Lisbon 
It’s Saturday midday and our Emirates 777 is making an approach from the south to Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport. It’s a stunning clear day and there is no holding or zigzags; we touch down a few minutes early. As we taxi in I can see that all the long-haul gates are occupied, so we wait until an Azul A330 pushes back and we finally make the turn and line up. I am all set to speed through the airport and see whether I can be in a cab in under five minutes. But after a minute of striding down the concourse I hit a humid, agitated human wall of passengers jostling to figure out what the holdup is, if there are designated lanes and if anyone is in charge. As is so often the case, a group of young staffers in polo shirts and lanyards have been tasked with answering questions and enduring rants. The problem is that the newly installed electronic gates are not working and there are not enough police officers to check passports in a speedy manner. In short, utter chaos. 

With two to three e-gates semi-functioning and as many border cops in their booths, I opt for the human solution. Five times as many people sided with technology. I compare my progress with a tall American man who was on my flight and went for the electronic option. I have about 80 people in front of me but after 20 minutes I step up to the booth and I’m on my way. The electronic line has hardly moved an inch. Brand Portugal needs to sort this out as the summer season swings into high gear. First impressions are lasting ones. Bureaucrats need to be disciplined and people need to be deployed to solve the problem.

Lisbon II 
Design and art week wrapped up in Lisbon this past Sunday and it was a record year for new exhibitors and visitors. Sandwiched between Milan’s Salone del Mobile and Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design fair, Lisbon has the opportunity to go even further – hosting not only domestic talent but also more makers from Brazil, Morocco, Angola and even neighbouring Spain.  

Lisbon to Toronto on TAP 
Next time you fly with Portugal’s flag carrier, TAP, pay special attention to the male flight attendants – they’re a breed unlike any other in civil aviation. Rugged yet well-groomed, bearded and all sporting that Portuguese mane that has been the national male hairstyle for centuries (think football manager meets sailor on one of Vasco da Gama’s vessels), it’s a fitting look that handsomely carries the national brand to points across the globe.

Ottawa 
On Thursday evening branches of the Meere, Vuht and Brûle families gathered at the Estonian Embassy to remember my grandmother, Ilse Erika Meere, or simply Ema to all of us. The ambassador said a few poignant words, my cousin Kristi and uncle Viljar told stories about our family’s arrival in Canada after the war and over dinner scores of photos (from the 1920s to 2024) were passed around. Aside from raising a family, working as a lab technician and helping establish the Estonian community in Canada, Ema spent much of her 106 years staying chic and sharp. The photos of outfits and poses deserve an exhibition. Thursday would have been her 107th birthday. Ema would have approved of the setting, the canapés and the family in attendance – but would’ve been disappointed by the lack of dancing and high kicks. Next time Ema. Promise.

London’s ever-evolving gastronomical scene might be hard to navigate but some names guarantee a memorable evening (writes Lucrezia Motta). One Club Row is the latest opening by hospitality veterans James Dye (co-owner of south London’s The Camberwell Arms) and Benjy Leibowitz (formerly of The NoMad in New York), who brought in Irish chef Patrick Powell to create a New York-style bistro in the heart of Shoreditch.

Classics such as steak tartare and burgers au poivre are served alongside surprises including jalapeño gougères and lobster and country-ham croquettes, all in an elegant, candle-lit atmosphere with an in-house pianist.

“More than anything, we wanted to build something timeless,” says Leibowitz. “If we can help our guests feel looked after, we’re on the right track to creating an evening that they’ll remember. Then perhaps they’ll tell a friend about us. That would be the ultimate compliment.”
oneclubrow.com
 
If you’re on the lookout for more top tables and boltholes, Monocle’s June issue has you covered.

Wayan Kresna Yasa is the owner of restaurants Home by Chef Wayan and Kaum at Seminyak’s Potato Head Beach Club. Here, he tells us where to find the best sourdough in Bali and what he’s hoping to discover in Perth this summer.

Where do we find you this weekend?          
At Kaum at Desa Potato Head during the day – but I’ll be at Home by Chef Wayan in time for dinner service. The work of a chef never stops.

What’s for breakfast?
Pastries and bread from Barō or Wheatfields, the go-to spots for the best sourdough on the island. If we venture out of the house for Sunday brunch, we’ll keep it local and go to Riviera Café in Cemagi, Neighbourhood in Seseh, Little Ripper in Kedungu or Rize in Pererenan. 

Your summer-holiday destination?
This year I’ll visit Perth, where I love to go because the people there have a taste for authentic Balinese flavours. I’ll head to the Margaret River region, an area with orchards, farms, distilleries and wineries. So many chefs there are doing creative food projects. I’d love to see it.  

Lunch in or out?
A workday lunchtime is my opportunity to ride around on the motorbike and explore warungs [family-owned businesses] serving the regional cuisine. They only make one or two dishes but do it very well. 

A Sunday culture must?
We’ll head to the beach to fly kites, swim and snack on grilled corn on the cob or tipat cantok lumpia salad – blanched vegetables served with rice cakes and peanut sauce – sold by travelling vendors.

News or not?
I’ll read The Bali Post newspaper. 

Do you lay out an outfit for Monday?
Yes, I do. Black on black is my choice of kitchen uniform. On Mondays I wear black button shirts, followed by black chef coats for the rest of the week.

Monocle’s Japanese recipe writer has created a protein-packed salad with plenty of crunch, courtesy of roasted peanuts and fried shallots. Now isn’t the time to go easy with the sesame oil.

Serves 2

Ingredients
300g silken tofu
3 tbsps sesame oil
¼ large banana shallot, finely sliced
15g salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
15g fresh coriander, finely chopped (including stems)
2 spring onions, finely chopped
6 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or rice vinegar)

Method
1
Place the tofu on a large sieve or rack to drain while you prepare the other ingredients.

2
Heat two tablespoons of sesame oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and fry until crispy. Remove the shallots and drain on kitchen paper. Put aside the infused oil.

3
Add the chopped peanuts, coriander, spring onions, tomatoes, the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar to the shallot-infused oil. Mix well to form the dressing.

4
Place the tofu on a serving plate. Cut into 1cm-thick slices and arrange them so that they slightly overlap.

5
Drizzle the dressing over the tofu and sprinkle the crispy shallots on top. Serve immediately.

Paris might have plenty of choice when it comes to hotels but few offer a five-lane swimming pool, a climbing wall and five sports studios under one roof (writes Annick Weber).

All of the above await guests checking in to the newly opened La Fondation, which complements its 58 rooms with a vast space dedicated to health and wellbeing. For the hotel’s founder, Brice Errera, it’s a village within the already-village-like 17th arrondissement. “La Fondation incarnates our vision of an open and modern city,” he says. That’s why the site’s key facilities are open to the public.

The hotel’s modernism-inspired design fits its Le Corbusier-style concept perfectly: think plenty of warm wood accents, marble and an earthy colour palette, courtesy of New York-based interior architecture firm Roman and Williams. There’s also a generous dose of concrete, hinting at the building’s previous life as a garage.
lafondationhotel.com