Wallpaper 6

Cuba has been renowned for many

things over the years (cigars, mojitos,

bright colours), but not its culinary

offerings. However, food on the tropical

island has been undergoing something

of a renaissance lately, with the arrival

of new paladares (private restaurants

in people’s homes), farmers’ markets

and street food stalls. Imogene Tondre,

co-author of new book, Cuba: The

Cookbook (published by Phaidon), says,

‘There’s a huge increase in restaurants

and paladares, and they’re innovating

with creative takes on traditional dishes

using local ingredients’. Dishes from her

book include green peanut sauce, tarot

root gnocchi with Cuban sauce, and

yucca flan (all pictured above). The

interest in new Cuban cuisine extends

beyond the country, too. Chef Luis Pous,

who left Cuba frustrated by the lack of

ingredients, went on to set up Miami

restaurant Asia de Cuba, and there are

now branches in New York, London and

Dubai. ‘Cuban cuisine is eclectic,’ says

Pous. ‘We’ve been influenced by the

French, Spanish, Chinese, Africans and

more, so I added ingredients that are

hard to find in Cuba to our traditional

dishes to create new offerings, such as

scallops with black fried rice, foie gras

croquetas, and lobster sofrito.’ Miami

chef Eileen Andrade, the granddaughter

of first generation Cuban immigrants

and restaurateurs, has taken the cuisine

even further by fusing it with Korean

at her acclaimed restaurant Finka Table

& Tap. And at Paladar, a new London

restaurant that bills itself as Latin

American, you’ll even find a Habanero, a

spicy version of the classic mojito, which

features a chilli syrup. We’ll drink to that.

OUT OF OFFICE | JOHN PAWSON

How do you take your coffee?,

Strong Italian espresso shots in my

studio. I don’t go to coffee shops.

Who was your inspiration when

you were growing up?

My father. He was always building

things. I knew at school I wanted to

be an architect, but the teacher said,

‘Oh good lord, you can’t do maths’.

Later, I was living in Japan and trying

to hang out with the designer Shiro

Kuramata. He got fed up with me and

said, ‘Why don’t you go and do it

yourself ?’ So I went to architectural

school in London. That’s where

I realised that you could learn how

to design. Before that I thought you

just sat down and did it.

You are often described as terribly

British and understated. How does

this affect your work?

In America, if you don’t say ‘I am a

genius’, then you’re not. The English

way is to say ‘I’ve had quite a good

idea’. I said this to Calvin Klein once

and he said, ‘Well, I don’t want quite

a good idea, John’. I always worry

about how people react to what I say.

I am Mr Night-Angst. My wife says,

‘Just wait until the morning’.

Is there a moment in your career

that stands out?

I will never forget unveiling the

St Moritz church in Augsburg. I gave

the key to the bishop, he selected 800

people from the local congregation

and they were pushing excitedly to

get in. The atmosphere was amazing,

the door shut and I shared two hours

of service and a concert with them.

What are you working on?

A lot of hotels, including The

Residences at The West Hollywood

Edition. I’m also working on a small

chapel in Bavaria.

What would you be doing if you

weren’t designed buildings?

I am too impatient for most other

things. But I love Instagram, it’s

so self-indulgent, so I think I would

be a professional Instagrammer.

Now you’re older, how are things

different to when you first started?

Now I have all this work, but not

the energy. It’s backwards.

BODIL BLAIN

SHARES COFFEE

AND

CREATIVE SMALL TALK

WITH...

the man who takes

minimalist architecture

to the max

CUBAN REVOLUTION

A new cuisine is hot on the heels of its Latin American counterparts

‘CANTINE’ PLATES IN VERT

DE CHAUX (LEFT) AND ROSE

BUVARD (RIGHT), FROM

€16, BY JARS CÉRAMISTES.

DIPPING BOWLS IN PLUM AND

BOTTLE, £30 EACH, BY MUD

AUSTRALIA. ‘LOUXOR’ GLASS,

£350 FOR TWO, BY BACCARAT;

‘CANNES PRÉCIEUX ONYX’

FORK AND TABLESPOON, £1,510

EACH, BY JEAN PUIFORCAT,

ALL FROM HARRODS.

‘MARGHERITA’ PLATE (TOP),

£121 FOR TWO, BY MISSONI

HOME. NAPKIN, £30, BY

WILLER. ‘AZULEJ’ TILES, FROM

€103 PER SQ M, BY PATRICIA

URQUIOLA, FOR MUTINA

PHOTOGRAPHY: FELICITY MCCABE FOOD STYLIST: PETA O’BRIEN WRITER: LAUREL IVES

Newspaper

042 ∑