HauteHOTEL

BY BECCA HENSLEY

MONKEY ISLAND ESTATE

A new rural resort and floating spa on an island in the Thames

IT SOUNDS LIKE A HIDEAWAY IN AFRICA OR INDIA— or perhaps a place for primates to reside in a city zoo. In fact, this one-time home to herbal elixir-making monks, fishing retreat for an 18th-century duke, secret nefarious nook for Eton student playboys, and raucous party spot for Princess Margaret and her cohorts lies in the pastoral English countryside, just 30 minutes north of London. Mere steps from the idyllic village of Bray-on-Thames where three Michelin-starred restaurants tempt (including 3-star Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal), the island occupies seven acres amid the Thames, accessible only by footbridge or boat.

Redolent with intriguing histories (some of which can’t be put into writing), the retreat smacks of mystery and intrigue. Monkey Island Estate could be the setting for any favorite British literary tale. The estate was once owned by somebody called (Clue fans, take note) Mrs. Plum; Edward Elgar composed here; Rebecca West and H.G. Wells stole away for writing jaunts and romantic rendezvous—to name a few fun facts. It’s whispered that more than one queen stopped over for sustenance after a stay at Windsor Castle, as well.

BY TERESA RODRIGUEZ

HauteHOTEL

Monkey Island Estate, a 5-star Georgian hideaway

However, the hideaway fell on hard times until Malayasian-based YTL decided to make it legendary again. The estate re- opened last summer after major renovations as an intimate, 5-star resort. Expect stellar service, country house- style British sensibility, a languorous ambiance befitting the blue-blooded class, slow canal boats on the river, and a moored vessel which serves as a spa—but not one monkey in sight.

As it turns out, Monkey Island, once called Monk’s Eyot (or “Monk’s Isle” in Old English) was named for the medieval holy men who lived and worked here. Known for their curative tinctures and potions, they grew herbs and traded their wares and garden products with passing apothecary vessels, gaining a reputation for helping travelers heal. In an artful homage to the monks, as well as to the island’s history as a regal playground, YTL, a hotel group known for soulful refurbishments of historic properties, has reinvented the retreat. Now, rather than administer to the ill as the monks did, the island can ease stressed travelers to elegant repose and entertainment.

When in residence, enjoy interiors by New York’s Champalimaud Design (responsible for iconic design at places such as London’s Dorchester and Manhattan’s Carlisle Hotel), which reference the past with a tony, slightly reserved modernity. Reflecting former times, the mood across the grounds remains clubby and crisp—yet friendly. Holding just 30 rooms, plus a handful of re- fashioned riverside cottages, and ideal for families and larger groups, the resulting, redone estate has exclusive appeal. It’s the sort of destination that makes one hanker to dance across the lawn in a chiffon dress, your arms wrapped around someone wearing a tuxedo, flutes of champagne clutched in your respective hands. You may even find yourself playing croquet.

Monkey Island brasserie serves contemporary British classics

Afternoon tea is a must

Dine on the terrace for river viewsDine on the terrace for river views

I connect with the monks’ spirit the night I arrive, when I tipple in the Monkey Bar, set in one of the island’s classic, white, Palladian-styled buildings. Seated on a velvety couch, I peruse the menu and order a libation that borrows from the monk’s legacy—a concoction drawing from the power of plants and herbs. It fools me into believing that even the alcohol might be healthy. Called a Merton Priory, it comprises a bitter blend of Punt e Mess, Gagliardo Bitter Radicale, orange oil, and house-made walnut syrup—all medicinal, in a good way. While I wait for its delivery, I gaze up and gasp. As if from a dream, the ceiling is alive with naughty monkeys—or at least paintings of them—, dressed as human beings, fishing, shooting, and acting in the guise of country gentle-men. This centuriesold mural adds whimsey and gravitas to the otherwise modernized historic buildings, a perfect melding of old

and new. I cherish the idea of sipping where aristocrats, writers, artists, musicians—perhaps kings and presidents, too—swigged before me.

No matter how much I wish to pack the Monkey Bar into my suitcase and take it home with me (as if one could, though the effects of the monk-ish drink do make me think magic is possible), I fall further under the resort’s spell and the monks’ influences at The Floating Spa the following day. Imagined to reflect the region’s history, the moored, vintage-looking canal boat has just three rooms. It takes its treatment cues from healing herbs and house-made oils, not to mention the boat’s rocking rhythm. I receive a face-changing treatment, which includes a peat mask.

But, monkeying around isn’t the only thing to do at Monkey Island Estate. One can ride horses, enjoy water sports on a nearby lake, take boat rides, learn to smoke salmon in the garden-side smokehouse, watch the guards change at nearby Windsor Castle, learn about beekeeping, and bop into the village for hard-to-get reservations at some of the UK’s best restaurants. All the while, with London less than an hour away, visitors can combine an urban holiday with a bucolic, rural stay--just as the glitterati did in the old days

I think the monks (and the monkeys) would approve.

The Whiskey Snug The Wedgewood Suite

PROFILE BY STEPH KEAY

Haute CUISINE

Chef David Nayfeld of Che Fico

PUTTING IT ALL ON THE TABLE

Three Bay Area chefs speak candidly about the issues they’re facing during shelter-in-place. The one thing they all agree on: the future of dining is in our hands.

RAZOR-THIN PROFIT MARGINS. SKY-HIGH RENTS. SURVIVING AS A RESTAURATEUR is no easy feat in San Francisco, even during a typical year. Adding a global pandemic to the mix is a recipe for disaster. Experts have predicted up to 50 percent of San Francisco’s restaurants could close permanently following the pandemic.

I spoke to several local chefs about what happened when they were ordered to shelter in place, how the pandemic has highlighted long-simmering issues in the uniquely vulnerable restaurant industry, and what the future of dining might look like—for better or for worse.

“Our mission has always been to provide an exquisite dining experience to everyone. We have done some incredibly creative, innovative things, including bento boxes, fresh barbeque on the weekends, and sweets for pick-up and delivery.” – Chef Claude Le Tohic of ONE65

PAST

When sheltering-in-place was announced, most restauranteurs were blindsided by the unprecedented order. “I thought it would only last a week or two at the most,” says Chef Tommy Cleary of Hina, Bay Area’s first yakitori omakase restaurant. “We took time off to see how it was going to play out. Only being able to do takeout or delivery limited what we could do. We had already been working on this other idea of a yakitori bento box concept, so we thought this might be the perfect time to implement the idea and give it a test run. So, we started selling our Torima bento boxes—and people loved them.” He and his team now deliver boxes of the binchotan-grilled meats around San Francisco, with the recent launch of a vegetarian option, and have plans to expand the business beyond the Bay Area.

Similarly, Chef Claude Le Tohic of ONE65 in Union Square successfully parlayed his 6-story French dining destination into a takeout hub, complete with the addition of bento boxes du jour. “Our mission has always been to provide an exquisite dining experience to everyone. We have done some incredibly creative, innovative things, including bento boxes, fresh barbeque on the weekends, and sweets for pick-up and delivery.” The restaurant has also partnered with the Benefit Tomorrow Foundation, providing meals to frontline workers at local hospitals.

Acclaimed Italian taverna Che Fico went one step further, launching its own charitable initiative: the Che Fico Family Meal Fund. “It started very quickly,” says Chef David Nayfeld. “We had announced that we weren’t going to be open to the public anymore, and one of our supporters reached out to us and asked, ‘What can I do to help? I’m down to slide you guys a little bit of money; what can you do with it?’ I thought, ‘Well ... what we do is cook.’ I watched what was going around the city, and got the sense of what was going to happen in the country. There are so many people who have no job. Unemployment benefits are not going to kick in for them. None of these people have savings. Going into sheltering-in-place, a lot of them didn’t plan or didn’t have the means to plan. So, I thought, why don’t we just cook food and give it away for free?”

In addition to providing food to the community, Nayfeld was committed to keeping his suppliers afloat. “Making sure that the supply lines don’t collapse by supporting them and continuing to use them was super important. I don’t think that’s something that gets pointed out enough when people talk about what chefs are doing—it’s not just the end product. You have to think about the entire throughput, especially here, where we deal with very, very small businesses. A lot of times, these are micro-businesses, in the sense of small farms, small ranches, fishermen.” After a beat, he continued. “When you think about a restaurant’s place in the economy, there are very few other businesses like it in the sense that there are very few businesses where, when you spend a dollar, around 90 to 95 cents of that dollar is almost automatically recirculated into the local economy.”

Nayfeld was at the park with his dog, Cassidy, who interrupted our conversation when he stole a toy while Nayfeld passionately explained the importance of restaurants. “I can’t go home because my daughter is sleeping, and I have a tiny apartment,” he laughed. A quick apology to the toy’s owner, and he dove right back in. “It’s important to recognize a restaurant’s role in the economy and why it is that, as you watch as restaurants thrive, it’s a great indicator whether an economy is thriving. As restaurants struggle, it’s a great indicator that the economy is struggling. It’s the canary in a coal mine. Why it’s important that we, as a group, band around the success of restaurants is because they employ 11 million people nationwide—directly. And the amount of people that they employ in parallel industries, whether it be people in textiles, disposables and plastics, ranching, farming, delivery drivers, salespeople, tech sector ... you name the sector, and I can tell you that there’s a good chance that restaurants play a pivotal role in their success.”

The Patisserie at ONE65 ONE65, a French dining destination in Union Square