Design and travel.

Restaurant Awards
Notes: Yakumo Saryos seasonal
dinner course is carefully chosen:
you might be eating sweetfish
with the juice of a sudachi citrus
fruit or kurumaebi prawns with
lily bulb and yuba tofu skin.

Notes: Owner of Santa Lucia,

Alberto Cortesi, has guided
the restaurant into our listing
for its unswervingly delicious
dishes, rejection of pretence
and ever-busy ambience.

37
Chefs choice
Yakumo Saryo
Tokyo

39
Star spot
Santa Lucia
Milan

42
Quietly confident
Gambrinus
Lisbon

To dine in Yakumo Saryo is to be

transported into another world created by
Shinichiro Ogata. From the moment you
walk up the leafy steps you know youre
in for something special. Chef chooses
the dishes, which means the only decision
guests have to make is whether to have a
chilled sake or a crisp koshu wine. fw
yakumosaryo.jp

Nestled in the heart of Milans San Babila

neighbourhood, Santa Lucia is one
institution that is unswayed by crowds
that beset the city for its various annual
fashion and design shows. Currently
located close to the grand Duomo, the
restaurant started life on Via Agnello in
1929 first opened by Leone Legnani
and his wife Rosetta. White-jacketed
waiters move briskly, presided over
by black-and-white photos of cinemas
golden-age stars who have graced the
restaurant over the years. The fare is
Neapolitan but beyond the exemplary
pizzas; there is a mean steak on offer
and wed suggest the anti-pasti. jaf
asantalucia.it

38
Family matters
Russ & Daughters
New York

40
Fishermans friend
Els Pescadors
Barcelona

Joel Russ opened this veteran Jewish

deli on East Houston in 1914 and it has
changed little since then, a time-warp
serving fish-based takeaway fare and
now run by the fourth-generation Russ
family. Food is a conduit for memory
and most of our important memories
revolve around family, says Niki Russ
Federman, co-owner and greatgranddaughter of Joel. Recommended
nibbles are the pastrami-cured smoked
salmon (on a bagel, obviously) and the
heebster (whitefish-and-baked-salmon
salad with horseradish-dill cream cheese).
The latest offshoot, which opened in
2014, is a caf on Orchard Street. mdb
russanddaughters.com

Located on the 19th-century Plaza Prim

in Barcelonas one-time textile hub,
Poblenou, this fishermans favourite
is at the heart of the entrepreneurial
areas upheaval (See Issue One of
The Forecast). Simple but refined fare
includes shrimp and sardines served in
a simple, convivial apartment. jaf
elspescadors.com

41
Have a butchers
Vorderer
Zurich
On the Bellevueplatz, the Rosenberger
family has been serving Saint Gallen
Bratwurst, Brli rolls and kicky mustard
for half a century. The same familyowned butcher has made its white-porkand-veal bratwurst for 30 years. They are
ordered through a takeout counter and
enjoyed wrapped in wax paper. jbr
sternengrill.ch

244
the monocle escapist 2015

Gambrinus
Round the
corner is the
snack bar, which
serves a lively and
less-lavish
lunch

Bar
Tartine
Techniques of
hipsters are
highlighted in a
simple setting

44
Belgian brothers
Au Vieux Saint Martin
Brussels

47
Hip hangout
Bar Tartine
San Francisco

Lisbon has a high turnover of loud,

fancy restaurants but Gambrinus has
been earning quiet respect for over eight
decades. Its chefs have been committed
to traditional Portuguese fine dining since
1936 yet its the high standards of service
and classic-modern decor that make this
the must-go spot for a great meal. sta
gambrinuslisboa.com

Always open and ever-busy, Au Vieux

Saint Martins quick dishes remain true
to the restaurants oh-so-Belgian roots.
It was founded as a family affair in 1968
by three brothers, whose grandfather
Joseph Niels invented the recipe for
the restaurants filet amricain, which
remains a staple of the menu. jog
auvieuxsaintmartin.be

43
Raise the steaks
Hafuu (honten)
Tokyo

45
Tricks of the trades
Karakoy Lokantasi
Istanbul

Regulars hesitate to share the name of

this Kyoto steak house and you can see
why: reasonably priced wagyu beef of
this quality and price is a rare find and
only possible because Hafuus owner
is a butcher. The restaurant, on a quiet
residential street just south of Kyoto
Palace, is small and welcoming. Take a
seat at the counter, order one of the set
meals and watch the action in the kitchen.
The original dinner course includes slices
of lightly roasted beef, butter-soft Wagyu
filet steak, and a palate-cleansing yuzu
sorbet. Its so good that you might want
the take-away beef-cutlet sandwiches.
Open for lunch and dinner. fw
hafuu.com

This family-run spot is a modern take

on the classic Turkish esnaf lokantasi
(tradesmens restaurant). The food is
hearty, home-cooked fare and the
owner Oral Bey greets diners with a
warm handshake and makes sure there is
always space for locals. It is a decade old
but the service is as spirited and speedy
as the day it opened.Youll find everyone
from shopkeepers having a simple soup
to designers and artists tucking into long
lunches with Turkish white wine served
from glass beakers. The tiles of the dining
room are Turkish quartz and the work of
local architects Autoban. sgr
karakoylokantasi.com

In the agricultural breadbasket of

California, skills such as preserving and
pickling can feel like a throwback to the
Old World. Then again, with the states
brutal drought perhaps they are needed
more than ever. Bar Tartine, opened in
2005, brings them to the forefront along
with other traditional approaches such as
fermenting, making vinegars and infusing
oils. There is an east-European accent
to the food but influences range from
Scandinavia to East Asia. Chefs Nicolaus
Balla and Cortney Burns are in the
process of taking over the restaurant from
its former owners. Can they hold on to its
umami-inflected magic? alg
bartartine.com

STOPOVER city 8: Berlin

Michael Hpfls menu at Pauly
Saal is hard to beat. The clean white
walls and low lamps at Lokal create
a relaxing ambience and for quirky
decor and stellar food theres Bandol
sur Mer in Mitte.
paulysaal.com; +49 (0)30 2844 9500;
bandolsurmer.de

46
Top it off
DOC carlton
Melbourne
With a mixture of Italian charm and
Australian ingenuity, DOC Carlton is the
centrepiece of Tony Nicolinis selection
of restaurants across town. Pizza toppings
are meticulously sourced, from the hills
of Abruzzo to the nearby suburb of
Carlton, and served on a base perfected
by Nicolinis father, Vito. nsg
docgroup.net

48
Roots abound
Aprazvel
Rio de Janeiro
Sitting at the top of hilly Santa Teresa,
Aprazvel (literally, pleasant) is a Rio
institution: Ana Castilho opened the
restaurant in her house in 1997. On the
menu are imaginative Brazilian dishes
inspired in part by Castilhos upbringing
in Minas Gerais, Brazils culinary heart.
She calls it roots cuisine. st
aprazivel.com.br

245
the monocle escapist 2015

Notes: Marcearia Gadanhas olive

oils, hams, teas and preserves
available from the restaurants
deli are tasty take-homes and
Marques main courses are
almost unbelievably moreish.

49
Rural idyll
Marcearia Gadanha
Estremoz
Despite Lisbons increasingly notable
food scenes, our Portuguese top spot
belongs to the Marcearia Gadanha in the
Alentejo region. The bucolic landscape
is the nations agricultural heartland and
in a one-stop grocery shop in Estremoz
chef Michelle Marques culinary
creations are scaling new heights. jaf
marceariagadanha.pt

50
Beside the seaside
La Fontelina
Capri
Since opening in 1949, little has changed
at La Fontelina. The beach clubs rickety
straw-and-bamboo structure has blown
out to sea several times but this jet-set
favourite continues to attract a dolce vita
crowd while keeping things eminently
uncomplicated. The menu is guided by
whatever the fishermen catch. lr
fontelina-capri.com

Orchid Room,
Okura: Tokyo
This is a fond farewell to one of the
classiest restaurants in Tokyo and
perhaps the world on the ground
floor of the Hotel Okura, which
opened in 1962. The menu offers
old-fashioned Continental cooking
and the regulars wouldnt have it any
other way. Expect classics such as
double consomm, beef stroganoff,
and Wiener schnitzel. If you still have
room (and even if you dont) order
the crpe suzette, which is prepared
with flair by a jacketed waiter. Its
worth a visit just to see the interior,
a marriage of 1960s modernism and
Japanese craftsmanship. The Orchid
Room will close at the end of August
when the main building of the
Okura is redeveloped.
hotelokura.co.jp