Sommaire pour February 2026 de epicure

While engaging narratives help diners navigate the nuances of fine gastronomy, many restaurants often lose the plot when conveying those ideas onto the menu. Newcomer Loca Niru, however, delivers its story with clarity and intention. Opened in November 2025, the restaurant is the latest addition to Gaia Lifestyle Group’s stable of dining concepts which includes The Black Pearl. Loca Niru balances coherence with creativity, presenting its ‘Contemporary Innovative’ fine-dining concept that feels thoughtful and assured. The restaurant is set within the storied 140-year-old House of Tan Yeok Nee. This meticulously restored property is the last remaining of Singapore’s ‘Four Grand Mansions’ of Teochew architecture and is currently owned by the Indonesian-Chinese Karim family. At the helm is 33-year-old executive chef Shusuke ‘Shu’ Kubota, who had stints at Domaine Les Crayeres…

Sustainability is often talked about in grand, abstract terms. At JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, it is far more tangible. You can smell it in the soil, taste it at the table, and quite literally walk through it. That philosophy feels especially relevant at this sprawling beachfront resort, home to 424 rooms, suites and villas. The property also boasts 11 dining outlets, ranging from Italian and Thai to Japanese and Mediterranean grill concepts, alongside an impressive array of family-friendly facilities. A 2.4-km-long lagoon pool meanders through the grounds, while a bamboo shark nursery and conservation centre has become a particular draw for younger guests. At the centre of the resort’s environmental approach is the JW Garden, a 27-acre organic farm that is far more than a picturesque backdrop…

In the last decade, Manila’s bar scene was firmly defined by the likes of The Curator, Oto, and The Backroom. But in recent years, it has witnessed a new wave of homegrown talent bringing fresh confidence to the table. Vastly different in style and temperament, these establishments are united by conviction: a collective refusal to treat Manila as a testing ground for concepts perfected elsewhere. Manila’s drinking culture, they insist, deserves its own vocabulary — and these are the best new bars helping to write it. Problem Child To be straight-edged and minimalist in Manila’s often maximalist bar scene is quite the radical act. No back bar, no distressed brickwork, and certainly no Instagram-bait neon: Problem Child presents clean lines and a steely aesthetic that forces the drinks to do…

There’s a reassuring heft to the dark glass bottle that Luke Nicholas passes to me. The label reads Epic 10 Years Celebration Ale 1000 — brewed to mark Epic Beer’s 10th anniversary, and the 1,000th batch produced by Steam Brewing Company in Auckland. What makes the bottle unusual is not just what’s inside, but how long it has waited to be opened. While most beers are enjoyed fresh, this one was made a decade ago and then aged for another 10 years. We are, in effect, drinking a 20-year-old beer. “I designed this to last up to 25 years,” Nicholas says, pouring the English-style barleywine into our glasses. Rich, layered, and sweet, it drinks closer to a dessert wine than a traditional ale, with ripe malt, hints of orange peel…

When you see tequila brand Don Julio 1942 mounting a snow dome along Hirafu-zaka and fashion brand Perfect Moment releasing sweaters emblazoned with Niseko on it, you know that Asia’s favourite ski town has reached another level. Once a secret powder escape frequented by travellers from Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the lore of Niseko has spread far and wide arguably making it the best winter destination in the region, earning it the moniker the “Aspen of Asia”. Serious powder hounds may lament its popularity, but its rise has given way to something everyone is surely happy about: better food. A decade ago, travellers only had a handful of trusted stops — Ezo Seafoods for sushi, The Barn by Odin for a fancier sit-down meal, and convenience store Seicomart when…

Kimpton’s 2026 Culinary + Cocktail Trend Forecast reads like a thoughtful manifesto for how we’ll eat and drink next: more botanicals, less sugar and more cross-cultural dishes rooted in place and personal identity. Drawing insights from its global network of chefs and mixologists across 83 hotels, Kimpton points to a future where flavour is layered, sensory, and unapologetically playful. Some of the key trends include: charcoal-forward cooking techniques across proteins and vegetables and banana milk emerging as the next breakout milk alternative. In the glass, sweetness is getting a rethink. Refined sugar steps aside for botanicals, florals and fruit. Think rose, elderflower and citrus lending both aroma and balance. For instance, at Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, cocktails lean crisp and garden-fresh, while at Kimpton Kitalay Samui riffs on indulgence with…

After shuttering his eponymous restaurant in Singapore in 2025, Chef Hirofumi Imamura has re-emerged with a sense of renewal. His next chapter in Ubud, Bali, sees him taking on the role of culinary director for two new dining concepts – Imamura Ubud and Shaku by Imamura – at the upcoming Kimpton Suntaya Bali Ubud. Owned by GHS, a Japan-based hospitality group and managed by IHG, the property is slated to open by mid 2026. Following the Bali launch, GHS also plans to open a second Imamura location in Tokyo. Imamura Ubud will be an omakase-only restaurant designed for elegant, celebratory dining. The menus curated entirely by the chef, are priced at approximately USD250 per person. Shaku by Imamura offers a more relaxed counterpoint: a charcoal-grilled, à la carte concept suited…

My work as a journalist can sometimes land me in unusual situations. Case in point: learning how to tell the difference between a male and female crab while standing in a wooden hut by the sea. “You look at its underside,” says Richard Aquino, a second-generation fisherman and one of the community leaders of Barangay Tortosa, a small fishing village on the island of Negros, a half-hour flight from Cebu. He flips a pair of freshly caught blue swimmer crabs with practised ease, pointing out the narrow, triangular apron of the male and the wider, rounded flap of the female. Juveniles (those caught too young) are released back into the sea. “We only harvest crabs of a certain size, using traditional methods like crab pots,” Richard explains. “That’s how we…

When your sleek yacht cruises from the airport to The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, you are enveloped by crystalline waters in every direction. As you draw closer to the island, your heart rate slows (decidedly in a good way). Warm greetings and friendly smiles abound as the resort’s team welcome you at the arrival pontoon. It doesn’t take long to notice how the ocean’s shades of blue shift from dawn to noon to dusk – each moment naturally nudging your mood toward calm. For guests staying in the iconic Ocean Pool Villas, lingering over these changing hues becomes part of the therapy. These villas are complete with private decks and plunge pools hovering over the sea. The same sense of immersion extends to the Beach Pool Villas, where the shoreline…

In fashion-and design-forward Milan, the hospitality scene continues to evolve. Two Milanese addresses illustrate this shift: one, a former perfume factory turned olfactive sanctuary, appeals through quiet craftsmanship and sensory nuance. The other is a maximalist hotel that zeroes in on entertainment as well as dramatic and unapologetic self-expression. Both members of Small Luxury Hotels (SLH.com), they offer distinctly different, yet equally compelling, ways to experience the city. Crafted in Scent Housed on the former site of a family-run perfume factory, Magna Pars, l’Hotel à Parfum is a five-star retreat that lives up to its name with conviction and large doses of charm. This is thanks to the Martone family’s love of perfume, art and hospitality. The property, with its courtyard gardens and tranquil spaces, feels removed from the city’s…

Emmanuel Stroobant, chef-owner of two-Michelin-starred restaurants Saint Pierre and Shoukouwa, is no stranger to precision. His fine dining modern French restaurant Saint Pierre celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and Emmanuel is not stopping just yet. His latest collaboration sees him, together and Shoukouwa’s head chef Kazumine Nishida, working with JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo to open Saki. This eight-seat avant-garde kappo counter is located on the 29th floor of the newly opened hotel in Takanawa Gateway City, Tokyo’s newest urban destination. The project began with a conversation rather than a blueprint. Emmanuel explains: “Marriott’s initial idea was a sushi counter, but after further thought the team wanted something less common. An experience that could feel genuinely destination-worthy for both travellers and locals,” he says. Introduced through a mutual friend, the…

The recently renovated Nae:um marks a natural culmination of chef-founder Louis Han’s progression over four years at the helm. For his one-Michelin-starred restaurant, Louis presents a vision of what he calls “Contemporary Korean cuisine”, grounded in Korean flavours and ingredients, but shaped by modern techniques and a more deliberate, measured approach. “If I have to compare, Nae:um 1.0 was more experimental and youthful, while Nae:um 2.0 is more ‘well fermented’. With the interior upgrade, I decided to mature the cuisine that Nae:um serves – to be more ingredient focused, detailed, and intentional. So it still has the same Nae:um DNA as before, but elevated through the learnings from the past four years of Nae:um 1.0,” says Louis. The new menu draws from the experiences that have led Louis and his…

From Tokyo’s kinetic pulse to Kyoto’s layered history and Osaka’s effervescent food culture, a well-trodden journey through these destinations is fuelled by energy, ritual and appetite. Yet within each city are sanctuaries where the rhythm slows and indulgence takes precedence. Stepping inside three distinctive properties – all members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH.com) – feels like a welcome respite from the frenetic bustle outside. The Tokyo Station Hotel, Fauchon L’Hôtel Kyoto and CUVEE J2 Hotel Osaka are three addresses where those who travel with their appetite would want to explore. National Landmark Few hotels in the world can claim to be both a national landmark and a place of quiet retreat. The Tokyo Station Hotel does so with impressive ease. Set within the Western-style Marunouchi Building, the…

Phu Quoc is known for its white sand beaches, gentle seas and glowing sunsets. Yet it is on the island’s southern curve, overlooking jewel-toned waters, that fantasy is given free rein at the popular JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa. Conceived by celebrated designer Bill Bensley, the property is styled as a fictional 19th-century French institution. Christened ‘Lamarck University’, the setting comes complete with invented departments, playful backstories and a rich fusion of colour, pattern and period references. The interiors are maximalist, whimsical and meticulously detailed. There’s even a running track for those who want to burn some calories after all the feasting. The sprawling resort stretches along the beachfront. Designed with privacy and space in mind, the accommodations feature terraces or balconies with sofa beds that…