June 2013 travel news: editor's picks

last updated 18 September 2022

Hotel Mare e Pineta, Milano Marittima, Italy

On a golden stretch of the Adriatic coast known as Milano Marittima, Hotel Mare e Pineta just got a contemporary makeover by Milanese legend Piero Lissoni. The architect has ribbon-cut a new wing featuring a ground-floor restaurant and 16 rooms and suites, but the overhaul of the 1920s hotel - one of the region’s most exclusive - started in earlier phases with public areas, lobby and beach club. Lissoni has created a clean canvas of white walls with teak, bronze and glass. Stay tuned for a new spa and more room renovations in the coming year.

Viale Dante 40, Milano Marittima, Italy; Tel: 39.544 992262; www.selecthotels.it

Writer: JJ Martin
Photographer: Cesare Chimenti

Hotel Mare e Pineta, Milano Marittima, Italy. The front of a three storey hotel with glass walls on the bottom level with a restaurant inside and a green lawn with trees on it in front of the building.

Hotel Mare e Pineta, Milano Marittima, Italy. A dining area with tables separated by book shelves with a dark wooden floor and round pendant lights.

Hotel Mare e Pineta, Milano Marittima, Italy. A reception area with a glass reception counter and a dark wooden floor leading to a terrace area.

Odessa, Kiev, Ukraine

Restaurateur Natalia Ivantsova’s latest offering might be based in Kiev, but everything about it, from name to décor, pays homage to the costal city of Odessa. Originally a fast food restaurant founded by Ivantsova’s mother in 1980, the restaurant was given a makeover by locals Yod Design Lab, who created a modern space filled with naval references - from the dangling rope in the main dining room to the blue oars on the walls. A warm palette of sandstone, blond wood and olive-green fabric brings to mind the Crimean sea, while the open kitchen with two copper tandoors adds a splash of liveliness to the otherwise serene atmosphere.

Chef Yuri Priemsky cooks up a monthly menu that nods to Odessa's cosmopolitan character with sous-vide salmon with Piedmont risotto and asparagus along with simple classics like mashed potatoes with crab. Mixologist Nargis Moskalenko adapts a list of hits from some of the world’s top bars, from Singapore’s Long Bar to the Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris. ‘The Indian Summer’, a gin drink from London’s Zetter Townouse, has already become a crowd favourite.

Chervonoarmiyska Street 114, Kiev, Ukraine; Tel: 380.44 528 0799; odessarest.com.ua

Writer: TF Chan
Photography: Andrey Avdeenko

Odessa, Kiev, Ukraine. A restaurant with a wooden counter with high chairs, a dining table and chairs, wooden wall shelving with produce and glasses on it and pendant lights.

Odessa, Kiev, Ukraine. A restaurant with oval dining booths. Each booth is separated by a curtain of thick hanging ropes and has pendant lights above.

Odessa, Kiev, Ukraine. A restaurant with square seating booths, dining tables and planters on the walls. Each booth is separated by a wooden pillar.

Prince de Galles, Paris, France

Built in 1928 by French architect André Arfvidson, the exquisite Prince de Galles hotel on avenue Georges V has reopened after an extensive but sensitive renovation. Designed by in-demand hospitality interiors specialist Pierre-Yves Rochon (whose past projects include The Savoy in London and a host of Four Seasons hotels), the lobby, rooms and suites pay tribute to the graphic lines and materials of the art deco period, featuring rare black Saint Laurent marble, original mosaics in the bathrooms and elegant striped ebony cabinets. Paris-based interior architect Bruno Borrione brought his vision to the eclectically furnished ground-floor bar (which features a 4m chandelier) and the restaurant, with its white leather cocoon chairs, white marble tables and a marble open kitchen. The restaurant opens onto the palm tree-filled patio, trimmed with original listed art deco mosaics.

33 avenue Georges V, Paris, France; Tel: 33.1 53 23 77 77; www.princedegallesparis.com

Writer: Marie Le Fort
Photography: Sylvie Bequet

Prince de Galles, Paris, France. The outside of a hotel which has a seating area with tables and chairs surrounded by plants, flowers and palm trees.

Prince de Galles, Paris, France. A fireplace with a mirror on the wall around it, two black vases on top of it and two square chairs in front of it.

Prince de Galles, Paris, France. A lounge area with a white sofa with cushions on it and a large doorway with double door cupboards on each side of it.

Captain Melville, Melbourne, Australia

Named after the legendary Melburnian bushranger Francis Melville, this new restaurant and bar in Melbourne’s oldest public house harks back to the gold rush days. The 1853 building’s most recent incarnation was as a dingy nightclub, but its fixtures and fittings have been stripped away by local firm Breathe Architecture to reveal skylights and the original bluestone walls and tiles. The drinks menu has Victorian-era wines and beers, such as the Tasmanian brew Boag’s Draught, and old-fashioned cocktails with names like Nuggety Gully. The bar opens onto a large communal dining hall, where head chef Shayne McCallum (formerly of The Botanical and The Graham) serves up casual modern Australian fare, including crispy fried chicken and salt-and-pepper squid with black garlic aioli, with lots of shared dishes. New steel tent frames are a nod to the more basic hospitality of the gold rush era.

34 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Australia; Tel: 61.3 9663 6855, www.captainmelville.com.au

Writer: Elana Castle
Photography: Sean Fennessy

Captain Melville, Melbourne, Australia. A restaurant with rows of square tables and chairs and a long wooden counter in the front of it.

Captain Melville, Melbourne, Australia. A dining table with a wall bench, stools around it and a light above it on a wooden floor.

Captain Melville, Melbourne, Australia. A restaurant with rows of dining tables, trees growing out of wooden boxes and a gazebo.

Refinery Hotel, New York, USA

Once a millinery factory with a swish tea salon attached, the new Refinery Hotel brings a dose of nostalgic elegance back to New York's oft-neglected Garment District. Beside original Neo-Gothic arches and windows, which have all been preserved, the building, which has entrances on both 38th and 39th Streets, has been decked out in an industrial style by Stonehill & Taylor, the architecture and design firm behind other hip favourites like the NoMad and Ace Hotels.

The 197-room Refinery is no slouch. Each loft-like space boasts 12-foot ceilings, reclaimed hardwood floors and custom furniture. The lobby houses the Prohibition-style Winnie’s Tea Lounge, named after an original tenant who ran the bustling tearoom that was once in its place. The hotel restaurant, an upscale American bistro called Parker & Quinn, is much welcome in the area, with its dearth of culinary offerings. However the real jewel is the 12th-floor rooftop bar, a sprawling amalgam of terracotta brick, wood and glass that showcases the dramatic view of the Empire State Building. With both food and drink on offer here, the bar is sure to be the hotel’s best asset and its lynchpin in bringing new life back to the area.

63 West 38th Street, New York, USA; Tel: 1.646 664 0310; www.refineryhotelnewyork.com

Writer: Pei-Ru Keh

Refinery Hotel, New York, USA. A hotel room with a double bed, a sofa, a wooden coffee table and a desk and chair against the wall with a TV above it.

Refinery Hotel, New York, USA. A hotel room with a double bed, a sofa, a wooden fabric covered chair, a wooden coffee table and a round floor lamp.

Refinery Hotel, New York, USA. A bathroom with a black vanity, a large wall mirror an a shower with a wooden stool inside of it.

Catalunya, Hong Kong, China

The metamorphosis of Hong Kong’s back streets into chic dining destinations continues with the opening of Catalunya on a quiet corner between Happy Valley Racecourse and Causeway Bay. The 8,000 sq ft eatery has a stellar team of chefs and managers from such celebrated Spanish restaurants as Ferran Adrià’s famed elBulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz and Arzak. Expect a modern interpretation of authentic rustic Catalan fare - chef Alain Devahive Tolosa’s signature Catalunya tomato tartar and suckling pig is a culinary highlight.

The relaxed, modern interiors by New York-based designers AvroKO avoid clichés with a sleek eight-metre walnut bar seating 40 and an extraordinary custom brass and glass chandelier over the roast pig-carving station. The 140-seat space comprises a casual street-side café and more formal dining, with curved red-leather banquettes and a Spanish tile-clad modern fireplace. A private dining room complete with VIP entrance and views of the kitchen action seats 16.

G/F, Guardian House, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Hong Kong; Tel: 852 2866 7900; www.catalunya.hk

Writer: Catherine Shaw

Catalunya, Hong Kong, China. A restaurant with leather seating booths and a long bar counter with high chairs and round pendant lights hanging above it.

Catalunya, Hong Kong, China. A restaurant with tables and chairs, wooden wall shelves and large sliding doors.

Catalunya, Hong Kong, China. A restaurant with tables and chairs, wooden wall shelves and patterned floor tiles.

Duddell’s, Hong Kong, China

A new venue is creating a stir in Hong Kong with its stylish approach to showcasing modern art. Founded by hospitality entrepreneurs Alan Lo, Paulo Pong and Yenn Wong as a social hub for the creative community, Duddell’s combines fine dining with a guest-curated programme of art, talks, film screenings and performances. Spread over the third and fourth floors above the Shanghai Tang flagship, the 10,000 sq ft space presented an integration challenge, but London-based Studioilse tackled it with aplomb. They created a sophisticated, earthy palette with oak, bronze, travertine, concrete and mohair velvet. A silver travertine staircase leads from the Cantonese restaurant, run by Michelin-starred chef Siu Hin-chi (previously of The Langham) to a library, lounge, cocktail salon and 2,000 sq ft outdoor terrace. ‘The concept had to be fully integrated to work seamlessly,’ says Crawford. ‘We worked at every level of design, from the concept, interior architecture, furniture, tableware and graphics to the smallest detail - everything you touch, essentially.’

Levels 3&4, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Hong Kong; Tel: 852.2525 9191, www.duddells.co

Writer: Catherine Shaw
Photographer: Nathaniel Mcmahon

Duddell’s, Hong Kong, China. A restaurant with a rectangular table next to a yellow sofa and wooden chairs and a round table with wooden chairs around it and a chandelier above it.

Duddell’s, Hong Kong, China. A wooden staircase going down to a wooden reception counter with a gold lamp on it next to a doorway.

Duddell’s, Hong Kong, China. An outside seating area with a wooden sofa, two black wire chairs, a white wire chair, a rectangular coffee table and potted plants with a view of buildings behind it.

Monsieur Bleu, Paris, France

Although its name is an oblique nod to Yves Klein, Monsieur Bleu is devoid of the artist’s signature electric blue. Instead, the impressive new restaurant in Paris’ Palais de Tokyo is a dramatic space warmed by burnished bronze and mossy green, the vision of prolific Parisian designer Joseph Dirand (see W*168). Anchoring the soaring scale are huge suspended geometric lights originally designed for the French embassy in Brazil, while four Lalique glass panels from the original 1930s interior punctuate a side wall. Food is by chef Benjamin Masson (formerly of Pétrus) and the menu exemplifies modern French brasserie dining with seasonal dishes and a decadent caviar list. The restaurant is the first collaboration between co-owners and childhood friends Gilles Malafosse (Le Flandrin, Pétrus), Laurent de Gourcuff and Benjamin Cassan. The trio envision Monsieur Bleu as a place for pre-club cocktails and nightcaps, as well as dining.

13 avenue du Président Wilson, Paris, France; Tel: 33.1 47 20 90 47, www.monsieurbleu.com

Writer: Amy Verner
Photography: Sylvie Bequet

Monsieur Bleu, Paris, France. A restaurant with green "L" shaped seating booths with tables and chairs around them, wall lights and large square yellow pendant lights above.

Monsieur Bleu, Paris, France. A restaurant with green "L" shaped seating booths with tables and chairs around them, a large wall mirror, wall lights and large square yellow pendant lights above.

Oblix, London, UK

From certain angles and in certain places, London can look and feel less and less like London every day. Especially, and ironically, when you see the city spread out before you while enjoying expertly prepared pan-fried salmon. Thirty-two floors up, Oblix is the first of three new restaurants to open this summer in the Shard, Renzo Piano’s still-astonishing glass spike rising above London Bridge; Aqua Shard and Hutong, which will sandwich the eatery, are near completion. It is, of course, a prized pitch. And German-born chef Rainer Becker (of the New York Grill and Bar in Tokyo’s Park Hyatt), who previously partnered with restaurateur Arjun Waney to open London's much-loved Zuma and Roka, knows what to do with it. The 200-seat restaurant and bar was designed by celebrated Italian architect and designer Claudio Silvestrin and features a sophisticated palette of warm brown Turkish stone, dark wood and leather. But the overall strategy, made strikingly clear after dark, is to let London’s cityscape take centre stage.

Level 32, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, UK; Tel: 44.20 7268 6700, www.oblixrestaurant.com

Writer: Nick Compton
Photography: Christoffer Rudquist

Oblix, London, UK. A bar area with a square glass topped counter, long pendant lights and a long table with high chairs against a window with a view the the city below.

Oblix, London, UK. A table and chairs next to a large window with a view of the city below.

Oblix, London, UK. Wooden sofas next to large windows with a view of the city below.

Hôtel Droog pop up, Paris, France

Dutch design brand Droog has teamed up with another purveyor of cool, Merci store in Paris, to offer a pop-up rendition of Amsterdam's Hôtel Droog during Designer's Days. Like the original, the pop-up centres on a one-bedroom dwelling, immersing guests in a trove of iconic Droog products - and some new pieces, which debuted at this year's Salone del Mobile. The Parisian incarnation of Hôtel Droog includes a mini version of Droog's 'Fish Restaurant', a fairytale garden by French landscape designers Corinne Julhiet Détroyat and Claude Pasquerand (also a feature of the original), and a tattoo parlour for those looking to take home a permanent souvenir. Guests are invited to check in after hours and checkout the next morning just before the store opens its doors for business as usual. This edition of the pop-up runs until 15 June, but Droog has more concept pop-ups in the pipeline - stay tuned.

Merci, 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 73003 Paris, France; Tel: 33.1 42 77 00 33; www.droog.com

Writer: Jessica Klingelfuss

Hôtel Droog pop up, Paris, France. A hotel room with a double bed, a grey headboard, wall shelves, a striped sofa, a round coffee table and a patterned rug.

Hôtel Droog pop up, Paris, France. An open plan lounge and dining area with a striped sofa, a round coffee table, a patterned rug, a desk, a heater, a book shelf and a long white dining table with black chairs below are large wall painting.

Hôtel Droog pop up, Paris, A metal staircase going down a white wall with the word "OUT" in blocks of different colours in rows on the wall.

PiDGiN, Vancouver, Canada

Terminal City’s latest culinary venture has dared to install itself opposite historic Pigeon Park - turf adamantly claimed by the local homeless community and now unremittingly picketed by anti-gentrification activists. Drama aside, the scene is best savoured with a sake-infused cocktail and a selection of West Coast-style tapas (think chili lime peanuts, beef tataki and parisienne gnocchi). The simple, elegant fare is honed to perfection by Winnipeg chef Makoto Ono, who trained at his parent’s sushi bar, cooked in London and opened restaurants in Beijing and Hong Kong. Interiors are by local restaurant designer of the moment Craig Stanghetta, whose studio Ste Marie marries Japanese minimalism and deco references with warming wood furniture and bespoke lighting (by partner company Good Animal). Standout features include a quirky goose wing prosthesis by Mexico-born artist Enriquez Alvarez, and claw taps by local studio Espiritu design.

350 Carrall Street, Vancouver, Canada; Tel: 1.604 620 9400; www.pidginvancouver.com

Writer: Hadani Ditmars

PiDGiN, Vancouver, Canada. A restaurant with a row of round tables and a row of rectangular tables with seating booths next to them and round lights above them.

PiDGiN, Vancouver, Canada. A restaurant with back to back seating booths and a long bar counter with high chairs.

Rivea, Saint Tropez, France

Superchef Alain Ducasse’s latest culinary set-up is in the legendary Hôtel Byblos in Saint Tropez. Rivea was designed by Italian practice Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners and features a vast terrace with oversized B&B Italia furniture and a textured-bronze bar under an Ingo Maurer chandelier. The menu is a simple Mediterranean affair, featuring dishes like rock octopus salad, preserved sardines and, for dessert, a tempting lemon shortbread with limoncello sorbet.

27 avenue Foch, Saint Tropez, France; Tel: 33.4 94 56 68 20; www.byblos.com

Writer: Marie Le Fort
Photographer: James Reeve

Rivea, Saint Tropez, France. A restaurant with rows of white decorated tables, chairs with striped cushions, square floor lamps and floor to ceiling windows.

Gaspar, Istanbul, Turkey

After the success of his first restaurant Münferit, Istanbul-based chef Ferit Sarper has launched a new eatery located in the bustling district of Karaköy. Gaspar, with its menu of contemporary Turkish dishes, from broiled octopus with polenta to pasta with bottarga (Mediterranean cured fish roe), is designed by Seyhan Özdemir, Sarper’s wife and one half of the Istanbul-based design studio Autoban.

Anchored inside a century-old printing house - a beautiful neo-classical building with high ceilings - Gaspar unfolds into a double-storey space clad in a dynamic patchwork of plywood panels in different sizes and finishes. Playing with mathematical order, the backlit panels create a kinetic randomness on the walls. Interiors, inspired by the concept of the Cabinet of Curiosities, are furnished selectively with unusually contoured pieces that bring character to the space.

Müeyyeyzade Mahallesi, Necatibey Caddesi, Arapoğlan Sokak No.6, Istanbul, Turkey; Tel: 90.212 293 6660

Writer: Marie Le Fort

Gaspar, Istanbul, Turkey. A black fireplace surrounded by fury covered sofa and chairs and different sized and coloured wooden planks on the wall around it.

Gaspar, Istanbul, Turkey. A row of square dining tables against a wall with different sized and coloured wooden planks on it.

The Flying Elk, Stockholm, Sweden

Swedish chef Björn Frantzén - he of Stockholm’s Michelin-starred Frantzén/Lindeberg - wants to convey a love for British pub culture. For his new top-end bistro, he's created a menu of ‘proper pub grub’, with hearty dishes like fish and chips, macaroni cheese and sticky toffee pudding. Local design firm Sandellsandberg has realised an Anglophile interior featuring panels in oak and copper, Chesterfield-style seating and lamps by Tom Dixon and Niche Modern.

Mälartorget 15, Stockholm, Sweden; Tel: 46.8 20 85 83, www.theflyingelk.se

Writer: Micha van Dinther
Photographer: Mathias Nordgren

The Flying Elk, Stockholm, Sweden. A restaurant with a long table with high chairs next to it, pendant lights above it and triangular patterned floor tiles.

The Flying Elk, Stockholm, Sweden. A restaurant with wooden tables, grey and burgundy chairs, wooden floors and triangular pendant lights.

The Flying Elk, Stockholm, Sweden. A bar with a dark wood marble topped counter with round high chairs and a leather sitting bench along the wall with round tables in front of it.

The Fish Club, Paris, France

Following on from a slew of international openings, the boys behind the original Experimental Cocktail Club are back in town - this time with a new seafood eatery aptly called The Fish Club. To gather inspiration for his daily changing menu, chef Thibault Tournaire (who until now was second in command to Thomas Brachet at the Beef Club) spent time in Peru under the wing of celebrated cook Pedro Miguel Schiaffino. Here he serves up an array of fish dishes, from Peruvian-style ceviche to oysters and caviar.

The 200 strong wine list - which will also include craft beers and pisco cocktails - is by Beef Club sommelier Nicolas Smith. Meanwhile the interior is by the group’s resident designer, Paris-based Dorothée Meilichzon, who focused them around a 1950s theme and added graphic Aztec prints in vibrant colours.

58 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, Paris, France; Tel: 33.1 4026 6875

Writer: Lauren Ho

The Fish Club, Paris, France. A restaurant with rows of tables, patterned chairs, a black and white patterned bar counter and a staircase.

The Fish Club, Paris, France. A sitting area with a round table and patterned chairs above a staircase with patterned wallpaper and wall lights.

The Fish Club, Paris, France. A wooden bar counter with shelving behind it with glasses and bottles on surrounded by tables and chairs on a wooden floor.

Hornhuset, Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm’s most happening neighbourhood is currently Kniv-Söder ('kniv' as in 'knife', named for its violent past), recently nicknamed Fork and Knife Söder due to it’s many new restaurants, bars and cafés. The area’s latest edition is the family-run restaurant complex Hornhuset, set in a trapezium-shaped structure built by local firm Wester+Elsner from lego-like blocks with the gaps filled by large, slanting windowpanes. The three-storey structure accommodates two restaurants, a large bar and French rotisserie. Hornhuset's 'krog' cuisine is centred around seasonal vegetables prepared in a Mediterranean fashion. Design outfit Koncept Stockholm has designed the interiors, allowing each floor to reflect an individual style according to vibe and price point.

Långholmsgatan 15b, Stockholm, Sweden; Tel: 46.8 525 20260; hornhuset.se

Writer: Micha van Dinther
Photographer: Linus Flodin

Hornhuset, Stockholm, Sweden. A restaurant with a row of decorated tables with round silver chairs, a wine fridge and wall shelving.

Hornhuset, Stockholm, Sweden. A restaurant with green seating booths with decorated oval tables inside of them.

Fatty Crab, Hong Kong, China

Fatty Crab brings a touch of New York ‘ghetto chic’ to Hong Kong with an outpost of its speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant, serving Southeast Asian flavours with an unpretentious twist. Interiors by Candace Campos of local firm ID are an eclectic mix of utilitarian concrete, brick and steel with unique details like industrial lamps by Workstead, original graffiti and vintage-newspaper wallpaper. The ambience may be decidedly insouciant but mixologist Philip Ward is serious about his ‘Where’s Wallace' cocktail, a heady concoction of Thai chilli-infused blanco tequila, Manzinilla sherry, fresh celery juice with lime juice and salt. Together with the signature dish - chilli crab and watermelon pickle and crispy pork - it makes this the hottest table in town.

G/F 11-13 Old Bailey Street, Hong Kong, China; Tel: 852.251 2033

Writer: Catherine Shaw

Fatty Crab, Hong Kong, China. A bar area with a long wooden counter, leather topped high chairs and glass and liquor wall shelving.

Fatty Crab, Hong Kong, China. Dining tables against a wall with a leather bench on it and graffiti painted on it.

The Grain Store, London, UK

After the success of his eponymous Bistro at the Zetter in Clerkenwell, Bruno Loubet has once again collaborated with mixologist Tony Conigliaro to launch the Grain Store in London's King's Cross. The bar and restaurant are owned by longtime collaborators Mark Sainsbury and Michael Benyan, whose properties include Bistro Bruno Loubet and the Zetter Townhouse. The interior, designed by Russell Sage (whose previous work includes The Savoy and The Goring), is based on the idea of 'the exploded kitchen' and blurs the lines between kitchen and dining room.

The bar menu categorises cocktails by flavour, including savoury (represented by the truffle martini) and smoked (a long wine list) and has a large proportion of non-alcoholic cocktails with unique blends like watercress and mint water. Loubet's unique menu promotes vegetables to equal billing with meat and fish. The hype should settle into what is a relaxed dining environment.

Granary Square, 1-3 Stable Street, London, UK; Tel: 44.20 7324 4466; www.grainstore.com

Writer: Benjamin McKee
Photography: Amy Murrell

The Grain Store, London, UK. A bar with a wooden counter with white tiles, silver high chairs next to it and square block shaped bar tables around it.

The Grain Store, London, UK. A large white and brown table with white high chairs around it and lights, pots and pans hanging above it.

Gilligan's, New York, USA

Manhattan stalwart Soho Grand has kicked off its summer season with the opening of a pop-up restaurant in its adjacent courtyard. Gilligan's is a nautically inspired restaurant that serves hearty, weather-appropriate fare in a private al fresco environment, right in the heart of Soho. The changing menu is simply comprised of ten items, ranging from a roasted beet salad served with horseradish crème fraiche and arugula, to thin-crust pizza Margarita and Coppa, and a whole sea bass atop grilled asparagus and salsa verde. Each dish appears at the table in generous, share-friendly portions, which adds to the laid-back, convivial nature of the place, itself adorned with cabanas, picnic tables and buoys.

Nick Hatsatouris and Lincoln Pilcher are the masterminds behind the courtyard's tropical makeover; the duo was also responsible for last summer's Montauk hit, Moby Dick, which transformed a hidden marina into a waterfront bar. Gilligan's isn't all about food either: the walk-in restaurant is equipped with three tiki bars doling out cocktails, including a signature watermelon margarita (garnished with slices of the fruit spiced with salt and chilli powder), which should have all its patrons asking for more way past September.

310 West Broadway, New York, USA; Tel: 1.212 965 3000; www.grandlifehotels.com

Writer: Pei-Ru Keh

Gilligan's, New York, USA. An outdoor bar with a red counter, blue directors chairs, liquor shelves and a roof made of pieces of wood.

Gilligan's, New York, USA. A boat shaped outdoor decoration against a wooden fence with a white umbrella above it.

Gilligan's, New York, USA. An outdoor bar with a blue counter, white directors chairs, liquor shelving and a fishing net and ships steering wheel on the wall behind it.

Tørst, Brooklyn, USA

Chef Daniel Burns (previously of The Fat Duck, Noma and St John) has teamed up with Danish gypsy brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø to open a beer hall and restaurant in Brooklyn. Named Tørst, Danish for thirst, the watering hole features no fewer than 100 bottled beers and a state-of-the art draft system with 21 taps. Local design firm hOmE created an austere setting utilising oak and reclaimed woods for the tables, walls and flooring. Midcentury chairs come from Danish designer Børge Mogensen and light is provided by antique Danish street lamps. Danish artist Eske Kath and Swedish graphic designer Karl Grandin collaborated on quirky art for the bathrooms, while music by DJ Martin Fernando Jakobsen is a mix of Mongolian folk, Pakistani surf rock and Caribbean calypso.

A restaurant called Luksus (or 'luxury') will serve a five-course tasting menu combining seasonal North American ingredients with the flavors and techniques of Scandinavia - all paired with exclusive beers, of course.

615 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, USA; Tel: 1.718 389 6034

Writer: Carole Dixon

Tørst, Brooklyn, USA. A dining area with a row of tables in an alcove on a wooden floor.

Tørst, Brooklyn, USA. A dining area with a row of tables in an alcove, a bar counter with high chairs and long tables and benches.

Melina Keays is the entertaining director of Wallpaper*. She has been part of the brand since the magazine’s launch in 1996, and is responsible for entertaining content across the print and digital platforms, and for Wallpaper’s creative agency Bespoke. A native Londoner, Melina takes inspiration from the whole spectrum of art and design – including film, literature, and fashion. Her work for the brand involves curating content, writing, and creative direction – conceiving luxury interior landscapes with a focus on food, drinks, and entertaining in all its forms

Wallpaper* Newsletter