Elite Traveler January-February 2015

DISCOVER

elite traveler JAN/FEB 2015 ISSUE 1 60

Food&drink Pour some

coffee on me

For coffee aficionados who are running out of ways to feed their addiction – with artisanal beans, handmade blenders and temperature-controlling porcelain coffee mugs – the next hit has arrived. Colorado-based company The Coffee Registry has released a limited-edition range of pour over stands that simplifies the brewing process, with a beautiful handmade cut-glass crystal filter holder and utilitarian brass holder. From $179. thecoffeeregistry.com

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS Not content with creating one of Los Angeles’s best restaurants (Animal) and the city’s hardest-to- book table (Trois Mec), Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo are branching out yet again. The pair’s latest venture, provisionally named Jon & Vinny’s, is a multifunctional space including a wine shop, kitchen commissary and a restaurant with “food like Animal, but not as scary” says Shook, of the imminent opening. The Fairfax location (a home-from- home for these skating, surfing Floridians) isn’t known for its culinary cred. But if anyone has the clout to elevate a neighborhood’s repuation, it’s these two. animalrestaurant.com troismec.com

NOODLES: UPGRADED Despite its street-food staple origins, the humble noodle is popping up on fine-dining menus and inspiring specialist restaurants in some of the world’s hottest dining spots.

Food Glossary Ramen: broth featuring thin or thick white noodles Soba: delicate, nutty noodles made from buckwheat Udon: thick, white Japanese noodle made from wheat

Honke Owariya, Tokyo Honke Owariya holds its own against the city’s Michelin-starred big boys with its centuries-old soba dishes, such as tsukimi (kake soba topped with egg). honke-owariya. co.jp/english/

Mu Ramen, New York There’s ramen refinement at Joshua Smookler’s new 22-seat restaurant. Think pork jowel, kikurage, sesame and scallion tonkotsu. ramennyc.wix. com/popup

Momofuku, Washington DC David Chang, the big daddy of modern noodle dishes, is expanding to DC with his largest space yet, opening later in the year. Bound to be an instant hotspot. momofuku.com

Tim Ho Wan, Australia Hong Kong’s king noodle- maker will open restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne in early 2015. Expect a queue for the moreish soya noodles. timhowan. com.au

Koya, London

While the bacon, and egg English Breakfast noodles at Koya Bar have hit cult status, traditional dishes are next door at the lauded Koya. Foot-kneaded udon takes five hours to prepare. koyabar.co.uk

flour and often served in soup

Words: Emily Mathieson. Photos: Stockfood