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Setting out our table

Stephanie Füssenich /
Bordering the sublime

The US-Mexico border may be politically contentious but food culture and entrepreneurship have found a way to flourish here, with some tasty results.
Keep it in the family

The Bindella family has been continually reinventing Swiss-Italian cuisine for four generations. As the torch is passed again, we meet the man grasping it with both hands.
Jeeves goes to Shanghai

China and the US lead the demand for a rare community: the perfect butler. But the rich family’s ultimate luxury doesn’t come cheap. We visit the Dutch school that turns out the best in class.
Put it on the tab

‘Tabernas’ are like the lively living rooms of the Spanish capital but tough times have left many out of business. We meet a new generation who are turning the tables.
Bring me sunshine

Try these delicious dishes from Mediterranean islands and feel the sun’s warmth in every mouthful.
Toque of the town

Want to become the next great Italian chef? Then head to a palace in northern Italy that’s training the next generation of star cooks.
Make hay while the sun shines

There are more ways to make an impact in the food world than opening a swanky restaurant. We’ve sought out the innovators in the industry, be they urban farmers, philosophical wine-makers or Parisian jam peddlers.
Spirited community

Tasmania has become a powerhouse of Aussie cooking, growing and brewing. Now it’s out to dominate the gin market by using its unique ingredients and a resourcefulness that their remote island home imbues.
Down-under wonders

Pour yourself a frosty one and tuck into our pick of Australia’s famously tip-top tucker, be it a steak to relish or a burger with the lot, not to mention a queer take on a revived classic.
Food for thought

Culinary connoisseurs on the propaganda of provenance, the cookbook’s longevity, how to spot a good restaurant, drunken conventions, eating vicariously and divine produce.
Coming of age

New restaurants tend to reap the plaudits and column inches but those that have stood the test of time have valuable lessons to impart. Here we meet the restaurateurs behind fledgling ventures and venerated institutions with decades of experience to find out how they set up shop, stay ahead and endure.
Happy returns

Buffets might seem a little passé but we celebrate three elevating the art in Lisbon, Hong Kong and San Francisco.
Summer heights

The Alps aren’t just for winter treats – they have the summer months covered too. Join us for a trek from base-camp canapés to peak rösti. And leave some space for the strüdel in your knapsack.
Top of die welt

We tour the tower-top Berlin bar of publisher Axel Springer. It’s a watering hole for the powerful and well-connected that also welcomes junior journalists (as long as they’re dressed for it).
Good enough to eat

Final touches that transform the moment, plus knowing when to add a little decoration for a dash of something special.
The Monocle Restaurant Awards

There’s plenty to be written about novel restaurants and fresh chefs and we celebrate them most months in Monocle. But what of the neighbourhood spots that have catered for us for years, or those special openings with the makings of future classics? That’s where our annual restaurant awards come in. Now in its fourth year, our rundown celebrates a clutch of restaurants in which our editors have eaten well (or enjoyed a great cocktail) and felt looked after. Expect new spots in Bangkok, Seoul, Zürich and Mexico City among others, plus a celebration of lesser-known independents alongside a few familiar dining rooms that deserve extra helpings of praise. Let us show you to your table.
Rooms for improvement

Is there such a thing as a perfect restaurant? No – all sorts of elements add to the mix. That said, our favourite establishments share some confident design-minded details. Here are a few rules of thumb for making restaurants dignified and a pleasure to dine in. Our suggestions aren’t exhaustive or to be treated as an exact recipe but, rather, as a little food for thought. Why, for instance, are we in thrall to sound-bouncing concrete floors and exposed brick walls? Do we need to see the sweat on the brows of chefs? Does communal seating destroy the delight of discreet dining? Read on for our fixes.
Let’s wrap this up

Creating food packaging that pops isn’t easy. We meet three studios helping businesses off the shelf.
Open season

Wondering where to eat this summer? Here we explore an impressive band of global openings and meet the roving restaurateurs behind them, including the Sydney cyclist peddling pies from the back of his bicycle and the Umbrian chef heading up a new venture from an Italian deli in London’s Soho.
Fertile ground

There’s more to the black stuff than hip cafés and flat whites. We meet three time-tested roasters.
Global top cellars

There’s no one definitive wine list for all preferences and purses so we’ve dispensed with the idea of offering one at all. Instead we’ve sought out a few lesser-known bottles, producers and people from the usual French haunts and New World nooks, as well as newcomer nations such as Morocco, Lebanon, Greece and even drizzly England. Read on for an around-the-vineyards report on the bottles we’ll be stashing, sipping and stocking our cellars with come summer.
Takeaways to consider

The conclusions we drew while on the road researching our inaugural ‘Drinking & Dining Directory’.

Keep if in the family / Zürich

Keep it in the family

The Bindella family has been continually reinventing Swiss-Italian cuisine for four generations. As the torch is passed again, we meet the man grasping it with both hands.

By: Carlo Silberschmidt

Photography: Marvin Zilm

Though you might not know their name, if you’ve eaten well in Zürich you’re likely to have sampled the work of the Bindella family. From the busy Santa Lucia pizzeria to such grand locations as Terrasse, the family has been pushing the culinary envelope of Swiss-Italian food for generations.

It started in Ticino, when the Bindellas began importing chianti in about 1900, a time when Italian workers were crossing the border to find work in stable Switzerland. Today the business has 1,300 employees split across more than 40 restaurants (23 in Zürich…