From urban retail revivals and traditionalists bucking long-held customs to unsung jewels stepping into the spotlight – 2019 is shaping up to be quite the annus momentous in the world of LUXE. For the LUXE Hotlist – Ones to Watch 2019, we reached out to our crack team of resident and in-house editors to ask which trends they are most excited about in their cities right now. On your marks, set… jet!
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New York City: Retail Revival
The sad and, well, bleak state of once thriving retail-vana Bleecker Street has left us all kinds of woeful in recent years as both the original character-packed businesses of yore and mega-watt high-end names disappeared; the ghostly shopping strip was in dire need of TLC. Enter Skylight Studios and Brookfield Properties, whose exciting JV Love, Bleecker promises to breathe new life into the former boho stronghold via a slew of new stores and collaborative projects pairing up-n-coming brands (Slightly Alabama, Lingua Franca, Fleurotica and, most notably, Prabal Gurung), with edgy young artists creating bespoke installation pieces for each space – plus events, giveaways and more. Stop for a vegan Caesar salad at Bonberi Bodega. Vive la Bleecker! Resident Editor: Peter J Frank
Tokyo: Pace-setting Gourmandery
Subdued, serious Tokyo restaurants have enjoyed a long and award-spangled season in the sun (think Narisawa, Nihonryori RyuGin), but it’s playful, quirky Den that gets our resident editor Jessica Kozuka’s vote. Inimitable chef Zaiyu Hasegawa might have lost one of two Michelin stars and moved to bigger digs across town, but his crowd-pleasing modern kaiseki hasn’t lost its appeal, thanks in some part to his attention-grabbing four-hand (and six!) events staged throughout the year with the likes of Gert de Mangeleer and Julien Royer. It doesn’t hurt that his adorable dog Puchi Jr is a regular guest star of not just his Instagram page, but meal service as well.
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Los Angeles: Sustainable Sustenance
Hand in hand with LA’s city-wide movement towards meat, gluten and nasty-free eats is the gentrification of what was once a glorified slum-town, Venice Beach aka ground zero for wholesome dining. The area is home to a slew of cafes, grocers and restos setting the green scene (Erewhon Market, Plant Food + Wine, Butchers Daughter); and when you add in organic/veggie tables farther afield in WeHo, Beverly Hills and Downtown (Cafe Gratitude, Gracias Madre), this health and sustainability-promoting trend shows no sign of slowing down. Like all things LA, the world simply watches, then follows suit. Resident editor: Amelia Rynkowska.
Rome: A Nod to Mod
World-renowned for its ancient masterpieces, Rome’s modern offering has long played secondo violino in Italy’s artistic symphony. But when landmark fatigue is nigh, resident editor Erica Firpo suggests taking a refreshing jaunt around the stellar Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna and Contemporanea. Director Cristiana Collu has invigorated the collection of contemporary and modern art by eschewing the usual chronological approach and opting instead to mix and match themes and philosophies that connect the eras. Gorgeous Caffe dell’Arti is an onsite aperitivo winner to boot.
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Hong Kong: Cultural Renaissance
Any Insta maven worth their weight in Grams will be well aware that Hong Kong has finally found its cultural soul. You’ll know because you’ll have seen ex-prison and judicial site turned art and heritage compound Tai Kwun splashed all over your feed with its enticing blend of modern-meets-historic archi, dedicated galleries and performance spaces, not to mention its photogenic eating and drinking options (Madame Fu, Dragon Fly, Behind Bars).
The West Kowloon Cultural District is also finally making headway with the recent opening of Xiqu Centre (Opera House), with other venues, M+ Museum of Visual Culture and Hong Kong Palace Museum slated for late 2019/20. Also indicative of the cultural zeitgeist, The Mills in Tsuen Wan riffs on its textile heritage and offers art shows, workshops, markets and events to a creative/tech-centric crowd. There really has never been a better time to get ART and about in The Fragrant Harbour.
London: Tickle your Pickle
Forget the hearty, heavy gastropub meals of yesteryear, London’s all about the three K’s these days: kombucha, kimchi and kefir, and no one is serving them up with more gusto than the three Ducks – Ducksoup, Rawduck, and the group’s most recent addition, Little Duck, The Picklery. Focused on seasonal, global-inspired eats and natural wines that rotate as often as the food menu, the Ducks all channel homey vibes and delicious flavours, but it’s the littlest that’s charged with creating the group’s seasonal pickles and fermented drinks. You can treat your tum via dining in or taking home from the own-brand The Picklery range, or better still why not try pickling yourself (no, not like that!) at one of their monthly on-site workshops spanning fermenting to pasta and charcuterie making.
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Sydney: Character-packed Hotels
What was once a town of wall-to-wall brand-name stays, Australia’s Emerald City has welcomed a plethora of new hotels in the last couple of years that deliver on style and personality without scrimping on facilities and perks. Hip n’ happening nabe Surry Hills is home to not one, but two boutique standouts: spruce bunker Little Albion Guest House (ace art, original features, honour bar, Molton Brown prods and Fido-friendly) and heritage-meets-modern Paramount House Hotel (French linen, terrazzo baths, and locally-sourced mini bar bounty). And, relax.
Paris: East-Meets-Yes
After years of Japanese chefs helming top Parisian kitchens, it’s the turn of the Middle East’s top toques to counter the historically rich and heavy Gallic cuisine with an abundance of fresh and raw vegetables, beans, pulses, dips and delightfully bold flavours. Israeli chef Eyal Shani’s ever-rammed Miznon got the ball rolling, Experimental group-backed Balagan kicks it up notch with its vibrant, straight-outta-Jerusalem plates; Tavline unites Moroccan, Yemeni and Hebrew influence, and lush Levantine patisserie Maison Aleph rounds off with something Syrian and sweet. Resident editor: Sylvia Sabes
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Singapore: Coming of Age
Believe it or not, it’s been two whole centuries since Uncle Raffles landed on a tiny, swamp-infested island that grew into the Lion City we know today. To mark this historic milestone, Singapore is launching a year-long program of Bicentennial events and exhibitions. Kicking off the festivities (and repping a seemingly Asia-wide trend for all things hyper- illuminated) are the i Light Singapore festival (28 Jan-24 Feb), featuring installations dotted around the Civic District, Fort Canning Park, Marina Bay and the River, and the National Gallery’s urban art event Light to Night Festival (19-28 Jan). Later in the year, Fort Canning will host an interactive program of films and performances reflecting the city-state’s 700-year history (Jun-Sep).
If that wasn’t dazzling enough, the biggest stars of the global culinary scene will descend upon the Little Red Dot in June for the first World’s 50 Best Restaurants gala awards, the first to be held in Asia. Two hundred years old and just getting warmed up. Here’s looking at you, Sing.
Bangkok: Take Me To The River
Hot on the heels of the Old Town Renaissance, comes Bangkok’s long-awaited Riverside revival. Both sides of the Chao Phraya are getting a solid hit with the hip stick, via creative compounds The Jam Factory and Warehouse 30, Chatuchak alternative ChangChui repping flea finds, ace eats, and Insta-worthy angles galore and spanking-new retailvana ICONSIAM, perched next door to The Peninsula. And, with fabulous five star-stays Capella, Four Seasons set to move in, the River is where it’s at for 2019.
If fine dining is more your bag, bask in the fabulousness behind Bangkok’s elite restaurants – a bad-ass crew of all-female chefs hailing from home and away: Paste (Bee Satongun), Bo.lan (Duangporn Songivsava), Nahm (Pim Techamuanvivi) and Gaa (Garima Arora). Aroy! Resident editors: Chawadee Nualkhair & Duke Theerathada.
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