The Menu

This week we head to the southeastern tip of England to wander around the seaside town of Margate. In recent years, the town has become a bit of a magnet for creatives, which has lead to some exciting culinary additions to the local food scene. Holly Fisher went along to meet Natalia Ribbe, the owner of French-inspired wine bar Sète, to visit some of her favourite seaside haunts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Salone del Mobile rolls into town, Chiara Rimella tells us which ‘latterie’ we should visit in Milan. Also in the programme: Monica Lillis sits down with Lucie Herring of Caviar House & Prunier to find out how the brand is adapting its image to appeal to a fresh crowd. Plus: Lilian Fawcett speaks to HSBC Asean economist Aris Dacanay to learn more about the booming market for the famously smelly durian fruit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Mandy Sinclair heads to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival in Ontario to find out how the condiment is made and meet the faces behind the sweet stuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re joined by food writer and cookbook author, Ed Smith, to flick through his new cookbook “Good Eggs: Over 100 Cracking Ways to Cook and Elevate Eggs”. Monocle’s Hester Underhill meets Evangelia Koutsovoulou whose brand, Daphnis and Chloe, is dedicated to bottling up the best Greek herbs to be shipped to keen cooks around the world. Plus: Petri Burtsoff is in Tallinn to learn more about chef Kim Mikkola’s new venture – chicken burgers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to the leafy suburbs of north London to visit Crouch End. The area might feel like somewhat of an underdog to the nearby bustling Finsbury Park but its abundance of quaint coffee shops and vibrant bistros, as well as its community feel, make it well worth a stopover. Local resident Rob Prendergast takes us on a tour of the neighbourhood’s best culinary spots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we get a taste of Polish cuisine. We sit down with Ren Behan to discuss her new book, ‘The Sweet Polish Kitchen’. Also in the programme, Julia Lasica heads to the renowned Ognisko in London’s South Kensington to find out more about the historic restaurant. Plus: Mateusz Mazzini is in Warsaw to visit local wine bar Brać and learn about the emerging Polish wine industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, boasts a vibrant and rapidly evolving food scene. For many years, however, culinary talent has avoided the city’s medieval old town, which has been deemed too expensive and touristy. But now the trend is reversing and young chefs looking to make their mark have rediscovered the historical city centre. Monocle’s Petri Burtsoff met with restaurateur and sommelier Kristjan Peäske for a tour of his favourite drinking and dining spots in Tallinn’s Old Town. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we get bookish with an episode dedicated to food in literature – and literature about food. We sit down with food writer Felicity Cloake to hear her take on what makes great gastronomic prose. Also in the programme: Charlotte McDonald-Gibson delves into James Bond novels to find out how important food and drink is to their plot. Plus: We whip up a recipe from Nora Ephron’s acclaimed roman à clef, ‘Heartburn’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Theo Randall, chef patron of Theo Randall at the InterContinental, as he takes us on a tour of Regent’s Park Road in the Primrose Hill area of London. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

​We sit down with Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, the founders of Frieze art fair​, to find out about their culinary ventures – and the intersection between art and food​. Also in the programme: ​Monocle’s Helsinki correspondent, P​etri Burtsoff, meets with Finnair’s development chef, Sami Oksava,​ to learn about the role of Finnish cuisine on board ​t​he airline’s flights​. Plus: Michael Booth heads to the fête du Diamant Noir in Provence to discover more about the art of truffle-hunting in the region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re in Ireland’s capital for the opening of the Dublin Coffee Festival. Sebastian Stephenson headed to the sold-out event, reusable cup in hand, to get a taste of how the Dublin scene is brewing and grab some recommendations from Ireland’s coffee masters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We sit down with Colin Asare-Appiah and Mark Talbot Holmes, the founders of Africa’s first spirits and cocktail festival, Ajabu. Also in the programme: Ivan Carvalho is in the San Francisco Bay Area to meet Hannalee Pervan of One House Bakery. Plus: Myriam Zumbühl takes us to L’Apogée Courchevel hotel in the French Alps to taste crêpes Suzette as the winter season comes to a close. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monocle’s Ivan Carvalho is in Florence to discover the culinary treasures of a city that’s best known for its cultural offerings. Amid its wealth of Renaissance art and architecture, the Tuscan capital has its fair share of gastronomic outposts rooted in local traditions. It’s also a place where both new and old concepts find space to entertain people’s palates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we meet Chicca Vancini in Turin at her restaurant, Ailime, to find out what she means when she says that her kitchen has an Italian ambience but a Japanese attitude. Also in the programme: we meet Marc Lotenberg of luxury restaurant-booking app Dorsia and Monocle’s Toronto correspondent, Tomos Lewis, is in Picton, Ontario, to meet chef Albert Ponzo of The Royal Hotel to learn about his farm-to-table approach to cooking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Town is the vibrant capital of the Malaysian Island of Penang. The bustling city was once an important trading hub within the Straits of Malacca and over the years has been influenced by a variety of cultures, which have transformed George Town’s food scene into the eclectic culinary destination it is today. Here, Monocle’s Lilian Fawcett takes us on a gastronomic tour of the Unesco world heritage site. Take a listen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s episode is dedicated to all things sugary. Monocle’s Paige Reynolds meets with maverick baker Lily Vanilli, whose creations have appeared everywhere from fashion-week events to Elton John’s birthday party. Also in the programme: Michael Booth visits one of Provence’s best-known nougatiers and Fernando Augusto Pacheco joins us in the studio for a biscuit-themed edition of ‘The Global Countdown’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monocle’s Hannah Lucinda Smith heads to Istanbul’s vibrant Aksaray district to discover the city’s lesser-known international food scene. Here, we wander Aksaray’s sprawling backstreets to taste everything from Uzbek to Senegalese cuisine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We sit down with Jean-Philippe Blondet, the executive chef at London’s Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, to ask what it takes to cook at the highest possible level. Plus: Petri Burtsoff explains why rye holds such cultural significance in Finland and Ivan Carvalho heads to the Valle Isarco in the foothills of the Italian Alps to find out why the region is becoming increasingly popular for wine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The southern French city of Avignon is internationally known for its annual summer cultural festival. For more than half of the 14th century, it was also home to the Roman Catholic papacy. Its culinary reputation, however, is often overshadowed by two neighbouring cities: Lyon and Marseille. In this episode, Monocle’s Michael Booth visits the Provençal city to unearth some of its specialties, which range from unique pastries and archeological cheeses to a delicious lamb recipe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We sit down with Dutch baker Issa Niemeijer-Brown, who tells us about his new book, ‘A Book about Bread’. Also in the programme: Monocle’s Tomos Lewis visits Clyde’s Fine Diner in Des Moines, Iowa, and finds out more about the city’s growing culinary scene. Plus: Michael Booth heads to the Rhône valley to meet UK winemaker Kate McKinlay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.