TRAVEL BY NUMBERS
44,450
Cost at an auction, in pounds, of the swimming trunks worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
MASTERCLASS
LESSONS FROM GLOBAL EXPERTS Yannick Alléno is a two-Michelinstarred French chef whose dishes are served at some of the world’s leading hotels, such as the Royal Mansour in Marrakesh. He specialises in “Cuisine Moderne”, using techniques such as extraction and cryoconcentration.
100,000
What is extraction?
Number of muscles in an elephant’s trunk
25,000
Number of African elephants killed by poachers in 2011: one-nineteenth of the total population
3,950
Cost in pounds of a 1920s Goyard weekend trunk (bentleyslondon.com) THE BOOK
THE BOHO BIBLE
A
bohemian traveller herself, Julia
Dazzling Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #1091 (2003)
years to perfect, working with Bruno and Education Academy (CREA) in
The inside track on the world’s greatest galleries and museums Michael Brand, director of the Art
And the most controversial?
Gallery of New South Wales, offers
The white-on-white painting Unknowing, from 2002, by the
a visual alternative for visitors to Sydney during the Lions rugby
London-based Iranian Shirazeh
tour this summer.
Houshiary, always attracts
What is special about
attention for its apparent
your gallery?
minimalism, which veils the
We have an outstanding
laborious application of countless
collection of Australian art, right and incredibly knowledgeable guides,
extracting pure juice. It has taken me Goussault at the Culinary Research
DIRECTOR’S CUT
beside the Royal Botanic Gardens –
The process of concentrating taste by
Arabic characters to the canvas. Which artists should no one miss? We have the largest public collection of works
including a few who dress in character. A loud and
by the American artist Sol LeWitt, as well as
very cheeky fruit bat, for instance, leads tours of our
a fantastic collection of the works of the Aboriginal
Aboriginal collection and a beguiling Barbarella-type
artist Rover Thomas.
figure takes contemporary art tours.
What exhibitions do you have coming up?
What should visitors see if they have only
Of the 20 we show each year, we are most excited
three hours to spare?
about our next major summer exhibition, America:
Yiribana, our gallery for Aboriginal art, and our suite
Painting a Nation, the first survey of American
of recently re-installed galleries for 20th-century
painting ever held in Australia. Opening on July 6, we
Australian art. Plus, if they have time, the
have Sydney Moderns, featuring Australian art from
19th-century Australian paintings in our original
1915 to 1940 and, on August 22, A Silk Road Saga,
Victorian galleries and our historical Asian collection
which features an extraordinary late-sixth-century
housed in a beautiful “lantern” gallery. They could
white marble sarcophagus lent to us by the
finish in our cafe overlooking Sydney Harbour.
Shaanxi History Museum in China.
Which is the gallery’s most popular work?
What are the best things about your cafe?
Fire’s On, painted in 1891 by the Australian artist
The contemporary Australian cuisine, the indoor-
Arthur Streeton, which will be a highlight of this
outdoor seating and the multicoloured parakeets
autumn’s Australian exhibition at the Royal Academy.
that swing from umbrella cables outdoors.
Paris. I extract juice from every ingredient, to create tastes that are ultra-natural and concentrated. So it’s all about sauces? Sauces are the DNA of French cuisine. They first appeared in the 18th century. Then Auguste Escoffier created the “fonds” (stock) and, 70 years later, nouvelle cuisine gave us “les jus courts”. Extraction came next. Does this require specific tools? Yes, the Cookcooning, by Sylvie Coquet – an airtight container, in which you can cook a dish without it losing moisture, heat or taste. Is there a dish you’ve created that’s unlike any other? For the Cheval Blanc in Courchevel I macerated meat in barrels from Pierre Lurton and Château d’Yquem and it took on amazing flavours. Also, I love New York hot dogs and created a “veau-chaud” for Terroir Parisien, my Paris restaurant. It’s calf’s head in bread, with gribiche sauce: delicious! A French dish, bursting with flavour, which is easy to make? A thin strawberry tart with berries from Orgeval, on Île-de-France.
Chaplin understood the sorts of destinations her fellow “Gypsetters”
might enjoy: tropical places whose spirit combined the carefree ethos of the gypsy nomad with the sophistication of the jet set, where creativity rather than cash ruled, where the weather was warm and the surf swell. Having criss-crossed the globe, she has published her guide to the 10 top Gypset spots, from the Aeolian Islands in Italy to Lamu in Kenya and Todos Santos in Mexico. Each chapter, accompanied by portraits of arty people and hip places, includes tips on where to stay and eat – and compelling tales of historical figures who made these places their homes. Part travelogue, part style bible, part destination guide, this book is as pretty as it is readable (assouline.com, £30).
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ULTRA APP
SOUVENIR SEARCH
KEMOSABE his family-owned shop in central Aspen is the place to find cowboy gear: not just bolo ties and Stetsons, but the most covetable hand-stitched cowboy boots in the West. Best-sellers, from 200 styles, include the Rios Distressed (left) in summery hues (£400) and the Chocolate Lieutenant, in oiled calf (£650). For shoppers who can’t get to Colorado, items are for sale online – including cowboy hats that can be customised (kemosabe.com)
T
Private Jet Concierge PRIVATEFLY (Free) Skyscanner and Kayak are useful apps for comparing the prices of commercial flights, but what about private jets? Several companies offer this service, the best being PrivateFly. While its rivals such as BlackJet and Globe Air are limited by destination or aircraft type, this UKbased site monitors a global network of more than 7,000 aircraft. Once you have chosen your airports and flight times, its approved operators quote against each other. Prices are naturally in the thousands, although you can save money by searching the unused “empty legs” on one-way flights. With 24-hour support and the ability to arrange charters within 90 minutes, it is a fine and surprisingly affordable step up from first class. Mark Wilson