September food news: editor's picks

T2B by Landini Associates, Sydney, Australia

Australian tea company T2 has unveiled its new retail concept at the heart of Sydney's Westfield shopping complex. T2B marks a turning point in the brand's strategy, with a newfound focus on the sale of brewed teas to take away or enjoy in store. Designed by local firm Landini Associates, the space displays the signature brews on black oxidised steel shelving in the Tea Library, complemented by bold concrete block lettering and an expressive paint-splashed façade. The entire shop is reflected in suspended angled mirrors. A large cast-concrete bar takes pride of place, providing a platform for showcasing T2's special brand of tea-making (the cold dripped brews are a highlight), where customers can design and blend their own fusions. To the rear of the teahouse, a private area is tucked behind a projection screen (showing a film of changing natural landscapes), where tea lovers in the know will find a gargantuan revolving door of tea.

450 George Street, Sydney, Australia; Tel: 61.2 9320 022; www.t2btea.com

Writer: Jessica Klingelfuss

'A Love for Food: Recipes and Notes for Cooking and Eating Well' by Daylesford Farm

New from Daylesford Farm is a beautifully crafted compendium of tasty recipes inspired by a love of fresh, organic ingredients. Dedicated to seasonal ingredients, high quality and local provenance, the book reflects the philosophy of the farm. It shares some of Britain's most homely and desirable recipes, with detailed guidelines for how to make them successfully, including baked gems like seven-seed sourdough and spiced apple cake.

Published by Fourth Estate, £30

Writer: Romy van den Broeke

Pomme Palais by Michel Richard, New York, USA

Midtown Manhattan will be pleased to hear a new pastry haven, Pomme Palais, opened on East 51st Street this month. With a glitzy, mirrored interior conceived by interior design specialists Jeffrey Beers, the delightful bakery doles out buttery croissants, photo-friendly sandwiches and a bevy of wanton sweet things, like crème brulée French toast, a lemon curd and white meringue egg and the Soleil Orange (an orange mousse cake decorated with orange slices). Savouries include a 72-hour braised beef short rib sandwich and even light, crispy fried chicken. The bijou bakery is the creation of veteran French chef Michel Richard, who made his name with restaurants on the West Coast. Pomme Palais is nestled within the reinvigorated New York Palace Hotel, which will also get one other restaurant - Villard Michel Richard - from the chef next month.

30 E 51st Street, New York, USA; Tel: 1.212 303 7755; www.pommepalais.com

Writer: Pei-Ru Keh

Höst restaurant and New Norm dinnerware by Menu and Norm, Copenhagen, Denmark

Norm architects and Danish design duo Menu have collaborated on a new eatery for the Cofoco restaurant group, located in an old hostpital. Höst fits the Scandinavian bistro template, incorporating sustainable, rustic-contemporary décor and adding indoor greenery and woollen blankets for a touch of romanticism. At the same time, the partners are launching their New Norm dinnerware. And Höst's modern Nordic cuisine will be served on ceramic plates with QR codes printed on the underside. Scan the code and it will reveal daily recipes and other Norm-Menu designs. Also under the Cofoco umbrella are popular haunts Les Trois Cochons and Oyster & Grill.


Nørre Farimagsgade 41, Copenhagen, Denmark;
 Tel: 45.89 93 84 09; www.cofoco.dk/hoest.php

Writer: Rachael Sanders

Henry, New York, USA

Manhattan's newest Midtown watering hole, Henry, is sure to quench the thirst of even the most discerning carouser. The design team at Morgans Hotel Group collaborated with Rottet Studio to devise the venue at the group's Hudson hotel, inspired by its namesake, British explorer Henry Hudson. The 3,000 sq ft lounge features classic American interiors lifted straight out of the Prohibition era, with plenty of wood, metal, velvet and leather. The central space is decked out with chartreuse tiling and a custom graffiti rug; suspended from the ceiling, an illuminated neon pink-trimmed chair by Lee Broom acts as a chandelier. The all-important cocktail menu was conceived by mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardan who comes from a residence at London's much vaunted 69 Colebrooke Row. For his first foray on American soil, the drink selection is typically inventive and always seasonal. Currently served up is the 'Polleno', made from a zesty mix of fresh sour and sweet apples, fino sherry and fennel pollen and  'The Living Cocktail' in which you will find miso caramel, home made carrot vinegar and reposado tequila.

356 West 58th Street, New York, NY; tel: 1.212 554 6217, http://www.henryliquorbarnyc.com

Writer: Jessica Klingelfuss

Biomat pop-up recycling restaurant, Vienna, Austria

Vera Wiedermann, creative director of MOA Eating Products, was moved by a recent study conducted at the Technical University of Vienna, which revealed the average household produces enough methane from organic kitchen waste to fuel a gas stove. So moved, she launched a pop-up 'recycling restaurant' at Aromat for the duration of Vienna Design Week. The concept is a win-win: bring your organic waste to the restaurant and weigh it on the 'garbage scale'. The scale will calculate the energy and nutritional value of your rubbish, then send the data to the kitchen, which will prepare you a correlating meal - free of cost. The more waste you bring, the more food you eat. If you don't bring any, you pay. Now that's putting your money where your mouth is.

Aromat, Margaretenstraße 52, 1040 Vienna, Austria; Tel: 43.676 960 9196; www.moa-eatingproducts.com

Writer: Rachael Sanders

La Diplomate

If you were assuming a visit to this new Bordeaux concept store would bring an invitation to indulge in the local reds, you'd be mistaken. Rice Creative's new salon de thé La Diplomate, down an idyllic lane at the heart of the Unesco Heritage Site, is a sober journey back to 17th-century tea culture. The Vietnamese agency sought London based interior designer Thomas Daviet to devise the visual identity and packaging, informed by exotic travel in another time. The 200-year-old storefront has an original fireplace and guilder detailing on the ceiling.

La Diplomate, 32 Rue de Parlement Saint-Pierre, Bordeaux, France; http://rice-creative.com/

Writer: Rachael Sanders

Les Grands d'Espagne, Paris

A new charcuterie is bringing Spain's renowned dry cured Iberian Bellota to a heritage lane in Paris' Montmartre neighbourhood. At Les Grands d'Espagne, the ham - also known as Pata Negra - is cut by the 'maestro cortador' in full view of customers, who can watch his impressive knife work. The three signature cuts - Jabugo, Guijuelo and Extremadura - are all named for the corresponding Spanish region and selected by the top Pata Negra producers. The popular autumnal taste comes from the strict diet of the Iberian pigs (acorns, acorns, acorns), who each have two acres to roam around. Those outside the city can still enjoy the finest cuts via the website; orders taken online are wrapped and delivered to your door the same day.

44-47 Passage des Panoramas, Paris, France; Tel: 33.9 51 55 66 47; www.lesgrandsdespagne.fr

Writer: Rachael Sanders

Special Spoons by Royal VKB

The lowly spoon is an oft-overlooked member of the tableware family - but not according to Royal VKB. The Dutch brand recently resurrected the utilitarian cutlery with Special Spoons, designed by Ineke Hans. Packed in a playful model kit (available in black, red, fuchsia and yellow colourways), the spoons must be twisted or cut free from their frame before use. They come in a variety of handy versions, to tackle everything from chilli sauce to olives, paté or jam. There's a bonus fork too, for spearing those elusive pickles bobbing in jars.

Special Spoons, €9.95; www.royalvkb.com

Writer: Jessica Klingelfuss

Calvados LeCompte Secret

In the heady world of luxury drinking, where collectors and connoisseurs seek out very old, very rare spirits and thousands of pounds change hands, Calvados has been curiously overlooked. It's time now for the apple brandy to take its place among the titans at the bar. The LeCompte distillery has introduced Le Secret, developed after the extraordinary discovery of barrels dating back to 1923. Further years of highly skilled blending and fine crafting have resulted in an exceptional, smooth, nuanced calvados. The precious spirit is presented in a silver-necked crystal decanter, hand blown by a Normandy craftsman.
 
70cl, €2,400; www.calvados-lecompte.com

Writer: Melina Keays