens in the USA – Alinea, French Laundry and Per Se – chef Jordan Kahn made his solo debut with LA’s minimalist, much-loved Destroyer. His follow-up, Vespertine, is just across the road in Eric Owen Moss’s teetering Waffle Building. A lift deposits diners straight into the kitchen to meet Kahn himself, before being escorted to the rooftop to begin in the 20-something-course experience against the backdrop of a Culver City sunset. At a time when every other chef on the planet is raving about local ingredients, Kahn is doing the opposite: eat at Vespertine and you won’t know what’s on your plate, let alone where anything has come from. The otherworldly ceramics might bear bright red spinach or a slab of soft fruit laminated with sunflower petals, sparkling curls of something bright and white that turn out to be asparagus, or a fish dish with no sign of fish at all. The waiters, wearing uniforms seemingly inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale, are instructed to let guests puzzle through the menu by themselves. Kahn’s latest project is certainly the most controversial, talked-about restaurant among foodies right now.
Address: Vespertine, 3599 Hayden Avenue, Culver City, California, USA
Telephone: +1 323 320 4023
Website: vespertine.la -
Otium, Los Angeles
There was a time when the best nourishment you could expect after gorging on some of the world’s greatest paintings was a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. But now gallery restaurants are upping the game with food that’s as creative as the exhibitions. For serious bragging rights, book a table at Otium inside contemporary art museum The Broad. Ex-French Laundry chef Tim Hollingsworth’s has a vegetable-driven menu spanning everything from Hamachi ribbons with nori to spinach bucatini pasta.
Address: Otium, 222 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
Telephone: +1 213 935 8500
Website: otiumla.com -
Shugaa Dessert Room Cafe, Bangkok
Pudding-only restaurants first became a thing in Melbourne, but now Bangkok café Shugaa is stepping up to the trend. Set in Watthana district, its interiors have been created by Thai studio Party/Space/Design and are an ode to the sweet stuff, with walls splashed in mint-green and candy-floss-pink stools. Reflecting the crystalline structure itself is a rose-gold hanging light sculpture and a spiral staircase made from clear acrylic blocks. Honey and passion-fruit-meringue tarts, dark chocolate and mint brownies, red-velvet sponge and matcha ice cream can be washed down with strawberry and lychee tea or chocolate milk with marshmallow crumble. Or get creative yourself with dessert- and fondant-making classes.
Address: Shugaa Dessert Room Café, 27 The Residence at 61 Sukhumvit soi Klongtan-nua Wattana Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Bangkok, Thailand
Telephone: +66 2 381 5940
Website: facebook.com/ShugaaDessertBar
